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The evolution of boiler controls continues with tekmar’s Smart Boiler Control 294, as seen at this year’s 2022 AHR Expo. Manage multiple buildings, each with up to 16 boilers, and remotely adjust boiler settings and view real-time boiler operations with mirrored controls on Watts OnSite web and mobile app.

The 294 can be retroactively fit to any brand of boiler—old and new—and will send system alerts vi text, email and push notifications to help maintain boiler efficiency, operability and performance.

Key Benefits:

• Single solution for new construction and retrofits

• Remote, real-time access to one, or fleet or fleet of buildings

• Save on maintenance and operational expenses, labor costs and repairs

• Instant alerts via phone, text or email

• Works with any brand of boiler

• Expandable to 16 boilers

• 5″ color touchscreen with setup wizard

By Norman Hall

Your new employee is in the job and doing great. You used a system, as mentioned in part 1, to introduce the employee to the company core values and team members. Now, how do you increase their value to your customers? By enhancing their knowledge. In this article we will walk through the system we use at R. L. Deppmann to train new hires on hydronic system design and product knowledge.

The Hydronic System Training Program – Step by Step

A perfect example to get us in the long-term training mindset is to think about the key educational stages in a medical career. Think of your long-term heating and cooling training program for employees as a series of steps. A basic overall “pre-med” program for hydronic system parts and pieces. Then you move to a “med-school” program where the employee learns a lot of detailed things needed in the job. A “residency” program allows them to use the knowledge with little supervision or oversite. This is where they may choose to become an expert in some area of interest.

Internally we refer to this program as our “Doctoral Program.” While not a formal official university program, this metaphor works well to help the new hire understand that they will increase their knowledge and expertise in stages

This outline for training may be used for any job classification: product salespeople, customer service, estimation, and even startup personnel. Let’s use an example of a startup technician.

The Start-up Technician Job Overview

1. L. Deppmann (RLD) is a manufacturer’s representative. We startup pumps, boilers, steam condensate units, and packaged heat transfer and water heater systems. Our technicians do much more than a startup. We also get calls to assist contractors and plumbers in troubleshooting system issues. Obviously, the more seasoned technicians are more knowledgeable. What does their training program look like?

The Start-Up Tech ‘Doctoral’ Program

Part One: “Pre-Med.” Our technicians need to understand a great deal about how hydronic, steam, and plumbing systems work. This portion of training involves understanding the parts and pieces of each system and why they exist. This stage of training is done concurrently with the “hands-on” knowledge. The tech can be, for example, aligning pumps and basic startups most of the week. Their designated pre-med training happens just 4-6 hours per week. Most of it uses existing training programs internal to RLD or from other sources. One example is the Bell and Gossett Little Red Schoolhouse e-learning program.

As an example, let’s think of the air control portion of a hydronic system. This part one training would include “what they are” and “why they exist” for cold fill reducing valves, pressure relief valves, expansion tanks, air/dirt separators, and air vents.

This is the same knowledge an estimator or outside salesperson would need.

Part Two: “Med School.” This portion of the training plan really focuses on what can go wrong in the system or equipment as well as what can cause the issue. It now gets into the details of troubleshooting and servicing the equipment.

Keeping with the air control system example. How to set the cold fill pressure. How to replace an expansion tank bladder. Identifying the point of no pressure change issues.

This is where we introduce in-person classes at some of the manufacturers as formal training. An example is the Xylem Bell & Gossett Little Red School House in Morton Grove, Illinois. Once someone understands the basic what and why from part one, they are ready for the subject immersion of these classes.

“Med school” can go on for years depending on the number of opportunities to gain experience. Like gaining one’s medical degree, expertise in our industry is a marathon, not a sprint. The focus here is not on knowing how to do the day-to-day of one’s job, but rather mastery of their field. This takes time and patience.

Part Three: “Residency.” Now the Tech is ready to go beyond their basic job. Here they learn that trouble caused to one piece of equipment may be due to another. A true understanding of how everything interacts in the mechanical room. They are also able to train new people and customers at this point.

Using our air control example once again. How does a nuisance call about poor heating on the top floor lead the tech to check the cold fill pressure settings?

Multiple Concurrent Paths to Knowledge

Remember that an employee could be at multiple levels of knowledge at the same time. Someone could be done with air control med school knowledge while being in pre-med for steam and residency for boilers.

The team leader or manager is responsible for keeping “degree” records and identifying the order of subjects to be learned. This is a key success factor to the program. Knowledge and the ability to use it should be woven into employee accountabilities, reviews, one-on-one meetings, and even salary levels. The leader must understand the program and own it in order to seamlessly integrate it into the culture of their team and motivate employees to seek a higher understanding of their industry.

