Munch opens new location in Chicago
New Lenox, Ill. — Munch’s Supply Co. Inc. opened a new branch on the north side of Chicago. Munch Chicago, which is located at the corner of Addison and Talman, at the Chicago River, is the first branch in the city of Chicago for Munch’s Supply.
The new 55,000-square-foot location is only 1 mile away from the Kennedy Expressway. The branch offers on-site parking and is easily accessible from any part of the city. Munch Chicago is a premier, state-of-the-art distribution facility that will further Munch’s abilities to provide customers with the superior service that the company is known for.
“Munch’s Supply is doing something unheard of in these current economic conditions — we are expanding and hiring,” said Robert Munch Jr., president of Munch’s. “It feels great to be able to offer our customers a location close to them that will save them both time and gas money. Now contractors in the area can finally get the superior service they want and deserve.”
Munch’s will be hosting a grand opening vendor day celebration on April 21. The discounts, specials and door prizes offered this day will make it a “can’t miss” event.
As with Munch’s six other locations throughout the Chicagoland area, the new branch is fully stocked and staffed to meet any customer’s needs. “At Munch’s Supply, we are committed to the success of the independent HVAC contractor. We demonstrate that commitment every day by giving them the convenient locations needed to operate efficiently and the tools they need to make their business a success. This new Chicago facility is just another concrete example of this commitment,” said Munch. “Many contractors are struggling to compete with big box appliance retailers who are venturing into the HVAC industry. These retailers represent the biggest threat to today’s independent contractor. We stand on the side of the contractor and are resolved to fight this new threat.”
Munch Chicago will offer one of the largest stocks of radiant equipment and supplies in Chicago. “We carry several different brands of boilers ranging from extremely cost effective to super-efficient and environmentally friendly systems. If you need pumps, we have over 2000 pumps in stock. Our stock is unbeatable,” said Munch.
Munch Chicago also has a large on-site education center. This will allow the company to offer hands-on training by the leaders of our industry on the most cutting edge and energy efficient products.
The Chicago branch can be reached directly by phone at 773/ 360-5959 or by fax at 773/248-0131.
KITZ acquires PerrinGmbH
Houston — KITZ Corporation of Japan and parent of KITZ Corporation of America, has completed the acquisition of PerrinGmbH.
Founded in 1900 and headquartered in Nidderau, Germany near Frankfurt, Perrin manufactures a wide range of metal seated ball valves in sizes 1/2” to 24” and Class 150 – 2500 with temperature ranges from -320°F to +1470°F. Materials of construction include WCB, titanium, hastelloy, and various stainless and other special alloys.
KITZ intends to expand Perrin’s sales and marketing globally not only in its traditional HPI markets but also in other markets currently served by Perrin including the iron, steel, aluminum, and cement industries, power plants, offshore platforms, and LNG. KITZ Corp. of America will be responsible for sales and marketing of Perrin products throughout North and South America.
Granite Group Wholesalers opens new location in N.H.
Concord, N.H. — The Granite Group Wholesalers LLC opened a new location at 266 Mechanic Street, Lebanon N.H. The Granite Group, headquartered in Concord, N.H., is a full-service wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating, cooling & water supplies. This new location — the company’s 26th — also includes an Ultimate Bath showroom featuring the finest kitchen and bath products displayed in an eye-appealing space, perfect for homeowners, designers, builders and plumbers.
“We look forward to bringing our superior service and products to customers in the greater Lebanon region,” said P. Kevin Condron, chairman and CEO of The Granite Group. “We have long been attracted to the area and are excited to add a service counter and showroom in a such strong marketplace.”
The Granite Group wholesale branches are staffed with plumbing, hydronic and HVAC technical specialists available for design, product recommendation and technical support. To ensure the best delivery of products, The Granite Group operates a 160,000-square-foot Central Distribution center in Londonderry, N.H. The distribution center provides daily delivery to all locations.
The Granite Group offers 13 Ultimate Bath showroom locations. Each showroom is fully decorated with a wide variety of product distributed by The Granite Group as well as staffed with trained plumbing design specialists. The Ultimate Bath showrooms are located in Concord, Manchester, Rochester and Exeter, N.H.; Rutland and Burlington, Vt.; Putnam and Groton, Conn.; Lowell and Worcester, Mass.; Portland, Maine; and Westerly R.I.
