PB#19-09 Drake Transition Bulletin notice as per the attached and distribute ASAP

After 33 years at our current location, we are notifying our partners that Vitraform will be closing our current location on June 20th and relocating to our new factory at 4201 E 48th Ave, Denver CO 80216.

We are currently processing all orders that have been finalized.   We will continue to take orders, process quotes and provide drawings during the move, and will be available as usual.  Phone numbers and e-mail addresses will remain the same.  We are hoping to be up and running at the new property by the end of July.

Once we are up and running, signed and approved orders that we have received may take up to 6 – 10 weeks.   Individual basins may have typical 4 week lead times.

We at Vitraform are excited to have an updated facility with an ability to offer new products in the future.  We appreciate your continued support over the years and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Attached – NCR Program Extended

Delivery dates will be adjusted if production capacity is exceeded.  Also, weather conditions are always unpredictable.  While these dates are deemed to be accurate, they are not guaranteed. 

REMEMBER, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILTY TO CHECK YOUR ORDER ACKNOWLEDGMENT FOR ERRORS!

JULY 4^th Holiday       CUT-OFF SCHEDULE

REGION:     Ohio                

Order Deadline                         Estimated Ship Week

Friday          06/07/19                   06/23/19

Wednesday   06/12/19                   06/30/19

Wednesday  06/19/19                   07/07/19

Wednesday   06/26/19                   07/14/19

The most up-to-date Cut Off Schedule is available on the Bertch dealer website, infonet.bertch.com.  If you need assistance setting up your access, please call our office. Also, if you do not have email capabilities or are unable to reach us, you can always call Bath Dealer Services.

Victory Sales Group

Over the last year Newport Brass gold tones and brass finishes have become more popular including uncoated polished brass (03N). 

This is a living finish and we would like to refresh key points that you might find helpful when selling 03N uncoated polished brass

·         The raw brass is highly buffed to give the product a nice shine, but the finish has no protective coating so it can be easily scratched, scuffed, or damaged if not cared for properly. 

·         03N is meant to wear and age over time, however, the aging process can’t be controlled or predicted.  The manner in which the product appearance will age is dependent on several factors including the following:

o   Type of brass – brass alloys are not created equal.  Different alloys can have unique properties and absorption characteristics.  A good example is that a low-lead brass material used for a spout may age differently than a higher lead content handle assembly.

o   Manufacturing method – the manner in which the brass is formed can also impact the aging process.  Forged, casted, machined, stamped, and bent tubes may have different color profiles.  Nearly all Newport Brass products contain a combination of these different types of components which means that the aging process will most likely NOT be uniform across the entire product.  For example, a machined bonnet might age differently than a bent tube spout.

o   Environmental factors – the geographic area where the products are placed are also a contributing factor.  Ozone exposure, salt in the air, and UV light will likely impact the aging process. 

o   Handling – the product will likely tend to darken on the areas that are infrequently touched and lighten or highlight on the areas that are contacted on a consistent basis.

The combined effect of all of these factors is that the aging process can’t be predicted or controlled and each component on a particular product can have its own unique color properties. 

One of our favorite examples of inconsistent aging is shown on the Sutton faucet below.  On this product you can see that the casted spout looks dramatically different than the rest of the faucet.  In fact, it looks more like English Bronze (07) than polished brass. 

The photo below shows a recently installed Virginia wall mount lavatory faucet.  Even though this faucet had barely been used you can already see quite a bit of spoting and aging.  One question that we frequently hear is whether or not the finish can be “brought back to life” after it has aged.  Although general oxidation and spoting can be removed with regular maintenance, it is unlikely that the product will return to “new” condition.  Water spots and light oxidation can usually be buffed out by polishing with cleaning products such as Brass Protech.  

We are discontinuing Uplift medicine cabinets on June 30, 2019.

Uplift medicine cabinets are being replaced with Uplift Tech medicine cabinets which feature:

• perimeter lighting, USB ports, defogger with 45 minute timer, programmable night light, cantilever shelving, tamper resistant outlets
• 24″ wide options, a handle accessory in Matte Gold, Matte Black, Chrome, Polished Nickel

Date for last order acceptance: June 30, 2019. Orders will not be accepted after this date.Uplift Tech medicine cabinets are orderable now! For more information on Uplift Tech, please visit: 

• Product Overview: Robern.com/UpliftTech
• Product Resources (Toolbox)

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Robern Customer Delight Team.

Supporting Information Available for Download:

• Electronic Price File – XLS including the Uplift Discontinuation Date
• Uplift and Uplift Tech SKU Comparison – PDF

Thank you for your business and continued support.Sincerely,

Andy Baines
President
Robern

Below is a link to the PDF version of the Baldwin May 28^th 2019 catalogs.   

We are holding off printing these new catalogs to see if tariffs are suspended.  If the latest tariff increase is suspended then we will remove the most recent price increase. 

Please keep the printed 2018 November catalogs just in case these tariffs are lifted.  I will notify you if anything changes.

Link also includes May 28^th excel file of list prices for Reserve and Estate and copy of letter that was sent in email on 5/14.

 https://na93.salesforce.com/sfc/#version/0682I000005yxXp