In one model the stove is fixed to the side of a solid wood table as a glass panel, in another a metal table and a large workspace can be joined together in varying ways. In co-operation with students at Muthesius University in Kiel, five new kinds of cooking stations were recently developed as prototypes for the kitchen of tomorrow. Alno – the brand comes from the name of the founder, Albert Nothdurft – was one the few German furniture companies to ascend on the wings of the Economic Miracle in the 1950s. Sales for what is now the second-largest kitchen-maker in the world have gone from the equivalent of 2.5 million euros in 1960 to around 613 million in 2005. The number of employees – 2,700 – is also far above the industry average. In 2005 Alno set up a plant in Dubai, making it the first European kitchen manufacturer to start production in the Middle East. Headed by a manager who is not part of the founding family since the beginning of the new millennium, a company first, Alno has always set its sights on quality and is therefore a prime example of why “Made in Germany” is a label to be proud of. Based near the Lake of Constance, the manufacturer relies on the indisputable strengths of the German kitchen industry and has in particular added a steady stream of new variations to the functional kitchen that was first developed in this country. The wide-ranging product line is dominated by the upper segment made up of “lifestyle kitchens” displaying streamlined forms. These series are named Alnoart, Alnosign and Alnotec. Original solutions for small details and the tendency to depart from the classic linear kitchen are among the newer concepts. The Liberio program, which responds to the growing need for a combined kitchen and living space, represents a reaction to changing lifestyles, as does the Teatro concept developed for apartments and small offices, in which the kitchen is hidden behind double doors. The Linzgau-based firm weathered the sales crisis of a few years ago with a strategy that incorporated both savings measures and an overhaul of its product range. The aim was to counter the “growing uniformity” of kitchens with innovations and a heightened awareness of trends. One result was the Picture Line, a patented process for printing images on cabinet fronts and other surfaces. Alno managed here to achieve a unique selling point that has proven popular, for example, for printing wood grains resembling exotic woods such as teak, olive and palisander. The process produces its own unique surface aesthetic while avoiding the depletion of natural resources.