Batesville Casket Company Partners w/FTD-YourFuneralGuy

Funeral Flowers Image via Wikipedia

Batesville Casket Company a subsidiary of Hillenbrand Inc has Partnered with FTD.com Florists, Now this is unique the world largest casket company is diversifying and getting into many other aspects of the funeral business. Flowers are an important part of funerals but just like caskets, people are demanding to pay less.

It is all about a decline in Funeral cost.

FTD.COM, Inc. (“FTD”), a subsidiary of United Online, Inc., has entered into an exclusive agreement with Batesville Casket Company, the leading provider of caskets, cremation products and funeral home websites, to provide customized, co-branded floral websites to licensed funeral homes in the United States and Canada.

“This program represents a unique and innovative opportunity for both FTD and the funeral service industry. FTD will provide a nationwide system for ordering sympathy arrangements to a market that has not always enjoyed a consistent, quality, branded experience,” said Robert Apatoff, President of FTD Group, Inc. “Thousands of funeral homes and their customers can benefit from easy, online access to a full range of beautiful arrangements designed and delivered by FTD’s nationwide network of artisan florists, and supported by its quality customer service.”

The new program is available exclusively to funeral homes that utilize Batesville’s WebLink(TM) websites. Participating funeral homes will receive a co-branded floral website, custom-designed and hosted by FTD, which prominently displays the funeral home’s name and brand. Consumers can easily access the new floral website to place orders through a link on the existing funeral home website. Tailored for the funeral industry, visitors can choose from a first-class assortment of FTD sympathy and funeral arrangements and gifts including flowers, plants, sprays, wreaths, gourmet foods, and gift baskets.

via www.perishablenews.com

Funeral Industry| Funeral News|Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy

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Lawsuit against Batesville Casket Company Dismissed-Your Funeral Guy

A  2005 Lawsuit Against Batesville Casket Company the world’s Largest Casket Company, Service Corporation International(NYSE:SCI), Stewart Enterprises Inc NYSE: SCI and the Alderwoods Group has been dismissed.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance ( FCA )brought forward the Lawsuit on Casket Price Fixing. The companies named are major corporate players in the Funeral Industry.(Alderwoods Group has since-2005- been  purchased by Service Corporation International.)

JUST BECAUSE THE LAWSUIT WAS DISMISSED DOES NOT MEAN THAT CASKET FUNERAL COST PRICE FIXING DOES NOT OCCUR.

Lawsuits may not be the best way to solve the funeral cost or casket costs problem

Casket Price Fixing is in reality alive and well in the Funeral Industry. That is Your Funeral Guy’s opinion.

All the more reason to purchase a casket online.

Funeral Industry |Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

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WSJ article on HI and Funeral Cost Decline-Your Funeral Guy

The Wall Street Journal has done another article pointing to the rise of cremation  and traditional

Hillenbrand, Inc- parent company, Batesville Casket moving away from funeral industry

funeral industry decline.

Hillenbrand Inc third quarter profits slumped. Hillenbrand(HI)  is the parent Company of the Nations leading Casket Maker, Batesville Casket Company, Inc.

In today’s Economy folks are demanding to pay less in funeral cost. Hillenbrand recently made a non Funeral acquistion K-tron for almost half a billion dollars.

Hillenbrand Inc.’s (HI) fiscal third-quarter profit slumped 48% on surging acquisition costs while revenue jumped on the K-Tron acquisition, with results topping expectations.

The funeral-service products company suffered as economic uncertainties have prompted many families to choose cremation instead …

via online.wsj.com

Funeral industry|Funeral News|Funeral Blog By Your Funeral Guy

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Hillenbrand Moving away from “Caskets”-Your Funeral Guy

The  Parent Company of the worlds Leading Casket  maker is taking the company away from the caskets. This is further indication of Steep Funeral Industry decline. This is good news for the funeral consumer. It is not good news for the local funeral home or for those seeking
“Funeral Director” as a career.

Hillenbrand Inc(HI) is the parent company and Batesville Casket Co is the leading casket maker in North America. Batesville takes about 45% of the 1.3 Billion Casket business.

A while back  Hillenbrand CEO, Kenneth Camp said that we do not do lower cost caskets, Now the focus seems not to be on Caskets at all!

Snippet from the WSJ:

“Caskets are not a growing business, but it has extremely high cash generation,” Camp said. “To really change what we would do for the next hundred years, [caskets] are probably not the best place to deploy our cash and expertise.”

