Energy-Saving Water Heaters | Metropolitan Industries

November 1, 2012

Metropolitan teams up with LAARS®

Metropolitan customers now have access to a new line of boilers, water heaters and combination units.

Metropolitan Industries, Inc. is officially a representative of LAARS® Heating Systems Company, giving us a new line of residential and commercial boilers, water heaters and combination units.

LAARS® regional manager Van Culberson has held training at Metropolitan on separate occasions over the past month to ensure Metropolitan’s sales and service divisions are fully equipped with the information needed to maximize the partnership and best serve customers.

“This partnership will give Metropolitan access to our full line of residential and commercial products, which can be used in a variety of ways,” said Culberson. “We have units sized from 50,000 BTUs all the way up to 2.4 million BTUs that can be used in residential, commercial and industrial applications.”

Residential products include boilers, water heaters and combination heaters for indoor use.

“Some of our offerings on the residential side include our Mini-Therm gas-fired hydronic boiler and Endurance combination boiler, which are both 85 percent AFUE rated products,” said Culberson. “Another exciting item is our NeoTherm water heater, which is 95 percent efficient in operation and sized for both residential and commercial uses.”

Products such as the 95 percent efficient NeoTherm are now available from Metropolitan.

Commercial products include an assortment of boilers and water heaters for indoor and outdoor uses.

Much like residential merchandise, commercial systems are energy-efficient and sized to meet a number of challenges.

Culberson said company structure, customer service and an array of products help LAARS® distinguish itself from others within the marketplace.

“Today, customers require instantaneous solutions and at LAARS®, we can provide them,” said Culberson. “We operate in a flat company structure which ultimately allows us to service customers in an adept and timely fashion.”

Much like Metropolitan, LAARS® employs a full service department for premier reliability when issues arise.

“Our customer service is as good as, or even better than, anyone else,” said Culberson. “Our technical support, both pre and post-sale, is outstanding and we have full-time service managers that assist customers in remedying problems whenever they arise.”

Lastly, its full range of products and diverse uses give LAARS® the ability to service many needs.

“With products that range from 82 percent to 95 percent efficient and sized from 50,000 to 2.4 million BTUs, we’re able to serve a large market of customers and fill a wide range of needs,” Culberson said.

In regards to the partnership with Metropolitan, Culberson cited our company structure and personnel as primary factors as to why the joint venture makes sense for LAARS®.

“We can now develop packaged systems thanks to Metropolitan’s manufacturing abilities, which is something we’ve never had access to in the Chicagoland market,” said Culberson. “Metropolitan’s in-house service department is very beneficial to us as well. Keeping all capabilities under one roof makes servicing equipment efficient.”

Metropolitan president John Kochan Jr. believes the LAARS® line brings further diversity to Metropolitan and can allow our company to move into new markets when combined with our manufacturing, fabrication, sales and service departments.

“At Metropolitan, we’ve never been afraid to expand our horizons and we believe representing the LAARS® line can introduce us to new markets of customers,” said Kochan Jr. “The LAARS® line, combined with our manufacturing, fabrication, sales and service divisions, make us a good match.”

For more information regarding the LAARS® line please visit www.laars.com or contact a Metropolitan representative at 800-323-1665 or sales@metropolitanind.com.

September 20, 2012

Navien training seminars beneficial for all involved

Our commitment to providing training to industry professionals is one of the many reasons why Metropolitan makes an ideal business partner. By sharing our expertise with engineers, water/wastewater operators, city officials and more, those working in the field are fully prepared to best meet needs and challenges.

With this goal in mind, we recently held a Navien tankless water heaters training course at our facility. Metropolitan is the representative of Navien tankless water heaters, which are 98 percent efficient in operation. For residential applications, Navien heaters can lead to increased gas savings, save space, and provide an instant/endless supply of hot water. These features have led to increased popularity and demand of Navien heaters, making training for installers more and more pertinent.

Navien America’s David Hoskyn was on-hand to conduct training during our most recent course. Hoskyn, who has been involved in the wholesale business for nearly 20 years and has conducted Navien training throughout the Midwest for over a year, said all sides of the business benefit from training courses.

“Training is very important to Navien America since we understand the benefit to all of us, including Navien, the representatives, distributors and the contractor,” said Hoskyn. “This helps the contractor be more profitable by reducing callbacks due to misapplied or incorrectly installed products. It will also reduce service time due to a greater understanding of the components, their function and operation. Lastly, it helps everyone understand the service and warranty process, and how we as a company handle support and warranty issues.”

Hoskyn said the most recent training fostered the type of learning environment he strives for as an instructor.

“The most recent training that we held at Metropolitan was another example of a well-coordinated, well-executed class,” said Hoskyn. “The people attending the class were involved and interested in attaining a better understanding of the product. The class was not only a great mix of both installers and service technicians, but also people that have installed the product before and those who have not. This makes for a great variety of questions and comments, which helps everyone in the class, including myself.”

Overall, Hoskyn credits Metropolitan’s commitment to training as a primary reason why it makes a model partner in business for customers and suppliers.

“Metropolitan is an extremely valuable partner for Navien America,” said Hoskyn. “They understand the importance that training holds to not only our product, but all of the lines they carry. The sales and support that they provide to their customers are keys to the success we have in the market.”

For more information regarding Navien tankless water heaters or to inquire about Metropolitan trainings, please visit www.metropolitanind.com or contact 815-886-9200.