2/21/2024
As guests of CERACLAD and attendees of BuildEx '24, a Canadian Tradeshow in Vancouver, BC, we had the chance to explore the numerous building companies showcased within the expansive halls. Buildex is the largest corporate forum in Western Canada and is now celebrating its 35th year.
At our partner's booth, Whitecap, we proudly presented our new method, Free-style custom Running Bond. Several visitors expressed interest, pausing to capture images and inquire about our panels, leaving us with the impression that they were highly impressed with our product. After seeign their curousity, we are committed to expanding the promotion of Free-style custom running bonds to a wider audience through opportunities like this.
Luckily we were given some time to conduct an interview with our partner, Lisa Vu from Whitecap, as well as Adel Elmourad and David Mathai from Adesson Building Solutions, to gain insights into their experiences working with CERACLAD.
Q: What is your occupation?
Adel Elmourad (ADESSON): Oh, yes. Occupation. Thank you for asking. So we'll start with the lead maybe up to my right.
Lisa Vu (Whitecap): Yeah, so for me, I'm an architectural and design rep. So I've been doing this for the last 20 plus years. With Brock white or white cap I've been with them for six.
Adel Elmourad (ADESSON): My name is Adel Elmourad and I am an architectural rep for a desk and building solutions in CERACLAD is one of our top lines that we represent here in British Columbia market.
David Mathai: Yeah, I'm Adele's business partner. We've had exposure to the local market, probably for about a decade, under addressability solutions. For the last five years. We represent a multiple products for multiple people. CERACLAD is definitely one of the top ones.
Q: What do you keep in mind when proposing your product?
Lisa Vu: So with us, since we sell many different brands, into different divisions, I think the most important thing is understanding what the needs of the project is. And you only know that by asking questions, asking your clients questions, and then brainstorm through all the products that you have, and you see which one ticks most of the boxes, because there's no material that will tick all the boxes.
Adel Elmourad: Correct. So what's most important to that client? Yeah, that's how we.
Q: What kind of complaints do you get from your clients?
Adel Elmourad: So I think, on the complaint side, it's the quality of product. So longevity of the product? Meaning, is it going to last in a climate like Vancouver where it rains all the time? How does the product perform open duration of 30 years, and we find that CERACLAD fits that that niche where it gives you the quality, durability, and feasibility, so it hits the trifecta for our clients.
David Mathai: I think it's important for the installer to find it easy enough to work with, which we found was very beneficial for CERACLAD. It's a very simple system to put in looks fantastic at the end of it. So the installers are happy to talk about and sell it with us.
Lisa Vu: And I would add that price is also a factor as well. Although the clients like designer might love CERACLAD, but we have to deal with the budget of the project. So being able to be competitive with the price installed price is also very important as well.
Q: Why do you chose CERACLAD? Whether you have other options?
Adel Elmourad (ADESSON): Why CERACLAD as an option? Good question. Couple each, we give two good reasons. Go ahead.
Lisa Vu: so for me, there's like I said, there's lots of options to choose from but why I choose CERACLAD is because the support, the design, technical support that I get from our local representative. Hamed, he has been really helpful. It makes my job easier to sell the products and so that's why I tend to go CERACLAD for myself.
Adel Elmourad: Yeah, great. For me, it's for the for what you get the quality of the product, there isn't right now anything on the market that compares when it comes to feasibility and quality combined. So for me, I love the graffiti resistancy of the product. We have a lot of high traffic areas, and it constantly needs to be kept CERACLAD, that gets reduced quite a bit. And the second reason to is that it passes all these testings. So whether it's the 114, or the s134. CERACLAD has done all the community testing to prove that we can use them on all projects, Right? So the confidence is there for me.
David Mathai: Well, I liked the design potential. How many different textures and finishes we have? Yeah, I like that. It's got a built in a rainscreen system. Substantially. Like I said, I do like how simple it is to install, and that the installers are not afraid if they haven't tried it before. It's very easy to explain very easy to see jobs around. And I love that the service locally is fantastic. Alana and Hamed. They do they do a fantastic job. So that's good.
