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Written By
Kimberly Rodgers
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| Karen McSherry and Dane Harman |
Harman Home Heating, Halifax, PA., has much to celebrate this year (as the company marks its
30th anniversary), including Har -
man’s transition to the Hearth &
Home Technologies (HHT) family of
brands and the introduction of the
HydroFlex60 pellet boiler. These
events continue the company’s tradition
of offering innovative, well-crafted
products to meet consumers’
home-heating needs.
The Right Fit
The November 2007 acquisition of
Harman Home Heating by HHT has
brought some exciting new benefits
to Harman employees and dealers.
Karen McSherry, who provides marketing
and creative-services support
for Harman, says that one of the
biggest benefits that employees
(called members) have realized with
the transition is a changeover to a
lean manufacturing process that is
designed to increase productivity
while deceasing production costs.
“This system is very organized and
allows for a lot of input from the manufacturing
members,” she says. “They
took it, ran with it, and are thriving.
They love that if they have an idea, it is
heard, analyzed, and usually implemented—
because it’s often a good one. The
members here making the product are
very engaged with the new process
and do find it to be rewarding.”
Another advantage of being part of
HHT is a greater emphasis on communication
between different parts of
the Harman organization. More meetings
and teleconferences help employees
understand different aspects of
the business. “Being in advertising, I
didn’t always know what was going
on with the technical side of the business,
and now it’s all encompassing:
Everyone knows what is going on
within the company. It’s empowering
and definitely a plus,” McSherry says.
Under a new HHT authorized-dealer
program (which will officially roll out in 2010, with parts of the program
implemented in 2009), dealers
will be receiving more benefits.
“Previously, we never offered promotions
to dealers, other than a once-ayear
early-buy program,” McSherry
says. Under the new program, which
encompasses cooperative advertising
and displays, there will now be more
money going back to the dealer.
McSherry explains, “We believe
this will give our dealers a competitive
edge against the hearth dealer
down the street who is selling a different
brand.” The new program also
includes dealer discounts on showroom
materials and sales training,
along with a purchase plan for dealers’
employees that allows them to
purchase Harman products at a substantial
discount.
“We see the value in this because
what these employees burn in their
homes will give them more experience
with the product. You tend to
talk about what you know, and if they
know our products are the best, they
are more likely to push them on the
sales floor,” McSherry says.
Eco-Friendly Home Heat
First introduced last year, and winner
of the 2008 Vesta Award in the
Renewable Fuel Central Systems category,
the HydroFlex60 pellet boiler is
now available to environmentally conscious
homeowners. Fueled by renewable
biomass pellets, the HydroFlex60
provides up to 60,000 Btu to the primary
central heating system.
The unit easily connects to, and
works with, any existing hot-air or
hot-water system; it can also be connected
remotely to the primary unit
in another area of the home. Using
the HydroFlex60 is an easy way for
homeowners to become environmentally
responsible, since pellet heat is
carbon neutral. The unit also has a
small footprint, allowing it to be
installed in tight spaces.
The HydroFlex60 will save consumers
money, since thermostats on the
unit can be adjusted based on current
fuel prices. For example, if the fuel used
by the primary heat source becomes
less expensive, the thermostat can be
set higher on it, and the HydroFlex60
setting can be decreased. Alternatively, if
pellets remain more cost effective, the
HydroFlex60 temperature can be kept
at the desired setting, and the primary
system’s output can be decreased and
used as a backup heat source.
A Long-Standing
Reutation
In the late 1970s, Dane Harman, a
welder by trade, originally built a stove
to heat his home. It worked so well
that neighbors soon began asking him
to build stoves for them. He started
working out of his garage, filling orders
throughout central Pennsylvania.
Today, the company has tens of
thousands of customers throughout
the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Harman continues to be the driving
force behind the company’s ability to
conceive and create innovative, highquality
products that meet the homeheating
needs of today’s consumer.
Last summer, when fuel prices
went through the roof, industry shipments
of wood stoves and inserts
increased about 85 percent over the
same period in 2007, and sales of
wood-pellet stoves and inserts
increased by 168 percent, according
to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue
Association. To meet this growing
consumer demand, Harman offers
over 40 stove models, including fireplace,
furnace, and boiler products
Harman has patents for technologies
in four fuel categories and specializes
in making products that burn
biomass materials, such as pellets and
wood. By offering these alternative
fuel sources, Harman is giving homeowners
the opportunity to become
less dependent on oil (and less subject
to its price volatility).
While Harman’s past has been a
great success, McSherry is equally
excited about what is in store for the
company in the future. She reports
that Harman is specifically planning
to expand its line of wood-burning
products. “Our research-and-development
department is excited and
has been hustling on several new
products. Watch for them in 2010,”
she says.
PHPR May/June 2009
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