Letter 4031

Market Research Data on Customers of Finishing Industry 

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Where can I find detailed market research data on the customers that the finishing service industry serves? For exemple, customers by category, dollar volumes by type of customer, by region, etc. Thanks in advance

Jim Chang - Ontario, CA

Some general market studies of this nature is available in the various issues of the Surface Finishing Market Research Board Reports available from NAMF or AESF at reasonable prices (I think they are something like $100 each). However, really detailed market studies are 5-figure items.

 
Ted Mooney, P.E. - Finishing.com Inc. - Brick, NJ

Ted is right on the ball but a tad off on the numbers:

For the Surface Finishing Market Research Board reports (available at aesf.org) they are $125/ea for members of the AESF/NMFRC and I believe one other organization, maybe the NAMF, or $250 for non-members.

(tip, it costs you 125 dollars to sign up for the AESF & NMFRC together, why not do that, order your report, it pays for your membership instantly then and you have a years worth of value from the two organizations, its what I did).

Matthew Stiltner
- Toledo, OH

... or you could get the same discount by joining AESF for just $85 and enjoy it here at finishing.com for free rather than paying $125 so they can give the extra $40 to a beltway website

What about gross margins? Does anyone know what the typical gross margins are for a surface finisher?

thanks,

Matthew Klokel
- Irvine, CA

That's a laugh, Matthew :-)

There are some surface finishers who are earning a fair living. But there are some unhappy people in the business who have been losing money for many years now, but who can't retire no matter how old and weary they are because closing down would trigger hazardous waste costs and responsibilities that would leave them without a home and without a dime in their old age. When some of your competition is in a life situation where losing money year after year but staying in business is preferable to closing, it does make it difficult for anyone to compete.

But there is no "typical" in this business.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Finishing.com Inc. - Brick, NJ

I want to answer or follow-up on this subject publicly

 

My company is a supporting advertiser at finishing.com and we want the contact information to reach the inquirer privately.

 

I want to post a new question or inquiry of my own on a different subject

 

This letter is within a monitored forum, very much "alive" here in 2008. If you spot any broken links or obsolete info, please advise!