Activant releases new version of Web-based storefront

 

Yardley, Pa. — Activant Solutions Inc. announces the availability of B2B Seller version 5.6, an integrated Web-based storefront solution.

 

“B2B Seller version 5.6 represents an exciting step forward for the B2B Seller product,” said Kevin Roach, executive vice president and general manager of Activant®. “With the ability to configure Web-specific discounts and many other new features, this release will continue to help distributors advance their businesses via the internet and allow our customers to continue to meet the e-commerce challenges.”

 

B2B Seller 5.6 has been tested with Internet Explorer version 8 and validated as compatible. In addition, it is also compatible with sql 2008.

 

The release fully integrates with Prophet 21®, a leading solution within the Activant Distribution Suite, and acts as an additional customer support representative 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 

Among its features are Web discounts — available in B2B Advanced and above — that provide discounts for shoppers using your website that they would be unable to get if they were to buy from you in any other way. Businesses may offer discounts on any of the following levels:

 

• Every Web shopper (even anonymous shoppers)

• All logged in shoppers

• Customer-based discounts by customer ID

• Shopper-based discounts

• Items on your system-wide lists (customer and site)

• Specific-item discounts

 

In addition, businesses can add temporary,  non-stock or items that would typically not update to the B2B Seller shopping cart. “Non-Web” item class 5 allows the items to update to shoppers’ carts but still excludes them from Search results, Item Details and Quick Order Pad.

 

A login prompt on the Ship/Bill page is available in B2B Advanced and above. The prompt will display for anonymous shoppers when they reach the Shipping/Billing stage of the order process to remind them they have not logged in.   

B2B Seller offers distributors the tools they need to service customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. B2B Seller allows them to extend their geographic reach and increase market share, without hiring dozens of additional employees or building new warehouses.  

 

For more information, please visit distribution.activant.com.

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Fujitsu enhances Halcyon dealer program, benefits

 

Fairfield, N.J. — Fujitsu General America has added substantially to the benefits for its growing network of Halcyon dealers. They introduced an online Dealer Toolbox for dealers to use as a management tool for their Fujitsu business. 

Dealers simply register for the site online and, once approved, a dealer can begin to earn points through product registrations, consumer feedback and completed Fujitsu trainings. The more points earned, the higher the ranking on Fujitsu’s online contractor locator. Dealers can set their goals high, reach top status and ultimately, may become eligible to be a part of Fujitsu’s elite Halcyon Dealer team.

 

Dealer Toolbox is the focal point for all dealer activity and recognition. Sales lead management is one of the many benefits of this tool. Consumers searching online can request to have a contractor contact them, and dealers are immediately notified about their interest. Product registration and feedback are also easily accomplished. 

A dealer’s status falls into one of three categories: 

 

• Halcyon Dealers are ranked highest, described as highly trained and with excellent customer ratings. 

• Next are the Local Contractors, having accomplished basic training with high customer ratings. 

• Finally, Installers may have installed Fujitsu equipment but may have no registered customer feedback and/or have no technicians who have passed current basic training material.

 

To begin the registration process, log onto www.fujitsugeneral.com, enter as a contractor, click on the “Dealer Toolbox” and complete the sign-up form. When a dealer is credentialed, the Dealer Toolbox becomes a valuable sales and reference tool, enabling Fujitsu dealers private access to their own online toolbox for customer registration and feedback information.          

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Central States Mfg & Sales/Argo Summit Supply named to Top Business List

 

Summit, Ill. — In recognition of the economic power of privately held businesses, DiversityBusiness.com, a leading business-to-business internet site, recently named Central States Mfg & Sales Corp. dba: Argo Summit Supply Co. as one of the top businesses in the U.S.. 

This is the 9th annual listing of the nation’s top businesses by Diver­sityBusiness.com. Companies listed on the Top Business Lists represent multicultural earners and challenge the old notion that a privately held business is small or insignificant. Winners are sought after by major corporations wishing to increase spending with small businesses.

“Entrepreneurs are a growing force in the U.S. economy, and a force to be reckoned with,” said Kenton Clarke, ceo of Computer Consulting Associates International, the company that built Diver­sityBusiness.com. This is a whole business segment that can carry its own, that provides jobs, products and services, and generates wealth for their communities. These are the new leaders in American business.

 

“Small businesses employ a large part of the work force and is what keeps the nation growing and people at work. It is exciting to be a part of the small business community.”

 

Among the group’s findings are that U.S.-based women-owned businesses have a total economic impact projection of nearly $3 trillion. If these businesses were their own country, they would have the 5th largest gdp in the world.

