Plumbing

Building owners want to continue reducing operating costs and carbon footprint, switching to more efficient equipment. Combining the Xylem Smart Motor family with the industry proven e-90 pump series provides customers with a proven solution for HVAC applications that offers pump, motor and variable speed drive in an all-in-one product. The e-90E is a versatile close-coupled in-line pump designed for heating and cooling applications. Installed in either horizontal or vertical applications, the robust mechanical seal lowers maintenance costs and increases the life of the pump. The scope includes 12 combinations of high RPM e-90 models combined with the Xylem Smart Motor ranging up to 3HP.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe along with Tony Stewart Racing’s Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan to Carry Rinnai Branding in 2023.

Kannapolis, N.C. — Rinnai America Corporation has partnered with Tony Stewart and his racing entities in NASCAR and the NHRA to promote its line of products using his diverse motorsports portfolio.

In NASCAR, fans will see the red Rinnai logo in an associate position on Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 14 Ford Mustang driven by Chase Briscoe in the NASCAR Cup Series. In the NHRA, Tony Stewart Racing drivers Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan will carry the Rinnai logo in the Camping World Drag Racing Series, with Pruett running a full Rinnai primary sponsorship on her Top Fuel dragster in two events – the NHRA Winternationals March 30-April 2 in Pomona, California, and the NHRA Carolina Nationals Sept. 22-24 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hagan will sport a full Rinnai livery on his Funny Car in the NHRA New England Nationals June 2-4 in Epping, New Hampshire, an event the three-time champion has won four times, including in 2022.  

“Our expertise in tankless water heating is unmatched, and this partnership with Tony Stewart and his NASCAR and NHRA teams allows us to tell that story in a thrilling, team-oriented environment that emulates the quality and dedication we put into our products and services,” said Frank Windsor, president, Rinnai America Corporation. 

“The similarities of our business to racing are numerous especially when speed efficiency, and superior quality are keys to success. Performance is paramount, and that’s something Rinnai has always understood. It’s part of our overall commitment to our customers, and racing embodies that commitment.”

The NASCAR Cup Series encompasses a total of 39 events in its milestone 75^th season, beginning with the non-points Busch Light Clash Feb. 5 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and ending with the season finale Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway. The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series includes 21 events in 2023. Its 72^nd season starts with the NHRA Gatornationals March 9-12 in Gainesville, Florida, and concludes with the NHRA Finals Nov. 9-12 in Pomona.  

“We’re incredibly proud to have this partnership with Rinnai because it shows the strength of our motorsports program,” Stewart said. “NASCAR and NHRA offer two very different fan experiences and combined they touch every corner of the country. Rinnai and its customers get the best of both worlds because our program allows a number of choices to promote its products and services.” 

In addition to branding on racecars, Rinnai becomes the official tankless water heater of Stewart Haas Racing and Tony Stewart Racing. This designation highlights Rinnai’s brand promise of “Creating a healthier way of living®”, a mantra that is at the forefront of all the company’s efforts. By continuing to offer quality products and services to homeowners and organizations, Rinnai is aiding in providing businesses and homes with energy-efficient hot water options for cleaner and healthier living. 

The announcement of the partnership comes after a series of milestone events for Rinnai America. “We opened a new manufacturing facility last year in Griffin, Georgia, that has allowed us to combat shipping delays and supply-chain challenges. In this facility, we manufacture our new RE Series™ Tankless Water Heater, the first and only non-condensing unit with a built-in pump. That product, along with our ability to manufacture in the United States, is another reason why we’ve partnered with Tony Stewart and have become the official tankless water heater of Stewart Haas Racing and Tony Stewart Racing,” Windsor said. 

Mechanical Hub kicks off its 2023 Industry Forecast series with good friend, Bruce Carnevale, President and CEO, Bradford White Corporation. You would think coming out of a global pandemic there might be signs of positive growth. But hold your horses, as they used to say. For the economy to back on the right track, it’s going to take some time, and steady leadership.

Bruce Carnevale, center, right, holding water bottle

MH: I’ve heard that the first half of 2023 might be a bit bumpy, how do you see 2023 shaking out and the short-term economy in general?

Carnevale: I’m actually a bit more concerned about the 2nd half of 2023, John. While most economic indicators are not good right now, some are headed in the right direction so there feels like there is a bit of stability for now. Even though it has moderated the past couple of months, inflation continues to be stubbornly high, but the jobs market had been surprisingly strong. I’m not sure everyone understands that when the inflation rate falls from 9.1% to 6.5% (for current US inflation info), that doesn’t mean prices have fallen. It means that prices are increasing at a lesser rate, but they are still increasing at over three times the Fed’s target rate!

I believe that historically high prices have slowed demand, and helped slow the pace of inflation more so than the Fed’s rate increases have up until now. It takes time for the Fed’s actions to take hold, and I think we will see the impact of that later this year in the form of a significant slowdown. If not technically a recession, I think it will feel like one to the American consumer. I hope that the Fed becomes less aggressive with its 2023 rate increases.

I mentioned that the labor market has remained strong, but my sense is that is changing fast…every day we are hearing of new layoffs at some of the country’s largest employers. This is a clear indication of how much demand has slowed, and I think that will continue into the 2nd half of 2023.

MH: What causes you pause for concern? (Steady inflation, supply chain, housing starts, interest rates, foreign factors, etc.)

