Video Transcript for Manufacturer Discussion with WeatherTech

How's it going, neighbors This is Ed here with etrailer.com. And I have Rick from WeatherTech to give us a little bit of insight. How's it going, Rick Things are great today, Ed. How are you I'm doing okay. Good. I'm doing okay.

Good. So could you give our neighbors a little background on WeatherTech as far as the company You bet. WeatherTech started in 1989 by a gentleman named David MacNeil. David was very passionate about the automotive aftermarket at the time and actually started the company with flat rubber mats basically. And he went out through local dealer networks to sell them.

At the time, he thought, "Listen, there's other opportunities to do that. I need to get my brand out." And then he started advertising on a national scale. He did that for a number of years and bought products from other people. But then really in the, I guess in the late '90s, is when he decided that he wanted to become prime and become a manufacturer. And as he does with everything, he got very serious about it and got us into, in both injection and thermal forming.

And we have plants in Bolingbrook, Illinois with over 1 million square feet under roof, and we make the best-quality automotive products that you're gonna find in the industry. And that kind of leads into the next question. Why would someone go with WeatherTech over the competitors that are out there as far as the vehicle care items you guys carry When it comes to our brand, I think one of the things that we're really blessed with is consumer loyalty. You find a lot of people that will engage in WeatherTech and the first look, they may think, "Hmm, is it worth it Is the investment worth it" But we all love our cars as you do and as your team does here at etrailer. And when you look at what you're going to do and how you're gonna take care of that, the better you take care of the car, the longer it's gonna last.

