Construction-Materials Dealers Air Views on Challenges and Trends in New Industry Panel Discussion Report Sponsored by Versatex Trimboard
Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) March 07, 2016 -- After asking a panel of leading construction-materials dealers to sound off about industry challenges and trends, Versatex Building Products, LLC, is inviting members of the trade media to mine those comments for fresh insights and up-to-the-minute story ideas.
Versatex, the innovative manufacturer of premier PVC residential trim products, has just released “The Dealer Experience,” a 16-page report that captures a lively afternoon of conversation among eight veterans of the building-materials supply chain. The panel met during the January, 2016, NAHB International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.
“These are smart, straight-talking guys, and we learn something useful every time we get them together,” said Versatex sales and marketing VP Rick Kapres, who announced the release of “The Dealer Experience” this week. “And since communication has always been a huge factor in our success, Versatex wanted to give the widest possible audience a chance to hear what dealers are thinking, and what’s keeping them awake at night.”
The report contains their input on industry changes and reinvention, the workforce, manufacturers and distributors and customer communications.
He said the report is being emailed to industry reporters, editors and bloggers who cover the residential construction industry, and is downloadable, free of charge, at http://www.versatex.com/press-releases-2016c
“We heard about issues that really impact manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and contractors today,” Mr. Kapres said. Based on an uncensored transcript, the report
suggests that:
• Contractor-dealer relationships can develop growing pains as a “briefcase builder” generation inherits an industry rooted in hands-on skills.
• In the past few years, low maintenance has replaced price as the deciding factor when high-end homeowners select building materials.
• Contractor-dealer relationships can develop growing pains as a “briefcase builder” generation inherits an industry rooted in hands-on skills.
Quotes from panelists include:
• On the evolving customer base: “When contractors complain that they can’t find help, I say, ‘What did you tell your kids to do? Stay in school! Well, they stayed in school and now they’re doing something else. And it’s not working outside in the cold.’”
• On product commoditization: “PVC [trim] isn’t a commodity because it’s not all the same thing. A 2x4 is a commodity. Every single mill produces it—you have to meet a specific standard.”
• On consolidation: “It’s still early to tell how a lot of these deals will impact the business. Are [corporations] just getting bigger to get bigger? Eliminating market share? They’re eliminating direct competition by merging, but what happens to the third-, fourth- and fifth-tier markets?”
“The Dealer Experience” follows the format of two earlier, media-oriented Versatex industry reports, “On the Level” and “On the Level 2.0,” which offered a parallel range of comments by nationally-recognized members of the Versatex Contractors Council. Versatex offers copies of all three reports, and further background can be found on their website at http://www.versatex.com
About Versatex
Weather-resistant, long-lasting VERSATEX trim materials and systems are manufactured by Versatex Building Products, LLC, of Pittsburgh, where state-of-the-art facilities produce cellular PVC extrusion products such as VERSATEX trimboards, sheet, bead board, moldings and prefabricated corners; the innovative VERSATEX soffit system; and dimensionally compatible VERSATEX Max nominal 2-by boards. Details are posted at http://www.versatex.com.
Sarah Rawlings, Versatex, http://http:/www.versatex.com, +1 (724) 857-1111, [email protected]
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