Q&A with George Rudolph, National Sales Manager-Engineered Fluids for Noble Company

 

Founded in 1946, in Grand Haven, Mich., Noble Company has a reputation of providing quality, innovative products for the plumbing, hydronic, fire sprinkler, and tile industries. In addition to their headquarters and manufacturing facility in Spring Lake, Mich., the company also has a manufacturing plant in Baton Rouge, La. They manufacture a diverse product offering for several industries, which are sold through leading distributors in several channels.

As distribution continues to consolidate, what were once very individually defined markets have become more integrated as distributors seek additional revenue streams. As an example, traditional PVF distributors have branched out into the hydronic/solar/geothermal and fire sprinkler industries. This has given Noble opportunities to offer additional products to their existing distributor base, which at one time only purchased the shower pan liner from the company. Today, the company sells to HVAC/R, PVF, fire sprinkler, plumbing, and tile distributors nationally.

Recently, Plumbing Engineer caught up with George Rudolph, National Sales Manager-Engineered Fluids for Noble Company. The following is an excerpt of that Q&A:

How did you get involved in the industry?

After a short stint working for a sanitary chemical and paper products distributor, I jumped into the plumbing industry in 1993, taking a sales position with a plumbing fixture manufacturer. Prior to joining Noble Company in October 2009, I spent the previous 13 years in various sales and management capacities with one of the world’s largest manufacturers of plumbing fixtures and fittings, working with leading wholesale distributors and their customers. So in a sense, I never really have left the bathroom in 20 years, but now I spend most of my time in the heating and fire sprinkler industries.

How can engineers/builders benefit from spec’ing your product (through quality, innovation, on-time shipping, customer service and satisfaction)?

Noble Company products are engineered with the installer in mind. As we develop new products, consideration is given as to how the product installation will save time (and ultimately, money) and the benefits it will deliver post-installation. As an example, our Chloraloy CPE waterproof membrane carries a lifetime warranty against product failure, which is almost unheard of in the plumbing industry. Many plumbers have shied away from installing shower pan liners due to the potential for leaks, generally associated with the rotting and cracking of less-expensive PVC liner. Chloraloy may cost a bit more, but peace of mind is priceless in today’s litigious world.

Our antifreeze fluids are blended with deionized water, which greatly reduces the potential for corrosion in hydronic systems, due to mineral content in municipal water supplies. Our FreeStyle Linear Drains are simple to install. They secure flat to the substrate without the requirement of leveling procedures and materials, thus reducing installation time.

We like to think that our customer service begins when you place the order, and it never ends. Our distributors have grown accustomed to impeccable lead times (quite often, our standard products ship within two days of order placement) and our technical support during and after the sale is “world class”. We stand behind our products and constantly strive to improve our customer’s experience in partnering with us.

Any news/new products at Noble?

With the recently announced code changes by the NFPA regarding antifreeze use in wet fire sprinkler systems, Noble has introduced two new antifreeze fluids. FireFighter ®PG38 (ready-to-use, factory pre-mixed propylene glycol) and FireFighter GL48 (ready-to-use, factory pre-mixed glycerine) were both launched in March of 2011. FireFighter GL48 is certified FBC™ System Compatible by The Lubrizol Corporation for use in BlazeMaster® CPVC piping systems. Noble has positioned itself as a leader in freeze protection for the fire sprinkler industry.

We introduced our FreeStyle Linear Drain about a year ago, and continue to gain momentum with commercial and residential applications for this unique product. The “Aging in Place” movement, along with hospital and healthcare requirements for barrier-free, curbless showers, and Universal Access, has been a demand driver for linear drains. As lifestyles evolve from bathtubs to showers, we believe this product has tremendous potential in the market.

Currently, we are looking at additional engineered fluid opportunities in the hydronic and fire sprinkler markets which would broaden our product portfolio and offer additional value to our customers.

Describe the core products/services offered at Noble.

