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Don't worry, Ask Henry

April 27, 2005

Warner White Henry, father of current Chairman and CEO Warner Henry, founded Henry Company in 1933 in Los Angeles, California. Henry Company's strong commitment to research and development resulted in numerous breakthroughs in mastic, asphalt and reflective coating technologies. These breakthroughs created some innovative firsts in the roofing industry, establishing the Henry name as being synonymous with quality. These accomplishments also earned the Henry brand the title, No. 1 Choice of Professionals.

Now roof coatings may not be the most illustrious retail product, but they can sure make a big impact in making a home a much happier place to live. The company struck out to develop a system to deliver product information to contractors and do-it-yourself consumers that put information at their fingertips in the retail environment. Once again, Henry made the decision not to follow, but to innovate. They wanted Henry in a box, and a kiosk would be the solution.

There were some unique challenges that had to be considered for this project. Primarily, the systems had to be plug and play and the enclosure needed to be designed for use in a rugged environment. The Henry Company chose Apunix Computer Services and Olea Kiosks as its suppliers for the turnkey kiosk system. Additionally was the fact that the kiosks would not be networked in any way, and yet needed to be updated when necessary.

The result was a totally new kiosk technology that would allow a Henry sales manager to update the kiosk without having to use a keyboard. Software was developed to automatically update the kiosk as soon as an external USB CompactFlash reader, carried from store to store by the Henry sales manager, is plugged into the kiosk. The kiosk software verifies that the flash chip has the appropriate security signature, switches the display to a page that informs the user the update is in process, updates the content on the kiosk, collects any reporting data on usage back to the CompactFlash card, switches to a screen instructing the user to remove the flash reader cable, and upon removal returns the kiosk to normal operation. Another feature build into the kiosk is the ability for a new system to be easily installed by Henry's regional sales managers who routinely visit the stores in their area.

Besides what's going on behind the scenes, the enclosure for the technology is also impressive. A durable and eye catching enclosure was designed to attract customers to the kiosks, and yet be small enough to fit well into a tight space. At the kiosk interface, informational videos were designed to be short lessons for customers on how to choose product and how the product should be applied. The Henry Company determined that the best way to sell its product was for the customer to know all the how's and why's about each of its industry leading compounds. "For example, many customers are not even aware that we have a proven and easy to use compound to patch a leaky roof even in the pouring rain," said David Villanfana, director of marketing for Henry Company.

The Henry Company has rolled out some 500 kiosks to Home Depot Stores around the country that are providing information on how to use the wide variety of Henry's roofing, sealant, and path products. The company told Kiosk magazine that sales have not been the leading factor for this kiosk program. In fact, it was all about providing information to customers and the Home Depot's sales associates. And, so far, it has been a great success. "We are constantly trying to improve our brand perception in the consumers' eyes and this kiosk system has elevated that," said Villanfana.

The current push for the program has not ceased. Villanfana said that there is a plan in the works to deploy more kiosks into Home Depot's over the next year. He noted that the Home Depot has been very supportive of the project. In addition, the further and faster the project grows, the more their company can differentiate itself in this commodity market. "Our competitors are not doing this and the kiosks have helped us to distinguish ourselves with customers," praised Villanfana.