The group at Kaldewei, Ahlen
Ellipso Duo freestanding bath in gloss black
Kaldewei’s Christian Spieker welcomes us to the KKC
Checking out the new ‘Meisterstuck’ with ‘Comfort Select’ electronic touch control
Conoflat shower surface in matt black
Conoduo freestanding bath in matt black
Every year Bathe Australia take a group to tour their German suppliers factories and to see what is new and exciting in the world of bathroomware.
This year I was lucky to attend and over the next few posts I’ll be sharing with you all that was discovered, learnt and eaten in those 10 glorious days!
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We began our German adventure in Munster, also known as the bicycle capital of Germany. This beautiful town is home to approx 48,500 students and we were informed that every person has at least 2 bikes. There were literally bikes everywhere!
We made daily (short) trips to Ahlen for Kaldewei and were greeted each time by a stunning enamel-clad building and the smiling faces of the Kaldewei staff.
The most astounding thing I discovered about Kaldewei was their 0% waste policy.
Nothing, nichts, not one little piece is wasted. They recycle all product i.e. glass and steel and even re-use the taphole/overflow cut-outs for waste covers etc. Very eco-friendly!
Wandering through the factory was an eye-opening experience for me. The precision and skill that goes into producing a Kaldewei bath or shower tray is unbelievable and yet completely understandable, considering they have a 30 year warranty on their product.
Watching the cold press deep-drawing process was probably my favourite part of the factory tour. Seeing a 2.9mm thick piece of steel (overall thickness of the bath material is 3.5mm including enamel) deep drawn just by pressure (these pieces are not heated up!) into the shape of a bath is just outstanding.
Unsurprisingly their sales in shower trays (a.k.a shower floors & shower surfaces) have rocketed and we are hoping the Australian market will embrace the shower trays soon. They are more hygienic and so much easier to clean than the traditional tile/grout combo. And with Kaldewei’s colour options, you wont have any trouble matching your floors.
Kaldewei were kind enough to share some of their new products with us also. They’ve just launched their one-piece, no-seams freestanding bathtub. ‘Meisterstuck’, German for masterpiece. And what a masterpiece it is. Sleek lines and contemporary styling with all the advantages of the best bath material in the market, steel enamel.
The other exciting new Kaldewei development is ‘Sound Wave’. We were utterly enthralled by this new gadget, it basically turns your bath tub into a giant speaker!
Once adding a ‘Sound Wave’ to your bath tub, connect your device via bluetooth and you can play whatever music you wish through the actual bath. This also means you get cool little vibrations in the surface of the water.
Everyone needs a Kaldewei bath. Everyone needs ‘Sound Wave’.
Kaldewei will be launching some exciting things at ISH trade fair next year but unfortunately they were kept well under wraps. We will be sure to keep a close eye on any Kaldewei releases and keep you updated.
Bicycle highway in Munster
City walking tour through Munster
City walking tour through Munster
Dinner at brewery Pinkus Muller
Cologne cathedral
Photos © kaety/Candana
