Lau Parts Perfecting Customer Service

For more than 80 years, Lau Industries has made moving air its business by producing the motors, fans, blowers, louvers and other products and accessories that keep the air flowing through homes and buildings. But moving air is only part of the story. Coupled with the quality and innovation of Lau's products are the people behind the products — the men and women who keep the products flowing through the supply chain by working closely with HVACR wholesalers to fill orders, answer technical questions and ensure that they have what they need to help their customers.

Lau Parts Division is the aftermarket company of Lau Industries, supplying universal replacement products and parts to HVACR wholesalers around the world. "A lot of companies that sell to wholesalers are distributors and aren't making the products," says Sam Rajkovich, Lau's director of sales and marketing. "Not only do we have the advantage of being part of a larger organization, but we're a domestic manufacturer with all of our knowledge in one place and we're the only manufacturer that sells directly to wholesalers in our category."

Dayton, Ohio-based Lau and its nine manufacturing facilities are scattered throughout the United States, with each location specializing in specific product lines. Its three regional distribution centers in the United States are strategically located near Los Angeles, Dallas and South Bend, IN.

Edgar B. Lau founded the firm in 1928 as the Lau Blower Co. and produced large volume, high-quality blower wheels. Over the years, Lau grew by bringing new products to the market and by being acquired by larger companies, which has allowed Lau the capital to further develop its products and markets. In 1990, Tomkins PLC, a London-based company that focuses on manufacturing, purchased Lau.

While the HVACR world knows Lau for its fan blades and blowers, the company also manufactures other product lines that include fire and life safety products, control dampers and louvers. "We really rely on our sales reps to make the connection with the wholesalers in their areas, so they understand that we're more than just fan blades," Rajkovich says.

While the product line is diverse, the support for these products remains firmly focused at its Dayton headquarters. That's where you can find the full engineering support and customer service for wholesalers along with one phone number — you don't have to page through a directory to find the right department for a specific product. "Having one phone number is a real benefit to the customer," Rajkovich says.

Customer service is a hallmark of Lau, and the company prides itself on having the highest level of technical knowledge in the industry. "If you were to ask us what our strategic advantage is, that's it," he says. "Our customer service people have an average tenure of 15 to 17 years." Lau customer service goes beyond the knowledge of Lau product lines and how it markets its products, according to Rajkovich. Their staff can also identify and recommend how Lau may be better able to improve a system's operating capability. "A customer may call about part 123, but our staff may say to them that they could use another part with a motor with less horsepower that requires less energy. It pays off."

Because Lau has been in business for 80 years and has produced so many air moving products, the customer service staff is prepared to handle many different inquiries. Lau once manufactured and sold whole house circular fans before air conditioning became widely used, and Sears named it vendor of the year in 1968 for its humidifiers. Lau advertised its Super 20 pedestal fans in the 1950s on The Tonight Show with Steve Allen. "There are still people out there who use these fans, and they'll call us looking for a part," Rajkovich says. "We try to answer them the best we can." (Lau has a letter and photo posted on its website, www.lauparts.com, from a satisfied customer whose family bought its Lau pedestal fan in 1955 and continues to enjoy it to this day.)