22 April 2021
Metabronze Industries has been around for almost 50 years in New Zealand, Allproof, not as long. However, Allproof is the largest supplier of Roof and Floor Drains in New Zealand. We are open about our goals to continue growing Metabronze Industries and the Metabronze brand to become the Roof and Drain Supplier of Choice. We realise it will take some time to reach the equivalent market share of Allproof, however, with presenting a high-quality product to the market, providing prompt and personalised service, with a solutions-based consultancy as well as a product that is able to fulfil environmental objectives for our customers, we know that we are well on our way. We enjoy interacting with customers, so please reach out and contact us. By doing so, you will receive the very best customer service. You will also be assisting us to provide a truly competitive marketplace.
Product Comparisons - Metabronze Drains and Allproof Drains
We have been provided with feedback from our customers as well as customers of Allproof Drains about some of the similarities within the detail of the design of a few of the Drainage Products on the market.
These customers state that the Metabronze Roof Drain and Allproof Roof Drain Roof Drains look alike. Specifically, the design of the Metabronze Clamtite Roof Drain and the Allproof Clamtite Roof Drain bronze dome grate being aesthetically similar. with the gaps within the dome grate that allow water to flow into the drain having a comparable resemblance to each other.
There are obvious differences with other design features of the Metabronze Clamtite Roof Drain, as compared to the Allproof Clamtite Roof Drain. The Metabronze Roof Drain drain has a central fastening system, using a stainless steel bolt that fastens through the centre of the top of the dome grate, and down through to a bridging section located in the midway portion of the body of the drain. The Allproof Roof Drain uses bolts that fastens the Clamtite Drain from the perimeter of the roof drain.
We believe that the Metabronze Roof Drain central fastening system is simple and minimises the opportunity for the roofing membrane material of being penetrated during the roofing installation process. The Allproof Roof Drain will have other benefits.
Product Comparisons - SPS (Specialty Plumbing Supplies) Floor Drains, SPS Podium Drains, SPS Vinyl Floor Wastes, SPS Cleanouts, SPS Basket Traps and Allproof Floor Drains, Allproof Podium Drains, Allproof Vinyl Floor Wastes, Allproof Cleanouts & Allproof Basket Traps.
Customers and Suppliers have also advised us of the similarities of the grate designs between our range of SPS-(Specialty Plumbing Supplies) Floor Drains and Vinyl Floor Wastes, and the Allproof Floor Drains and Allproof Vinyl Floor Wastes. It has been stated that the design of the flat stainless-steel grates of the SPS Floor Drains & SPS Vinyl Floor Wastes and the Allproof Floor Drains & Allproof Vinyl Floor Wastes have obvious similarities. Both SPS Floor Drains and SPS Vinyl Floor Wastes and Allproof Floor Drains and Allproof Vinyl Floor Waste drain designs use a fastening system inclusive of three stainless steel screws spaced equally around the perimeter of the drains.
Both Metabronze Roof and Floor Drains, a business that has been trading for almost 50 years, and SPS Roof and Floor Drains (Specialty Plumbing Supplies) now in their fourth decade of supplying Roof and Floor Drains in Australasia, can state that their product designs are truly original. All SPS Roof Drains, Floor Drains, Floor Wastes, Point Drains, Roof & Balcony Drains, Podium Drains, and Cleanouts carry the Watermark Certification of quality.
Plumbers 'snubbing' the specification and using Allproof Vinyl Floor Wastes, Allproof Basket Traps, and Allproof Cleanouts drain products.
We recently asked one of our customers, the customer being the controlling Project Manager for the supply of Point Drains to a major chain of restaurants in New Zealand, why were the allocated Plumbers for these projects still using Allproof Vinyl Floor Wastes, Allproof Basket Traps, and Allproof Cleanouts when selected Metabronze Vinyl Floor Wastes, Metabronze Basket Traps, and Metabronze Cleanouts were specified as the preferred Floor Drains and Floor Wastes for all of the Restaurant chains 'new-builds' and refurbishment projects.
