Archive for November, 2009
Being an avid motorcycle rider, vintage motorcycle restorer, and photographer I am reminded, while on a long trip or during a tough restoration project, how our hobbies and our jobs are so much the same if you do them with the same vigor and dedication. (Yes that’s me in the yellow shirt next to the dark blue BMW.)
Ever notice after a good vacation you often say ” I need a vacation”? Why is it that our hobbies are so much work?
These thoughts ran through my mind when I came off a job site, which I am proud to say Stromquist and Company was associated with. The job was the first commercial installation of the new Honeywell Delphi system that was the featured product for installation. Three days of intense conversations with Honeywell, job project managers, and end users left me at the end of each day completely worn out mentally and physically. The job was hard and taxing, but when the boilers fired off without a hitch and the client was beaming with delight, I was just as satisfied as if I completed a successful motorcycle trip or finished a restoration.
As wholesalers we at times forget the long time effects of our jobs as we move on to the next project. What we do matters and it matters to a lot of people and it matters to us because it’s not just a job, it’s a continuation of our own sense of being and satisfaction.
My restored 1965 Honda 150 Dream and my 1969 Bridgestone Mach 2 RS (graciously given to me to restore by Stromquist’s own Bob Koch. Thank you so much Bob.)
Wow, what can I say….I am pleased to announce the first commercial installation of Honeywell’s Delphi system has been completed and is successful!
As a reminder here is what Delphi is: A single NEMA 12 panel and designated the YP900, the Delphi system is a loop and logic based integrated flame safeguard control and fuel-air ratio control with O2 trim for boiler and burner applications.
Included in the completed Delphi panel assembly are a RM7840L1075 burner safety controller with wiring sub base, S7800A Display, Modbus, built in industrial panel PC with touch screen display, ABC900A loop and logic controller for load and O2 trim control. Also included in the YP900 panel is the O2 sensor, mounting accessories and Hall-effect speed sensor with tachometer.
After a couple of small problems that were addressed by Karen Karg, Lisa Holmberg, and Bruce Mickleson at Honeywell FSG, the Delphi panel was commissioned without flaws. When dealing with new complex control systems, like we do here at Stromquist day in and day out, it is a pleasure to have a system such as Honeywell’s Delphi to work with.
Control links ML7999B motors tied into Delphi.
This installation was number one of five Delphi systems to be integrated into the boiler systems of a bio-medical division of a worldwide company. First observation from the staff engineer of the client was how impressed he was on how safely the Delphi panel is factory constructed with all relays, fuses, and wiring strips set up so hot wires are not exposed in the panel. He was also impressed on how easily Delphi was to commission using the touch screen menu driven menus without the complexities normally associated with this technology. “Even I can do it” was his exclamation of approval. Time will tell the continuing story of Delphi, but as for now Delphi gets two thumbs up from our client and from me.
I also would like to thank Dave Krause of Honeywell most of all for his experience and help in making this installation of Delphi a success.
Using a Testo combustion analyzer for Delphi commissioning.
If you are a Stromquist customer or are in GA or FL, call your Stromquist rep for help with your combustion needs. All others, please refer to one of our affiliates at the Controls Group North America site to find a distributor in your area.
When your needs turn to combustion efficiency, look to Honeywell and Stromquist for your answers. Call us at 1-800-241-9471 1-800-241-9471.
Matt from Stromquist & Company walks our viewers through the proper way to pipe a gas pressure regulator. Watch Matt's instructive video and save time and money on your gas pressure regulator installation.
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I was on vacation last week in Mexico. The beautiful blue ocean reminded me of one of the most useful business books I have ever read, Blue Ocean Strategy, written by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. The main premise of the book is that most businesses find themselves competing in “red oceans”, markets in which companies and their offerings are very similar and profitable growth is all but impossible. Companies compete by offering more and better and are often forced to charge less. Sound familiar? A big part of this problem is that there are more products and companies chasing fewer customers. Supply is greater than demand. The bad news is this is not going to change; the good news is that the book offers strategies and perspectives that allow us to think about our businesses and customers in different ways and allows us to create “blue oceans” in which we don’t compete but make the competition irrelevant.
We assume that we must look at what our competition is doing and do it better. It’s difficult to offer great quality at a low price and stay in business for long. Conventional wisdom has been to find your niche and provide high quality or low service and low prices. Blue Ocean Strategy offers an alternative way to look at your market. Using a concept in the book called “the strategy canvas,” we can redefine our offerings based on what is really relevant and of value to our customers and eliminate what is not. This allows companies the ability to create relevant value and be the low cost provider while maintaining margins and growing.
The book offers many examples of businesses that have created blue oceans in red ocean markets: cinemas, retail stores, airlines, energy, computers, broadcasting, construction, automotive, steel, and even the Cirque du Soleil.