Your program will look different than mine. Any employee training program will help your company. You just need to commit to this fact: you cannot afford not to invest in new employee training.

Norman Hall is an engineer and leader at the R. L. Deppmann Company, a manufacturer’s representative, in Michigan and Ohio. Norm has assisted in the design and troubleshooting of hydronic and steam systems for 45 years.

 

 

Starting over 60 years ago in a small province in northern Italy, Caleffi has increased its footprint, expanded its international presence, survived the current pandemic, all the while manufacturing some of the most innovative PHVAC, heat metering and renewable products in the world.

This past fall, Mechanical Hub was honored to tour the Caleffi S.p.A. global headquarters in Fontaneto d’Agogna, Italy. We were joined by Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr, Training and Education Manager, Caleffi North America. Afterward, we sat down to chat with Chairman Marco Caleffi. To break the ice, we asked Marco what type of sports he enjoys watching, whether it be American football or European soccer. Marco promptly reached to the shelf behind him and put a vibrant yellow cheese wedge on his head, signifying his admiration for the Green Bay Packers and solidarity with Caleffi’s North American headquarters, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In disbelief and shock—as I am a Chicago Bears fan—I appreciated the gesture, but I needed to change the subject, and quickly!

A Taste of Caleffi

Upon arrival we were greeted with an impactful historical display of how Caleffi S.p.A.’s site was first constructed and the many expansions it has experienced in the decades since. During our walking tour, we were led through the entire manufacturing process—from the brass bar stock to final packaging of literally thousands of catalog offerings. “I’ve been on a fair number of factory tours, but I can say none showcase new technology and innovative manufacturing methods quite like Caleffi did,” said Eric Aune, co-owner, Mechanical Hub.

With all the technology, synchronization and automated machinery, there still exists a proud workforce that is instrumental in the final product sold to plumbers, HVAC techs and other contractors around the world. “It was so cool to meet the people responsible for the products we buy every day. Equally as impressive, we were able to watch the process as literally every product Caleffi manufactures is tested before final packaging ships. I was blown away—the tour and people are first class all the way,” said Aune.

60 Years of Leadership

In 1961, beginning with two small lathes in his basement used for parts he crafted for OEMs, Francesco Caleffi founded the company. Fast forward to today and the Caleffi Group has grown to employ 1,400 people worldwide with subsidiaries and commercial offices in 18 countries. It produces and moves products via four Italian manufacturing and logistics facilities.  Unlike other companies that are in the third or fourth generation, Francesco started from the beginning. “My father was like a hurricane. To be honest, he was able to build Caleffi in only one generation,” said Marco Caleffi.

Marco boasts that his father was a good mechanic, personally machining items and producing spare parts for other companies. “After two years, my father decided to make new, finished products such as air vents and safety valves,” said Marco.  As technology advanced, automation became a big factor in the company’s success, a key contribution Marco’s father pushed for. “With forward-thinking automation, we have far greater control over quality. The standard of consistency is much, much better than manned assembly.”

From the beginning, what set Caleffi apart from competitors was “while they were only making ball valves, fittings and manifolds we were much more focused on the needs of the systems while making valves, fittings and manifolds,” continued Marco.

Early in Caleffi’s development, an instrumental partnership was formed. Marco’s uncle, Dante Bonini, joined Francesco Caleffi and was responsible for building a new commercial division. According to Marco, the two created a nice collaboration and they were a good balance for each other. “My father was difficult to manage because he wanted new buildings, new facilities and new investments before we needed them,” chuckled Marco.

Bonini offered a calming temperament that assisted Caleffi in making strategic moves when the time was right. “When we moved from the Gozzano regional plant in the Italian province of Novara, we bought this piece of land with room to grow in Fontaneto. It is still our headquarters today. Since the day we arrived, it has been our intention to expand,” said Marco.

In 2008, Caleffi opened its new research center, named CUBOROSSO, a bright red building where products are researched, developed and tested. It is a building that stands in stark contrast with the others on the Caleffi campus. “It represents the color of the Italian mechanical ‘soul,’” said Marco. “Like Ferrari, Ducati and Alessi, red represents the mechanical side of Italian innovation.

In 2009, Caleffi continued its investment in innovation with its completely unmanned Automatic Vertical Warehouse (MAV), which improves customer service by optimizing logistical processes. When the storage and handling of goods are entirely automated, the result is shorter processing times and minimized operator error—the standard quality aforementioned by Marco. “It is critical to have finished products for delivery and spare parts for what is needed in assembly,” said Marco.

“Everyone said it was so clean and modern, but it’s not until you’re on the floor and walking around that you realize you don’t see piles of materials and parts,” observed Aune. “Everything is very organized to the point where in the assembly stations, they move only the materials they need for a certain amount of time and a certain amount of product and then move them out quickly to be replaced with the next product. Everything was very orderly. It seemed that everything had a place. You could tell that that’s how they operate every day, not just because we were touring.”

