Just a fyi for you paint guys. Just got wind of this deal. That means Debeers, valspar, House of Kolor, Matrix and ProSpray will now be under the Sherwin Williams umbrella. God help us all!! http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...lliams-acquires-valspar-113-billion/82049456/
I am not a painter but have painted a few cars with different brands of paint. I was disappointed in Sherwin Williams on both occasions that I used it.
What matters is the recipes, will they remain consistent. It shouldnt matter who's banner is on the corporate mast head but if they start selling piss and calling it lemonade, well that's a problem, right? If the cost goes too high they'll price out of the market too. Let's hope logic prevails and product stays good. Sherwin Williams isn't a chump change corporation and has been around a long time.
Wow kind of surprising given that Valspar just bought the Prospray/USC line not long ago. Pretty par for the course for what is happening in the industry though lots of consolidation going on as the big just keep getting bigger.
This is what I worry about, sw is a resin manufacture. So I don't see them outsourcing resin even if it performs well. But I doubt we will see change for about a year. John worden is right, its all about stock price, bar none matrix has some of the best clears on the market, but Valspar did it to HOK when they got the line, I could see sw doing it as well. I also worry about independent paint stores that sw has cancelled in the past so they could put their own company owned store in, so the independent went with a valspar product, what happens to the independent paint store now? The big keeps getting bigger.
N.F.W. I do use only S/W paint for the house. Those are very good products. It looks like they had to buy Valspar to get a good automotive product ?? Corporate America KILLS ME. VR&C.
Those lines have been kicked around for years...prospray was distributed by USC through Jobbers warehouses, matrix was bought out not to long ago....other than House of Colors it seems some of those paint lines are sold on lower price or are regional at best....there must be something there...fighting for C and D shop paint dollars isn't gonna make ya rich that for sure.
It definitely had nothing to do with automotive as industrial and architectural is what they fight for. The venture capitalist company that owned matrix aquired usc/prospray. Then they sold the whole line to Valspar Love of Tiki - just fyi Matrix has been the largest purchaser of dedoes mixing machines for the last 5 years, placing more mixing machines in body shops than basf and axalta (dupont) combined. So they are doing something right, I see matrix in every size shop from dealerships to backyard guys. But you are right it is regional the Southeast is covered with Matrix, probably not so much in say New York. And Matrix has a cool story from a guy in Michigan that was tired of paying for overpriced paint, then started trying to make his own. That takes balls and you can't help but respect what he built, even though he died to early to enjoy a lot of the success. Sucks to see big companies buy out the small guys. Reminds me of the rich kid in school who paid to be friends with the cool kids.
I think ultimately what the industry is working towards is a direct to shop model where manufacturers can offer everything a shop needs and will eliminate the middle man. It will all but eliminate the independent jobber. With paint the tie ins to banner programs that are already happening it won't be long before independents will not be able to compete at any real level.
You are correct the big are getting bigger from Body Shop consolidation...the big 4 keep getting bigger...jobbers the Nationals are getting bigger everyday and pushing their own private label products...it's a strange time in the industry...and much of it isn't for the betterment of the business..its for the betterment of profit margins
not much help here ... but i always LIKED SW and never had good dealings with the corporate people of Valspar , DID have GOOD dealings with House Of Kolor before they went Valspar,, ya that's neither here nor there . so personal opinion here not worth much really.
i guess "profit" is a dirty word around here why didn't you guys pool you money and buy it? then you can run it as a charity and give away paint
Profit? Try using capital letter's each time a new sentence is started. WHEN the buy out's are then equating poorer product's, what then is 'profit' then? Up next OFF SHORING & how it profit's the very few.
It's my understanding that Matrix basically reversed engineered PPG...Heard that from a retired PPG rep and he said they hired some X PPG chemists...they would also buy tints from a local PPG jobber at one time...so I guess that's how they can sell product cheaper than the Bigger companies. Not really someone I would want to support...never been a fan of companies that " are just like .... Only cheaper"
Well a chemist that worked for PPG did go to work for Matrix. But a chemist is like a cook, if they have a recipe for something that's good, they will never throw it away. I have no problem with same product only less (thank god for generic medicine) But the big boys steal formulas as well, we had the record for the longest salt spray test with no effect, so we had Boeing, and lost Boeing when one of the big 4 knocked the product off. One thing a lot of people don't realize, the local paint reps bash small paint companies (bath tub clears etc) but whats actually funny is the same big companies that those reps work for, are knocking on our door begging to sell us pigment and resin.
It could, my wife is a Matrix jobber, but who knows. But people by from people, so it doesn't matter what's on the can. Plus she sells more of my line than she does matrix so, we just need to step our game up and get color matches for newer cars.
Welcome to Corporate America folks. Big box stores, fast food, corporate take overs . It has been going on as long as I can remember and I am sixty years old! If you can not out compete your competition you buy them out and take over their customers. Most people do not know it but the body shop industry has been in a slow death spiral for years. We live in a throw away world. New cars a totaled in relatively minor collisions and the insurance companies are only dealing with shops that are willing to sign agreements that allow the insurance company to decide how a car is repaired, with what kind of parts and how much they will pay. And with out getting into all that , it means that over the last 25 years, more and more independent shops have close to lack of business . This also means that less materials are sold and one of the major reasons paint cost has skyrocketed! As a result competition between paint companies, as well as those who make filler's, abrasives and other parts are getting beyond intense! And sadly no matter what we think or try to do it will not get better! Enough soap boxing! Enjoy your cars and your families and don't stress out over things you can not do anything about. Just remember this post the next time someone ask about paint options and some one suggest Rustoleum or tractor paint. By the way I have been in the body shop industry for 40 years! Larry
For what it's worth, before there was a House of Color or anything else, and we mixed our own paint in the nitro lacquer days of the early '60's, Sherwin Williams Deep Maroon toner was THE candy red.
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