Summer is just a few short weeks away. The summer months have traditionally been a busy time for countertop fabricators and installers, which may work to distract us from outdoor activities, events and vacations. However, focusing on a steady flow of jobs during this season can be just as rewarding, if not more so.
Some talk has been circulating about the slowdown in the U.S. housing market after sales took off in 2013. Fears of slipping back into a recession have arisen, but it seems that deeper analysis of the situation may indicate that these fears hold no merit. The jump in sales in 2013 was necessary for the market to catch up to where it should be, and now, housing sales and new construction are expected to increase slowly and steadily through 2018, according to experts.
Two of the reasons for the current slowdown are rising mortgage rates and a decreasing inventory of existing homes. Residential property investors have been buying up existing structures before prices begin to rise, but this activity has spurred new construction in many markets that were hit hard during the recession, including Phoenix, Atlanta and several cities in Texas.
As the housing market continues to recover, this summer is a great time to focus on current jobs while preparing for the strong possibility of new construction approaching. Of course, it never hurts to temper work with trips to the beach, camping, backyard barbeques or even a trip to an exotic location. So, I'd like to wish you all an enjoyable yet prosperous summer, and it would be great to hear from you about what you are expecting for your business in the near future.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Expansion of Clean Water Act May Affect Homebuilders
At the end of March, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers released a long-awaited proposal to clarify the wording of the Clean Water Act, which is designed to protect rivers, wetlands and other waterways from erosion and other damage caused by human activity. However, not everyone is happy about the new proposed rule, including the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Two decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court in the last 15 years limited the Clean Water Act and muddied the waters, so to speak, over exactly which waterways fall under federal jurisdiction. Since those decisions, organizations regulated under the act and the EPA have been going mad trying to sort out exactly who is to regulated and by which layer of government: federal, state or local.
For years, a multitude of large corporations, professional organizations, government agencies and environmentalist have been calling for the rule to be revised so that it provides more clarity and guidance. According to the EPA, this is exactly what the proposed rule is doing. However, several detractors say that the proposed rule unfairly expands the jurisdiction of the EPA, will drastically increase costs and cause delays in permitting without a proportional benefit.
One of the strongest voices in opposition to the proposed rule is the NAHB, which has been asking for the new rule for several years now. Kevin Kelly, president of the NAHB, said the drafted rule does not do what it was meant to accomplish.
“Instead, EPA has added just about everything into its jurisdiction by expanding the definition of a ‘tributary’ – even ditches and manmade canals, or any other feature that a regulator determines to have a bed, bank and high-water mark. It’s a waste of taxpayer resources to treat a rainwater ditch with the same scrutiny as we would the Delaware Bay,” stated Kelly in a press release.
Kelly also stated that the expansion of authority under the new rule would require larger numbers of developers and construction projects to obtain permits, which will delay or halt construction projects. This, in turn, will directly affect countertop fabricators who provided products for new construction or even remodeling projects, including small, single-family home projects. In addition, the new rule will increase the costs of construction for developers.
The EPA, however, does not agree on some of these points. According to the EPA’s website, the Waters of the United States Proposed Rule reduces confusion about the Clean Water Act and clarifies which types of waters are covered under it. The website also states that the rule does not protect new types of waters, does not expand jurisdiction over ditches and does not broaden coverage of the Act.
What the EPA does admit is that the Act is associated with higher costs, most of which will be paid by land developers and the agriculture industry. Even though all of the current exemptions remain in place, the new rule is expected to cost between $134 million to $231 million. The EPA is justifying these costs through an analysis showing that the expected benefits of the rule are in the range of $301 million to $398 million, which will go toward protecting the ecosystem by providing stable habitats supportive of biodiversity, preventing erosion, allowing for the free flow of groundwater and reducing flooding.
This new rule is certainly more divisive than most organizations and government agencies had predicted. Alliances have been formed on both sides. The agriculture and land development industries are pushing back fiercely while several bodies are aligning with the EPA, including the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), National Farmers Union and the Center for Rural Affairs.