This List is a classification that represents the top small businesses in the U.S., in sectors such as technology, manufacturing, food service and professional services. Large organizational buyers throughout the country that do business with multicultural, small and women-owned businesses use the list. It is produced annually by DiversityBusiness.com, a leading multicultural B2B internet portal that links large organizational buyers to multicultural product and service suppliers.

 

For the complete list of winning companies, please visit: www.diversitybusiness.com

 

Central States Mfg & Sales Corp dba: Argo Summit Supply Co., founded in 1937, is a woman-owned business that specializes in plumbing and hvac supplies.

 

To learn more, call 877/305-4267.

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EnerWorks’ Focus system leads to distribution opportunities

 

Dorcester, Ont. — With the recent launch of its new Focus Solar Water Heating Solutions, EnerWorks is looking to expand quickly in markets that do not have long-term freeze events.

 

“We’ve already established partnerships with two distributors in such regions,” said Tony Ali, vice president-sales & marketing, “and are looking to explore additional distributorship opportunities while at the upcoming Solar Power International conference and expo.”

 

EnerWorks’ significant growth over the past year has included the establishment of several new distributors and partners.

“We have devoted considerable resources to the fostering of strong distributor partners,” said Ali. “We feel it’s critical to have a local presence in each territory to develop the kind of relationships and provide the level of customer service that EnerWorks upholds. We’re looking for partners who will appropriately represent us in bringing the outstanding environmental and economic benefits of solar water heating to residential and commercial projects in new markets.”

The water-based Focus Solar Water Heating Appliance will be on display at EnerWorks’ booth at Solar Power International, along with EnerWorks all-climate Spectrum Solar Water Heating Solutions and an additional product appropriate for tropical climates: Harpiris Energy’s SunCache solar water heater, which EnerWorks will be promoting in export markets.

 

“The SunCache solar water heater system is an excellent fit with our product line up,” Ali noted. “With its simple passive design, low cost yet high reliability, it enables EnerWorks distributors and dealers to provide the best solution for an increased breadth of projects.”

 

EnerWorks Inc. is a leading North American solar thermal technology provider. With proven, patented technology and certified systems, EnerWorks offers high-quality, reliable and cost-effective renewable energy solutions to the North American and Caribbean markets.

 

EnerWorks develops and manufactures proprietary renewable energy appliances for residential, commercial and industrial markets. In the residential market, EnerWorks’s solar water heating appliances are fully certified, Enery Star-qualified, and meet csa international standards. They complement existing water-heating systems and provide users with clean energy and a real reduction in energy costs. In the commercial and industrial markets, EnerWorks is a leader in integrated solar thermal solutions, working with local partners to design, install, commission and maintain solar thermal heating and cooling systems.

 

For more details, visit www.enerworks.com.

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Best Plumbing Specialties holds counter day

 

Myersville, Md. – On September 17, Best Plumbing Specialties held its Fall Counter Day from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., opening their doors to local accounts and customers from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, D.C., and West Virginia.

Representatives from Milwaukee and Sloan Valve Co. were on site for the day. Milwaukee showcased time- and energy-saving tools, while Sloan reps provided information on updates, repairs and new green products. Raffles were held from each vendor and three lucky winners walked away with a Milwaukee Sawzall. Other winners received Sloan baseball caps and T-shirts.

 

Best provided two tables for this event, which included a Green Shop products table, as well as the Annex Blow Out Sale table.

 

A full sit-down lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs for all customers and a gift bag of free items was provided for attendees. Warehouse tours were given and sales representatives and inside staff were available to answer customers’ questions.

Best Plumbing Specialties Inc. has provided internal repair plumbing parts and maintenance products to its customers since 1962. It is one of the largest independently owned plumbing specialty houses in the country with sales representatives in more than 25 states. For information, visit www.bestplumbingonline.com.

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Flowserve updates costs, benefits of realignment initiatives

Dallas — Flowserve Corp. confirmed that it has already seen substantial benefits from its previously announced realignment initiatives, achieving 2009 benefits of approximately $17 million year to date and delivering a projected full-year run rate savings of about $60 million, on about $41 million of planned initial 2009 realignment expense. As part of its previously communicated realignment initiatives, the company improved its global cost structure and manufacturing efficiency through headcount reductions and several facility closures.

 

Flowserve will embark on an expansion of these realignment initiatives involving additional charges of up to $30 million, or approximately $0.40 in eps, in the remainder of 2009 and up to $15 million in 2010. These additional initiatives are designed to allow the company to drive towards capacity optimization, more efficiently and effectively serve customers, drive structural costs out of the business and respond to reduced orders. Flowserve also expects these expanded initiatives to add another approximately $50 million of annual run rate savings, the majority of which will be structural in nature, with the expected additional benefits generally beginning in the latter half of 2010. In these expanded realignment initiatives, the company plans to focus more resources on its customer interface and aftermarket delivery capabilities to drive additional business growth opportunities. Flowserve plans to also continue to make structural changes in its global manufacturing footprint through additional migration to low cost regions, additional consolidation of product manufacturing and further headcount reductions to reduce overhead, including sg&a expense.

