Now is a Great Time for Polymeric Exterior Product Innovation
Attention: Vinyl siding and polymeric exterior products producers!
If you care about product innovation, this PEPA webinar is well worth a watch. It features a panel of experts in the home building materials research sector who share invaluable insights on the powerful influence of their work on vinyl siding and other polymeric exteriors.
Hosted by PEPA Senior Vice President Matt Dobson, the panelists include:
- Ed Hudson, MBA, Director, Market Research for Home Innovation Research Labs, who has over 30 years of experience conducting research in the home construction industry.
- John Peavey, PE, Director, Building Science for Home Innovation Research Labs, who conducts performance assessments on new housing systems in the field, new construction technologies, national green building standards green reviews and energy efficiency field assessments.
- Enoch Peavey, Attorney in practice from Northern Virginia, who specializes in trade patents for the construction products industry.
Home Innovation Research Labs is a full-service housing technology and product research firm founded in 1964 and is owned by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
The way team members Ed Hudson and John Peavey describe the company’s offerings, the Maryland-based facilities sound more like an amusement park for professionals in the building construction products industry. In addition to testing labs, there are focus group suites and a market research facility with a simulated job site housed in the lab. Clients can observe the focus groups and the job site (behind glass) to learn about industry opinions and on-the-job work habits, and discover more about their products and opportunities for improvement.
“We only study construction—construction materials are incredibly complex,” Ed states in the webinar. “Other industries have a simpler product stream, from maker to buyer. For us, there are a variety of sectors, including residential, commercial, OEM, private, public, specialty contractors and general contractors, as well as new buildings and retrofit. In the construction industry, we have a broken communications channel, as products go from manufacturers to wholesale and retail, to buyer/contractors, installer/contractors and finally to end users (homeowners). We receive millions of dollars each year to fund our market research. It helps manufacturers and others understand the user experience.”
Ed notes that—on the market research side—the company produces:
- A Builder Practice Report Series in which 1,500 builders participate
- Surveys of 80,000 U.S. and Canadian households
- Custom qualitative research (also includes focus groups)
- Quantitative research practice
- Unique 5,000-member research panel of industry pros – builders, remodelers, architects, engineers and other stakeholders
The market research on exterior cladding materials buying decisions reveals that general contractors have the most influence in buying decisions (56%) and that polymeric shakes have grown to 12% of the market share (with vinyl siding still ahead at 84%). Of the 10 billion total sq. ft. of siding installed on U.S. homes in 2022, vinyl and polymeric are #1, with almost 3 million sq. ft. installed.
According to Ed, there are opportunities to increase this amount. “Now is a great time for polymeric product innovation,” Ed says. “Whereas Baby Boomers like me preferred ‘natural’ materials like wood, the newest generations are more amenable to engineered solutions like polymeric exteriors.”
Testing Beyond the Building Code
In the webinar, John emphasizes that while the technical division of Home Innovation Research Labs offers product certifications, they are proudest of the work they do in “testing beyond the building code.” This process involves a deeper dive into product testing and validation to determine long-term performance, as well as ongoing monitoring of products in the field.
“We partner with manufacturers and associations to place sensors on buildings to monitor temperatures and other variables,” John explains. “And we monitor the building envelope and the internal living environment using internal sensors to measure energy efficiency, air quality, CO2 and other factors.”
Protecting Intellectual Property
Enoch Peavey’s work as a patent attorney involves significant interaction with the other panelists and their colleagues at Home Innovation Research Labs. According to Enoch, there has been significant patent activity for U.S. polymeric cladding products.
“Approximately 1,500 to 2,000 patents have been granted over the past decade to this sector, with an annual rate of 150 to 200 new patent grants per year,” Enoch states. “We help clients develop patent strategy.”
The patent categories include material composition, manufacturing processes, installation methods, design innovations, and recycling and sustainability.
Helpful Market Research
A few of the biggest takeaways from this webinar include the most crucial purchasing factors and how suppliers can help reduce labor costs. The three most essential determinants in building product purchasing decisions are:
- Affordability
- Indoor air quality
- Builder/contractor preference
As for reducing construction labor costs, these are the top three priorities:
- Develop products that are easier to install
- Guarantee correct jobsite deliveries
- Available product stock for local pick-up
To gain more valuable nuggets on vinyl siding and polymeric exterior product market research, click here. For questions and recommendations about PEPA’s commitment to product development and research, contact Matt Dobson at PEPA at mdobson@polymericexteriors.org.