PRODUCT EXTRA
K REND SETS NEW STANDARDS WITH REDEVELOPED SPRAY PRODUCT
Minerals and construction materials brand KRend has a new render product with a familiar sounding name, but which better meets the demands of the market. Fiona Russell Horne found out how it fits in with the KRend philosophy.
A
s part of its constant drive to add enhanced value, Kilwaughter Minerals has launched a new render product under its K Rend brand. Some £200,000 has gone into developing the new product, , K1 Spray+, which replaces the existing K1 Spray product, offering significant improvements in ease of use and performance, making it an ideal solution for both spray and hand application. A one-coat, two-pass through-coloured render, K1 Spray+ provides efficient and effective coverage that simplifies the application process. It’s been designed to perform as well with machine handling, as well as hand-application, ensuring exceptional build-out without slumping, even in challenging conditions.
Business development director Caroline Rowley explains that, although the existing product became known as K1 Spray, it was a product that tended to be applied by hand. “It’s been in the market around 10 years and has served us incredibly well. However, we knew that there were improvements we could make to it that would ensure that it would work better in spray machines, as that’s where we see the real growth coming from. That said, we wanted to remain mindful of the needs of those customers who do still prefer to use hand application techniques.” As part of K Rend’s scraped texture product range, K1 Spray+ features the brand’s signature fine texture finish and is available in 20 standard colours, offering a visually appealing solution for both new builds and renovation, maintenance, and improvement projects. “This product has been carefully designed to make the application process as simple and efficient as possible, while delivering the
to expect, training, specification, technical advice and support.”
high-performance standards that K Rend is known for. Ensuring a positive experience for customers using a hand or spray finish has been key to the versatile specification we created and our R&D team have certainly delivered that.”
Rowley explains that the company’s research revealed the importance of keeping the word Spray in the name to emphasise the improvements have been to ensure the product works better when sprayed. “We knew we also had to keep the K1 name in there as well, and signal the fact that we have enhanced and improved it. Hence K1 Spray+. We also found that when people search for it online, they look for the brand rather than a specific product name, so it was important to keep that branding very prominent as well.” Research also revealed that it was important to offer a versatile product that Other things that research found were important to applicatirs were versatility, build-out without slumping, and two-coat pass scrip times. Rowley says: “Some applicators tell us that they want to get the job done in one day so they need a product that goes off quickly, others are more interested in putting it on one day and then scriping the next. So, it was important to us that any improvements took tis need to be flexible into account. We were careful to add the improvements that would make it easier and better to use for machines, whilst keeping all the specifications that the hand applicators loved about the product.” She adds: “We are emphasising how we have improved the product, whilst retaining the fine finish that we know people want, and highlightin that it comes in 20 colours like all our three colour renders. Plus of course there’s all the support that our customers have come
32
New to the team this year is an applications specialist, Jay Crawford, who will be based in mainland GB, visiting sites and helping applicators with on-the-ground support. The company started from a quarry in Larne, which produces Ulster white limestone, and Rowley says that the company’s whole focus has always been how best to add value to the basic product, through design, technical specification, investments in training, research and development, and in operations to ensure On-Time-In-Full delivery services. She explains: “As the company has developed, everything we have done has been about adding value. Whether that’s the development of new products like K1 Spray+, our training locations - the K Academy, at Larne and at St Helens on Merseyside -, and our KRend Champions scheme.” This scheme has been going for two years and was created when the company realised that those branches and distributors with whom they had good relationships, who really engaged with the products and the company, tended to do better than the branches that didn’t have those key relationships.
“The mission was to deliver an industry- inspiring programme to create a network of passionate influencers who could advocate for our products and brands,” she adds. The launch kicked off with events at Kilwaughter’s Larne, St Helens and Cork premises to allow customers and applicators to see first hand the benefits of the new product and to get practical hands-on experience applying it. Followed by a roadshow with demo events in October and November. BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net December 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
