Getting New Products into Buildings: An interview with architect and manufacturer

Dru Meadows, manager of the Green Team at BSW International, a large management, real estate, design and construction company, evaluates and specifies many new and alternative building materials. Many green materials she sees don’t get specified, and it isn’t because the products aren’t good. Often it is because the novice manufacturer doesn’t understand the design and specification process and can’t provide the test data and technical support that a designer needs.

The Environ material might have been one of those missed opportunities, except that in this case the manufacturer—Phenix Biocomposites, Inc. (PBI)—was responsive to Meadows’ needs (for more on Environ, see

EBN

Vol. 4, No. 3).

As a result, over 1,000 ft2 (930 m2) of Environ is now in place in each of Wal-Mart’s two new environmental demonstration stores, one of which recently received Oklahoma’s Governor’s Award for Environmental Achievement. Meadows and Peter Tonsager, technical support representative for Environ, spoke with

EBN about what they did right and about what other companies new to the building products field should know before they start.

EBN: What made the relationship between BSW and Phenix successful?Meadows: I was very impressed by my interactions with Phenix. Here was a company that was new to my industry, making a great effort to try to understand what it needed to do to improve and to succeed. If they didn’t have the data I needed, they always did what was necessary and got back to me once the tests were completed.

Other companies have called me with a product but no resources to do follow-up. They thought that I should be able to use the product as is, without the test data to back it up. They just didn’t understand the nature of this business—the emphasis on standards and code compliance. At PBI, on the other hand, the staff recognized that they didn’t know what they needed to know in order to penetrate certain markets. And, they were willing to learn and to work with us.

Tonsager: That’s right. The company planned well. We knew we had a good idea but also knew we would have to continue to develop it.

When Environ first came out, it had so many possible uses that our marketing wasn’t very focused. Everyone loved the look and liked the fact that it was recycled. We had people interested in using it for sushi bowls, rifle stocks, and our marketing staff was promoting every possible use. Those of us in technical support only got the calls when tough questions came up. For example, Environ isn’t meant to be used for structural purposes, but some of our early sales staff weren’t clear about that.

Meadows: That’s true. The BSW Green Team ruled out structural applications early on and focused on millwork and flooring possibilities.

Some of the sales people thought all these uses were possible, but when we asked follow-up questions, that didn’t always turn out to be the case. The product just wasn’t ready for flooring at that time, though they are working on that application now.

Tonsager: We have six people in research and only three in sales, which is unusual. That allows us to provide the strong technical response to customers’ needs. Our testing facilities allow us to do ASTM test procedures, so we know the product will pass before we send it out for expensive testing at an independent lab. I came on board initially to expand the Environ product line and then move on to new products. Recently, I’ve been providing technical support and dealing with larger accounts—manufacturers who are using Environ, and architects.

We have our own testing and research area, which is unique for a small company. We expected to have to make changes. In fact, just before the product went into the Wal-Mart store in Moore, Oklahoma we started producing the 1⁄8” thick sheets, we improved the product’s ability to accept finishes, and we made it softer. Originally we thought that it should be as hard as possible, so we made it 21⁄2 times as hard as oak. That ended up “eating up” tools too quickly for the fabricators, so we changed it to 11⁄2 times as hard as oak, which is much easier on the tools yet doesn’t decrease performance characteristics.

Making changes like those can sometimes require difficult decisions— it left us with a warehouse full of obsolete product. However, PBI is more interested in improving the product as much as possible. We also continue to work on alternate uses for previous versions of Environ.

Meadows: After a while, we decided the details we had created using this new green building material did not have enough preliminary testing to ensure a successful application of the product. We very much wanted this to succeed. Part of the measure of success is the satisfaction of all parties involved. We decided to scale back the original design to a point where we were confident that this would be a good experience for everyone. This partnership approach is central to the way the BSW Green Team operates. If all partners are happy with the green material or method, they are much more likely to use them again and, eventually, to integrate green building materials and methods throughout the building industry.

