USITC Staff Report: Quartz Surfaces from India and Turkey staff report USITC | Page 40

Importance of specified purchase factors
Purchasers were asked to rate the importance of 19 factors in their purchasing decisions
(table II-7). The factors rated as very important by more than half of responding purchasers
were availability and color/design/aesthetics (27 firms each); reliability of supply (26 firms);
price and quality meets industry standards (25 firms each); product consistency (24 firms); and
delivery time (22 firms).
Table II-7
Quartz surface products: Importance of purchase factors, as reported by U.S. purchasers, by
factor
Number of firms reporting
Factor
Very Somewhat Not
Availability 27 2 2
Breton manufacturing equipment 4 11 15
Color/design/aesthetics 27 3 1
Delivery terms 15 11 5
Delivery time 22 8 1
Discounts offered 10 17 4
Distribution and installation services 9 7 15
Extension of credit 6 10 15
Minimum quantity requirements 9 9 13
Packaging 9 11 11
Price 25 5 1
Product consistency 24 6 1
Product range 17 11 3
Quality meets industry standards 25 3 2
Quality exceeds industry standards 16 9 5
Reliability of supply 26 4 1
Technical support/service 12 14 5
U.S. transportation costs 11 13 7
Warranty 14 13 4
Source: Compiled from data submitted in response to Commission questionnaires.
Supplier certification
Most responding purchasers reported they do not require supplier certification.
However, 8 of 36 responding purchasers require suppliers to become certified or qualified to
sell quartz surface products to their firm. Purchasers reported that the time to qualify a new
supplier ranged from 10 to 180 days. One purchaser, ***, reported that foreign suppliers (from
China, India, Portugal, and Turkey ) had failed due to lack of infrastructure and product not
meeting its quality standards.
II-14