NEWS
Viega wins sustainability award
Viega has been announced as one of the 50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders by TBD Media Group. This campaign is based on the United Nations’ naming of 17 goals as part of its Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Its goal is to recognize those corporations that are doing some of the most important and innovative work toward developing a sustainable world, Viega said.
Viega was recognized for its exemplary work in providing safe drinking water and heating piping systems that save energy, or, as the company puts it: “installing lifelines for the buildings of tomorrow.”
“We ensure safety in buildings, comfort in homes, drinking water hygiene and energy efficiency,” explained Anna Viegener, chairwoman of the board, Viega Holding GmbH & Co. KG. “This is what really drives us every day.”
In a video produced as part of the campaign, Viega executives discuss how company innovations make the plumbing systems in buildings safer and more efficient. This is applicable for new residential, commercial and industrial buildings, as well as renovated structures given new life through Viega systems, it pointed out.
“As a global corporation and citizen, Viega takes very seriously its role in being mindful and not wasting energy,” said Markus Brettschneider, CEO of Viega.
Franklin Electric acquires water treatment company
Franklin Electric Co. announced it acquired Puronics and its wholly owned subsidiaries, headquartered in Livermore, California, in an all-cash transaction. Puronics is a residential and commercial water treatment products and services provider operating four company-owned service centers and serving about 133 independent water quality dealers with around 260 locations in 31 states. Puronics’ consolidated annual sales are about $24 million.
“We have identified water treatment as a strategic adjacency to our leading ground water pumping position globally," said Don Kenney, president of Franklin Electric’s global water systems business. "We are pleased to add Puronics’ strong market presence, quality focus and customer-service-oriented approach to our water treatment businesses. Puronics has a rich 70-year history as a leading provider of premium residential and commercial water treatment systems, and the acquisition will expand our channel, product and geographic offerings in the United States. I would like to thank Scott Batiste, the retiring chairman and CEO of Puronics, for his strong support during this transition, and would like to welcome the Puronics employees to the Franklin Electric family.”
PPI updates free Plastic Pipe Design Calculator
The Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) announced a major update to its Building & Construction Division’s Plastic Pipe Design Calculator. PPI is the major trade association representing the plastic pipe industry.
The “BCD Calculator” is a free software tool that simplifies and makes it faster to design plastic pressure pipe and tubing systems using CPVC, HDPE, PEX, PE-RT, PP-R and PP-RCT. Applications integrated in the program include plumbing, water service, fire protection, hydronic piping (liquids), radiant heating and cooling, snow and ice melting, geothermal ground loops, district heating and turf conditioning.
The changes include an updated appearance, the "Pipe/Tubing Selection Menu" has been revised to prevent confusion between pipe types, hundreds of new sizes of PEX pipe have been added along with HDPE pipe and tubing plus PP-R and PP-RCT pipes, and also links to BCD material webpages.
The calculator allows the user to select either IP/US or Metric/SI working units, as well as multiple fluids (e.g., water, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol). Fluid temperatures and mix ratios are chosen by the user, and results can be viewed, printed or emailed.
“This online tool includes five main functions which can be used to select and size the right type of pipe for various applications," said Lance MacNevin, P. Eng., director of engineering for PPI's Building & Construction Division. "These are pressure/head loss; pipe weight/volume; thermal expansion and contraction; hydraulic shock; and expansion arm/loop design.
This update contains hundreds of new pipe materials and sizes," he adds. "During the past several years, we listened to input from users of the original version of the calculator, and made improvements plus added new features that make it easier to use."
The BCD Calculator can be found on PPI’s website or at www.plasticpipecalculator.com.
A. O. Smith repeats as ENERGY STAR recipient
A. O. Smith announced it has earned the 2021 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award, a top ENERGY STAR honor. This recognition marks the third consecutive year that A. O. Smith received an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for its commitment to providing professionals and homeowners with energy efficient solutions.