Noritz models qualify for Energy Star rebate
Fountain Valley, Calif. — Noritz America Corporation has partnered up with Energy Star to offer a nationwide rebate of up to $400, according to Yoshi Asano, Noritz America senior marketing manager.
The Energy Star Appliance Rebate is a program that offers homeowners the ability to earn additional savings of $150 to $400 (dollar amount determined on the state in which they live in), by simply replacing and recycling their old tank water heater after purchasing a Noritz Energy Star-rated model.
“With the existing Stimulus Tax Credits that can amount to $1,500 on the purchase of a new Noritz unit, the Energy Star Rebate only adds to the savings when you recycle your old water heater,” said Asano. “In total, consumers can save upwards of $2,000 in addition to cutting their energy bills by up to 40%. We are proud to partner with Energy Star on this important rebate.”
The federal tax credit for tankless water heaters was modified as of February 17 by the Stimulus Package. The tax credit is now 30% of the price of the equipment by itself (it was formerly a flat $300) and 30% of the total installation costs, and is available to consumers through the end of 2010.
Call 877/986-6748 or visit www.noritz.com.
Residential heating oil tanks made in U.S. again
Harrisonburg, Va. — Atlantic Tanks, a division of Atlantic Systems Group, announce that its residential heating oil tanks are made in the U.S.A. again.
In June 2009 Atlantic Systems Group (ASG) acquired Bristol Tank and Welding in Langhorne, Pa., and formed its Atlantic Tanks division for manufacturing and distribution of residential heating oil tanks. Already licensed to manufacture UL80 Listed above ground storage tanks (ASTs) through its Atlantic Fabritech division in McGaheysville, Va., ASG saw a tremendous opportunity and took steps to aggressively establish its position as a leader in this staple market.
SG has three divisions:
• Atlantic Tanks manufactures ASTs for the residential and light commercial markets
• Atlantic Fabritech manufactures AST’s for the commercial and industrial tank industry, with a focus on lube storage tanks
• Atlantic Automotive Equipment manufactures and distributes equipment to the automotive recycling industry, as well as equipment to the lube industry. This includes the patent pending Shallow Pit System® designed for quick lube centers.
Gary Snyder, president and CEO of ASG, said, “We are very excited about the residential heating oil tank market. We want to provide the consumer with a quality tank at a competitive price that is Made in the U.S.A. In addition, it is important to our business plan to expand our manufacturing base. This is a key initiative that allows us to provide American’s jobs in these tough economic times. And with all of our components being Made in the U.S.A., including exclusive use of American made steel, producing our products give us even greater pride.”
Mason Smith, vice president-sales and marketing, noted, “We have developed a very strong independent manufacturer’s rep sales organization that extends from Florida to Maine. They have already begun to establish direct customer contact to present our expanded product offering of quality residential products. With stock being held at both of our manufacturing operations in Virginia and Pennsylvania, we have been able to support Bristol Tanks existing customer base as well as our new customers coming on board through our selling organization. Both operations offer quick deliveries from stock with our own fleet of trucks.”
Atlantic Tanks offers several styles of tanks for the residential and light industrial market, from the popular 275 to underground, skid and expansion tanks.
Visit www.atlantictanks.com or call 800/833-7655.
Duravit joins Forte, Omni’s LPG
New York, N.Y. – Duravit has joined two of the industry’s noted decorative plumbing and hardware buying groups: Forte and Luxury Products Group, Omni’s decorative showroom buying group. As a new member to each group, Duravit will join a uniquely influential network of forward-thinking industry leaders who will help to increase brand presence in various showrooms throughout the country.
Duravit has a long-standing partnership with the decorative luxury seller. This valued relationship has been integral to the company’s growth and is particularly important as Duravit launches its “shop within shop” retail initiative. Duravit’s goal is to increase its existing business with Forte and LPG members as well as add new accounts within the membership ranks.
During its growth process over the years, Duravit has kept an open ear to and an open dialogue with its partners and target groups, learning along the way which requirements it needed to meet as a supplier. Only through this exchange was Duravit able to gain a better understanding of the marketplace. The market defined where Duravit needed to be, and thus shaped where the company stands today. It is also the driving force behind the company’s selected partnerships. Working with Forte and LPG will further enhance this dialogue, allowing Duravit to better meet the needs of the marketplace.
