Will the real manufacturer please stand up? The Downside of Private-Labeled Concrete Coatings

2018-01-24

Private-labeled products are touted in the concrete industry as a profitable way to expand your concrete business, like in this Concrete Ideas article.

And private labeling is a legitimate way for suppliers to expand what they offer without creating a whole new business – and it's something that we as consumers frequently see, across industries. Take groceries: from Costco's Kirkland brand to most of Trader Joe's inventory, every supermarket has its own branded line of products.

However, we never make the leap to assume that grocery stores actually make those products. They're in the business of selling and marketing groceries, not producing them. In a grocery store, the private-labeled product is shelved next to the manufacturer-labeled product, so you can plainly see which is which.

This distinction is not as clear in the concrete industry. When you, as a contractor, order from your supplier, how do you know whether what you're getting is direct from the manufacturer, or simply private-labeled to appear as if it's coming from the manufacturer?

There are a lot of concrete coating companies in the market that act like manufacturers, when they don't actually make anything. They may not even have a warehouse.

Why does it matter?

In a perfect world, where no one ever has issues on the job or project snafus involving product, where everyone knows exactly how and when to apply each coating without any questions, and where each product is the perfect fit for the job the first time out - then, perhaps, it wouldn't matter. Those things never happen, right?

But we don't live in a perfect world. There may be a product customization required for a project, or an environmental condition – like moisture, or temperature – that throws a hiccup in your regular process. Or it may be a simple need to know more, specification-wise, about a product you're using.

The source of your product matters - and whether your supplier is the true manufacturer, or a private label masquerading as a manufacturer - because things do go wrong, questions do arise, and there is no such thing as one size fits ALL.

And anyone who's called a helpline knows that there's a big difference between reaching the call center of a company marketing your product, and contacting the company where you can speak to the engineer that formulated your product, or access an in-house R&D department to solve a problem or answer a technical question. A manufacturing facility has the resources to fix issues at their root cause.

Working direct with the manufacturer is better for you, and your clients - because you have access to the entire facility's knowledge, skill, equipment and expertise - and not just to the marketing folks assigned to take your call.

As a manufacturer, we take pride in getting each customer exactly the help and support that they need - for every project, no matter how challenging or unique. Schedule a no-obligation chat with one of our flooring experts today, and experience for yourself the difference working with a real manufacturer makes.