Choosing the Next einszett Product To Be Imported

Discussion in 'Car Detailing Product Discussion' started by Michael @ einszett, Nov 3, 2009.

  1. Michael @ einszett

    Michael @ einszett DB Certified Manufacturer

    I often hear from dealers or customers why we don't import more of the einszett products into North America that are available in Europe.

    I wrote about this last month in our blog 'einszett Reflections' but I'll give you a brief summary here.

    The product range in Europe is very extensive and we have only imported a fraction of what we have available.

    Over time we will introduce more of the line to our North America market. But before we do we have to consider two main factors when deciding what eventually arrives on this side of the pond: cost and regulations.

    Cost

    When considering a product for importing, we have to determine what the demand is for the product first. If we think there is sufficient demand we begin considering what it will cost to make any necessary changes to the formula (due to regulations which I will discuss next), the cost to produce labels and make sure they conform to label regulations, and foreign exchange rate effects. Unfortunately, currency exchange rates has been a huge factor in the last few years. By the time the exchange rate is factored in (currently 1 US dollar only gets you about 60Euro cents) the cost of the product is far too high for most customers to consider. And then factor in the cost of transportation which has skyrocketed due to high oil prices and you probably get the picture. By the time you bring the product in and try to bring it in a reasonable cost, your margins are almost gone.

    Regulations

    Before we import a product we have to make sure it meets environmental regulations for all 50 states (Canada conforms to California regulations). Even though European regulations are in many ways stricter, the method of calculating VOC (volatile organic compounds) in products (effective ingredients yet are the main contributors to ozone depletion and water contamination) is done differently. While einszett products meet strict German regulations as well as other European nation regs, sometimes we are forced to make additional changes. Sometimes those changes are so drastic, einszett is not willing to put their name on the product since it will not perform to standards. Until we can find an alternative at a reasonable cost, the product has to be removed from the list.

    A case where calculations are figured differently is with Glas Polish. We had to pull this off of the market because VOC regulations consider Glas Polish (which is an abrasive polish for glass) as a glass cleaner. Sure it cleans glass but it's a polishing agent. It was impossible to make a polish formula into a 94% water solution. It's like trying to put car polishes in the same category as detail sprays. Yes car polishes clean paint like detail sprays but they can't be put in the same category as a product that is comprised mainly of water. While regulators know that a car polish and a detail spray are two different products, they are not aware of the difference between glass polishes and glass cleaners. Maybe one day they will but it's not the case now.


    So that's a quick rundown of what we consider before bringing a product to North America and why we've had to discontinue some (much to our dismay).

    We are always looking to add more products and you can expect to see more introduced in the near future.

    For example, one of those products is Anti-Frost Concentrate washer fluid for the winter. It's Kristall Klar Washer Fluid but in a winter formula so it can be used in -5F (or lower based on the region you are in and the required mixing ratios required by regulators).

    It’s taken a while but first we had to make sure there was enough demand and we had to make sure that it conformed to regulations. We also had to make sure that a washer fluid wasn’t going to cost an arm and a leg thanks to exchange rates.

    I hope this explanation gives you some insight into our decision making. In an ideal world, we would bring the entire line in at once but as you can see, it's not so easy.

    If there's a product in the European range you'd like to see here, let me know so we can consider it.

    All the best!
     
  2. billyblooshoes

    billyblooshoes DB Forum Supporter

    Go ahead roger, have at it!
     
  3. slanguage

    slanguage OD On Detailing

  4. Denzil

    Denzil Guest

    Haha, Rog is on the ball with this. :p
     
  5. michakaveli

    michakaveli Welcome to Detailing

    I'm stoked this product is coming to stateside. I LOVE the Kristall Klar Washer Fluid concerntrate, so this purchase would be a given for me.

    And the 1Z Gummi Pflege is HOT SEX! Keep the good stuff coming!
     