Our Customer, the Project Manager, claimed that many Plumbers, especially in the South Island where Metabronze is not so well represented 'on the ground', are very much accustomed to buying Allproof Floor Drains and therefore they look to, and choose Allproof Vinyl Floor wastes, Basket Traps and Cleanouts that they believe to be compatible with the specified Metabronze Floor Drain products or that they believe will fulfil the specification.
In general, our response going forward must be to better inform the Plumbing Installers as to the qualities of Metabronze Floor Drains, the Metabronze Vinyl Floor Wastes and the Metabronze Cleanouts as compare to the Allproof Floor Drains, the Allproof Vinyl Floor Wastes and the Allproof Cleanouts. We also need to assist them in understanding the importance of adhering to the specification of the Metabronze Drain products provided to them.
The power of the Allproof brand
A Metabronze staff member was recently at the counter of Anzor Fasteners Albany attempting to source an over-sized stainless-steel bolt that would work for one of the Metabronze 'Superflow' Clamtite Dome & Upstand Roof Drains. To be certain of acquiring the appropriate fastening bolt, he took the complete drain assembly with him to the counter.
Whilst waiting for the attendant to find the applicable fastening bolt, another plumbing customer, also standing at the counter, evidently mistook the Metabronze Clamtite for an Allproof Clamtite, and said to our staff member, " didn't Allproof Drains provide you with the bolt"?
Our guy responded by saying that it wasn't an Allproof Roof Drain, it was a Metabronze Roof Drain.
This brief discussion demonstrates to us, the popularity of Allproof Drains and the power of the Allproof brand, and that whilst Metabronze Roof and Floor provides a very high standard quality Roof Clamtite Drain, we cannot rely on just having quality Drain products, we must try to match and exceed the customer awareness of the Allproof Drain Products.
Specified Products - Metabronze Drains and Allproof Drains
When recently speaking to a representative of a well-established Engineering Business, we discovered that our Metabronze Drains were nearly always specified alongside Allproof Drains within their Construction Plans for point drains or outlet drains.
It was stated by the representative of the Engineering business, that the only time that the Metabronze point drains were not listed along-side the Allproof point drains within their specifications for point drains, was when a particular aspect of the design of the Metabronze point drain product did not match with the aspect of the Allproof point drain design and that the Allproof pont drain design possessed the qualities that the project required. Once the point drain design is specified, these specifications are generally passed onto project appointed Architects.
Architects, like Plumbers, many of them being more familiar with Allproof despite the longevity of Metabronze, will more often than not, choose Allproof to be the supplier of the drainage products. Architects may compare both Metabronze drains and Allproof drains, however, for whatever the reason, we do not believe that we are receiving a similar volume of enquiry for our drain products compared to Allproof.
As with the need to increase our profile with Plumbers, we also need to work more closely with Architects, as well as increase our range of drainage products, improve our brand awareness, and provide the technical detail within our data sheets and product drawings that will assist Architects to be able to do their job.
SPS Channel Drains, SPS Shower Channel Drains to compete with Allproof Channel Drain and the Allproof Shower Channel Drain.
With an obvious gap in the Metabronze range of Floor Drains as compared to the Allproof Floor Drain range we have decided to take advantage of the fabrication expertise of SPS, who boasts a separate manufacturing plant just for developing channel drains, to compete with the Allproof Channel Drains.
The Allproof Channel drain and the Allproof shower channel drain is a very much well-stablished floor drain in New Zealand, however, we believe with the current level of enquiry that we have received for Channel Drains, that we can fulfil the demands of our customers for the channel drain product, as well as provide a solution that will be able to be compared to the Allproof channel grate products.
'Watch this space' SPS Channel Grates are coming soon to New Zealand.
We are committed to keeping our customers competitive without sacrificing quality or service