If You Build It, They Will Come

In the 1980s, Caleffi was ready to expand into Europe and opened its first subsidiary in Germany. By the 90’s, another followed in England. “When we decided to expand, the initial branch was targeted for Germany because it’s a country that is associated with the ‘mechanic’s reference for innovative, precisely manufactured technology.’ There are a lot of German car makers, valve producers and boiler companies. We experienced nice success in Germany and then expanded into England. Now, 25 years later, we continued making our way into the U.S. and Canadian markets,” said Marco.

That introduction into North America came in 2001 when Roger Michaud and Rex Gillespie joined with Caleffi S.p.A. to begin pioneering the market. Mike Schreiner, now Chief Technology Officer, signed on in 2003 to develop a new zone valve line which ultimately became a key factor in Caleffi’s early growth.

From Caleffi S.p.A., Sergio Casarino was appointed Area Export Manager responsible for North America. He became an expatriate and for two years lived in Milwaukee to help get the fledgling business off the ground.  Giovanni Monti, now General Manager, strategically positioned the growing world-wide company, providing a balanced configuration of management expertise and direction.

To further accelerate growth and organize North America for expansion, veteran Mark Olson was hired as CEO in 2005 where he continues to serve. Caleffi then began bringing on seasoned hydronic and plumbing experts such as Bob “Hot Rod” Rohr to head training and Roger Corrente to head sales.

Marco explains, “Once the decision to expand into North America was made, we were committed to deeply understanding the unique design elements in their hydronic and plumbing systems.  We rejected the idea that we had to introduce this Italian valve or that Italian valve.  If you understand the system needs, you can then devise better products for that market.  With the balance of the right product configurations and management expertise, we are finding success in the North American market. It’s not easy when an Italian company goes elsewhere—such as to the U.S.—to find success.”

Bob Rohr further explains, “We’ve seen companies come into the U.S. and say ‘you’re going to do it the way we do it in our home country’ and most often it doesn’t work.  Mark was smart to emphasize listening and observing: what do the American products need to be? A big part of our success is listening to the market instead of taking our way of doing business in some other place of the world and trying to force it into the market.”

To that point, training plays an integral role. Commented Marco, “We must learn and teach the system needs of our markets. In North America, applying the experience and reputation of experts like Hot Rod makes it much easier to extend our success. I think Bob and other veterans we hired have been key factors to our success.”

“Before Mark Olson came on board, our focus didn’t extend much beyond simply selling. Mark brought a technical and market-based mindset. With his influence, we became more organized and stable. Today we have a premium market reputation with a deep technical staff and strong after sales support. With around 50 employees in the States, it’s almost like another company,” said Marco.

A COVID Epicenter

Early in 2020, Italy was one of the first countries ravaged by COVID-19. Caleffi was proactive even before the government shutdown. “Two days before the Italian government shut down all production, I personally decided to halt production because it was too difficult. The hospitals were full of patients.  There were people working in the office and in production without knowing what could happen. It was a tough time, to be honest,” said Marco.

But then something powerful happened. “After staying home for two or three weeks, people wanted to come back to the company, which I never expected. Plenty of people were dedicated to the company, and it’s these employees that make up the soul and the environment of the company,” said Marco. Subsequently, Caleffi increased production in May, June and July of that year, running two shifts per day throughout the rest of the year.

“Especially now,” Marco said, “I feel proud of the choices we’ve made in the last decades in terms of business organization.  Giovanni Monti is no doubt our key leader as he steadily positions and implements improvements year after year with his business resolution and experience as Managing Director for Caleffi. Giovanni is able to keep every process under control while mindfully planning actions with accuracy.  It is an essential approach as we move beyond COVID.”

“The rumor I picked up during my visit,” said Aune, “was that people hired at Caleffi feel that they’ve been ‘welcomed to the last company they will ever want to work for’.  Now that’s impressive.”

Rohr adds, “My wife, Ellen, accompanied us on the tour. She observed that when Marco walked into the factory, everyone stood a bit taller,” said Rohr. “The employees are proud of the company and they are proud of the work they do. I am proud of the company I work for and it’s nice to see the people here are too.”

Marco believes that success lies well beyond the company, “I think if you are involved in a company, you don’t only need to make money, you also need to create value in the company by making things better for the people and community.  That was what my father believed in,” said Marco.

Currently, Caleffi has subsidiary locations in England, North America, Germany, France, Poland, Turkey, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Brazil and Australia.  With these hubs, Caleffi S.p.A. sells its products in more than 90 countries.  Caleffi is planning for more international growth and geographical expansion.