 

Combined, the company believes that the previously and newly announced realignment initiatives should provide full annual run rate savings of approximately $110 million, a majority of which will be structural in nature.

 

“We continue to see strong execution and benefits from our previously announced realignment initiatives aimed at further improving our operational excellence results,” said Mark Blinn, president and ceo. “In fact, we now expect the previously announced realignment initiatives to provide approximately $60 million of full year run rate savings, about $50 million of which should be structural. Based on this success and the fact that we have substantially completed it well before year end, we now plan on expanding our realignment work to continue to drive to strategically optimize our capacity and reduce our overall cost structure going into 2010 and beyond. We view these expanded realignment initiatives as an opportunity to use our strong balance sheet to fund a long-term realignment investment that should improve our operating platform efficiency, better support our customers and have lower execution risk with higher expected return than other potential investments available at this time.”

 

For additional information, visit www.flowserve.com.

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EnOcean-based Verde Controls reduce energy use in hotels

 

Boston — Magnum Energy Solutions put their Verde wireless and batteryless energy control system, enabled by EnOcean, to the test in an independent study conducted at a Wyndham Hotel in Boston. The test sought to measure the hvac and lighting energy savings that could be realized by utilizing sensor and control devices that respond to hotel room occupancy statuses. Testing concluded that hotel rooms controlled by the Verde Energy Control System consumed 33% less energy than rooms without the energy harvesting controls.

 

The Verde hotel room energy system determines if a hotel room is vacant or occupied according to the status of the system’s Keycard Access Switch. When a guest enters a hotel room and inserts their key card into its dock, a radio signal is sent that alerts the system the room is occupied. When the guest leaves the room unoccupied, the removed key card automatically shuts off controlled lights and/or electronics and sets the in-room hvac system back to its unoccupied/energy-conservation mode. In the Wyndham Hotel study, four hotel rooms were monitored. Two were retrofitted with Verde system controls and the other two were used as independent control rooms. Hvac and lighting energy consumption was analyzed over a period of thirty days. The Verde-equipped room used 33% less energy for hvac and electronics than the control room. With the implementation of the Verde Energy Control System in all 293 rooms, the hotel will save 480,991 kWh annually. The Verde Energy Control System additionally helps hotels comply with energy standards such as CA Title 24 and ashrae/iesna standard 90.1.

 

The EnOcean Alliance wireless standard, used in this study, is anchored by interoperability. These controls are interoperable, regardless of the manufacturer. Another important hallmark is the ability to self-power sensors and switches, based upon patented technologies from EnOcean. Analysts anticipate that more than a billion wireless sensor nodes will penetrate the market within the next decade.

For more information, visit www.magnumenergysolutions.com or www.enocean.com.

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AirTight selected authorized service & sales partner for Danfoss

 

Charlotte, N.C. — AirTight has been selected as a Danfoss Sales & Service Partner for Charlotte, N.C. and surrounding markets. AirTight is now positioned to provide their customers with the complete line of Danfoss vfd products and services solutions portfolio. As a certified partner, AirTight will sell new products, service existing drive installations and provide new clients with the opportunity to explore the high quality of the Danfoss brand.

 

To achieve the designation, the AirTight team met the most stringent of training and financial requirements set forth by Danfoss. Through the program, the AirTight team also achieved individual certifications for many Danfoss products. 

“AirTight understands Variable Frequency Drives,” said Greg Crumpton, president & founder of AirTight. “We also understand quality, customer service and attention to detail. Partnering with Danfoss allows us to serve our customers in the vfd arena with the same degree of commitment and detail as we do with all of the brands we support, all the while delivering a world-class product. We are excited to be moving forward with this new relationship, it is a great fit for both of our companies.”

 

Founded in 1999, AirTight is a high-quality, mission-critical and comfort cooling focused service contractor located in Charlotte, N.C. They pride themselves on utilizing highly trained technicians and state of the art technology to add value and reduce costs. For more information visit www.myairtight.com For more information on Danfoss visit www.danfoss.com.

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Caroma waterless urinal approved for City of LA

 

Hillsboro, Ore. – The City of Los Angeles has approved the H2Zero™ waterless urinal by Caroma for use in all buildings. It utilizes breakthrough technology to use zero water for optimum performance and water conservation.