Camp is determined to transform Hillenbrand from strictly a casket maker into a diversified industrial company along the lines high-margin conglomerates Danaher Corp. (DNR), Illinois Tool Works Inc., (ITW) and Eaton Corp. (ETN). Hillenbrand’s first step toward a new identity came this spring when the company completed the purchase of industrial-mixing-equipment company K-Tron International Inc. for $435 million.via online.wsj.com

This is a strong indication of the continual rise of Cremation in America. and pressure on the Funeral Home on main street USA, accommodate the folks with the lower funeral cost.

Funeral industry|Funeral News|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

But demand for caskets has been declining as cremations become more common. Cremations as a percentage total deaths have been steadily growing by 1.2% annually

via online.wsj.com

Aurora Casket Company Goes Outside The Casket Sale For the Sale|YourFuneralGuy

Funeral Industry Decline:Casket Companies going outside the casket sale for the sale.

Many large “Casket” companies in the Funeral Industry are going outside the “Casket Sale”  for the sale. Hillenbrand Inc the parent of Batesville Casket Company is the primary example well written about here.   This is even true of the privately held companies Like Aurora Casket Company- who is making  extra money through the sale of urns and support services.

If one does not make adjustments when your industry is dying, your business will die too. There is one problem with this thinking. Not everyone in the biz can sell urns, webcasting,  and consulting, and support services. All cannot profit from the same strategy no matter what the hype or who gives it.

First it was the rise in cremations. Now Bill Backman III and his clients at Aurora Casket Co. Inc. are competing with mass retailers like Wal-Mart, Costco and even Amazon.com for casket sales.

You would think trends like these would be difficult to deal with for the nation’s largest, privately held casket manufacturer, but it’s all about how you approach it.

Backman has embraced the climb in cremations and spun the big-box competition to its advantage by not only supplying a product but spotlighting the additional support services it and its clients offer.

via www.sbnonline.com

Funeral Industry|Funeral blog by R. Brian Burkhardt Your Funeral Guy

Disclaimer:Your Funeral Guy has no affiliation or fiduciary relationship relationship Aurora Casket Company. He does not recommend use of this company in Funeral Arrangements. He does not “NOT” recommend the use  of Aurora Casket Company. Funeral arrangements are a personal and important decision.

Hillenbrand Inc(Batesville) completes non Funeral Industry Deal|Your Funeral Guy

Hillenbrand, Inc- Batesville Casket is showing the world a traditional funeral industry decline with the K-Tron Purchase

Hillenbrand, Inc has finished  delivering a  nail in the Funeral Industry’s  Coffin  finalizing an almost half a billion dollar purchase of the Non Funeral Company K-Tron. The deal was finalized for $435 Million US Dollars.

For the Largest Casket Company in America This is an admission of Funeral Industry Decline. Hillenbrand Inc is not just going outside the Casket Sale for revenue  But outside the Funeral  and Death Care Industry.

This is an example of the depth of the recession or if you like the jobless recovery the US Economy is experiencing.

This is an example of the extreme a  traditional funeral industry giant(NYSE:HI) will go to  deal with the rise of cremation and the traditional funeral industry decline.

“Casket maker Hillenbrand Inc. said Thursday it has completed the acquisition of manufacturer K-Tron International Inc. for about $435 million.

K-Tron will become a unit of the Batesville, Ind., company. K-Tron shareholders received about $150 per share in cash for their common stock in the deal, which was announced in January.

Hillenbrand said the expected purchase price will total about $379 million, when adjusted for K-Tron debt and cash on hand as of Thursday.

K-Tron, which is based in Pitman, N.J., makes industrial feeders and pneumatic conveyers. Hillenbrand owns the Batesville Casket Co. and makes cremation products but is seeking to diversify its portfolio.

Hillenbrand used cash on hand and debt financing to fund the deal. The company said the acquisition will start adding to Hillenbrand’s earnings per share this year.”via www.pddnet.com

Funeral industry|Funeral News|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Disclaimer:Your Funeral Guy has no affiliation or fiduciary relationship relationship Batesville Casket Company or Hillenbrand Inc. He does not recommend use of this company in Funeral Arrangements. He does not “NOT” recommend the use  of  Batesville Casket Company or Hillenbrand Inc. Funeral arrangements are a personal and important decision.

CEO| Hillenbrand Says Funeral Industry is not growing-YourFuneralGuy

Batesville Casket is showing the world a traditional funeral industry decline.

The CEO  Of  Hillenbrand Inc, Kenneth Camp  the parent Company of Batesville Casket has stated that the Funeral Industry is not growing. Now when a plant is not growing it usually dies.