“We believe that the Forte and LPG brand promises correlate to our own: commitment, dedication, positive influence and striving to achieve the best,” said Timothy Schroeder, president of Duravit USA. “We are excited to be part of these organizations and look forward to the new partnerships and collaborations that lie ahead.”
Duravit recently participated in LPG’s 2010 Luxury Showplace in Miami, and the Forte 2010 Conference in Palm Harbor, Fla.
Visit www.duravit.us.
Caroma products available for Autodesk Revit
Hillsboro, Ore. – Caroma has introduced a new section of the website with AutoDesk Revit files available (.RFA) for all Caroma products.
Revit is a building information modeling tool enabling architects to design and document projects, visualize the appearance, and simulate real-world performance. Architects can review the specifications of Caroma products and place them in a project to ensure the parameters meet the project requirement and the design is appropriate. Revit also makes it easy to try several products in a project by simply removing one product and replacing it with another product. The entire project can be updated at one time.
“As much of the architectural world turns to using Revit as the modeling system of choice, Caroma is aiding this transition,” explained John Karas, Caroma product manager. “Caroma provides architects with comprehensive Revit models of their fixtures so they can easily be added to entire building models. This helps architects gain a more comprehensive graphical and functional understanding of all the elements of their project.”
Visit www.caromausa.com.
Am Std Canada moves to new HQ/DC
Mississauga, Ont. — American Standard Brands Canada has relocated its head office and consolidated major product lines into one state-of-the-art 400,000-square-foot distribution center.
The new corporate headquarters are located at 5900 Avebury Ave. in Mississauga. The main phone number is 905/949-4800; all phone numbers for all departments remain the same. All extensions remain the same but now include the prefix #152, e.g.: Ext.#234 is now Ext.#152234. In addition, all fax numbers remain the same.
Visit www.americanstandard.com.
Granite Group Wholesalers opens new location in N.H.
Concord, N.H. — The Granite Group Wholesalers LLC opened a new location at 266 Mechanic Street, Lebanon N.H. The Granite Group, headquartered in Concord, N.H., is a full-service wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating, cooling & water supplies. This new location — the company’s 26th — also includes an Ultimate Bath showroom featuring the finest kitchen and bath products displayed in an eye-appealing space, perfect for homeowners, designers, builders and plumbers.
“We look forward to bringing our superior service and products to customers in the greater Lebanon region,” said P. Kevin Condron, chairman and CEO of The Granite Group. “We have long been attracted to the area and are excited to add a service counter and showroom in a such strong marketplace.”
The Granite Group wholesale branches are staffed with plumbing, hydronic and HVAC technical specialists available for design, product recommendation and technical support. To ensure the best delivery of products, The Granite Group operates a 160,000-square-foot Central Distribution center in Londonderry, N.H. The distribution center provides daily delivery to all locations.
The Granite Group offers 13 Ultimate Bath showroom locations. Each showroom is fully decorated with a wide variety of product distributed by The Granite Group as well as staffed with trained plumbing design specialists. The Ultimate Bath showrooms are located in Concord, Manchester, Rochester and Exeter, N.H.; Rutland and Burlington, Vt.; Putnam and Groton, Conn.; Lowell and Worcester, Mass.; Portland, Maine; and Westerly R.I.
Grundfos Pumps opens new Engineered Systems facility in Houston
Brookshire, Texas — Despite the challenges of the global economic downturn, Danish pump manufacture Grundfos Pumps continued it’s commitment to the North American market with the grand opening of the new Peerless Engineered Systems (PES) building. The 45,000-square-foot facility was built outside Houston in Brookshire, Texas. The building shares land with Grundfos Commercial Building Services (formally PACO Pumps), and will be home to the PES division of Peerless Pump Company.
“With the acquisition of PACO Pumps in 2006, Peerless Pumps in 2007 and the most recent acquisition of Yeomans Chicago Corporation in 2008. We bought these businesses as a sign of our commitment to the North America market and now, the Grundfos North American business has grown both organically and through these acquisitions, by a factor of three,” Jes Munk Hansen, managing director of North America for Grundfos, told team members and VIPs at the grand opening. “We also made a commitment to investing in the businesses we acquire; investments in people, machinery, and the buildings. I am proud to see the most recent of these investments, this wonderful new building. I am pleased to stand here amongst you with the excellent examples of the highly engineered systems that are made here.”
