Modine is Hot

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Modine also features two demo trucks with equipment that they take on the road to events and directly to the distributors. These trucks not only serve a marketing function, but they are also valuable training tools. “We're doing all this in support of our distributors and reps and always driving the sale through the distributor,” says McBurney, who adds that the demo trucks are a great way to introduce new distributors to the Modine line. For both end users and distributors, there's nothing like seeing and touching the equipment. “People like to look at the products,” Boothman says. “And the trucks are great ways to draw people out to an event, and they can then recognize how it is installed and the advantages it might bring to them.”

Modine has many local, independent distributors across the country along with some that are very large with multiple locations. Although they may be different in size, the similarities can be found in what the distributors bring to their customers. “They provide very strong, value-added services to the trade.”

In return, Modine provides its distributors with added value as well as training and marketing programs. After all, if Modine is driving business to its distributors, they want to make sure that the distributors are equipped to answer a customer's questions about its products. “The distributor has to be armed with the information and the tools that they need,” McBurney says. Modine's 10 technical support representatives and four application engineers are also available for distributors who need assistance in the application, pricing or sizing of products.

Modine also promotes its Accu-Spec program to distributors. The program takes a user through a series of step-by-step questions that allows for easy configuration of Modine products and is considered to be the fastest way to generate performance data based on actual job conditions. “We've gotten great feedback from distributors, engineers and reps,” McBurney says. “It assures you that we will be able to manufacture what you need, and it will operate the way you want it to.” Modine plans to roll out a Web-based version of Accu-Spec later in the year.

McBurney sees the relationship between distributor and manufacturer as a two-way street. “We're trying to be proactive in our training and marketing, and we encourage our distributors to do the same,” he says. Counter days with Modine sales reps continue to be a popular and productive way to involve distributors and their customers with Modine products, as do the on-site training programs. Modine also conducts two weeklong training sessions at its Virginia manufacturing facility that are open to all distributors.

“With so many new and enhanced products recently introduced, there are plenty of opportunities for our sales staff to be spending time with its distributors,” says Boothman, who also spends much of his time in the field with distributors and their customers. Likewise, distributors have a number of tools at their disposal to promote Modine's gas-fired, oil-fired, steam/hot water and electric heating solutions.

An annual Modine Rep Council brings information and ideas together from reps located around the country. It also helps solidify the planning for new products as well as identify more effective ways that the company can help its distributors and their customers. Once the company makes a commitment to new initiatives, McBurney says, it takes that commitment very seriously.

Even though Modine is a well-established and well-respected name, that will only get a company so far today. What will you do for me tomorrow is what we all want to know. Modine continues to answer that question by focusing squarely on what customers want with quality products and support that meet their needs.

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Michael Maynard is a business writer based in Providence, RI. He writes frequently on HVACR, construction and architecture issues. Contact him at michael.maynard@lycos.com.

Best Practice

New product development

Definition and Example: Raise Your Comfort Level. It's more than a tagline for us. It's what we stand for. It's what we want to bring to anyone who comes in contact with the Modine name. One of the many ways we do this for our distributors is by continuing to bring products to market that build off of our heating and air conditioning expertise. The Effinity⁹³ is a perfect example.

Significance: In today's business world, where end users demand cleaner, more efficient products — and the government and local municipalities require them — it is crucial that Modine presses forward developing new and improved HVAC solutions that exceed these demands.

Benefits: Our newest product, the Effinity⁹³, is the most efficient gas-fired unit heater line in North America. This means potentially thousands of dollars in savings on energy bills. It also means decreased demand for fossil fuel and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Looking ahead, our new product development initiatives will continue to make improved efficiency a key benefit, resulting in benefits for everyone involved — lower energy costs for end users, fewer emissions released into the atmosphere, and added value for our distributors to sell Modine.

Procedure: From inception to production, we thoroughly test our HVAC solutions at our own heating laboratory in Racine, WI. We constantly evaluate areas for improvement and solicit feedback from our employees, reps and distributors.

People involved: We cannot develop new products and ideas by working in a vacuum. That's why it is critical that our entire group is always open to feedback and ideas from our distributors. After all, they are in touch with HVAC contractors on a daily basis and can speak to their experiences in the field. We trust our reps and distributors to sell and promote our brand and therefore trust their feedback. One of the selling features of the Effinity⁹³ is our Contractor Convenience Package, which we can trace directly to feedback we received in the field.

Timing: Our dedication to new product development has yielded a number of new products over the last two years, including the Effinity⁹³, the PTS-model gas-fired unit heater line, power-vented duct furnaces, and 100,000/125,000 BTU/hr Hot Dawg heaters to name a few.

Contact: Richard Boothman, North American Sales Director, 215/983-1923; Ray Schaffart, Marketing & Communications Manager, 262/636-1504.

Modine Commercial Products Group at a Glance

President & CEO:	Tom Burke
Vice President:	Tom Marry, Regional V.P. Asia and Commercial Products Group
Headquarters:	Modine Manufacturing Co., 1500 DeKoven Ave., Racine, WI 53403; 800/828-HEAT
Operations:	Commercial Products Group — Buena Vista, VA; West Kingston, RI
Employees:	7,000 worldwide
Annual Sales:	FY 2009: $1.4B
Major Product Lines:	Unit heaters — gas, water, oil, electric; Direct and Indirect fired rooftop heaters; Infrared heaters — high- and low-intensity; Applied hydronic heaters — cabinet unit heater, convectors, fin-tube; Ceiling cassettes
Website:	www.modinehvac.com; www.modinehvac.com/greenhouse
Year Founded:	1916