In accordance with standard practice, the EPA has established a 90-day period for public comments, which is open until July 21, 2014. To read more about the rule and how it may affect your business and to enter a public comment, visit the EPA web page concerning the changes to the Clean Water Act.
For years, a multitude of large corporations, professional organizations, government agencies and environmentalist have been calling for the rule to be revised so that it provides more clarity and guidance. According to the EPA, this is exactly what the proposed rule is doing. However, several detractors say that the proposed rule unfairly expands the jurisdiction of the EPA, will drastically increase costs and cause delays in permitting without a proportional benefit.
One of the strongest voices in opposition to the proposed rule is the NAHB, which has been asking for the new rule for several years now. Kevin Kelly, president of the NAHB, said the drafted rule does not do what it was meant to accomplish.
“Instead, EPA has added just about everything into its jurisdiction by expanding the definition of a ‘tributary’ – even ditches and manmade canals, or any other feature that a regulator determines to have a bed, bank and high-water mark. It’s a waste of taxpayer resources to treat a rainwater ditch with the same scrutiny as we would the Delaware Bay,” stated Kelly in a press release.
Kelly also stated that the expansion of authority under the new rule would require larger numbers of developers and construction projects to obtain permits, which will delay or halt construction projects. This, in turn, will directly affect countertop fabricators who provided products for new construction or even remodeling projects, including small, single-family home projects. In addition, the new rule will increase the costs of construction for developers.
The EPA, however, does not agree on some of these points. According to the EPA’s website, the Waters of the United States Proposed Rule reduces confusion about the Clean Water Act and clarifies which types of waters are covered under it. The website also states that the rule does not protect new types of waters, does not expand jurisdiction over ditches and does not broaden coverage of the Act.
What the EPA does admit is that the Act is associated with higher costs, most of which will be paid by land developers and the agriculture industry. Even though all of the current exemptions remain in place, the new rule is expected to cost between $134 million to $231 million. The EPA is justifying these costs through an analysis showing that the expected benefits of the rule are in the range of $301 million to $398 million, which will go toward protecting the ecosystem by providing stable habitats supportive of biodiversity, preventing erosion, allowing for the free flow of groundwater and reducing flooding.
This new rule is certainly more divisive than most organizations and government agencies had predicted. Alliances have been formed on both sides. The agriculture and land development industries are pushing back fiercely while several bodies are aligning with the EPA, including the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), National Farmers Union and the Center for Rural Affairs.
In accordance with standard practice, the EPA has established a 90-day period for public comments, which is open until July 21, 2014. To read more about the rule and how it may affect your business and to enter a public comment, visit the EPA web page concerning the changes to the Clean Water Act.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Affordability Vs. Brand Image
We've all had customers who've told us that our products are too expensive for their needs and their budgets. That's true whether it is a great website for countertop business or a countertop business itself. In some cases, you may have had to pass up the sale, or you may have considered cutting corners in quality, performance or service in order to justify lower prices. We all know that some opportunistic countertop businesses offer inferior products and services on a regular basis and even make them part of their standard offerings. But, for those businesses who are in it for the long-term, this type of behavior often has an unintended side effect: negative brand imaging.
Advertising and marketing are powerful forces for bringing new clients through your doors and helping you maintain those all-important repeat customers, but these efforts can only do so much. Just as promises mean little unless backed by actions, marketing must be backed by quality products and services for maximum effect. If you can't deliver quality, customers will begin to think of your company as second-rate, which directly affects your brand image.
Regardless of advertising, your brand image is reflected by your products and services in general. If bargain options become popular, you will be relegated into an exclusive category that may not permit you to break through with your top-quality items. Why would someone go to McDonald's when what he or she really wants is a prime rib dinner? Time and again McDonald's has tried to lure in a higher class of clientele by offering "premium" sandwiches, including steak, but each attempt has been met with limited success at best. These products disappear just as quickly as they appeared and are never seen again.