“We are a very significant player in an industry that isn’t growing,” explains Hillenbrand Chief Executive Ken Camp.”via online.wsj.com

Funeral Industry numbers are dismal. The National Funeral Directors Association website points to a lack of jobs. The funeral Industry may well be on their deathbed.

Funeral Industry|Funeral News| Funeral  Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Casket Side of Funeral Industry Decline-YourFuneralGuy

The amount of money people are paying for Caskets is less

The biggest sign of traditional funeral industry decline, is the decline in Casket Sales, and the decline in the amount of the Casket Sale.

The  Wall Street Journal is reporting that Casket  sales are in decline, and the amount of money people are spending on Caskets are reduced dramatically.

The World’s largest Casket Company Batesville Casket Company and it’s parent Hildebrand, Inc  are moving outside the casket sale to get income. Hildebrand has purchased K-Tron a non funeral industrial company.

In 2009, Casket sales dropped by 5 million caskets  as reported by the Wall Street Journal. This is different than the 80,000 reported by the Cincinati Business Journal

Snippet From the Wall Street Journal.

We saw a decline in the overall price of our caskets sold,” says CEO Joe Bartolacci. He’s now making acquisitions in areas of the funeral business he considers more promising, such as cemetery markers.

Other casket makers are making lower-priced models. Jonathan Field, president of Jonathan Field Collection, which specializes in military caskets, started noticing that his customers were ordering more of his lower-priced caskets in December 2008 as the downturn deepened. In March, he will start selling a casket for $1,200, less than half the price of his main model, which sells for $2,850. The cheaper version will have fewer embellishments.

But Laurie D’Onofrio, a 50-year-old nurse from Staten Island, N.Y., would still prefer to be cremated. In her family, most people choose burial, but she thinks traditional burials are needlessly expensive—and a little icky. “I don’t like the idea of rotting away,” she says. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

via online.wsj.com

This is the first time that Batesville Casket has been revealed as considering

Casket Sales down in the USA

getting into Cemetery Markers.

Batesvile Casket had it’s worse year in recent memory in 2009. Batesville  An increase in sales over last yaer has not happened yet in 2010. Even if Sales go up over last year it it ill not indicate a turn around.

Funeral Industry| Funeral News |Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Funeral Industry Decline:Casket sales 80,000 Less in 09|YourFuneralguy

Batesville Casket Sold less coffins  in 2009 according to the CEO. This is due to a rise in Cremation. The CEO sees a decline in traditional burials and a continual rise in cremation over the next decade.

Batesville Casket is showing the world a traditional funeral industry decline.

Snippet:

Raver said he expects the burial market to decline one to two percentage points a year for the next decade. In fiscal 2009, in fact, the industry sold 80,000 fewer caskets than the year before.

via cincinnati.bizjournals.com

One would think that the sale of the company’s  cremation line would have helped the situation. But this is not the case. People are not going for the higher priced urns and cremation products.

All this as predicted in the work “Rest in Peace Insiders Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral“

For the past 20 years Batesville Casket Company and NYSE: HI, has somewhat  encouraged Funeral Homes to take advantage of the folks in their grief.  There was no protest from this company when certain Funeral Homes marked up their casket prices over 200%.

Funeral Industry|Funeral News|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

It’s Bad, It’s Sad, Batesville in Another Non-Casket Biz|YourFuneralGuy

Batesville  Casket has entered into another non casket business. This time it is grief publishing, In the  past  several months the ailing casket maker has  entered the burial vault  business(Goria Burial Vault), the manufacturing business(K-Tron), the obituary business(ObitLink), and  now grief publishing with Alan D.Woefelt, Ph.D.

Batesville Casket branching out beyond the casket.

Renowned grief educator Alan D. Wolfelt Ph.D., has collaborated with Batesville Management Services to develop the Helping Series, a set of brochures that offers assistance to mourners in coping with specific types of death and grief responses. The Helping Series is used by hundreds of hospices and funeral homes throughout North America.

via www.batesvillecasket.net

The search  occurred in google real time search on February 14th, 2010. It is unclear from the web site how long the association with grief publishing  has been going on. One thing is certain the antics of Batesville Casket Co. have only been recently reported here and several other places online. Making alliances with others in the funeral industry and  getting funeral homes to do high  mark ups on  their caskets has worked for years. The availability of information on the internet has recently brought NYSE:HI marketing strategies into the light.

The recent patterns with Hillenbrand,Inc, NYSE:HI all point to funeral industry decline, even if there is a net income gain from the 2009 Batesville financial disaster, it will take several years of growth for the company to recover-this is the opinion of your funeral guy.

Funeral industry|Funeral News|Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy

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