Thanks to JETRO’s Cyber Showcase web site, Integrity Refinishing Coatings is pursuing new business opportunities in Japan. The Dallas-based company, in business since 1989, manufactures acrylics to remodel bathtubs and kitchens.
    Six months ago, Robert Rhea, President of Integrity Refinishing Coatings, input information about his company’s services on the Cyber Showcase web site in search of a new international distributor. Within 10 days, You Plus Homes in Okayama City, Japan, accessed the information and contacted Rhea.
    “It was a perfect match. We were interested in exactly what they were offering and they were interested in our refinishing coatings 'system' and training services,” said Rhea. Contract negotiations and training were finalized the first week of July, 30 days after the initial contact.

    Integrity Refinishing Coatings is currently shipping its first order of refinishing coatings and additional supplies to You Plus Homes. The company will use the materials to refinish bathtubs, tile, and counter tops, and expects to reorder new shipments on a regular basis.
    Remodeling and refinishing is one of the fastest growing businesses in Southeast Asia. Japan is the second largest potential group of customers for Integrity Refinishing Coatings, behind the United States.
    “You Plus Homes (now Bathmasters, Japan) will be our largest international distributor. They should increase our total company sales by 10 percent,” said Rhea. “Japan is the most affluent and influential country in Southeast Asia.”
    Rhea credits JETRO’s Cyber Showcase for assisting. Now they are looking for distributors in the balance of the Pacific Rim.