Qora Cladding is ready for 'prime time'
The team behind Qora Cladding had all the boxes checked when it came time to roll out the new stone-like cladding product in the United States. It’s lightweight. It’s easy to work with. It looks and feels like stone. And it even resists fire.
But one box remained unchecked: timing. The product hit the market in February 2020, just as the pandemic turned builders’ attention away from new technology and toward more pressing matters—such as staying afloat.
“You could not have picked a worse time to launch a building product,” said Mike Maddern, director of marketing and sales at Arcitell, makers of Qora Cladding. “Of course, we didn’t have a crystal ball.”
Above, images of Qora Cladding, made in Sugarcreek, Ohio.
But according to Maddern, the team behind the new product focused on what they could control during such unusual times for the industry. Arcitell went into ramp-up mode with product, which it describes as an easy-to-install cladding with the time-honored look of stone and high performance and aesthetic appeal.
“We had to tough it out, and keep the message going,” Maddern said. “We’re a new product, so 2020 for us was really about focusing on our core operations, driving down our early higher R&D costs, remodeling our plant, and trying to put the time to good use.”
And that’s what the company did. Qora Cladding, made in Sugarcreek, Ohio, today has advanced beyond its “minimal viable product” stage and is bringing more patterns and styles to market. Maddern says the product is much better prepared for the prime time residential market this year than last, and distribution is in place (including a recent deal with Florida-based distributor Advanced Aluminum).
Meanwhile, the feedback he’s received from the building trades is encouraging.
“It’s been kind of cool hearing the feedback,” Maddern said. “It goes up faster. It looks and feels real. It takes a beating. It won’t burn. We’re hearing ‘Get me more styles and colors.’ And those are coming. Most of our feedback has been, ‘Hey, we need a broader portfolio.’ And that is what he have addressed.”
Another feature: Qora offers the largest size panel in the market, measuring in at 6.5 sq. feet, and ramping up to 12. With larger panels, use of the product results in a much-reduced number of seams.
The background of Qora Cladding goes back to Belden Brick, which has been a Canton, Ohio-area brick maker for more than a century. A division of Belden paired with an Italian company that owned the patent for a certain blend fiberglass and Phenolic resin (a heavy duty resin commonly found in bowling balls and countertops) for use in exterior siding.
A joint venture agreement led to the creation of Arcitell, and ultimately to Qora Cladding. Maddern is looking to bring the company’s message to a larger audience. “I think people really, really like the look and feel or Qora Cladding, the workability, the weight, the durability, the fire resistance. It’s easy to install and that’s by design, he said. After you get the first two panels going it’s a no brainer.”