Lead time is an important consideration in any project. With extensive experience in the production of interior and exterior phenolic wall panels, Fundermax has a reliable ordering, production, and delivery process that results in a reliable lead time you can confidently factor into your project timeline.
Fundermax’s lead time is approximately 8-10 weeks; this includes 3 weeks for production and about 6 weeks for shipping.* We cannot speak to the specific wall panel lead time for other phenolic panel manufacturers, however, we have found that 8-10 weeks is fairly average within the industry.
What is Lead Time?
In manufacturing, lead time refers to the span of time between a customer submitting a purchase order and those goods being created and delivered to the customer. Architects, general contractors, and designers can speak to the importance of lead time, the need to factor lead time into a project timeline, and the advantage of working with suppliers who have a proven process with reliable lead times.
What to Expect When Purchasing Phenolic Panels
Initial Considerations
When considering a phenolic wall panel system for your project, certain factors must be considered before placing your order, including
-
Colors and/or customization
-
Project timeline
Expert Guidance
If Fundermax phenolic panels are the right fit for your project, it is important to pull a Fundermax expert into the process as early as possible. Your Fundermax representative will help you choose the right panel sizes to help optimize panel yield and will bring in our Technical Director to ensure code compliance and sustainability credits (such as LEED) when applicable.
Order Placement
Once the details are finalized for your project and your color or custom image is decided, it is time to submit your order.
On average, Fundermax lead time from order submission to delivery is 8-10 weeks: 3 weeks for production and approximately 6 weeks for shipping.* Fundermax lead time is consistent across all applications, whether interior, laboratory, or exterior phenolic wall panels.
*2021 Note on Estimated Shipping Time:
The pandemic has severely disrupted international shipping, affecting all manufacturers. Issues ranging from scarcely available containers to overcrowded ports are causing shipping bottlenecks from major consumer brands across all industries. Although no one knows how long the disruption will go on, some experts are predicting the upheaval to last through the end of the year.
This means that shipping times vary greatly due to this and are not as predictable. So when placing an order, the manufacturer will then be able to provide a custom, realistic estimated lead time instead of typical estimated times during normal times.
What is The Fundermax Ordering Process?
When you’re ready to place an order for a Fundermax phenolic wall panel system, your sales rep will assist to finalize your project details and make sure your order includes everything you need. This helps to ensure that you order the proper sizes and number of panels to optimize your project and make certain your project is code compliant.
Following project review with your sales rep and our technical director, your Fundermax sales representative places your order for interior, exterior, and/or laboratory phenolic panels with our customer service team. This team processes the order, and once submitted into our system, it goes to the production facility in Austria where the phenolic panels for your order are made.
How Are Phenolic Panels Made?
The production of phenolic cladding panels begins with natural cellulose fiber composed primarily of wood which is sourced from vendors certified according to Forest Stewardship Council standards (FSC) or PEFC™.
This material is processed into kraft paper, and then a proprietary synthetic polymer (phenolic resin) is added to the kraft paper layers.
The phenolic-resin-coated kraft papers are then cured under high pressure and high heat to create the panel core. This process can be replicated for any number of colors and finishes and is the process by which Fundermax individually creates your order based on the panel size(s) and thickness you’ve requested and your chosen color(s), finish(es), and/or custom digital printing.
What is The Production Time for Wall Panels?
On average, the Fundermax production time for wall panels is 3 weeks, whether your order is for exterior phenolic wall panels or an interior phenolic wall panel system.
What Happens After My Order Has Been Manufactured?
Once the production of your phenolic cladding panels is complete, your order is loaded into a truck and moved to the Port of Hamburg in Germany.
From there, it boards a container ship and travels to either the Port of Charleston or Long Beach, depending on the warehouse to which your order is headed.
From the port, your order is loaded onto a truck and transported to our warehouse located in Los Angeles, California, or Nashville, Tennessee.
Once an order arrives at the warehouse, the next steps depend on the project. From the warehouse, phenolic panels will be shipped to the project location via truck on an order-by-order basis.
How Long Does Shipping Take for Wall Panels?
The estimated shipping time for Fundermax interior or exterior phenolic wall panels is 6 weeks.*
*2021 Note on Shipping Times and Freight Costs:
The pandemic has severely disrupted international shipping, causing delays and driving up the cost of shipping. Although no one knows how long the disruption will go on, some experts are predicting the upheaval to last through the end of the year.
This means that shipping times vary greatly due to this and are not as predictable. So when placing an order, the manufacturer will then be able to provide a custom, realistic estimated lead time instead of typical estimated times during normal times.
Additionally, although freight rates have risen dramatically in the wake of the pandemic, as a trusted global phenolic panel manufacturer, Fundermax North America covers the costs of freight to the United States. That means there is no additional cost to ship your phenolic wall panel system from our Fundermax production facility in Austria to our warehouse in the U.S.
What if I Want My Order Shipped Direct?
In cases where the order is large enough, we will ship phenolic cladding panels direct to the customer. This means that instead of the container ship delivering to one of the ports to be sent to our warehouse, we will send the ship to the port closest to your project’s location.
Note that this is for large project orders only. For example, for Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The project was large enough that we shipped four containers direct to the Port of Miami and completed the delivery to Fort Lauderdale from there.
From ordering to production to delivery, Fundermax has been trusted by architects, designers, and builders for over a century.
Contact us today to see if Fundermax phenolic panels are a good fit for your next project.