When trying to cater to clients who simply don't want to pay for quality products, it does you a disservice to provide low-quality countertops. Your customers may be pleased at first, but they will quickly come to resent your products or think of you exclusively as a purveyor of cheap goods fit only for low-end applications.You are much better off being the best option instead of the cheapest option.
The only way to cut prices without sacrificing quality is to audit your operations in order to identify and eliminate waste. However, even then, price declines are a slippery slope that is not easy to reverse without damaging your client base. A second option to consider might be to offer financing that requires affordable down payments or easy payment plans. A low-interest financing option might actually increase your margins while also increasing the overall value of your projects by taming a possible sticker shock by allowing the cost to be spread out over a reasonable period of time.
Another idea to consider is to offer additional services or benefits that are valuable to the customer, but have very low hard costs. Electronics companies discovered long ago that they could make a 70 percent to 200 percent profit margin by selling extended warranties. These insurance add-ons seem like a great idea to customers, but they are needed so rarely that they are money in the bank. In this same vein, you can increase how much your customers are willing to spend without sacrificing quality by increasing the apparent value of your products. A few suggestions include coordinating plumbers to connect sinks or offering free trivets and cutting boards in matching colors.
Whatever you do, you do not want to mar your brand image and become known as the "cheap" countertop company. That is not to say there aren't successful discount countertop fabricators in the industry. However, providing high quality products, unique services and attentive support is a better way to differentiate your business from the others instead of playing the pricing game.
Let us know if you have other opinions or ideas on the topic. We would like to hear what is working for you. Feel free to comment here or drop us a line at info@countertopresource.com.
Advertising and marketing are powerful forces for bringing new clients through your doors and helping you maintain those all-important repeat customers, but these efforts can only do so much. Just as promises mean little unless backed by actions, marketing must be backed by quality products and services for maximum effect. If you can't deliver quality, customers will begin to think of your company as second-rate, which directly affects your brand image.
Regardless of advertising, your brand image is reflected by your products and services in general. If bargain options become popular, you will be relegated into an exclusive category that may not permit you to break through with your top-quality items. Why would someone go to McDonald's when what he or she really wants is a prime rib dinner? Time and again McDonald's has tried to lure in a higher class of clientele by offering "premium" sandwiches, including steak, but each attempt has been met with limited success at best. These products disappear just as quickly as they appeared and are never seen again.
When trying to cater to clients who simply don't want to pay for quality products, it does you a disservice to provide low-quality countertops. Your customers may be pleased at first, but they will quickly come to resent your products or think of you exclusively as a purveyor of cheap goods fit only for low-end applications.You are much better off being the best option instead of the cheapest option.
The only way to cut prices without sacrificing quality is to audit your operations in order to identify and eliminate waste. However, even then, price declines are a slippery slope that is not easy to reverse without damaging your client base. A second option to consider might be to offer financing that requires affordable down payments or easy payment plans. A low-interest financing option might actually increase your margins while also increasing the overall value of your projects by taming a possible sticker shock by allowing the cost to be spread out over a reasonable period of time.
Another idea to consider is to offer additional services or benefits that are valuable to the customer, but have very low hard costs. Electronics companies discovered long ago that they could make a 70 percent to 200 percent profit margin by selling extended warranties. These insurance add-ons seem like a great idea to customers, but they are needed so rarely that they are money in the bank. In this same vein, you can increase how much your customers are willing to spend without sacrificing quality by increasing the apparent value of your products. A few suggestions include coordinating plumbers to connect sinks or offering free trivets and cutting boards in matching colors.
Whatever you do, you do not want to mar your brand image and become known as the "cheap" countertop company. That is not to say there aren't successful discount countertop fabricators in the industry. However, providing high quality products, unique services and attentive support is a better way to differentiate your business from the others instead of playing the pricing game.