And it is amazing. We started really simply with really general automotive products, and now we've expanded into so many different accessories. But people buy our products 'cause number one, their work, they work. Number two, they're made in America. We produce the highest-quality products you're gonna find on the aftermarket. And we allow the consumer a broad choice of options when they decide to accessorize and protect their vehicle. Well, yeah, and that's actually awesome. In my time here at etrailer and customer service, a lot of our neighbors emphasize looking for companies that are producing in the United States. As far as your production process with your bedliners, and floor mats, and such for just specifically for the truck, what do you think goes into it that separates that Well, I am so impressed, first of all, starting with our product development team, and the fact of how they not only identify the vehicles but how they stay on top of vehicles from year to year model change. But when you look at how they do it, the care they take in how we measure vehicles, how we find vehicles, how we find and source our raw materials which are also made in the USA. And then at that time there, when you look at FloorLiners, for example, now there's two different ways that we manufacture those. We do the thermal form processes where we got started back in 2005 when we originally began to make FloorLiners and created a better product. And then in 2019, we added another option, which is our premium option called the FloorLiner HP. And those are injection molded, but either option that you get, you're getting one of the best products you're gonna find in the automotive aftermarket. You're gonna find a product that's custom fit to your vehicle. You're gonna find the ease of sourcing that with partners like yourself. And the fact is you're gonna find customer satisfaction at a very high level. So when you get your next vehicle or you get your kids' vehicle like we did, you're gonna make sure that you outfit those with all WeatherTech products. After removing the HP Liner from our packaging, what do we expect with our installation Well, the first thing you're gonna wanna do is make sure you understand which one that there's gonna be one for the driver's side and the passenger side. So that obviously becomes rather easy to identify just by virtue of how they come in. But, what I like to do is first of all, always make sure you remove your factory mat if there's any mat currently in the vehicle. Understand our liners have been measured to fit the floor when the mat has been removed. Furthermore, many of the times that if you're gonna put them in, I always like to clean, but that's just kind of me. I wanna make sure that they're clean. What you also notice here is, is that there are two caps here on this particular liner. This happens to be the HP, the FloorLiner being the same weight. Now, these are designed to snap over the factory studs. So in this case, on this F-150, we have two factory studs on the driver's side. So what I like to do, Eddie, then, is once I get everything cleaned out, I'm gonna wanna place this in there and I'm gonna wanna locate those factory studs. Once I do that, I wanna make sure they snap over and I want to hear that pop 'cause that's just added security you're gonna get on the FloorLiner in addition to the factory nibs. And we also place on the bottom of that to help pull that in place. Let's take a look at the differences between our base model F-150 floor mats versus what you have right here. Yeah, and I think the first thing you're gonna notice is just the coverage that you're gonna get. Now, there's no disrespect to what they put in there, they're giving you a basic floor mat, but what we're gonna do is we're gonna give you the added coverage plus because of the material that we use, if they do get dirty, muddy, et cetera, they're gonna clean up really, really easy. But at the end of the day, to think that the only area that you're gonna have soiled on the passenger side is this, is probably not reality. So that's, again, what makes WeatherTech such a great option. Yeah, not with my family. I'm gonna need more coverage than that. True. Me too. Now, on our SuperCrew here, we do have a second row protection as well. That's generally if you have little ones, that's where the car seats and most of the mess is gonna occur. And so what do you guys offer for that Well the nice thing about WeatherTech is that again, when you have the option to buy our product, most people are gonna get engaged on both the front and second row. Not always, but they do, especially if you've got passengers back there just like we saw in the previous map that is smaller, the factory mat is gonna be smaller as well. So in this case of the Crew, our FloorLiner goes all the way under the rear seat. So you're getting total protection not just where people are putting their feet, but under the seat as well. And they're gonna install just as easy as the front liners are gonna all be digitally fit. One thing to always know it is that if you have a Crew Cab or a SuperCab or a Crew Cab or a Double Cab, depending on the brand, those second row liners are gonna be different because that seat flooring is gonna be different. But, they're all digitally fit just like the fronts. As far as protecting the resale value of your bed, everyone knows it's a great idea to put something in there, spray on, or a mat, or whatever. What is WeatherTech gonna bring to the table to protect our F-150 Well, it is amazing. The most commonly abused area on the truck is gonna be the bed. That's the way. I even could say the second most commonly abused 'cause you're gonna always have people up in the front. But as one of those, and one of us that use our bed consistently, that painted bed, it can be easily scratched, et cetera. And that's one of the things that people look at, especially even when they trade or they sell their truck. What does that bed look like WeatherTech actually has two different options. We started with the TechLiner originally, which is a thermal formed option that Velcros in the bed of the truck. It's digitally fit to the bed. In the case of the TechLiner, we not only have a bed portion, but we have a tailgate protection product as well. This will come rolled up in a box. The key thing there is, especially in the colder weather, like we happen to be in today, let it come inside, put it in a shop that's warm, and basically let it relax. There's gonna be 12 different Velcro circles that you'll use to install that. And then once it's done, you know you've got added protection that's gonna go up on the side of the bed. The TechLiner really is designed more as a light-duty use, and we sell a lot of them. We recently introduced a new injection mold adoption called the ImpactLiner. And that is gonna be thicker, it's gonna be heavier, it's got the same three-inch lift that goes around the outside. It's got the impact rings on the bottom that help it absorb impact, as well as allow that mat to breathe. But either option is going to be awesome in the fact that every one is gonna be custom fit to the bed of the truck. So they're gonna fit the bed perfectly versus the number of the universal models that our competitors offer. Yeah, and that is awesome 'cause just taking a look at how well it fits, it almost looks stock as far as how it conforms to the grooves of the bed of our truck. It does, and just think about it. Even just like me, even putting just general bends in, throwing leaves in and then trying to pull them out with a rake and then you're touching the paint. This just offers you a nice, economical, protected product and still staying within the WeatherTech brand. Okay, and overall, as far as any of these products, they are designed to keep every. As far as your messes and whatnot contained, what's a good way to maintain them In the case of my. And when I had the TechLiner in my F-150 at the time, I would take that out every spring and fall and I'd do a general cleaning, and that would be a spray off, I'd get my little brush off. I actually used our Liner cleaner and protect on that 'cause it's the same material, but just getting it cleaned off, and then I'd wipe the bed down, which was amazing, is the bed underneath was never that dirty, which was always made me happy. And then of course, just reinstalling it made it very easy, and that was what I would do. Kind of the passing of spring and the getting ready for winter for fall. All right. Well, Rick, I do appreciate you taking the time to talk to our neighbors here. You bet. This is Ed with etrailer.com, and this has been Rick with WeatherTech. You all have a great day. Thank you.