Noble Company produces antifreeze and heat transfer fluids for hydronic, solar, geothermal, and fire sprinkler applications (under the Noburst and FireFighter brands); extruded chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) sheet membranes for waterproofing and sound and crack prevention under tile floors (Chloraloy and NobleSeal brands); pre-formed shower bases (ProSlope and ProBase), niches, benches, and curbs for the plumbing and tile industries, and linear drains for tile showers (under the FreeStyle Linear Drain brand).

Noble Company provides unparalleled technical support to contractors and distributors, including installation seminars and fluid testing services. Heating systems containing antifreeze require annual maintenance checks, and this fact is often ignored. Our technical team can help contractors and homeowners extend the system life of our engineered fluids, which in turn prolongs the life of the mechanical systems as well.

How has Noble faced the struggling economy?

First, let me say that Noble Company is proud that all our products are made in America. We have two manufacturing plants (Michigan and Louisiana). Our marketing tag line is “American Company, American Products”. So, while the last few years have been challenging, we continue to manufacture here in the USA and never succumbed to the pressure of downsizing our operations and moving manufacturing or sourcing raw materials off shore.

As a small to medium sized company, we are able to move with the trends and changing tides of the past few years. An emphasis on hotel construction moved to health-care and education construction; a focus on condo development moved to military base development; and the new NFPA-13 code changes for fire sprinkler antifreeze showed our customer-responsiveness and market-urgency as we were the first antifreeze company to immediately provide Propylene-Glycol and Glycerin formulations in their new required mixes.

As is has been said…the only thing constant is change, and Noble Company prides itself on being dynamic.

How do you think Noble helps end users in struggling times? (rebates, training, education, reduced prices, etc.)

Training and education have always been the foundation of our product offering. During slower economic conditions, contractors generally have more time available and this allows us to spend valuable face time with them. While we have always strived to offer quality products at a fair price, it is the perceived value of the product which resonates with the customer.

Understanding how Noble Company products save time, money, and reduce the need for costly “call-backs” add up when times are tough. The product may cost a bit more, but if the installation time is reduced by half over traditional methods, or a lesser amount of our product is required than a competitor’s to achieve the same result, we are delivering tangible savings. Educating our customers to that effect really delivers bottom-line results.

Do you deal directly with wholesalers? If so, describe the importance of the wholesaler manufacturer relationship?

As the decade-old adage goes, “it’s wholesale or no sale”. While the intent of that phrase was to delineate wholesale from big box retail, it really underscores the important role that wholesale distributors play in the market. Wholesalers perform several essential functions which allow manufacturers to grow. They extend credit to contractors which enable us to move product to market, they maintain a reasonable inventory of our products, they have solid product knowledge, and most importantly, they own the relationships with the people who install our products.

We work regularly with our wholesale distributor partners, both locally and nationally, to consistently deliver quality products, at a fair price, and in a timely fashion. Often, wholesalers have central distribution and logistics services which make it easy for us to get our products into smaller markets without excessive costs. Having a distributor who can get our product to a customer the same or next day allows us to grow and expand our markets together.

When business slows and projects become much more cost sensitive, wholesalers are able to bridge the gap based on the relationships they built with contractors. While price is, and always will be, a consideration, people still buy from people they trust, and our wholesalers have earned that trust with their customers based on years of building relationships.

What is Noble’s presence globally?

The majority of Noble Company sales are from here in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. However, when we go overseas, we go big. The largest building in the world is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is called the Burj Khalifa. This building has our NobleSeal waterproofing products throughout and was quite an exciting project for us. In addition, we have other projects in the Mid East. This area of the world wants quality American products, and we are thankful Noble is on their shopping list.

Describe the process of getting your product code body certified. Which code bodies certify your products and does it vary product to product?

The organizations that certify our products are many, as our product line is diverse. Noble products have all the necessary certifications required by our markets. Agencies like the ICC (International Code Council) PMG listings certify plumbing, mechanical, and fuel gas products meet requirements in codes and standards. UPC and Canadian approvals are provided by the IAPMO (International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical). These are two of the organizations we work with. Our engineering staff works closely with each code body. In addition, Noble is involved with many industry associations to keep abreast of changes and trends that could affect certifications.