J.D. Power and Associates and McGraw-Hill Construction Report: Among Builders and...

J.D. Power and Associates and McGraw-Hill Construction Report: Among Builders
and Remodelers, Quality Cabinets Ranks Highest in Satisfaction for Cabinet
Brands

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Quality Cabinets ranks
highest among cabinet brands in satisfying new-home builders and remodelers,
according to the J.D. Power and Associates/McGraw-Hill Construction 2008
Builder and Remodeler Cabinet Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)
The study, now in its second year, is designed to provide comprehensive
information to assist cabinet manufacturers in their efforts to improve
customer satisfaction. Overall builder and remodeler satisfaction with
cabinets is based on performance in eight factors (in order of importance):
warranty and replacement service (18%); customer service and support (14%);
product installation and durability (14%); price (12%); delivery (11%);
ordering process (11%); product features (11%); and credit/billing process
(9%).
Quality Cabinets performs particularly well in four of the eight factors:
product installation and durability; price; product features; and
credit/billing process. Quality Cabinets is closely followed in the rankings
by American Woodmark, which performs particularly well in the customer service
and support, delivery and ordering process factors. Following American
Woodmark in the rankings is Mid Continent Cabinetry, which performs well in
the warranty and replacement service factor.
The study finds that the industry average has improved to 753 on a
1,000-point scale from 730 in 2007.
"Overall, in a highly competitive industry, cabinet firms have
demonstrated considerable improvement since 2007 and are doing a very good job
of satisfying their builder and contractor customers," said Jim Howland,
senior director of the real estate and construction practice at J.D. Power and
Associates. "An opportunity exists for firms to differentiate themselves by
focusing on service-related aspects of the customer experience, since cabinet
durability and features tend to be rather similar across manufacturers."
The study also finds that 83 percent of builders and remodelers indicate
that they received their products on time and as ordered when considering
their most recent experience with a cabinet brand -- an increase of 13 percent
since 2007.
"For those builders and remodelers that have problems with their orders,
good warranty and replacement service from a manufacturer can help salvage a
builder's schedule and minimize costly delays," said Burleigh Morton, senior
director of research and analytics at McGraw-Hill Construction. "Although it's
best to make every effort to provide accurate shipments that arrive
unblemished, when a problem does happen, builders appreciate a cabinet vendor
that will quickly make things right."
The 2008 Builder and Remodeler Cabinet Satisfaction Study is based on
1,356 evaluations from over 1,100 new-home builders and remodelers who ordered
and purchased cabinets within the previous 12 months. Respondents were asked
to evaluate their primary and/or secondary cabinet brands (defined as the
brands they used most often). The study was fielded between March and May
2008.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a
global marketing information services company operating in key business
sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement,
training and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction
measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For
more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance,
cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and
Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About McGraw-Hill Construction
McGraw-Hill Construction, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP),
connects people, projects and products across the design and construction
industry. Backed by the power of Dodge, Sweets, Engineering News-Record (ENR),
Architectural Record, and Regional Publications, the Company provides
information, intelligence, tools, applications and resources to help customers
grow their business. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million
customers within the $4.6 trillion global construction community. For more
information, visit http://www.construction.com
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global
information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial
services, education and business information markets through leading brands
such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power
and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries.
Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional information is available at
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.
J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts:
Syvetril Perryman John Tews
Westlake Village, Calif. Troy, Mich.
(805) 418-8103 (248) 312-4119
syvetril.perryman@jdpa.com john.tews@jdpa.com

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in
this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and
Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate
Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking J.D. Power.com Power Circle Ratings
(Based on a 1,000-point scale) For Consumers

Quality Cabinets 777 5
American Woodmark 775 5

Mid Continent Cabinetry 756 3
Industry Average 753 3
Merillat Industries 750 3
KraftMaid Cabinetry 749 3

Aristokraft Cabinetry 743 2

Power Circle Ratings Legend:
5 - Among the best
4 - Better than most
3 - About average
2 - The rest

SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates

Syvetril Perryman, Westlake Village, Calif., +1-805-418-8103,
syvetril.perryman@jdpa.com, or John Tews, Troy, Mich., +1-248-312-4119,
john.tews@jdpa.com, both of J.D. Power and Associates