Carnevale: All of the above! But what concerns me most is labor availability. I think most companies would say the shortage of workers is still their number one business concern, despite all of the other challenges you mentioned. I am hopeful that the slow down in the labor market will bring the number of available workers and the number of job openings back to equilibrium.

The global geopolitical instability also keeps me up at night. We all saw the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing war. That continues to be impactful to supply chains and economies, especially in Europe. But there are several other hot spots in the world that could erupt, whether it be wars or new COVID outbreaks, and have dramatic impacts on the global economy and supply chains.

MH: Are you seeing any signs of positivity? If so, where?

Carnevale: Absolutely. I’m actually somewhat bullish for our business for 2023. As I’ve mentioned in articles and presentations over the last year and a half, we’ve been in a period of correction from the over buying of water heaters in 2020 and 2021, but the worst seems to be behind us. It is also great to re- engage with our customers and business partners in person, and their businesses have mostly normalized to what they were pre-pandemic.

MH: Without getting too deep into the weeds, how do regulations help or hinder the manufacturing process, and are there any significant ones coming down the pike of which contractors should be aware?

Carnevale: Really, John? How long do we have? If your question is specific to the impact on manufacturing processes, significant regulations which require manufacturers to build entirely new models are a huge challenge. Imagine that you have a factory which builds products that are currently compliant, and then five years from now, you have to build a completely different products to meet new regulations. That sounds like a sufficient amount of time, right? But you have to continue to produce the current product while you are re-tooling the factory to build new product. There is no practical way that you can just remove all the old equipment, roll in the new equipment, flip a switch to stop making the old models and start making the new models on the date the new regulations take effect. We expect that the Department of Energy’s upcoming NAECA 4 regulation will require us to do just that. We’ll figure it out, but it’s a significant challenge and it will be very expensive.

Contractors need to prepare for a significant shift to heat pump water heaters, condensing commercial gas water heaters, and condensing boilers. Every indication is that is what the DOE will require, and several states are moving in that direction even faster and more aggressively. Some municipalities have already banned gas water heaters, and some have announced that they will within the next 5 to 10 years. I would encourage contractors to really dig into the regulations pending in their market area and prepare accordingly.

As it relates to contractors, what is your “message” to them as it relates to your company and its line of products and services? Last year, Bradford White celebrated the 30th anniversary of our commitment to the professional installation of our products. As stated in those messages, we will remain “For the Pro” with the products, services and support we bring to our contractor customers. We will strive to continue to be your best partner for success in your business.

MH: What specifically does BW have its sights set on in 2023? (New products, working with assocs. for workforce development, etc.)

Carnevale: Despite some of the headwinds that still exist with regard to the supply chain and the economy, we are excited about 2023. As you know, toward the end of last year, we released our new formula for Vitraglas tank lining where it now includes Microban. The excitement around that has been tremendous and we expect Vitraglas with Microban to help our customers win against the competition in both residential and commercial water heaters. We also have several other new products that launched in 2022 and even more to be announced in 2023.

We are also excited to be expanding the reach of our Industry Forward (IF) program, which was created to put a focus on the wonderful career opportunities available in our industry. As you know, all of us in this industry have workforce challenges so we expect to get more traction for IF in 2023 to shine a brighter spotlight on this challenge and increase awareness of our industry’s career opportunities to the general public.

If you’re looking to build up the services that your plumbing business can offer to your local community, then at some point, you’re going to have to look beyond what you, yourself, can provide and will need to grow your team. If you don’t want to rely on sub-contracting alone, then you need to learn about what you can do to build and manage your own team. Here are a few tips on how to do that.

Put the right hiring practices in place

One of the most common problems when managing a plumbing business is finding and hiring people with not just the skills that you need, but the same approach to plumbing and customer interaction. Finding skilled workers alone can be tough, but you need to make sure that you’re specific in the skills that you’re looking for, while also keeping an eye on the attitude of the worker. Do they have the same attention to detail with customer relationships and customer service as they do with the plumbing?

Know how to retain your team

Once you’ve hired the right team, you want to make sure that you can keep a hold of them, as well. However, that’s not always as easily said as it is done. Retention has to begin from the very beginning, with a set and reliable onboarding process that welcomes them to the team. Aside from offering competitive wages and benefits and offering the training and education to help your team grow, you can help better retain your plumbers by showing some appreciation now and then and taking their own needs, such as their work/life balance into account.

Get to know your responsibilities

As an employer, you’re going to suddenly find yourself dealing with a lot more responsibilities. Most important is providing a safe working environment by teaching what safety skills you need to and providing the PPE necessary for every job. Second to that is ensuring that payroll is handled correctly, not only in terms of paying your team the agreed amount on time but also making sure that you get your taxes right as an employer with an online federal tax id number filing service. There are, of course, other legal responsibilities that you should take your time to get acquainted with to make sure that you’re actually doing your job as an employer.

Build your management skills

As an employer, unless you have a large team with management in the middle, then you are also going to be responsible for directing your team. As such, taking a management course can help you learn how to communicate with them, manage their morale, and treat them with the appropriate levels of respect and trust. Not everyone is a born manager, it can be more difficult to direct a team of employees than you might think, so it’s worth seeing what you can learn.

As an employer, you have to deal with many responsibilities and learn new skills. The tips above can help you do just that.