The PES facility will continue its focus upon the design and manufacture of pre-packaged fire pump systems. “A near 50% gain in square footage will definitely aid in our growth ambitions,” said Arron Phillips, PES general manager. “Our proximity to the Grundfos facility will not only support with our integration activities, but allow us to take full advantage of the synergy that exists within our products and our talented group of employees.
And Andrew Warrington, president of Peerless, added, “It says a great deal about Grundfos, Peerless and our people, that we can move a facility nearly 30-miles and retain virtually every employee.”.
The nearly $4 million facility will be home to 32 highly skilled workers including engineers, machinists, welders and electrical professionals.
Visit www.grundfos.us and www.peerlesspump.com
Steam goes green with Holohan’s new book
Long Island, N.Y. — Dan Holohan’s new book, Greening Steam: How to Bring 19th-Century Heating Systems into the 21st Century (and save lots of green!), is helping heating professionals and homeowners save energy — and money. According to Holohan, author and president of HeatingHelp.com, “When it comes to saving money on heating, old steam systems are delicious low-hanging fruit. There is so much you can do to make them better, and most of what you do won?t cost a fortune.”
There are many steam systems in service today, and they’ll be around for some time to come. It’s not that easy (or inexpensive) to rip out a steam system and start anew, and that’s why so many of them are still around. Holohan’s book walks you through your old steam heating system and shows you how to get the most out of it without putting a lot of money into it. It’s an entertaining and informative book that will have you looking at steam heating in a whole new light. You’ll be amazed at how small changes can make a big difference when it comes to efficiency and savings. Read this book and start greening your steam heating system (and your wallet) today!
Readers have given this book a consistent five out of five stars in reviews on HeatingHelp.com. Daniel G. of Abilene Inc. says the book “is packed with all of the information any heating professional or steam heat homeowner will ever need to get a steam system operating at peak efficiency.” After applying knowledge gained from Greening Steam to a recent job, Bob L. of Guardian Heating said, “We have been in business for 57 years and I guarantee you we as a company were never prouder of a job.”?
To purchase the book for just $30 a copy, visit www.heatinghelp.com or call 800/853-8882.
Pioneer Industries completes restructuring of company
Commerce, Calif. — Pioneer Industries Inc., which provides quality products to the plumbing industry, has completed restructuring its company. In a move to offer more value-engineered products and customer service coverage, Pioneer has spun off its highly popular kitchen and bath fixtures for the residential builder market to its recently established Olympia Faucets Inc. headquartered in Antioch, Tenn.
Under the Pioneer and Estate by Pioneer brand names, Pioneer Industries will offer more decorative kitchen and bath fixtures with new proprietary designs, all-brass construction, PVD finishes, and ceramic disc technology allowing the company to grow its showroom business.
In anticipation of the restructure and the many new and improved products, all manufacturing was changed to comply with the new lead-free regulations in California and Vermont. All products under all Pioneer companies and brands have been shipping lead-free since the end of 2009.
Pioneer Industries, Inc. has been providing quality products to the plumbing industry for nearly 30 years. Pioneer Industries designs and manufactures decorative kitchen and bath fixtures under its Pioneer and Estate by Pioneer brands. The Olympia Faucets subsidiary offers value-engineered kitchen and bath fixtures. Commercial-grade plumbing fixtures and fittings are sold through its Central Brass division in Brecksville, Ohio.
Visit www.pioneerind.com or www.olympiafaucets.com or call 800/338-9468.
Webstone launches installation diagram
Worcester, Mass. — The Webstone Installation Diagram is a quintessential guide to heating system success.
This convenient 11 x 17 laminated reference diagram depicts proper plumbing of systems and easily highlights the amount of time and leak paths saved by using the proper Webstone products in hydronic heating systems. To receive a copy call 800/225-92529 or visit www.webstonevalves.com.
Founded in 1954, Webstone is recognized as an industry leader for innovative design of residential and commercial valves used in plumbing, hydronic, radiant, solar and geothermal applications. These designs focus on time and space saving concepts that simplify future maintenance and upkeep of all piping systems. Some of Webstone’s trademarked and patented items include; The Isolator®, Isolator® EXP™, Pro-Connect™ and Pro-Pal® step saving valves.