Let us know if you have other opinions or ideas on the topic. We would like to hear what is working for you. Feel free to comment here or drop us a line at info@countertopresource.com.
Friday, April 4, 2014
A Different Idea for Supplying Engineered Stone
At our website for countertop fabricators and countertop professionals, we recently heard about a new company that has a much different philosophy about how it supplies quartz surfacing to fabricators - QuartzSource - and we thought it was worth sharing.
The man behind the company is Evan Kruger, the owner of Solid Tops, a fabrication company in Maryland that works with granite, quartz surfacing, solid surface, and a variety of other premium surfacing materials. I did some research and Kruger seems to have a pretty solid reputation in the industry, being one of the first fabricators to receive MIA Accreditation, one of the founders of EOS Surfaces, a past board member and president of ISFA and a founding member of the Artisan Group. Kruger is known for his industry involvement and innovation, and so it comes as little surprise that he created QuartzSource in a much different manner than most material suppliers.
In discussing the company with Kruger, he said his new business ships quality slabs directly to fabricators' doors from the manufacturer in Asia, unbranded. Yes, you read that correctly, there is no brand name associated with the product at all. The reason behind the business model, according to Kruger, is because he has seen how some fabricators have built up brand recognition for big quartz surfacing companies only to have those companies give a 30-day notice and then open their own fabrication shops or give exclusivity to another fabricator in that area and basically take the business away from the fabricators who had worked so diligently to build their brand in the first place. Kruger believes that fabricators need to have control of their own branding message if they are to regain the ground lost during the past 7 to 8 years. The “skin in the game” for Kruger is this very lack of owning his customers' brand. He said, “If I do a poor job supplying my customers, they can take their business elsewhere because they own the brand name! The customer doesn’t need to buy from me to keep his own brand intact. Therefore I need to be very diligent to serve him well and that gives my customers a lot of confidence to invest.”
When developing the idea, he started thinking about how fabricators could feel more comfortable about putting so much effort into branding a product without fear of it being taken away from them. He knew the product had to be not only free of a corporate brand, but also be of high quality and come in innovative colors that would be sell well, while being at a competitive price. That way businesses could make a good profit on a material they could then brand as their own product.
After coming up with the idea, he then needed to find a supplier that could produce to his specs at a good price. So, he went to Asia, where he had developed numerous contacts over the years, and began looking for a quality quartz product that would be available at a reasonable price.
After extensive research and development, he found a process he thought would meet his demands and tested it against some of the bigger manufacturers’ products to make sure it met or exceeded their quality. With the proper test results achieved, he worked to develop new marble-like colors that he felt could compete well against the more innovative and best sellers in the U.S. market today. He then worked out a way to ship the product to anywhere in the United States at a reasonable price that would not drive up the costs. Once he had all of this in place, before setting out to find fabricators that would be willing to buy container loads of quartz and give the program a try, he made his own fabrication business the veritable guinea pig. He brought in several containers of material and began offering it as his own regional name brand, “Chesapeake Quartz.”
After refining the system and making sure all of the quality control and shipping bugs were worked out, Kruger then began to look for other fabricators that would be interested in cutting out the costs of the middleman and developing their own brand of quartz without the worry of having the rug pulled out from under them after putting in all of the hard work.
Armed with this sort of a "buyers club" idea, he found several fabricators willing to give it a go, and he said the results have been very rewarding so far with re-orders coming in from several of the early adapters already.
Being a fabricator himself, he then came up with a few additional ideas to help fabricators to get the most out of the product, including having the material made in jumbo-sized slabs that allow for fewer seams and fewer slabs to be used in a given project, thereby increasing the savings on material and labor. This was partially accomplished by having the factory leave the raw edges of the slabs intact to increase the actual dimensions of the slabs, while also lowering the labor cost to produce them. So the fabricator pays for 63- by 126-in. slab, while the actual polished dimensions are closer to 65- by 128-in.
