Three Companies Resign From KCMA Over Trade Matters

American Woodmark, MasterBrand Cabinets, and Cabinetworks Group have resigned from the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) over policy differences regarding efforts by the organization to combat unfair trade imports from China. In response to petitions filed by KCMA, the U.S. department of commerce issued anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on wooden cabinets, vanities, and components thereof (WCV) from China. The relief provided by these orders to the U.S. industry was being eroded by WCV that were made in China and then trans-shipped through Malaysia and Vietnam to the U.S. In April 2022, the KCMA requested that the commerce department conduct scope inquiries and anti-circumvention proceedings to address this problem and protect tens of thousands of American cabinet jobs. The three companies’ departure followed the KCMA board’s discussion and rejection of their proposal to immediately cause KCMA to withdraw the scope and anti-circumvention. As part of the departure, MasterBrand Cabinets immediately canceled its participation at the ‘KCMA Fall Conference,’ including the plant tour of its Starmark Cabinetry facility and its conference panel session. The three companies issued a statement that says they fully support the department of commerce’ imposition of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on certain Chinese cabinet and vanity imports. “We all want to ensure that our industry’s advocacy protects our customers, our employees, and our partners from the negative impacts of illegal imports – while at the same time does not penalize the legal imports that our industry needs to support American jobs and on-time deliveries to our customers.”