Distributor Profile 
 

• Traditional wholesalers to sell to dealer-contractors and do not usually sell product to the general public.
• Plan and spec distributors sell services- like design and engineering work- and products for commercial, institutional, and contractor accounts, and specifically exclude retail sales.
• Integrated wholesale distributors (i.e. a manufacturers reps) operate as subsidiaries of non-wholesaling incorporated businesses such as manufacturers, mass merchandisers, or energy providers.

Industry Terms

Several websites offer glossaries of HVAC terminology, including:

http://www.thehvacsource.com/index.php?q=glossary/hvac_terms

http://www.hvacmechanic.com/glossary/glossary_a.htm

http://www.hvac-city.com/hv01002.htm

For a more complete list of HVAC products and product groups please visit: http://www.globalspec.com/Industrial-Directory/hvac_catalog

Infor’s ERP FACTS HVAC components

• Front capabilities: Many HVAC Distributors deal with will-call and walk in customers at a front counter. Infor’s ERP FACTS helps them handle these customers by offering the ability to access inventory price and availability from Order Entry, enabling distributors to apply cash or credit card deposits against the order, and printing special will-call tickets for orders called in for pick-up, so the warehouse does not pack and prepare the order for shipment.
• Lot Billing: When handling large projects, contractors often want to order everything necessary for the job upfront to ensure that it is on hand when they need it. But, they also want to be able to receive the material in stages and pay for it as they receive it. Infor’s ERP FACTS enables distributors to handle lot billing by enabling them to first deliver and bill contractors for rough-in material, then invoice and deliver finished goods at a later date.
• Quoting Products and Projects: HVAC distributors regularly quote prices for large orders bid on by several contractors. Infor’s ERP FACTS helps distributors handle this by enabling them to turn quotes into orders at the push of a button and copy the quotes from one customer to another – and adjust pricing accordingly.
• Contract Pricing: HVAC contractors often need a certain number of units for a job, and distributors will offer special pricing on those units. Infor’s ERP FACTS helps distributors manage this process by establishing job specific pricing schedules, i.e. an HVAC distributor sells to a contractor putting up a housing development and they need 100 heating units, one for each house. Infor’s ERP FACTS will track these sales so that as the contractor buys over 100 units, or after a specific date, the special pricing goes away.
• Companion “go together” items: Many HVAC distributors sell items that complement each other- like pipes with gas fittings. But sales representatives often forget to offer products that accompany other items. Infor’s ERP FACTS handles this- and up sell products- by automatically “suggesting” products that go with items on a customer’s order, which increases sales and improves customer satisfaction.
• Assemblies: HVAC distributors often assemble goods- like pumps- for customers. Infor’s ERP FACTS helps them handle this by allowing distributors to keep items like fully-assembled pumps in the solution at one price with one item code and calculates the number of assemblies a distributor can complete for a customer by searching the database and finding all the components necessary to assemble the product.
• Disassembles: HVAC distributors also purchase completed assemblies or products for parts, then break them down into separate items to stock and sell. Infor’s ERP FACTS enables distributors to bring an assembly or kit into the warehouse, tear it down, and sell its individual components. It also allows the distributor to sell an assembly without certain components- or exchange one component for another.
• Serial Number Tracking: For manufacturer warranties and recalls, HVAC distributors must track serial numbers on big ticket items like air conditioning units, heat pumps, and furnaces. Infor’s ERP FACTS helps distributors monitor these items by allowing them to record the serial numbers on everything in the warehouse. For example, distributors can record item serial numbers as they enter the business to produce inventory reports, and enter them into the system at point-of-sale.
• Inventory Control: In the HVAC industry, certain items go in and out of style or are replaced by newer, more innovative products. And the business is very seasonal- customers buying air conditioners in the spring and summer and heating units in the fall and winter. Infor’s ERP FACTS help distributors control inventory by tracking trends and monitoring seasonality by using the previous year’s history data to create orders for seasonal items, instead of producing reports based on previous months’ usage.
• Document Imaging/Linking: HVAC Distributors must often keep things like exploded parts lists on file for contractors. In the past, this information was usually kept in file cabinets. Infor’s ERP FACTS helps distributors handle this by allowing them to store and create links to images, spec sheets, installation instructions and much more online.

Infor has customer overviews available on the following HVAC distributors

• AC Direct
• TMS South
• Other Available Upon Request

Associations

• HARDI- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors International: www.hardinet.org
• ASA- American Supply Association: www.asa.net

Trade Shows

• HARDI- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors International: Annual Fall Conference and AHR Expo www.hardinet.org
• SMACNA 65th Annual Convention and Product Show
  Maui HI   www.smacna.org
• ARR Expo The worlds largest HVACR marketplace www.ahrexpo.com

Buying/Marketing Groups

• Affiliated Distributors (A-D) HVAC, More then 50 distributor members, www.adhq.com/divisions
• WIT & Co., more then 70 distributor members, www.wit-co.com
• Johnston Supply, more then 280 locally-owned stores, www.johnstonsupply.com

Publications

• Supply House Times (monthly): www.supplyht.com ; targeted to distributors; covers plumbing and HVAC news, products, manufacturing.
• The Wholesaler (monthly): www.thewholesaler.com ; targets distributors; covers industry and product news, events, etc.
• HVACR Business (monthly): www.hvacrbusiness.com   Offers information about the entire heating ventilation, and air conditioning industry.

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