HYDRONICS | CORPORATE REPORT |
ECR International — meeting the needs of contractors
RON PASSAFARO, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ECR INTERNATIONAL
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Radiator Corp. and Utica Boiler Companies, both of which were founded in 1928 by Earle C. Reed: The founder’s initials were taken for the newly formed entity. ECR designs, manufactures and distributes boilers, hydronic controls, oil furnaces, ductless air conditioning, PTACs and micro-combined heat and power products. The company goes to market under multiple brands and through multiple channels to provide a single source solution for its customers. ECR has a core principle of
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developing and owning critical to successful product technology. For example, it believes it is the only North American-based residential company that designs, manufactures and assembles its own condensing boiler heat exchangers, ductless air conditioners and micro combined heat and power systems. Having the internal capability to develop world class technology puts it and its customers in charge of its mutual future rather than having its future dictated by suppliers whose primary attention is on European or Asian markets. Owning its own intellectual property has been invaluable in developing products to specifically meet North American contractor’s needs and applications. Recently, Phc Newsspoke with
Ron Passafaro, president and CEO of ECR International.
How did you get involved in the industry?
RP: I joined Dunkirk Radiator
CR International was founded in 1999 as a result of the merger between Dunkirk
Corporation as national sales manager in 1989 after spending five years in the medical diagnostics industry with Abbott Laboratories. At that time, I would have never guessed that I would be in the HVAC business but, after 22 years, I’m extremely proud to say that I am. This is an industry of relationships, where your word and that of others still means something, and a handshake is the only contract you really need. That’s the way I was taught to do business in this industry, and I love it. Hell, even our competitors are good guys who make nearly as good products (Ha, Ha). I’m happy to sit at a corner bar sipping a cold one with a contractor and talking about his last tough install. That’s where you learn how to serve in this business, “belly to belly” we call it.
How can contractors benefit from installing your product (through quality, innovation, on-time shipping, customer service and satisfaction)?
RP: We are a professional trade business, and we are only successful by serving our distributor and dealer customers better than our competitors. That starts with all of us understanding our customers’ businesses so we can understand how to make a positive impact on the business. We always want to be working on tasks, projects and services that will make our customers more effective and profitable. If we do this for them, they’ll reward us with more business. We build quality and time savings into our products from design to manufacture so that it costs less to install and service them. That’s why we have built in primary secondary piping on our new condensing boiler products; contractors can be sure the piping loop is correct, and it greatly reduces their material and labor costs.
The same philosophy applies to why we factory wire and install LWCOs on water boilers, introduced the first oil boiler with a swing-out burner door, mount our oil furnace blower decks on slide rails and provide Schrader service valves on our ductless condensers. Make it easier and more productive for the contractor; they’re the ones that pay the bills around here. Taking labor out of the basement and putting it in the factory where it is least costly and most consistent makes sense to us and our customers. Any news/new products at ECR?
RP: We just released our new wallhung condensing boiler lines in June for our flagship brands Utica, the SSC and Dunkirk, the Helix VLT. These products incorporate our proprietary stainless steel heat exchanger designs and have significant installation timesaving advantages built into them. Our engineering staff has overcome some of the industry’s most troublesome challenges by designing a true self cleaning heat exchanger with a corrosion resistant flue collector that withstands the acidic transition environment between heat exchanger and flue. Our customers have responded very favorably to these products, and we are grateful to them, as it has resulted in our company’s most successful product launch. Explain the freewatt system (installation, benefits, etc.).
RP: Freewatt is a micro combined
heat and power product for hydronic or warm air systems developed by our joint venture, Climate Energy LLC of Medfield, Mass. It’s mini cogeneration. The T-stat calls for heat, and the natural gas engine engages and generates electricity; the waste heat
e Continued on p 44
phc august 2011
www.phcnews.com
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