DuPont's new stone product

[lensmith]

Hi Mark,

DuPont has recently started marketing natural stone with some kind of sealer that is guaranteed. I'm wondering what it is they're doing to the stone to make it carry a warranty?

Len

[Matt Kraft]

I am sure Mark will fill us in, but I think they are simply resined slabs.

[StoneWorks]

Would be my guess....

They prolly see the demand on this side of the house and are positioning themselves to take advantage of it.....be ready....they are going to use the same marketing tactics with this as they do with anything else.

They have made a calculation that the potential profit from selling stone outweighs the losses that will result on the SS side.

Dunno....I find it funny and will be amazed if it impacts my operation.....I doubt my customers will demand DuPont Stone....it even sounds funny.

Our company has been doing lifetime warrenty for years....they can issue THAT one with confidence! It will last a lifetime whether dupont dopes it or not.

[lensmith]

Here's the pitch:

http://www.granite.dupont.com/

I'm wondering how they are 'certifying' stone fabricators?

We're an Authorized Zodiaq Installer, and we have a project that will be ongoing for a while installing Zodiaq kitchens. We asked for a little extra training for a couple of our new guys, and no one was available to train new installers. Interesting.... if you're goal is to sell Zodiaq, how do you set up new accounts if they must be certifiied, and there is no one available to certify/train them? I'm guessing the same thing applies to DuPont certified granite.

I think there are logistical problems for some existing Corian distributors when it comes to distributing Zodiaq and Stone.

I also think there isn't as much crossover into stone/e-stone fabrication by Solid Surface fabricators. Some SS fabricators do get into stone fabrication, but many more work out a deal to have someone else do the fabrication and the ss fabricator may install or may just sub out the whole operation and mark it up.

This scenario could make it tough on distributors. If a distributors' customers are mainly Solid Surface shops, and the distributor takes on stone distribution, they may be in the position of findining a whole new group of customers, who are already served by slab yards around the country. Add to this the recent competitiveness in the solid surface market, I'm guessing that distributors' resources are stretched thinner than they used to be. Therefore, adding stone distribution to the SS distributors plate puts the distributor in the position of spending lots of cash for a market many might not be ready to take on.

It will be interesting to see how this works out. The "easy" way would be for DuPont to sell certified granite through existing channels, but the most successful way might be through stone yards around the country, where granite fabricators might more readily accept the product, and see it as another option to offer their customer.

Thoughts?

[KarlC]

Len,

We do a bit of work with E-Stone after is has been installed, repairs and such. From what we have seen the whole E-Stone industry needs help with training installers to get the products installed. They are having a hard time keeping up with current demand for the products. What your saying on the Distributors side sounds right, it will be interesting to see how all of this looks a few years from now.

[Wags]

The driving force behind "certified" stone is that the stone industry is totally unregulated. Anyone can fabricate stone, with or without skill. Also stone of all qualities are on the market. The ONLY way to make sure you get a good installation is to get a good quality stone fabricator. With SS and ES there is SOME control over who fabricates and how. Its the poor fabricator and poor stone that is allowing this to happen. I would think DuPont would market this through Depot or Lowes, as this is where the majority of ES and SS is sold for them.
What will happen is over time, customers will be aware of warranted stone and ask for it. While I have NO doubts Stone works does excellant work (ive seen pics) their warranty is only good as long as they are around. People will pay more for the backing of a large company, hence they shop at Depot and buy Corian. We all know you can buy SS surface from independant shops for less $$ and other brands cheaper. DuPont has earned their premium over other products with 40 years of advertising. Granite will be no different.
While some believe SS is on the decline, that could not be more wrong. Look how many additional companies are in the industry that were not there 5 or 10 years ago, and everyone is growing at double digets. The demand for all products are growing, even laminate. Its a great time to be in any phase of construction in this country !

[StoneWorks]

The color selection is the dirty dozen.....we sell so little of those colors. It will be marketed the same way/and or for the big boxs. The stuff we sell can not be chosen by looking at a 3x3 sample....boring edge choices....etc.

you can get those colors today, any place on the planet

not worried.....

[Wags]

Mark
Your right it will be the tonnage items, for the mass market. You as a quality fabricator will never have anything to worry about, your reputation will carry you. The marginal fabricator will be the one's hurt by this. Formica is looking at branded granite also, as is Consentino sp? Im sure they will all be commodity type stones.

[lensmith]

Here's one reviewer's take of the DuPont Certified Stone display at the builder's show:

_Branded granite: In the can't beat `em, join `em category, DuPont, the maker of Corian solid surfaces and Zodiaq quartz surfaces, introduced Granite Certified, the first all-natural stone surface from the chemical giant. Granite Certified is real stone. The company showed the 15 most popular colors, which will be cost $58 to $85 a square foot installed. It is protected by a DuPont sealant to help repel stains for one year.

-from Menafm.com

[StoneWorks]

no no no no no

ONE YEAR?

Something is fishy about that.....I should be 10 or life.

I have to think on this...get back with ya. :roll:

[Wags]

It is 10 years.. Heres the link to DuPont Granite. http://www.granite.dupont.com/corian/granite/Main/index.html