In return for his time and effort, Kruger decided rather than jacking up the price for the slabs to make a large profit, he would take only a small cut to keep the price low and to cover his costs and the costs of producing samples for buyers. He said he sees the real profit when he fabricates the material for his customers' projects, because he is able to make a much higher margin, just like the other buyers are able to do.
He said the result is that those who buy in (including himself), must order slabs by the container load (56 3cm slabs or 84 2cm slabs per container), with up to four different colors per container. They can stock as many or as few of the colors they want and they can call it whatever they want, i.e. “Sunshine Quartz” in Florida, “Buckeye Quartz” in Ohio, “Sooner Quartz” in Oklahoma, etc. QuartzSource handles all of the shipping and customs, and include hundreds of samples as part of the service. All of the companies who buy in get the material delivered directly from the factory to their door in good order, at a low cost and on time.
Of course, this type of a program is not for everyone. Kruger's intended customers are those independent-minded companies capable of creating their own brand identities and supporting their routes to market. Also, because the company purposely avoids using local distributors, the participating fabricators must be able to plan for and maintain their own inventories to avoid shortages. But those who can handle these caveats and who seek to control their own financial destinies, may stand to see their margins increase significantly if it works as well as Kruger puts forth.
We would love to hear your opinions on this sort of a program. Do you think it could work? Are you or have you been involved in a program like this? Post a comment or drop us a line with your thoughts.
The man behind the company is Evan Kruger, the owner of Solid Tops, a fabrication company in Maryland that works with granite, quartz surfacing, solid surface, and a variety of other premium surfacing materials. I did some research and Kruger seems to have a pretty solid reputation in the industry, being one of the first fabricators to receive MIA Accreditation, one of the founders of EOS Surfaces, a past board member and president of ISFA and a founding member of the Artisan Group. Kruger is known for his industry involvement and innovation, and so it comes as little surprise that he created QuartzSource in a much different manner than most material suppliers.
In discussing the company with Kruger, he said his new business ships quality slabs directly to fabricators' doors from the manufacturer in Asia, unbranded. Yes, you read that correctly, there is no brand name associated with the product at all. The reason behind the business model, according to Kruger, is because he has seen how some fabricators have built up brand recognition for big quartz surfacing companies only to have those companies give a 30-day notice and then open their own fabrication shops or give exclusivity to another fabricator in that area and basically take the business away from the fabricators who had worked so diligently to build their brand in the first place. Kruger believes that fabricators need to have control of their own branding message if they are to regain the ground lost during the past 7 to 8 years. The “skin in the game” for Kruger is this very lack of owning his customers' brand. He said, “If I do a poor job supplying my customers, they can take their business elsewhere because they own the brand name! The customer doesn’t need to buy from me to keep his own brand intact. Therefore I need to be very diligent to serve him well and that gives my customers a lot of confidence to invest.”
When developing the idea, he started thinking about how fabricators could feel more comfortable about putting so much effort into branding a product without fear of it being taken away from them. He knew the product had to be not only free of a corporate brand, but also be of high quality and come in innovative colors that would be sell well, while being at a competitive price. That way businesses could make a good profit on a material they could then brand as their own product.
After coming up with the idea, he then needed to find a supplier that could produce to his specs at a good price. So, he went to Asia, where he had developed numerous contacts over the years, and began looking for a quality quartz product that would be available at a reasonable price.
After extensive research and development, he found a process he thought would meet his demands and tested it against some of the bigger manufacturers’ products to make sure it met or exceeded their quality. With the proper test results achieved, he worked to develop new marble-like colors that he felt could compete well against the more innovative and best sellers in the U.S. market today. He then worked out a way to ship the product to anywhere in the United States at a reasonable price that would not drive up the costs. Once he had all of this in place, before setting out to find fabricators that would be willing to buy container loads of quartz and give the program a try, he made his own fabrication business the veritable guinea pig. He brought in several containers of material and began offering it as his own regional name brand, “Chesapeake Quartz.”