  6. Michael @ einszett

    Michael @ einszett DB Certified Manufacturer

    Wow! :applause2:

    billy, I love the way you made the introduction for Roger.

    Bug sponge is a possibility but unfortunately De-Icer and Acrysol were discontinued from our line-up a few years ago. Regulations are tough on those ones.

    De-Icer is a great product. However, there was concern about its classification and as a result we had to discontinue it until we could make sure it didn't violate any regulations. I'm hoping to bring this one back but we have to make sure everything is kosher. One wrong move and the state of California can levy massive fines.

    Acrysol, which is a prep agent used in the body shop environment, was discontinued several years ago from the NA market. Regulations require that prep solvents are primarily water. einszett Germany wouldn't change the formula because it wouldn't meet their standards. You can find prep agents that meet regulations through companies like 3M. But personally, Acrysol worked really well.

    For those of you who don't know what a prep solvent is, they are applied on a tack sponge and used to wipe down a car right before taking into the paint booth. It removes any dust particles and any possible contaminants such as fingerprints, hair, bugs, silicone, etc. einszett Acrysol is almost all petroleum distillates so it wiped the surface clean really well and immediately evaporated.

    Regulations in NA require that the prep agent be primarily water. They clean all right but take forever to evaporate. It's one of those products that require a lot of research to come up with a good alternative.

    If you're looking for a pre-cleaner and don't necessarily need a prep solvent, I would recommend W99. It easily removes oil-based contaminants and even has the ability to remove acrylic sealants when used at higher concentrations.



    As far as Windscreen Clear, it will be available in regular stock starting January. We had a sudden upswing in sales that wiped our inventory out. Sorry to inconvenience anyone.

    Ditto on Klima-Cleaner and Gummi Pflege (again). We keep doubling our quantities and we always run out!
     
  7. krshultz

    krshultz Nuba Guru

    Thanks for asking for input Michael, that's really cool.

    The Glas Polish example is an interesting one, since Amazon claims to still have it in stock. Is this simply remaining NOS that they still have on the shelf?

    Anyway, thanks for taking the time to join us here on DB. I'm perusing the product catalog I found on the Germany website, which, happily, is provided in English. Going through the catalog gets me drooling a bit. :lol:
     
  8. billyblooshoes

    billyblooshoes DB Forum Supporter

    all jokes aside about rogers 1Z fetish, welcome to the forums mike! i can already tell its going to be great having you here, as like roger, i am somewhat of a 1Z freak myself. my collection is not quite as extensive as rogers/slanguages, but i do have me a good amount of 1Z products and they never disappoint.

    one question i have kind of on this topic...whats the deal with the Chrome and Metal Polish? i LOVE that stuff, and am almost out, and it seems that no one carries it anymore. has it been discontinued or something?
     
  9. P1et

    P1et Official DB Moderator

    Fantastic to see you on here Michael, good to learn directly from the source.

    PS: Cockpit Premium is one of my favorite products. The obvious use on plastics etc. are great, but it's my "go to" product when cleaning my LCD TV, computer monitor etc. And smells GREAT!
     
  10. kustomizingkid

    kustomizingkid Nuba Guru

    Thanks for being here Michael!!
     
  11. Denzil

    Denzil Guest

    Hey Mike, any word on reformulating the Pro-Line polishes? I still need to test them out a little more but from what I've used so far, I wasn't really all that impressed.
     
  12. slanguage

    slanguage OD On Detailing

    Will you ever restock the tire foam? What products do you think you could import?
    That would help us decide on what to ask for.
     
  13. Michael @ einszett

    Michael @ einszett DB Certified Manufacturer

    Thanks again for the welcome.

    Here are the answers to your questions...

    Glas Polish on Amazon: That's for real. There is still some hovering out there.

    Chrome & Metal: It didn't meet VOC requirements by a small percentage. This should be re-formulated (not by much) and re-introduced.