Q: Are there any requests for improvement to CERACLAD?
Lisa Vu: Yeah, I mean over the years, so we've been repping CERACLAD for the last six plus years. Over the years, we have made quite a bit of movement. So in addition to what we have already done, like with the running bond and the T joints, I would say that perhaps offering a line of vivid colors, like as a standard vivid color, getting the custom colors to a price point that is feasible for some of the projects that was also going to be also be good as well.
Adel Elmourad: Yeah, it's a constant improvement. So our clients constantly in the forefront for example, I had a client who was asking me about environmental product declaration forms. And Ceraclad, I just didn't know they had it. So I went to the website and lo and behold, they're already working on the EPD forms in the top right corner of the website where you click and you get the these forms and these forms then help us with global warming potential and helping us understand how much emissions we put in the environment. And CERACLAD was right there in the forefront of that leading the way so it's very impressed by the constant progression
David Mathai: For me, my best case scenario would be if there was, and it's tough, but it would be amazing if there was some stock product that we could have locally that we could always run to and the issue that's been a part of the past which we've now fixed is how things were packaged a little bit and that's made a big difference. The number of damage panels on site and all that because obviously the lead time can be a little difficult sometimes depending on how the sea feels.
Adel Elmourad: CERACLAD fix that very next shipment.
David Mathai: Next shipment on the day Alana and myself were on the site with the damage panels suffering so again, the best thing you could do when there's an issue is deal with it immediately. And CERACLAD very good. Even right now with ongoing issues.
Q: What is the trend such as color, texture?
Adel Elmourad: Good question .I speak on kind of what I've seen is I'm seeing a lot of the lighter tones nowadays coming to light so with the whites, right seeing a lot of the white seeing more, would you say more smooth, more bluer? What would you say?
Lisa Vu: You know what? I mean, even though we offer a lot of textures, we still find that the fashion cashmere smooth is still the most popular, And I do agree that that we saw a lot of the whites. The reason why is because it has that, Tony. So what we sell it is that it's going to stay for the duration of the building. So a maintenance person you're designing what the white building with the classics, the greys, the blacks, American classics, I'm seeing more beige colors. And I'm seeing a little bit more green.
Adel Elmourad: Interesting.
Lisa Vu: Yeah, I'm seeing green for custom colors. Yeah, I had a project when I was looking for green, and are all green wasn't the right home, nor was the wasabi color was in somebody's home. So I'm seeing.
Adel Elmourad: That are you seeing a lot of like mural artists murals on builders to lately?
Lisa Vu: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I'm seeing a lot of that, especially with the First Nations project. Yeah, yeah. I'm seeing a lot of the basket weave patterns.
Adel Elmourad: Yeah, that's huge trend happening or we're seeing our artistic, artistic…
Lisa Vu: Expression?
Adel Elmourad: Yes, on cladding materials, and can't say too much. But CERACLAD is working on something where we could actually give the client the quality and the artistic vision and have it last in a climate like the British Columbia. So without saying too much, CERACLAD again, moving towards the right direction, on the artistic side,
Hinako: At the exhibition, CERACLAD was displayed as one system. So I thought it was attractive because it allows customers to intuitively convey the construction method and appearance image.
I heard from members who work with CERACLAD and learned about the functions required of exterior materials.
Akiko: This was my first time opportunity to join exhibition in foreign country, and I was surprised by the gathering of global companies and the difference in scale of exhibits. Especially, CERACLAD’s exhibits was very impressive, and I could understand
easily how to install our products.
And also, I appreciate the members of CERACLAD for their effort to increase their popularity.
Thank you.
Yuki: Buildex was so exciting and inspiring for me. There were a lot of products I've never seen before. It's amazing. And I'd like to thank our partners Lisa, Adel and David. They gave us the opportunity to ask them some questions as an interview.
Thank you for your time and I hope to meet you again
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