After refining the system and making sure all of the quality control and shipping bugs were worked out, Kruger then began to look for other fabricators that would be interested in cutting out the costs of the middleman and developing their own brand of quartz without the worry of having the rug pulled out from under them after putting in all of the hard work.
Armed with this sort of a "buyers club" idea, he found several fabricators willing to give it a go, and he said the results have been very rewarding so far with re-orders coming in from several of the early adapters already.
Being a fabricator himself, he then came up with a few additional ideas to help fabricators to get the most out of the product, including having the material made in jumbo-sized slabs that allow for fewer seams and fewer slabs to be used in a given project, thereby increasing the savings on material and labor. This was partially accomplished by having the factory leave the raw edges of the slabs intact to increase the actual dimensions of the slabs, while also lowering the labor cost to produce them. So the fabricator pays for 63- by 126-in. slab, while the actual polished dimensions are closer to 65- by 128-in.
In return for his time and effort, Kruger decided rather than jacking up the price for the slabs to make a large profit, he would take only a small cut to keep the price low and to cover his costs and the costs of producing samples for buyers. He said he sees the real profit when he fabricates the material for his customers' projects, because he is able to make a much higher margin, just like the other buyers are able to do.
He said the result is that those who buy in (including himself), must order slabs by the container load (56 3cm slabs or 84 2cm slabs per container), with up to four different colors per container. They can stock as many or as few of the colors they want and they can call it whatever they want, i.e. “Sunshine Quartz” in Florida, “Buckeye Quartz” in Ohio, “Sooner Quartz” in Oklahoma, etc. QuartzSource handles all of the shipping and customs, and include hundreds of samples as part of the service. All of the companies who buy in get the material delivered directly from the factory to their door in good order, at a low cost and on time.
Of course, this type of a program is not for everyone. Kruger's intended customers are those independent-minded companies capable of creating their own brand identities and supporting their routes to market. Also, because the company purposely avoids using local distributors, the participating fabricators must be able to plan for and maintain their own inventories to avoid shortages. But those who can handle these caveats and who seek to control their own financial destinies, may stand to see their margins increase significantly if it works as well as Kruger puts forth.
We would love to hear your opinions on this sort of a program. Do you think it could work? Are you or have you been involved in a program like this? Post a comment or drop us a line with your thoughts.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Cultivating Success through the Forecasting of Kitchen & Bath Trends
We have all heard the success
stories of entrepreneurs who have built successful businesses based on their
ability to predict what customers will want in the future before the
competition catches on to it. We recently ran a Fabricator Profile on DeSavino& Sons,
which was built not only the founder's hard work but on his and his sons'
ability to predict the rise of solid surface in the 1980s and the popularity of
natural stone in the early 2000s.
We all know that investment firms often rely on individuals with a keen understanding of financial markets and a knack for predicting how stocks, indices and securities will move, but this extends to all other businesses as well, including countertop fabrication. There are plenty of resources put out by industry experts and researchers that can assist you in making industry predictions.
Three resources about trends that affect countertop fabricators immediately come to mind. The first of these is the annual Industry Outlook conducted by ISFA and published in the most recent issue of Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine. The 2014 Outlook examines the general economy as well as a variety of specific industries related to the countertop market and predicts a pretty solid year. It also predicts continued growth in the natural stone, quartz surfacing, cast polymer and exotic materials sectors through 2017.
Two other resources recently became available at the start of the 2014 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) hosted by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). Both of these articles were developed after the NKBA analyzed the data from its Design Trends Survey. The first of these focuses on kitchen trends from a design standpoint. Based on findings from the survey, NKBA predicts that the prevalent kitchen design in the U.S. is shifting towards the contemporary style, but it is not quite there yet. The contemporary style is forecast to be the fastest-growing design style in 2014. Consumers are looking for modern amenities, such as mobile docking stations that could be incorporated into countertops. In addition, glass seems to be growing in popularity for more than simply backsplashes. Other countertop materials that are expected to sell well in 2014 are engineered stone and recycled materials.
