SES Foam: Should We Believe the Hype?

SPRING, TX – April 29, 2017 –  Much has been mentioned recently about different supplier’s market success and their determination to support their contractors at an industry-leading level. Is there really a differentiation between suppliers and how they stand behind their commitment? Are they truly in the contractor’s corner and helping them win the market battle? We asked some of SES’s current customers to share their first-hand experiences with the products and support provided by SES.

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Here’s what they had to say:

TECHNOLOGY

SES produces cutting-edge urethane spray foam insulation for residential and commercial applications. For open-cell spray foam applications, SES offers Sucraseal, which boasts the highest bio content in the industry, and passes the ICC-ES AC 377 Appendix X fire test without an additional coating. SES also recently introduced Nexseal™ 2.0 Closed Cell Spray Foam, combining cutting-edge performance with Honeywell’s Ultra-Low Global Warming Potential (GWP) Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agent, making Nexseal™ 2.0 their most innovative and environmentally friendly product to date.

That innovation is appreciated by our contactors. A large Texas contractor recently told us: “At our company, we try and constantly improve the spraying and the product we use. SES has been a great partner in continuing to listen to our feedback and provide an incredibly high performing product. We have made significant investments in our equipment and altered the way we handle product. SES has been there throughout the conversion and supported us, not only in the development stages, but worked with us on implementation to ensure there were no hiccups. We have never had a supplier utilize such a large number of resources focused on our company and our ideas.”

A large contractor located in the southern U.S. confirms: “Our reputation is everything, as we value our workmanship guarantee. The ability to trust the performance of the foams we use in a variety of conditions is of paramount concern. SES is among the industry leaders for certain with respect to product quality and performance. The consistency of their product and their logistics support the management of our company and allows our management to set credible targets and focus on our business without worrying about our supplier.”

This ability to rely on quality support and consistency is echoed by a large contractor in the Southwest: “We tell our customers that we are going to give them a great value and a great product. That all starts with the foam we install and its ability to be consistent and yield correct volume. SES gets it right every time and has a very reliable foam.”

Various spray foam contractors from all over the country stated their opinion about first-hand experiences with the products and support offered by SES Foam.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

The process by which spray foam is installed is one of the most important aspects of the spray foam business. Improper installation can be costly and even dangerous depending on circumstances. SES offers both onsite and remote technical support to ensure contractors get the most out of their cutting-edge products, providing optimum yields, margin, and customer piece of mind for every project.

We recently heard from one of our contractor partners in the Northeast: “I called for technical support to assist a homeowner who had been confused by some internet information and wanted to challenge the effectiveness of our install. SES’ tech team was in my market and engaged with that homeowner in a matter of days! They really do WANT to partner with me to satisfy my customer!”

That technical support comes into play before jobs too, as this Southeastern contractor testifies: “SES is the best in the business! I had a challenging architect requesting specific drawing details for a large project we were pursuing and the team at SES made it happen right away and I got the project! They are great to have in my corner.”

TESTING

Sucraseal by SES passes the ICC-ES AC 377 Appendix X fire test without an additional coating, giving contractors an advantage in the market. Appendix X approval allows installers to skip the expensive and time-consuming step of applying fire protective coatings in restricted-access attics and crawlspaces. Providing homeowners with increased fire performance is a prudent choice for contractors.

A contractor on the East Coast recently wrote, outlining the importance of having a true Appendix X foam and of working with a supportive manufacturer: “I work with a lot of builders in my market who construct attic assemblies that won’t pass an assembly test, the flexibility provided to me by SES having a true Appendix X foam is a definite market advantage against my competition. As a large contractor, I am extremely concerned about the liability of the oxygen depletion test. This test has little to do about product performance and more to do about construction and building design. The liability that puts on my customers and I is unacceptable.”

MARKET STRATEGY

SES values quality over quantity, working with fewer contractors in a given market, and choosing contractors that want to improve their market share through better installations and business practices.

This exclusive approach appeals to contractors on both the West and East Coast, North and South as you can see. A West Coast contractor writes: “SES really gets it. Too many contractors pushing the same products in the same market just serves to drive prices and service down. Knowing that SES approaches each market with a strategy to help me grow instead of just adding another competitor has given me the confidence I need to invest in my business! They are partners not just suppliers!”

His Northern counterpart says: “Every manufacturer I speak to says they are going to invest in my market and they are going to help me find more leads. I can say for the first time a manufacturer delivered and that manufacturer was SES”

BUSINESS SUPPORT

Creating a profitable spray foam contracting company is difficult, and SES provides the tools and training necessary to track the yield and profitability of each project, ensuring their contractors have the best chance at succeeding in reaching their goals.

A contractor partner in Tennessee informs us that: “When SES informed me they were not only going to provide a great product, but that they would be putting enormous resources into third-party marketing and business management resources to come and help me be successful, I knew they were a different kind of manufacturer. My business is thriving and having a manufacturer in my corner has definitely been a major actor in supporting my growth.”

While a contractor working in the Southern part of the U.S. says: “The ability to trust your manufacturer enough to share your business challenges openly is a luxury, just sitting down for an iced tea with SES’ management gave me an entirely new perspective on my business and its potential. I am so glad SES is in my corner.”

It appears that we really can believe all that we have been hearing about SES’ incredible product and support combination.

We asked Charles Valentine, COO at SES Foam, what he thought of these testimonials from SES’ contractors.

“We work very hard to make our claims of support real. It makes our entire team feel proud when we hear from our customers that we are making a difference. We invest significant resources to produce the difference that the contractors are referring to, to hear that the investment is paying off for our contractors is truly rewarding. We recently received the following text which was uplifting to our entire team:

“See how much money we saved on the job? Projected to use 1419.3 inches and we only used 1099 inches. $10,400 less because of an average 19,371 board-foot yield. This is why we are winners since working with your team. We continue to use 15,000 board feet in our system so anything over that is pure profit! I really appreciate what you guys do!”

This is what we are working towards. It is simply good business; if our customers do well and grow, so will we. We thank all of our customers who sent in comments for this article.

Contact SES FOAM
Direct any questions about industry-level support to SES Foam:
Phone: 855-335-2440 / 713-239-0252
Website: www.sesfoam.com

*Spray Foam Magazine does not take editorial positions on particular issues; individual contributions to the magazine express the opinions of discrete authors unless explicitly labeled or otherwise stated. The inclusion of a particular piece in the magazine does not mean that individual staff members or editors concur with the editorial positions represented therein.