Activant schedules summit conference for March
Wholesale distributors using an Activant solution can prepare for the future at Activant’s annual summit conference for Activant wholesale distribution customers in New Orleans, La., in March.
“As their technology partner, Activant wants to help distributors maximize the return on their technology investments,” said Steve McLaughlin, senior vice president and general manager of Activant’s wholesale distribution group. “Summit provides our customers with an outstanding opportunity to increase their technology knowledge while networking with other distributors that they might not otherwise meet. Attendees can come away with new insights into their businesses and the distribution industry as a whole.”
Summit 2008 is open to all Activant customers using the following enterprise software solutions: Prophet 21, Eclipse, Prelude, Acclaim, Array, D2K, Disc, Faspac, ias, sdi, Stanpak, Turns and xl.
Find out more at distribution.activant.com/services/summit-highlights.
Basco breaks ground on new facility
George W. Rohde, president and CEO of Basco Shower Enclosures, announced that the company recently broke ground on a new 50,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the company’s 130,000-square-foot headquarters in Mason, Ohio.
“As Basco continues to grow, it became very apparent that we would need to expand our facility to accommodate increased product demand,” explained Rohde. “The new facility will allow us to accommodate larger orders and maintain a greater inventory of products for faster turnaround. Eventually, we hope to use the space for additional types of manufacturing.”
The facility is expected to be ready for occupancy by August 1 and will also include 5,000 square feet of office space.
Since 1955, Basco has earned the trust of millions of customers by designing and fabricating quality custom shower doors and shower enclosures. Basco’s approach to innovation, knowledgeable customer service staff, on-time delivery, product guarantees, and a full training program has helped establish them as the known and trusted industry leader. They are consistently rated number one in quality and brand preference within the industry.
To learn more visit www.bascoshowerdoor.com.
Charlotte Pipe launches new technical training center
Charlotte Pipe and Foundry announced the opening of a new, state-of-the-art 9,000-square-foot training facility in Charlotte, N.C. Located around the corner from the company’s cast iron foundry, the facility will be used to host training classes for sales representatives, wholesale customers, plumbing and mechanical contractors and engineers. Charlotte Pipe’s Technical Services Department staff will conduct training sessions throughout the year, some of which may qualify for continuing education credits.
“Plumbing trade skills and continuing education training is desperately needed in our industry,” said Brian Connor, training manager for Charlotte Pipe. “We are delighted to be able to offer this facility and our expertise to customers who wish to learn more about our products, about codes and standards and about the industry in general.”
Charlotte Pipe’s Technical Services Department also handles product and installation inquiries, provides specifiers with tools and literature and works with codes and standards bodies.
Charlotte Pipe and Foundry offers a system of ABS, PVC, CPVC, cast iron, FlowGuard Gold, and ChemDrain pipe and fittings for residential and commercial plumbing systems and industrial applications. One of the nation’s leading makers of cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry has a broad product offering of standard and specialty DWV products.
To contact Charlotte Pipe and Foundry’s Technical Services Department, call 800/438-6091 or log on to www.charlottepipe.com.
Datamatic, Ferguson form strategic partnership
Datamatic, a leading supplier of utility data collection solutions, and Ferguson, the largest U.S. distributor of plumbing supplies and pipe, valves and fittings, recently announced a strategic partnership to distribute Datamatic’s flexible data collection solutions to utilities across portions of the Northeastern U.S.
“We formed a relationship with Ferguson in the Western U.S. a short time ago and the success of that partnership led to a new distribution agreement for Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont,” said Ken Kercher, CEO of Datamatic. “Ferguson has a very strong presence in that region and shares our commitment to delivering the best automated meter reading products available. This relationship will give their customers better access to our world-class solutions and open new opportunities for Datamatic.”
Datamatic’s expansion into new secondary channels has been led by Rich Sanders, director-business development.
“The recent introduction of products like our mosaic amr system has sparked the interest of utilities seeking better ways to manage their valuable assets,” said Sanders. “We’ve already begun forming relationships with western utilities that Ferguson serves and now we can do the same with their customers in the Northeast. Together, we’ll help these utilities reach their goals with innovative systems that deliver an excellent return on investment.”
Ferguson general manager Bob Graham added, “This partnership will greatly expand our offerings in the Northeastern region with products like Datamatic’s mosaic fixed network and Remote Shutoff Valve system that we previously could not offer to our customers. We have built outstanding relationships with utilities in the region and now we can offer the Datamatic solutions they need.”
For information, visit www.datamatic.com or www.ferguson.com.