 

The vitreous china urinal addresses key challenges that have been associated with other waterless urinals, including performance, operation, odor management, durability and waste build-up, ensuring a consistently superior product. The H2Zero’s unique patented cartridge technology does not use an oil-based seal, as traditionally used in waterless urinals. Within the cartridge is a Bio Fresh deodorizing block that is activated during use. The Bio Seal™ allows urine to pass through the seal freely, eliminating unnecessary waste build-up within the cartridge. The Bio Seal, which lasts up to 10,000 uses, also acts as a one-way airtight valve to seal the cartridge from the drainage system.

 

As urine flows into the cartridge and around the Bio Fresh deodorizing block, heat from the urine activates and emits a lemon fragrance. The urine then flows through the Bio Seal valve and into the drainline. The Bio Seal closes, protecting against back-pressure situations. This operation guarantees superior performance and hygiene.

 

“For more than three decades, Caroma has been a leader in designing advanced technology for the bathroom, and the H2Zero waterless urinal is one example,” said John Karas, North America product manager. “The H2Zero can save the City of Los Angeles millions of gallons of water per year through replacing older, water-consuming one gallon urinals. In addition, the unique technology in the H2Zero minimizes service required and manages odors and waste build-up.”

 

To service the urinal, the H2Zero’s cartridge tool is used to remove the grate and access the internal components. The Bio Fresh deodorizer and Bio Seal can then be removed and replaced as required. This touch-free tool ensures no direct contact with the replacement components, and no special disposal method is required.

 

For more information, e-mail info@caromausa.com or visit www.caromausa.com.   

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Allied Air launches new parts & supplies program

 

West Columbia, S.C. – Allied Air Enterprises Inc. has announced TechChoice, a new parts and supplies program for its distributors. “As more homeowners are opting to repair existing equipment, rather than replace, we realized a strong parts program was needed to complement an already impressive equipment lineup,” said Andrea Dopp, director of marketing.

The newly created TechChoice hvac Parts & Supplies program will promote Allied Air distributors as the primary supplier for Allied-supplied proprietary, oe and wholesale products. “Introducing a program separate from our equipment platforms allows us to build a parts program that is beneficial to all Allied Air partners,” added Jim Kornemann, manager of parts and supplies marketing.

 

Allied Air will work with distributors to reach both new and existing equipment customers by promoting the availability of parts and supplies. The program will offer distributor programs, as well as marketing, merchandising and pull-through promotions for dealers and contracting customers. “We are focused on maximizing marketing efforts and generating a program our distributor partners can use,” Kornemann said. The complete rollout is scheduled for early 2010 Allied Air Enterprises Inc. has six brands — Armstrong Air™, AirEase™, Concord™, Ducane™, Magic-Pak™ and Allied™ Com­mercial — making it a reat source of residential and commercial heating and cooling systems for distributors and dealers.    

 

A Lennox International Inc. company, Allied Air Enterprises can be found on the Web at www.alliedair.com.

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YouTube video features Little Giant pump series

 

Oklahoma City — The water and wastewater industry has been abuzz over the outstanding grinding capabilities of the Little Giant® gp Series two-horsepower submersible grinder pump made by Franklin Electric.  Now, an entertaining and amazing demonstration of those capabilities can be witnessed firsthand on www.YouTube.com.

 

In a recently released YouTube video segment titled Yummy in the Grinder Pump Tummy, the patented cutter assembly on the Little Giant two-horsepower grinder pump is put through the paces as it grinds up dozens of products. Filmed underwater, the cutter assembly is shown in close up as it effortlessly grinds up nylon rope, rubber and leather gloves, knotted rags, diapers and feminine hygiene products.

 

Intent on making the demonstration video not just informative, but fun and brief, the Franklin Electric marketing staff, engineers and others behind the making of the segment limited the length to two minutes and 18 seconds, and personified the grinder as a ravenous eating machine. As the grinder chews up a wide range of difficult-to-grind items, a baritone voiceover slurps and burps and makes statements like “Mmm — it feels good in my tummy” and “Feed me … feed me, Seymour” (a demand made famous by the ever-hungry plant in the musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors).  

 

The video segment can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfS-sPBhOGU. The Little Giant website – www.LittleGiantPump.com – also provides a direct link to the video.

 

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RIDGID redesigns website, expands use of social media outlets

 

Elyria, Ohio — The redesigned ridgid® website (www.ridgid.com) allows for easier navigation to make the experience more efficient and productive for the user.

 

Featuring rotating banners that highlight the latest products and prominent drop down menus, users can quickly navigate to their desired ridgid tool information. Visitors can also find out about the latest news and events where they can personally participate with ridgid. From any page, users can join ridgid on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

 

The updated Forum contains a new section called ridgid Central. Accessed from the Forum home page (www.ridgidforum.com/rc), users can view new product information and request demonstrations. Users can also share their thoughts with over 28,000 Forum members.

 

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