What's Important to know about fabric contents - Today?

[baileyuph]

Previously, fabric contents were cotton, rayon, wool, and can't forget  -  the nylon and polyester.

Several of the newer samples use terms like Nano Tex, acrylics, to name a couple.  Well, seems I
remember one more;  100% solution dyed acrylic/polyester ----  How does a shop explain and advise
a customer? 

What will fade or not fade?
What will fray and what is the degree of fray?
Questions and there are more! 

Best way to clean (instructions are not always given.  Some say no cleaning required but "stuff"
can get on the material and that is what has to be removed(dirt and stuff).  Digest that!



It has gotten to the point when a question comes up ----  I just reference the vendors instructions.

What is leather today?
   Top grain (they don't indicate how many lower layers have been cut?
   Processed leather
   Simulated leather
   plus what are the important finishes to understand on leather today?

All makes a sales person back away and wonder how to cope - certainly don't want to get into
a law suit (laws vary by state too).

   
Doyle   

[Mojo]

Doyle:

I borrowed my own personal experience dealing with sales people to drive my mode of operation. There is nothing more that drives me insane then to have a sales person try selling me something that knows nothing about their product. It turns me off and typically I walk away and won t buy from them. My feeling has always been that it is your job to know your product and if you don't, you shouldn't be selling it.

We have made it a practice to know everything about our fabrics, including how it is made, the machinery and the processes at the mill. I rely on 3 people who have a knowledge base the size of Texas to teach us. All 3 are guys who have spent years in the industry and who have spent time in mill's watching and learning how fabric is made. All 3 are consultants and also our suppliers.

One of our biggest competitors constantly touts misinformation on their website about their fabrics. It is laughable on just how far out in left field they are and how they have been fed a line of crap by some supplier. I never say anything to people in the industry about them because I want them to continue to advertise the way they do. It pushes a lot of sales to us. But customers are always shocked when they call and talk with my wife about fabrics. She closes a lot of sales just based on her knowledge and I read about customers mentioning her expertise on various RV forums.

We are due for a training session from one of our consultant/sales people on the new acrylic fabrics that just hit the market. They are made with CBA fibers and some offerings have a 3-d look. We work hard to stay on top of all the latest breakthroughs on fabric and we also get fed info on what fabrics are experiencing high warranty claim rates and quality issues. In other words we strive to remain experts in our industry. Knowledge gains confidence from consumers and they like to deal with people who know their product.

In regards to how to care for fabrics, we include instructions with each awning purchase along with warranty cards & information. These instructions are all based on the information provided to us by the mills. We also have a " How To Care for Your Fabric " section on our web site.

Mojo

[baileyuph]

In your awning business - can I assume most fabrics used are milled outside of this country?

For clarity, I am assuming there are at least three layers involved in getting fabrics to the cutting table;
Miller (the maker), jobber, and then the retailer such as most of us.

Doyle

[Mojo]

Our main acrylic comes directly from Germany to us. We deal directly with the mill because we use so much fabric and we also buy in roll quantities. This common with some awning companies who buy huge quantities.

Our other acrylic is supplied to us through a jobber, Miami Corp as is our vinyl. Colors dictate what and who we buy from. Crazy as it sounds, some suppliers carry some of the OEM colors while others carry OEM colors that the other doesn't.

Both the mill and Miami play a huge part in our educational programs, seminars that we conduct at RV rally's. etc. They provide a huge amount of support. The CEO of Miami is friend as is the head of the Mill we use and both are our business consultants that we call on before making a move into a market or if we are changing a business model. I wont make a move without consulting with them. I bounce a lot of ideas off them. We are getting ready to make a big move into a different market and they will both be guiding us.

Mojo