Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/339857
10 FEDA News & Views W hen Advance Tabco's Vice President Al Alderman vis- its a dealership to discuss the particulars of his lines, there are questions that occasionally come up that no one wants to ask. What's the difference between 201 stain- less and 430? How do you justify upselling a 16-gauge work table to a 14-gauge? "Can I use galvanized legs and undershelf or do I have to go with stainless?" One inquiry leads to two and then snowballs into an avalanche of interest swirling around applications, trade-offs and budgets. It's the kind of exchange Alderman, an E&S lifer, likes to sink his teeth into. Galvanized vs. stainless? "There's a lot that goes into select- ing the right fit—economics, function, etc." says Alderman, who's been with Advance Tabco for 26 years. "I make a 14-, 16- and 18-gauge work table, stainless steel top. How does eco- nomics play into the decision? The lesser gauge is cheaper but not as durable. Is it just for regular use or do you need a battle- ship, like a 14-gauge, for pounding meat or running slicers? "Then, you have to consider what's going to be under the table. Do I want it to be stainless or galvanized legs and under- shelf? Galvanized is a mild steel with a zinc coating to prevent corrosion. It's cheaper but it doesn't look as pretty, which is an issue for consultants, and it's also not as durable in the long- term as stainless. Think about an old fence. It does a great job preventing rust as long as the coating does not get rubbed off and expose the steel underneath. End users typically like to use it for storage areas like undershelves as well as legs, where the coating is less likely to be rubbed off. In the end, it's a tradeoff. The price point is attractive but many people want the look and durability of stainless steel." Which means that if you're a dealer sales rep, finding the right fit for a customer requires a bit of acrobatics, and most certainly a strong foundation in product knowledge. For Alderman, that starts with the basest of basics—like know- ing the characteristics of the most common stainless alloys (or grades) used in E&S or that the term gauge refers to the thickness of a sheet of stainless steel. The lower the number the thicker the metal, so 14-gauge stainless would be thicker than 18-gauge but not necessarily superior in quality, says Alderman. "There's a perception that lighter gauges are inferior to heavier gauges," he says, "but in reality, construction and intended use are critical criteria when selecting a product. Years ago, everything in a kitchen was built using heavy-gauge steel. Fourteen or even 12 and 10 gauge was the norm across all sorts of products, which produced battleships. Over the years, lighter gauges have slowly become acceptable for cer- tain applications, for instance, where the steel is just a skin over an appliance like a refrigerator or stove. "Other stainless items such as sinks and tables also now offer lighter gauge alternatives, which cost less money and if well-constructed are quite suitable for many applications. More recently, price-driven imports from Mexico and now China and Southeast Asia have found a market for a low-end price point by using lighter gauge materials and lesser con- struction standards. In the Internet age, many end users buy on price without an appreciation for design, construction and durability." Making the Grade Nothing could be farther from the truth about product spe- cialist Eric Von Kaenel. For 40 years he's been a fixture at ven- tilation systems manufacturer Avtec and still loves the grind. Pricing the product, design, marketing, training in the field, Von Kaenel has a hand in it all, so he knows his stainless. And he's been around long enough to witness a few major shifts—one of the most pivotal being the result of spikes in nickel costs from 2006-2007. "Type 304 has the highest concentration of nickel out of all of the grades, and what nickel does to stainless steel is make it more pliable," says Von Kaenel. "Of course, Unified Brands buys a lot of steel and we were getting tremendous amounts of it until the nickel market became volatile. Thanks to the nickel clause, steel companies were raising their prices to whatever they wanted to cover soaring costs. We were seeing spikes of 20, 25 and 30 percent in six months' time." That led many manufacturers to start weighing their options. One of the grades that surfaced as a suitable alternative was 201. Side by side, you can't tell the difference between the By Stacy Ward, Managing Editor fedastacy@verizon.net A GREAT PRIMER FOR NEWCOMERS AND A REFRESHER FOR THE EXPERIENCED