Current product trends in the PHCP-PVF industry don’t stray too far off script regardless of function.
Plumbing contractors, manufacturers and master distributors interviewed by Supply House Times, are in search of products that will save them time and are of high-durability when it comes to repair and remodel jobs in the kitchen-and-bath space.
“Contractors always are looking to save time and money on a job,” says Michele Hudec, senior vice president, wholesale channels at Jones Stephens.
Keeney Mfg. Co.’s Marion Endsley echoes those sentiments. “We are seeing that contractors are looking to save time and money on the job during an installation with the limited labor force they have, as well as offer their customers high-quality items that will look good and are reliable,” Endsley notes.
Jones Stephens is helping its customers thanks to a custom kitting program that “is designed to save the contractor time and money,” Hudec notes. “It provides kitted components such as faucets, supply tubes and easy-connect tees used for a popular job such as a faucet install. The kits can be customized to include the contractor-specified parts so they truly are exclusive to the job and the installer.”
The company’s current custom kitting program, Hudec explains, includes ready-to-go options for lavatories, water closets, water heaters and kitchen faucets with configuration options for components and the ability to substitute the installer’s preferences. Kits can be shipped directly to the job site, saving additional time and money, Hudec adds.
Keeney’s Insta-Plumb, one of a variety of new innovations from the company along with its Klip-On-Deep Flange and decorative ABS P-traps, was created to save time on installations by removing the need for glues, primers, solvents, nuts and washers. “The ability to utilize push-fit technology with under-sink drainage will save not just time on the job, but translate to labor savings,” Endsley says.
At plumbing repair-part manufacturer and distributor Kissler & Co., National Sales Manager Sean Kaplan notes the company’s customers’ needs are twofold.
“Our customers’ greatest needs are for a large selection of repair parts as well as support and help in identifying repair and replacement parts,” he says. “Plumbing contractors need help identifying hard-to-find faucet repair parts for the bath and kitchen such as ceramic, thermostatic and single-lever cartridges. There are thousands of these types of repair parts and they all look similar which makes them difficult to identify and find from one source.”
Kaplan says Kissler’s Stem I.D. tool and ceramic cartridge posters are helpful in identifying repair parts. Kissler also recently debuted its Perfect Putty products (for sink strainers, popup assemblies and bath waste and overflows). Perfect Putty is a preinstalled plumber’s putty rope with a specifically designed profile to provide the maximum amount of putty in areas where it is needed. “It eliminates waste, while saving time and money,” he notes.
Visit Supply House Times’ dedicated kitchen-and-bath website, to keep up with the latest kitchen-and-bath news and trends.
