Labor Savers: A faster, easier barrier system
The following article is the part of a series of interviews with companies offering solutions designed for speed and efficiency at or near the job site. The series ran as “Labor Savers” in the March 2018 issue of HBSDealer.
John Beers, the sales director of OSB at Georgia-Pacific, has the ability to rattle off housing start statistics like they are second nature. And he’s confident that as the numbers grow, labor on the job site will only get tighter. That’s one of the reasons he’s optimistic for the ForceField, the company’s integrated barrier system that was introduced in early 2016.
What have been your observations at the building site?
Over the past five years, as the housing market started to come back, the most predominate thing we were seeing out there is, No. 1, the labor shortage, and No. 2, the quality of labor and work that’s being done out there.
What do the people on the job site want?
As we talk to builders, we hear that they want to avoid coming back and redoing things that were done incorrectly the first time. With ForceField, we’re really targeting a product that will help them save time, but also make it easier for the framers to install it.
How do you go to market with this product?
The main thing we repeat over and over again is that ForceField eliminates the need for housewrap. And we feel that’s self-explanatory — it’s going to save you time. And nobody really likes putting up housewrap.
For one thing, it’s not easy. And with housewrap, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. There are a lot of ways it can be installed incorrectly, and it can even be blown off during bad weather. Ultimately, our story is a message around speed and accuracy.
What makes ForceField easy?
It’s an easy two-step process. You put it up like you would normally with OSB and you tape the seams. Whether it be a Georgia-Pacific rep or a rep from an independent dealer, it’s easy for them to explain how to get the product up correctly. We find that someone on the first day on the job can get it up and get it done right. So what we’re doing is building a brand around ForceField that just makes life easier for the framers.
How has the labor situation affected your approach?
Our industry lost a lot of the labor force back in the mid-2000s, the new people coming in just haven’t been trained as well as the old guard. To be able to offer something that’s easy to explain and that’s not a challenge in corners and doors and windows, has been a strength. It’s just very easy. You put it up and you tape it.
How much thought went into the distinctive look and color scheme?
We have internal discussions about curb appeal. The product is eventually covered up by siding, but there’s something to be said for the clean look. People love the logo and the name, and a lot of builders show it to their customers. It works out well for us.
What’s been the market feedback?
We feel that when we get in front of a builder and we’re able to talk to them, then we’re in a good position. Once they try it, they don’t go back. At the trade shows, the feedback we get is that people don’t like housewrap. That’s why we’re excited about this integrated product. And we think that anything in the building industry in the next 10 years that can save time on the job site is going to be a big win.
Catch Up: HBSDealer published one Q&A every day this week with someone from each of the following companies regarding its labor-saving products: Hyphen Solutions, White Lightning, Georgia-Pacific, Epicor and E-Z Gutter.