The second resource from NKBA is
a press release concerning bathroom trends. According
to this, the contemporary style has already taken over the bathroom segment.
Consumers are now looking for spa bathrooms and bathrooms that resemble
something like Zen retreats with beige or bone color schemes. In addition,
quartz vanity tops are highly in demand.
While these resources can be invaluable in planning your business
for the future, one important resource is available to all fabricators and
installers that should never go unused: your own customers. Don't be afraid to
ask your customers a few simple questions to determine what they are looking
for and what they are expecting to need in the near future. In addition, you
should be keeping data on all of your current sales so that you can determine the
trends in your specific region and for your specific customers. This may lead
to making a change in how you operate and what products you offer that could
prevent your potential customers from going with your competitors.
If you have any other ideas on how to accurately predict trends in
the countertop industry, we would like to hear from you. Drop us a line at info@countertopresource.com to let us know what is working for
you and your business.
We all know that investment firms often rely on individuals with a keen understanding of financial markets and a knack for predicting how stocks, indices and securities will move, but this extends to all other businesses as well, including countertop fabrication. There are plenty of resources put out by industry experts and researchers that can assist you in making industry predictions.
Three resources about trends that affect countertop fabricators immediately come to mind. The first of these is the annual Industry Outlook conducted by ISFA and published in the most recent issue of Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine. The 2014 Outlook examines the general economy as well as a variety of specific industries related to the countertop market and predicts a pretty solid year. It also predicts continued growth in the natural stone, quartz surfacing, cast polymer and exotic materials sectors through 2017.
Two other resources recently became available at the start of the 2014 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) hosted by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). Both of these articles were developed after the NKBA analyzed the data from its Design Trends Survey. The first of these focuses on kitchen trends from a design standpoint. Based on findings from the survey, NKBA predicts that the prevalent kitchen design in the U.S. is shifting towards the contemporary style, but it is not quite there yet. The contemporary style is forecast to be the fastest-growing design style in 2014. Consumers are looking for modern amenities, such as mobile docking stations that could be incorporated into countertops. In addition, glass seems to be growing in popularity for more than simply backsplashes. Other countertop materials that are expected to sell well in 2014 are engineered stone and recycled materials.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Deadline for Submitting Comments to OSHA on Silica Regulation Proposals Moved to April 1
While the proposed changes will level the playing field, putting all companies in all industries at the same permitted exposure level, it is hard to say exactly how much it will cost. And, there are a bunch of regulations that go along with it for testing, and education and regular medical examinations, etc. that will further increase the price.
Here is a link to some great information about the OSHA silica proposal. I would urge you to get informed.
Of course, some will say a safe fabricator is a happy one and silicosis is a horrible affliction, and that's okay too. But time to weigh in with an opinion is running out. The debate on the proposal opens on March 18 with the deadline extended to April 1, 2014, and you can find more info at http://www.regulations.gov. Also, post-debate comments may be made up to 45 days after the deadline, so there is plenty of opportunity to get your voice heard on the matter.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Quartz Surfacing Providers - A List of Quartz Surfacing Products and Companies
Just like we did a couple of months ago with our list of solid surface companies, we have compiled a list of companies that are manufacturing or exclusively supplying quartz surfacing products.
Our list of quartz surfacing/engineered stone companies shows the name of the manufacturer/supplier and the name of the quartz/engineered stone product they supply!
While the list is certainly not exhaustive (there are tons of foreign companies that are beginning to make and sell quartz slab goods), these are definitely the more common or creative companies and their brand of quartz surfacing.
And the list is growing all the time. If you notice one we missed, drop us a line and let us know. We hope we will have the most complete and up-to-date list when all is said and done...
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