Our original designs called for the entire cabinetry to be fabricated from Environ. We carried that plan all the way through design development. But at the end the tests weren’t there, so we pulled back to just the countertops. The newly developed 1⁄8”-thick product line made a big difference. Prior to that, the 1⁄4”-thick product was too thin to be self-supporting, but too thick and expensive to use as a veneer. The 1⁄2”- and 3⁄4”- thick products were also not cost-competitive with plastic laminate construction.

EBN: Was it a problem for you at Environ to produce the quantity needed for these big projects?Tonsager: No. Our largest order to date is for over 660 sheets for automotive displays. We recognize that it’s hard for architects to commit to a new material and guarantee that it will be used, so we try to get the specification early and produce the necessary material ahead of time. If that particular job falls through, we have enough customers that we’re confident we can sell it. We think having the company remain flexible like that is important.

EBN: Do you have any advice for other entrepreneurs trying to break into the building products market?Meadows: Yes, many manufacturers of new products often focus their marketing efforts on a contractor working on a specific project. That doesn’t usually work well. The contractor generally bases the bid on past experience and may be reluctant to substitute a new, unfamiliar product. It is rare that this sort of substitution does not increase the budget or impact the schedule and, therefore, it’s rare that the contractor will use the green product in the job.

Which brings up another stumbling block. The manufacturer who has successfully marketed to the architect has to be ready to deal with different responsible parties at different stages. For example, BSW was not the primary contractor for the construction process on these two stores. So the manufacturer had to be prepared to assist the contractor during construction and, perhaps, even to convince the contractor and client to stay with a product

after it was specified.

Tonsager: And I would suggest having people with technical expertise make contact with the architects early on. Architects prefer to hear from technical people firsthand—people who can answer questions about the testing and appropriate uses for the product.

Meadows: That mistake—not providing the technical expertise up front—is not unique to green products. Many companies do that, and it’s a problem. If the initial contact isn’t from the technical staff, someone from that staff should be available to call back promptly with answers to questions that come up.

Tonsager: I find that when I call on an architect, they usually have a specification or a blueprint right in front of them and immediately get ideas about where the product can be used. If I can answer their questions on the spot, we have a better chance of getting our product used over something they’re already familiar with.

Meadows: I agree. Our use of Environ in these two stores would have gone more smoothly if they had sent a technical person to meet with us, instead of just flying the sales staff in. That would have saved a lot of time and frustration working out the details by phone and fax.

EBN: In this case it all worked out well. Have you at BSW had any less successful experiences we can learn from?Meadows: Well, I hate to mention names because I’m still supportive of many of these products. Homogeneous plastic lumber is an ongoing problem. Any material that is 100% plastic, whether commingled or pure, has problems with shear and nail holding, and long runs of the material will warp. These materials do work fine for planters, or signage, or benches. But if you add fibrous admixtures such as cellulose, you solve a lot of those problems. Some manufacturers have learned this and are marketing their products accordingly.

Also, there is a company that manufactures an agricultural-based product line that appears to have great potential. The company has a wonderful appreciation of aesthetics but no understanding of how to market to me. They just don’t have the technical data that I need. They are willing to create any shape and color, and don’t understand why I won’t just use the product. Without test data, the only way I could use a product is for some sort of decoration, and even for that I want fire resistance and smoke test data.

We often get samples sent to us that don’t even have a label with the company’s name on the sample. And the literature is obviously done on someone’s home computer. It talks about how great the product is and perhaps includes some testimonials. No test data, no information about limitations in how the product should be used. Those products don’t get very far unless we’re willing to hold their hand through the entire process.

EBN: Yes, and you have the resources to do some of that. Many architects, especially in smaller firms, don’t have the time or resources to help a manufacturer do its homework.Meadows: That’s right. If you’re an inexperienced manufacturer trying to bring a product to market, I’d suggest that you focus on the larger companies with in-house green teams. In this case, through partnering, the BSW Green Team learned more about a new green building material, and PBI learned more about the requirements of the building industry.