So read the book, check out Marshall Thurber and my interviews with Scott Cochrane and Roger Rebennack to get ideas on how to apply these principles and create your own HVAC blue ocean.
Honeywell’s new Zelix spring return direct-coupled actuators were designed to be small but powerful. They are ideal for valve and damper applications that require a small footprint but lots of torque. The light, compact package offers 27 or 44 in-lb of torque, which is 25% more than competitive models.
It doesn’t stop there though. The Zelix actuators have a lot more going for them. For one, to make selection easier, there are only 7 models per torque level. With the exclusive Honeywell mode selector, one model can operate in different control modes by just turning a dial. Another great thing is that they have a self-centering shaft adapter that grabs the shaft with one screw turn, so you don’t have to waste time with U-bolts. They also can save time and money during installation since they have a unique wiring access cover that eliminates the need for a junction box.
If you want to find out more about Honeywell’s Zelix line, you can call Stromquist at 404-794-3440 or click here. If you are located outside the states of Georgia or Florida, we can refer you to one of our affilates at Controls Group North America.
In the wholesale distribution business, rarely do you have time to sit back and savor a moment of satisfaction. But we do want to take a moment to appreciate the fact that Honeywell recently named Stromquist and Company as a 2010 Honeywell Diamond Distributor.
All Honeywell Authorized System Distributors are considered for this annual award, which is based on a two-year rolling volume, year-over-year growth, product mix, training, and more.
We at Stromquist and Company now wish to thank you, our valued clients, in helping us achieve this goal and extend to you our promise to continue working hard to help you achieve your goals through Honeywell and our other fine product lines.
Eric interviews Scott Cochrane president of Cochrane Supply & Engineering, Madison Heights, Michigan. Scott is a leader and innovator in the HVAC controls industry.
Read MoreBelimo’s Pipe Package is a simple way of piping HVAC terminal units to reduce the time, space and cost required to make the connection from the distribution piping in the building to the coil. Belimo created a combination of valves and unions to interface easily and with as few connections as possible. Reduced connections and space allow the pipe package to be installed easier and quicker. Belimo’s pipe packages include the valve, actuator and all components assembled and tested. This greatly simplifies the job by eliminating piping connectors, thus saving time and money with less opportunity for error. The pipe package is designed to have valve isolation, which allows for the removal of the valve without having to drain the entire system.
A complete line of standard packages from ½” to 1” and custom orders to 2” are available. All pipe packages are shipped as a complete unit in a sturdy see-through bag, and each unit is customized with a label on the actuator indicating the installation location as supplied by the customer to ensure that every pipe package is installed in the correct location.
To see what the piping package looks like check it out on Stromquist TV.
Stromquist can help you with any of your Belimo needs. If you are located outside the states of Georgia or Florida, we can refer you to one of our affilates at Controls Group North America
Eric continues his conversation with Roger Rebennack. In the second part of this two part interview, Roger speaks in more detail about Honeywell’s WEBS AX security offering, what it takes for a HVAC contractor to be successful as a systems integrator, and why a building owner should look to Honeywell’s product offering for all their building automation needs.
Select the ‘+ AUDIO MP3′ button below to listen in on the interview.
Your sales force, due to no fault of its own, has become your most expensive and least effective method of promoting and growing your business. None of us has time to see a sales rep unless we have a specific need or problem. The good news is that you can be there at the precise moment your customer or potential customer has that need or problem. To do this you have to connect to the world of customers in a new way and you have to give your website an overhaul to keep these customers coming back.
Facebook, Twitter, and search engine optimization are just a few of the tools and concepts in the new discipline of Internet marketing. Embrace and master these principals and your business will grow. Social marketing and digital branding is the way companies are now connecting and differentiating themselves. The must read book in this area is Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel. Mitch will walk you through the most effective tactics in connecting your business digitally to your target markets.
Mitch can show you how to bring customers to your website .
Once they visit their return will be predicated on two factors. First: your content. Second: your aesthetics.
Content: As the brilliant thinker and business strategist Marshall Thurber teaches, think of your website as “the filter”. Consumers suffer from information overload. If your website can filter the massive amounts of information down to what is relevant and useful to your niche market then you create value and your customers will treat your website as a resource. As such, you will have access to help solve their problems and promote your products and solutions.
Aesthetics: The second element is your website must have the look and feel that entices users to spend time on your site. Aesthetics is critical; as owners and managers we are perhaps the least qualified to create a fresh web presence. Get outside opinions, hire someone to help you revamp your website. For more on how to do this check out a company like New Tricks, or listen to my interview with Judi Knight and Dene Shepherd on Stromquist Radio, “How to Use the Internet to Grow Your HVAC Business“
Embrace and include Internet marketing strategies, and update your website. You will create new customers, leads for your sales force, and your business will grow.
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