Winners of the Sustained Excellence Award are part of a distinguished group that has made a long-term promise to fighting climate change and protecting public health through energy efficiency. According to ENERGY STAR, they are among the nation’s leaders in driving value for the environment, the economy, and the American people.
“Sustainability and energy efficiency are at the heart of everything we do at A. O. Smith. We are honored to be recognized as a three-time ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, and now Sustained Excellence Award winner,” said Francois Lebrasseur, utility segment market development manager for A. O. Smith. “Our company is constantly striving to create innovative products and solutions to protect our environment, save energy and provide the best solutions possible for our customers. As the industry moves towards a more environmentally focused and energy efficient future, we will continue to make sustainability a top priority.”
“ENERGY STAR award-winning partners are showing the world that delivering real climate solutions makes good business sense and promotes job growth,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said. “Many of them have been doing it for years, inspiring all of us who are committed to tackling the climate crisis and leading the way to a clean energy economy.”
Bradford White wins ENERGY STAR honor
Bradford White Water Heaters announced it has received the 2021 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
“ENERGY STAR is one of the most trusted voices for energy efficiency,” said Carl Pinto Jr., senior director of marketing communications for Bradford White Corp. “Being selected as partner of the year for two years in a row reflects Bradford White’s commitment to leading our industry in providing high-quality, energy efficient products.”
Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy achievements. ENERGY STAR Award Winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, services, and strategies. These efforts are essential to fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health.
Uponor wins safety award
During the May 4-5 Virtual Minnesota Safety and Health Conference, Uponor North America will receive its third Governor’s Safety Award. Presented by the Minnesota Safety Council, the award recognizes the company’s distribution center in Lakeville, Minnesota, for exemplary workplace safety and health.
“In a year that has challenged all of us in ways we never imagined, we are very pleased to recognize the Uponor Lakeville Distribution Center for its award,” said Paul Aasen, president, Minnesota Safety Council. “Safety demands extraordinary attention in a normal year; double that attention this past year. Thank you, Uponor, for keeping your employees safe.”
The Uponor Lakeville Distribution Center is receiving the outstanding achievement award, which recognizes a consistent safety program evaluation score between 75 and 90 points, and incident rates 51% to 90% better than the industry average. This will be the company’s third recognition for outstanding achievement, with previous awards in 2015 and 2016.
“We are honored to be a three-time recipient of the Governor’s Safety Award,” Uponor North America President Bill Gray said. “The award is even more significant this year due to the added challenges from the pandemic. I am very proud of how the Uponor team continues to stay focused and work diligently to keep health and safety a top priority.”
Navien begins shipping new boiler lines
Navien has started shipping its new lines of fire tube boilers and combi-boilers. The NFB-H condensing fire tube boilers and NFC-H condensing fire tube combi-boilers were first introduced by Navien during its Boiler Virtual Launch Event on Feb. 16.
Navien’s upgraded NFB-H high-output condensing fire tube boilers are available in two sizes, NFB-175H and NFB-200H. Both models include Navien’s patented stainless steel fire tube heat exchanger with a non-metallic condensate drain pan. The combustion chamber is form pressed to resist corrosion and the heat exchanger is robotic laser welded to ensure the highest quality with repeated results, Navien said. New high-efficiency features on the NFB-H include turndown ratios up to 15:1, powered connections for 3-zone pumps or 3-zone reduce areas valves, easy-to- use Setup Wizard for improved installation, 2-inch venting up to 65 feet and 3-inch venting up to 150 feet.
NFC-H high-output condensing fire tube combi-boilers are also available in two models, NFC-250/175H and NFC-250/200H. The NFC-H also offers Navien’s patented stainless steel fire tube heat exchanger along with a built-in DHW module that includes a flat-plate heat exchanger. New advanced features on the NFC-H include turndown ratios up to 15:1, powered connections for 3- zone pumps or 3-zone valves, easy-to-use Setup Wizard for improved installation, 2-inch venting up to 65 feet and 3-inch venting up to 150 feet. The NFC-H also includes increased DHW performance with up to 210,000 Btu/h for DHW, offering up to 5.4 gpm at a 70-degree temperature rise.