    Tire Foam: VOC rules caused us to discontinue. It falls under rubber/vinyl/plastic treatments which have to be 2-3% VOC. The formula met regulations but the aerosol portion pushed it to 10-12% making it impossible to bring in. The formula is the same as Vinyl-Rubber Care and Protectant.

    Pro-Line Polishes: no plans on re-formulating. Intensive Paste does very well with the body shops. High Gloss Polish is tricky to use but when mastered, it's really good. We've had no problems with Final Finish.

    Please let me know your likes and dislikes about the products and where you'd like to see changes.

    P1 - I use Cockpit on my LCD screens, TVs too :)

    Product in consideration for import:

    The aerosols are pretty much out of consideration because of VOC. The only exception is that we're keeping Ultra Gel Chain Grease.

    One product I would like to see is the Universal Cleaner with Odor Eliminator. I would also like to see Chrome & Metal Polish back as well as Silver Spray Paint.

    Also considering bringing Extra Paint Polish in the smaller 250 ml size instead of the 500 ml size.

    Let me know your thoughts.
     
  14. pektel

    pektel DB Forum Supporter

    AS far as the einszett proline polishes... I was able to acheive very good results from them. The IP didn't finish down as nicely as I woud've liked, but HGP cleaned the holos right up.

    Here is a before/after of my first vehicle using the 1Z proline:

    Drivers door before:
    [​IMG]

    And after:
    [​IMG]

    Please excuse the terrible image quality. Photobucket's fault.
     
  15. supercharged

    supercharged DB Forum Supporter

    another 1Z fan here! Love Blitz, Deep Plastic Cleaner, cocpit premium, Pearls, Vinyl-rubber, Gummi Pflege Stift.
     
  16. kustomizingkid

    kustomizingkid Nuba Guru

    I like IP... HGP I couldn't get the hang of...

    Haven't really used much of my FF, just do a lot of one steps...
     
  17. slanguage

    slanguage OD On Detailing

    The Odor Eliminator would be a nice addition!
     
  18. Gemini13

    Gemini13 Obsessive Detailer

    First welcome!

    Second is there a place where we could see the whole line or even a PDF file?

    Third I purchased both IP and HGP a little while ago and when I finally got around to using them a couple of months back and the HGP had separated to a point it couldn't be recombined. There was a clearish liquid the would not remix with the blue polish component. Is this normal? I tried everything.
     
  19. Michael @ einszett

    Michael @ einszett DB Certified Manufacturer

    Hi Gemini, thanks for the welcome.

    Here's a link for the catalogue in PDF: http://www.1z-usa.com/einszett_Catalogue_Eng.pdf

    I'm not sure why your bottle of HGP seperated and won't mix back. Our polishes are very good about not seperating but if it did, a good shake should mix everything back together again.

    I have to ask a few questions:

    1. Did you shake the bottle? I know it sounds obvious but want to cover all bases.
    2. Was the bottle properly closed and left in a cool, shaded place out of heat or sunlight?
    3. Was the bottle allowed to freeze (although this shouldn't have a negative effect)?
    4. Can you tell me the 4 digit batch number (black ink)?

    Thanks.
     
  20. Gemini13

    Gemini13 Obsessive Detailer

    1) YES!!! Until my arm about fell off. When I fist purchased it and IP (from E-Shine here) I shook it up upon receiving it and put 12oz in a smaller dispenser and all was fine. It also separated in the smaller dispenser and that too would not recombine. When thinking back I do recall the polish having some black pieces of something in it that would clog the dispenser of the 12oz bottle. I have no idea what those were and I haven't emptied the entire bottle out to see if there were more.

    2)Yes.

    3)Not to my knowledge. It did come from Canada but IIRC it was still decent out when I ordered it. Keep in mind I also ordered IP at the same time and its fine.

    4) Not sure if this is it but the only 4 digit number I see is on the bottom lip of the bottle and it says 2637. Sorry about putting this in this thread but I didn't want start a new one.
     

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