Industrial Controls announces merger
Industrial Controls Distributors LLC, a leading distributor of HVAC controls, process instrumentation and industrial automated valves in the eastern U.S., announced its merger with Piedmont Instruments and Controls of Charlotte, N.C. Piedmont will integrate operations with Industrial Controls’ Charlotte operation to cover North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Joe Eichelberger, CEO of Industrial Controls said, “The combination of the two companies will give us an exceptional platform to continue our expansion plans in the Southeast region. This will be further evident when we move into our new Charlotte office with ample warehouse space and state-of-the-art training and demonstration facilities to be completed later this spring.”
Jim Andrews of Piedmont has been named the Southeast regional sales vice president for Industrial Controls. He comes with a track record of success, along with the extensive experience, customer and technical skills needed to lead the expanded operation in the region.
For more information, visit www.industrialcontrolsonline.com.
REHAU launches program at AHR Expo
Rehau launched its new professional contractor development program for the North American market at the AHR Expo, January 22-24 in New York City. The unique program will provide members with heating and plumbing system training sessions, design services, merchandising materials, local networking meetings, and regional and national VIP events.
Rehau also displayed its complete line of RAUPEX and INSULPEX pipe, EVERLOC fittings, PRO-BALANCE manifolds and the RAUPANEL radiant heating system.
Log on to www.rehau.com for additional information.
UC Santa Barbara goes waterless
The University of California Santa Barbara has been installing waterless urinal systems in its Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management facility. According to school officials, the urinals have already helped reduce sewage costs, and total water usage has been cut by 66%.
It is estimated that once all the waterless urinals have been installed, the reduction in water and sewage costs will save the school as much as 40,000 gallons of water and $114 per urinal per year. According to Klaus Reichardt, managing partner of Waterless Co. LLC, which manufactures the urinals, the savings will result in a return on the school’s investment within three years.
Waterless urinals were selected over conventional urinal systems because the school believes they offer several benefits. Perrin Pellegrin, USCB campus sustainability manager, explained that, in addition to being more sustainable, the waterless urinals are more hygienic than touch-and-flush urinals because they are more bacteria-resistant, which also helps prevent odors.
Waterless urinals use the patented and recyclable EcoTrap placed at the bottom of the urinal. The trap prevents sewer gases from being released. A liquid sealant, BlueSeal, which is biodegradable, blocks urine odor from returning into the restroom.
Will the campus see more waterless urinals in the future?
Apparently the answer is yes. Impressed with the water and cost savings, the university is now considering requiring all new campus buildings to install waterless systems instead of traditional flush systems.
For more information, visit www.waterless.com.
Water-Right completes expansion
Water-Right Inc., a leading supplier of water treatment solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications, recently completed a 12,000-square-foot expansion to its manufacturing operations and headquarters in Appleton. The new space will help increase the component inventory needed to support the continued sales growth of Water-Right’s current product lines, as well as its newest residential water softener products.
The new building will include an employee kitchen with outside deck and an essential literature room, where all Water-Right catalogs, school binders and product literature can be assembled and inventoried. This recent expansion represents the third such addition to Water-Right’s Appleton headquarters within the last five years.
For information, phone 800/777-1426 or visit www.water-right.com.
Insulation companies separate joint venture
Nomaco Insulation and L’Isolante K-Flex announced the separation of the joint-venture partnership in Nomaco K-Flex, a U.S. manufacturer of elastomeric pipe insulation products. Milan-based L’Isolante K-Flex has purchased Nomaco’s interest in Nomaco K-Flex and will change the name of the company to K-Flex USA.
“Recognizing that the partnering companies have different long-term strategies in the marketplace, we realized the need to separate our businesses going forward,” explained Scott Edwards, former president of Nomaco K-Flex and current president of Nomaco Insulation.
K-Flex USA will manufacture elastomeric products and serve North American markets with the brands K-Flex LS and InsulTube. Giuseppe Guarino, former CFO of Nomaco K-Flex, is now president of the new K-Flex USA.
Nomaco Insulation will continue as a separate entity, providing polyolefin products to the North American market through the brands: Nomaco, Imcoa and therma-cel. Nomaco Insulation will also continue to sell the elastomeric brand FlexTherm, manufactured by K-Flex usa, to its current Buy/Sell channel.
Both companies anticipate future growth as they move forward with different areas of focus. K-Flex usa will concentrate on increasing the use of elastomeric products throughout the commercial insulation market.
“We see enormous opportunities for growth ahead as we focus solely on elastomeric insulation,” said Guarino.
At the same time, Nomaco Insulation will be dedicating resources to develop new polyolefin insulation products for plumbing and hot/cold water applications. “With 100% of Nomaco Insulation’s research and development efforts dedicated to creating the next generation of polyolefin products, we are excited about our future growth potential,” said Edwards.
The dissolution of the joint venture will not impact operations of the companies. While under a different name, K-Flex USA will continue to be headquartered in the existing elastomeric manufacturing facility in Youngsville, NC. Nomaco Insulation will be based in Wake Forest, N.C., with products produced in manufacturing facilities located in North Carolina and Oklahoma.