For more information on both fire tube products, visit navieninc.com.
Sioux Chief announces acquisition and key executive promotions
Sioux Chief Mfg. Co. announced it has acquired Sun Drainage and Sigma Corp Trench Drain, resulting in exclusive distribution of Hydrotec Technologies trench drains in North America. Sun Drainage Products is a full line of commercial cast-iron drains, cleanouts and fixture carriers. Sigma Trench Drains is predominately made up of the Hydrotec brand of fiber-reinforced concrete commercial trench drains, as well as stainless steel and galvanized steel channels.
In other company news, Sioux Chief recently named industry veteran Michael Foster vice president of commercial products. He will lead a team focused on Sioux Chief’s line of commercial application plumbing products. Foster moves to this new roll from his previous position of director of national sales.
Foster joined Sioux Chief in 1989 after serving in the United States Army. In his 32 years of service, he has held positions in customer service, product management and sales.
“I am grateful to be chosen for this new role and being able to continue serving Sioux Chief," Foster said. "I am excited about the opportunities that Sioux Chief will have to expand our commercial products offering and grow the overall brand with distributors, engineers and contractors.”
Todd Amerson, formerly of Sigma Corp., will join Sioux Chief as director of trench drain sales. He has been in building materials working with concrete since 2001. He has worked specifically within the trench drain Industry since 2010, working closely with engineers, architects, contractors and distributors across all divisions of construction driving brand awareness and assuring market understanding of trench drain as a viable drainage solution, with additional duties of inventory management, vendor coordination and P&L responsibilities.
Additionally, Tim Stephenson is moving onto the role of regional sales manager. Stephenson joined Sioux Chief in 2016 as customer service manager and later transitioned to the Regional Sales Support team. His experience as a manager, proven people skills and commitment to his reps and customers has made him a benefit to the sales team, the manufacturer explained. Stephenson will initially be working with Sioux Chief's reps in the West; Double A Sales SW, Mountain West Marketing and Paramount Sales.
RWC named a 2021 top workplace
RWC has been honored with a Metro Atlanta Top Workplaces 2021 Award by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“This honor is a testament to the culture and company values not just in Atlanta but at every RWC location,” said Lauren Buchbinder, vice president of human resources, Americas. “We all are connected by our company values, and that shared passion manifests in the sense of community we’ve built even during the challenges of the pandemic."
The anonymous survey measures 15 culture drivers critical to the success of any organization. RWC received top scores in three areas: execution, open-mindedness and innovation.
Anvil International-Smith-Cooper announces new company name
Following the 2019 merger of Anvil International and Smith-Cooper International, the unified company has relaunched as ASC Engineered Solutions.
“Unifying the corporate brand enhances our presence in the market and reinforces that we are one company, drawing on the best of both legacy companies to create something greater than the sum of its parts,” said Jason Hild, chief executive officer of ASC Engineered Solutions. “It signals that we are committed to a way of doing business that extends beyond precision-engineered, category-leading products by leveraging technology, service and support to help our customers meet the challenges they face every day.”
ASC Engineered Solutions explained the new company logo communicates precision and quality, while the interlocking lines represent the connection to customers — much like a handshake. The typeface is strong and structural while also being clean, easy to read and modern, ASC said. The foundational black and grey references the company’s strength and commitment, while the vibrant blue captures the passion of its people, the company added.
The company’s tagline “Building connections that last,” comes from the legacy Anvil business. It is a nod to that heritage and a guarantee that the newly united company will bring forward the elements its customers appreciate. The tagline captures the essence of the brand, referring to both its products as well as the strong and lasting relationships vital to the organization, ASC stated.
