BREAKING NEWS
Back after a period of absence: Frans Bijnen Meubelen.
The time is ripe for Brussels, because there is now a great deal of (exceptional) news to showcase and share. A chameleonic collection designed by Axel Enthoven. Wardrobes that fill the gap in the market. Extraordinary 3D prints and colours on Adatto and City. For those who have never tried it: the intuitive, easy-peasy configurator. FBM can look back on its 50th anniversary. Net congestion is a hotter topic. How do you tackle the structural challenges?
2019 was the last time FBM was in Brussels with a representative home display. “Trade fairs for the sake of it? No: a trade fair is about garnering information and inspiration, and fostering relationships and contacts. Old news is no news.” But if you have breaking news, then you’re back there like before with 200 m2. The eye-catcher for 2025: the Cameleon collection, designed by Axel Enthoven. The name is a metaphor for the cabinet that can adapt to anything and everyone. To your interior style, to the space, to both private and business settings. The design concept starts with a single cabinet frame with rounded corners and bevelled edges. This basic element can then be filled and coloured modularly. An open layout with shelves and uprights, with drawers or closed off with doors (glass, mirror, ribbed profile), with handles or handle-less. You can position the basic element vertically or horizontally, with or without legs. The finish gives the cabinet personality: veneered or lacquered. With Cameleon, FBM is positioning itself higher in the market. That is definitely breaking news.
Wardrobes
The other product news was to be anticipated: FBM is launching a wardrobe range for the consumer market. How does it add value? By offering tailor-made work without the additional price tag – made possible by the firm’s experience in the contract market. Easily made by the configurator, familiar from the other cabinet ranges. “Our design tool works simply and intuitively. You choose one of the suggested cabinets and make a few adjustments here and there. Any weekend seller or job-hopper can get started with it right away. That is quite a bonus: the configurator can help alleviate the staff shortage in retail. That is one of the many challenges we are currently facing.”
Energy-neutral, energy-autonomous
Another structural challenge is net congestion: an overcrowded power grid. The Bijnen Meubel Group already manufactures more or less energy-neutrally: the 3000 solar panels on the roof deliver the annual energy requirement. A 1.1-Megawatt battery regulates the supply to/from the electricity grid. “Now we can respond to the supply and demand of electricity, and therefore to the price fluctuations. In the future, we aim to operate energy-autonomously.”
