SEALANTS & ADHESIVES ADAPTING TO CHANGE
Sealants and adhesives has been the core business for Sika Everbuild since the company was founded in 1994. The company tells BMJ how it is reacting to the current climate.
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ince being acquired by Sika in 2013, Everbuild has been recognised as a specialist for sealants and adhesives for the global brand, offering knowledge and expertise to the wider company, according to Andrew Scanlon, applications manager for Everbuild.
“Being the UK’s leading manufacturer of sealants and adhesives isn’t a position we take lightly, adapting to any challenge the industry faces with a determination to offer the same unrivalled support to our merchant customers, whatever the situation,” he says. “Throughout the last two years we have taken drastic steps to provide an elevated level of support to our customers and assist in helping them achieve their full potential.”
This includes the introduction of a dedicated Applications Team, available to provide in store training, product demonstrations and trade day support wherever required. “The new training schemes have had a hugely positive reaction within the builders’ merchant, with staff welcoming the chance to improve their knowledge on a variety of products,” Scanlon says. “From everyday silicone sealants to more complex, complete product systems, we are able to provide staff with the information required to confidently sell these products on to their customers.”
Successful training sessions include a variety of ‘hands on’ learning, for which sealants and adhesives lend themselves perfectly to, giving
merchant staff and end users the opportunity to gun the products out and really get a feel for each. Scanlon points out that the unique situation the world has found itself in since the start of 2020 has had an impact on the way training sessions are carried out, with some continuing online where possible; but that being able to quickly adapt to any situation is a priority.
He says: “Last year saw the successful launch of EB25 – The Ultimate Sealant and Adhesive, and with this came a full support package unlike anything the brand had developed before, designed to offer support to our merchant customers and provide the tools they need to best promote and sell this new product to their loyal customers. This included our first venture into creating a nationwide roadshow campaign with three fully branded vans hitting the road to deliver the message directly to the end user, via the merchants who wished to be involved. Armed with product demonstrations, giveaways and expert knowledge, the roadshows proved to be a great success and continue to grow, with six vans now touring the country.”
Covid-19 forced the roadshows to stop for a time, however the team are now back on the road after undertaking Covid-19 safety training and the implementing a number of safety measures to ensure Government guidelines are met. This includes the use of social distancing markers and barrier tape around the area,
hand sanitisation units, the use appropriate PPE by our team and clear signage around the stand.
Given the current climate the industry has seen a rise in digital activity, with an increasing number of merchants developing an online presence by creating an e-commerce platform to enable them to tap into a previously overlooked market. “Over the past 18 months, our dedicated e-commerce team have begun a new scheme to work in partnership with a growing number of merchants to not only help us understand the buying habits of their customers but to assist in improving their own online stores and increasing sales,” he says. While the digital world is vital to progress, the merchant store itself cannot be overlooked and with floor space often being limited, the need to create a range of point of sale which will work in a variety of environments is essential. To help display Sika Everbuild’s range of sealants and adhesives a selection of POS has been developed including dedicated display stands for EB25, Stixall Extreme Power and the Grab Adhesive range, TV display units to showcase high impact product videos, shelf strips, header boards, counter top mats and product literature to highlight the products features and benefits. “Ensuring our customers receive the right support is something we are committed to and will endeavour to continue to go the extra mile both now and in the future”. BMJ
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www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net February 2021
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