A partnership between RV component supplier Genesis Products and Premium Rock will bring what Genesis stated is combined technology, new products and “creativity” to the RV industry.
Premium Rock makes lightweight stone panels that are fire-resistant, waterproof and UV-resistant. Earlier this month, the business gained Genesis as an investor, which Premium Rock CEO Terry Ploetz said he considers a “pretty beautiful story.”
The partnership will enable the stone manufacturer to accomplish goals that otherwise would have taken years, he said, and create an opportunity to make interior RV components in ways that have not been done before.
“They want us to continue our technology. We are very collaborative,” Ploetz said. “We are still Premium Rock and still running business on our own, but we are working hand-in-hand with those guys. In the RV industry, anything we sell is coming through Genesis.”
Genesis CEO Jonathan Wenger said the company will be responsible for Premium Rock’s sales, service and distribution, along with product design and development.
“We will develop products with their technology incorporated into our standard applications,” Wenger said. “Ultimately, it is sales, design and service, but also integration into our products.”
Wenger noted upon meeting company officials, he immediately was impressed with the stone supplier’s technology and offerings. Premium Rock’s “Pr 11” manufacturing method will enable the companies to use lifelike textures and prints on any application, Wenger said. The method is a digital painting process with a UV coating, which he said could be applied to components such as stone shower walls without using heavy and expensive materials.
“Historically, with RV decorative surfaces, you are buying thousands of yards [of material] and it is a repetitive print process,” he said. “With the digital paint process, we can do custom designs that are graphically and digitally created, so you do not have to be repetitive in print and you are not stuck on buying huge volumes.”
Wenger said Premium Rock’s Pr 11 technology can create deep textures and dimensions to mimic real-life materials such as stone and metal, which helps with cost and installation.
“When you think about a residential kitchen or bath and the great things offered there, typically heavyweight material is used,” Genesis Products’ VP of RV Sales Heather Jenks said. “We can take that and put in a lightweight RV substrate and still have the same look as granite or tile that you would see in a residential kitchen.”
Shower wall systems are the companies’ initial project, Wenger said, which he said will bring RVs high-end shower looks that are lightweight and easily installed. Backsplashes and fireplace features are other opportunities, Jenks added.
“Part of the excitement is it is not a one-size-fits-all,” Jenks said. “We are able to bring some customizable interiors, whether it is color or design or style. It can be unique to that specific brand, and allows for more creative thinking, as well.”
Wenger said the technology could create new contemporary and rustic interior designs that are RV-friendly, such as using a wood print on light fixtures to create a cabin-like feel without buying heavy lumber.
Premium Rock recently doubled its 20,000-square-foot facility in Elkhart, Indiana. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Premium Rock as much as $750,000 in conditional tax credits based on its plans to create up to 80 new jobs by 2024 through its expansion. Elkhart County officials said they support the project, Premium Rock stated.
