Industry News
We would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to this month's sponsor -- Metropac. Metropac sells exclusively to wholesalers, OEM’s, and manufacturer reps, throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Major product lines include, Honeywell, Invensys, Johnson Controls, Robertshaw, White-Rodgers and much more. Visit their redesigned web site at www.metropac.com to see their complete product offerings. Or call their sales department at 800-852-HEAT(4328)
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Stocking Honeywell Pneumatic Controls so you don’t have to
Metropac has in stock the Honeywell Pneumatic Controls you need for new construction, modernization or retrofit. Now receive 5% off all Honeywell Pneumatic Controls with your order of $500 or more. Hurry, this offer is valid April 15th thru May 31st only. Need us to cross reference a pneumatic control? Tell us your current pneumatic controls manufacturers’ part number and we’ll cross it over to Honeywell for you. Call us today for guaranteed lowest prices and the fastest delivery on Honeywell Pneumatic Controls. CALL US FOR LARGE/SPECIAL QUOTES. 800-852-4328 Visit our website at www.metropac.com for details.
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Anvil relocates to sales/DC operations
Anvil International, a subsidiary of Mueller Water Products Inc., has announced two in-state facility relocations. Anvil relocated one of its four major regional service centers from Grand Prairie to Irving, Texas, as well as a distribution facility located in Santa Fe Springs to Ontario, Calif., both to be fully operational in April 2009.
The new 200,000-square-foot Irving Regional Service Center, located at 1401 Valley View Lane, combines warehouse, operations and sales, along with a 2,500-square-foot training facility, under one roof. In addition, this location will be a primary source of oil and gas products including Catawissa and J.B. Smith brands to support its Energy Division. The new facility includes a warehouse management system that utilizes bar-coding on all Anvil products, ensuring order accuracy and on-time shipments.
Anvil is moving its Santa Fe Springs distribution facility to 1470 South Vintage Avenue in Ontario. This new location will share space with the James Jones Company, a Mueller Co. business. The facility will stock inventory for both mechanical/industrial and fire protection distributors to better serve its Southern California customer base.
A.O. Smith acquires AERS
A.O. Smith Corporation has acquired Applied Energy Recovery Systems Inc. (AERS) of Norcross, Ga., a leading manufacturer of commercial and residential heat pump water heaters.
The AERS product line includes the E-Tech line of commercial and industrial water heaters, as well as commercial outdoor and indoor pool heating systems, and residential water heating and swimming pool products.
"The acquisition of AERS allows A. O. Smith to reinforce our leadership position in providing energy efficient water heating solutions and provides us a strong platform from which to address the growing interest from our customers in renewables," said Ajita G. Rajendra, president of A. O. Smith Water Products Company said. "We plan to leverage the technology, engineering expertise and know-how from AERS to expand our capabilities and product lines across the globe," Rajendra added.
Heat pump water heaters capture heat from the surrounding air (air-source) or from water sources (water-source) such as waste water generated by a building's chiller or cooling system and use it to heat water for hot water uses. The energy savings generated from the captured heat significantly exceeds the energy cost of running the heat pump, making this technology a highly efficient means for water heating with savings of up to 80%.
Liberty Pumps completes expansion
Liberty Pumps, based in rural upstate New York, is expanding amid the current economic downturn. It recently held an open house celebrating its new building expansion - one that more than doubled its current size. The additional space provides added manufacturing areas for new products, increased warehouse space and a significant upgrade and expansion of the engineering area used in product development.
Liberty Pumps has a history of innovation and aggressive product development. The company produces such trademark names as the SumpJet(r), SumpBox(r), Omnivore(r) Grinder, V-Slice(r) cutter technology, PRO-Series(tm) ejectors and QuickTree(r) float technology. Recent additions to the product line include larger FL-Series effluent pumps and the newly released LEH-Series sewage pumps.
With a proud heritage of being an independent, family-owned business, Liberty takes its service levels seriously. A live voice answers the phone instead of an automated system, orders are shipped in 24 to 48 hours and custom EPS job quotes are provided the same day. Its lean manufacturing environment reduces costs - keeping Liberty competitive and allowing resources to be put into value-added areas of the company.
Randall Waldron, vice president-sales & marketing, said, "Material flow and efficiency are key to streamlining the manufacturing process. These efficiencies directly impact our customers - both in helping to reduce the cost of our products and to assure quick delivery of our products. The new expansion features a reconfiguration of many of the manufacturing areas to further enhance these efficiencies."
New Products
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Seamless stainless sinks This line of kitchen sinks has a seamless sink bottom. A beautiful and stunning effect is created by eliminating the customary seams and flanges found around the drain. This revolutionary vision for sinks reduces installation time to 20-60 minutes, increases space and provides a more sanitary environment for food preparation. Strainer baskets match the sink for a uniform (seamless) look. You can also throw away the black plastic plug because the strainer plugs both the disposer side and drain side of the sink. Affluence. |
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Ergonomic showerhead The ergonomically designed in2ition shower delivers an enhanced level of comfort, convenience and versatility by combining a hand-held shower and a fixed shower head with an extra wide spray. The 2-in-1 system gives consumers the option to use either the hand-held shower or shower head separately or together for a full-body shower experience. Available with 4-5 spray functions, including 3 massage options and an aerated champagne spray. The ergonomic, soft grip handle and dial allow for maximum comfort. Alson Showers. |
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Modern door lever The new Apollo lever encompasses classic geometric shapes and offers a modern twist with a sleek aesthetic that complements a variety of decors. This interior door series is available in 4 functions – privacy, passage, single dummy and full dummy. Lever has a 4.375" length and is shown with a Round Rose base measuring 2 3/8" dia. Available in a variety of finishes; shown here in polished chrome. It features concealed screws on both sides. Ashley Norton. |
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High efficiency toilet The Avalanche 1.28 is this manufacturer’s latest high efficiency toilet (het). 3" flush valve, Fluid-master fill valve, uniquely designed jet feed, rim structure and trapway configuration contribute to performance. Large water surface helps with cleaning and maintenance; slimline tank includes a color-matched side-mounted trip lever. Offered in comfortable ErgoHeight model. Gerber Plumbing Fixtures LLC. |
Movers & Shakers
Bradley Corp. appointed Steve Henry as Western regional sales manager for Division 10 products. Henry has worked at Bradley for six years in its Strategic Accounts Group and brings product knowledge and sales expertise to the traditional side of Bradley's business. Previously, he was the director of Sales at U.S. Food Service. He has more than 20 years of sales experience.
First Supply congratulates two members of their team: Bonnie Czerwinski was named office manager for their seven Southeastern Wisconsin facilities. Czerwinski brings over 10 years of accounting experience to First Supply. She holds a Bachelors Degree in accounting and business. Czerwinski will report to Stacie Weaver, general manager and works in the Brookfield office. Mitch Anderson was promoted to branch manager for their New Brighton, Minn. facility. Anderson began at First Supply in 1994 and has held positions in delivery, purchasing, sales and, most recently, as the outside sales manager for the Rochester and Owatonna facilities. In addition to his duties as branch manager, Anderson will retain responsibility for the outside sales staff in the region. He will report to Bob Beranek, general manager of the Rochester, Owatonna and New Brighton locations.
Franklin Electric - Water Transfer Systems named Twain Glaser Northeast regional sales manager-commercial products. Glaser possesses significant plumbing and PVF sales experience servicing wholesalers from the manufacturing end; and contractors from the wholesaler end. He was formerly a regional sales manager for Wayne Water Systems and previously spent 13 years in sales at Ferguson. |