Says Marco, “We are currently planning an 80,000-square-meter warehouse expansion. My vision for the future is to see Caleffi in more countries with a much larger group of products to broaden the range of products we currently offer. Right now, our export business is expanding nicely and our branches are well staffed and managed. I see Caleffi continuing to extend its reach.”

I’m sure Francesco Caleffi would have been proud of the direction and leadership of his son, especially over these difficult past two years. Throughout the journey, the future looks bright for Caleffi.

By Charlie Uglietto, Cubby Oil & Energy

By now, there’s no doubt you’re aware that strategic electrification has been eroding the hydronic market for a number of years. Heat pumps of every shape and size are being selected in place of boiler retrofits.

That’s a disservice to the customer, due to the longevity, efficiency and comfort advantages that hydronic systems offer, and it means lost revenue for mechanical contractors and energy delivery companies. Reducing the nation’s home heating carbon footprint is a noble cause, but the effectiveness of our efforts will be determined by the methods we use to achieve the goal. There are better alternatives than electrification, and the best option we have available right now, at least for homes with an existing oil boiler, is Bioheat® fuel.

Bioheat is a liquid fuel oil alternative that’s 100% renewable and available right now. It can be produced from a variety of renewable agricultural products including soybean oil, inedible corn oil, used cooking oil, fats, tallow, canola oil and other recycled oils. Better yet, Bioheat can be used in new or existing oil boilers with minimal if any modifications necessary to the boiler.

Unpacking Electrification

“The people that stand to lose the most from electrification, aside from oil dealers, are those in lower-income households,” said Paul Nazzaro, president of Advanced Fuel Solutions. “Why should families who struggle to put food on the table need to pay $20,000 to retrofit their home with heat pumps?”

For more than 25 years, Nazzaro has helped secure biodiesel’s place as one of the fastest growing alternative fuels in the nation. He has written and presented extensively on all facets of biodiesel production. As the supply chain liaison for the National Biodiesel Board, he was a key figure in the conceptualization of Bioheat fuel.

A recent study by ICF International concluded that policy-driven electrification would increase the average residential household energy-related costs by approximately 38% to 46%, resulting in an increase to the average affected residential household of between $750 and $910 annually. Additionally, the electrification movement isn’t as green as it would lead you to believe.  As of right now, only a small portion of the nation’s electric energy is produced with renewables, and the percentage of renewable vs. of fossil fuel energy production drops further with the onset of heating season, when standby fossil fuel-powered generation is brought online to handle the increased load.

Electrification does not reduce fossil fuel use.  It simply changes where fossil fuel is being consumed. The further this trend goes, the less fuel oil is been used for heating.

“We used to have a 10+ billion gallon/year residential heating oil market,” said Nazzaro. “That number is now 4 billion, 3.2 of which is consumed in New England, N.J., N.Y. and Pa. alone.   That’s serious market erosion.”

Luckily for mechanical contractors whose businesses rely heavily on hydronics, the use of Bioheat is a solution that can be implemented immediately to stop and even reverse the loss of market share, while simultaneously increasing the country’s use of renewable energy.

Renewable, Low Carbon and Feasible

As an ultra-low carbon, liquid heating fuel, Bioheat is renewably-sourced, nontoxic and biodegradable. As bio-blends have increased over the past few years, burner manufacturers Beckett Corporation and Carlin Combustion Technology have been in touch with me, NORA and other dealers to gauge our experiences with higher blends. At times, I’ve had their engineers ride along with me to visit homes using high blends of Bioheat.

“Based on my conversations with Beckett and Carlin, converting from fuel oil to Bioheat isn’t a conversion at all,” explained Nazzaro. “Simple air adjustments may be needed on the burner because Bioheat is more oxygenated than fuel oil.”

Bioheat is currently available in three blends, each mixed with #2 fuel oil:  B10 (10% Bioheat), B20 (20% Bioheat) and B50 (50% Bioheat). B100, which is also available, does not include any fossil fuel whatsoever.

“Homes in Washington State have been using B100 for a number of years, and well over 100,000 homes in the Northeast have been using B20,” said Robert O’Brien, research and technical consultant for NORA (National Oilheat Research Alliance). “Even at 100 percent biofuel, old burners are capable of using it with a few adjustments.”

“There are very few barriers to large-scale implementation of Bioheat,” continued O’Brien. “Homeowners are open to it, especially younger ones. It’s cleaner, it’s cost-competitive, and it’s renewable.  It’s the oil industry’s answer to the carbon problem, and a very, very good answer at that.”

The Providence Resolution—which proposes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in heating oil by 15% by 2023, 40% by 2030, and reach “net-zero” fuel by 2050—was approved at the 2019 Industry Summit in Providence, R.I., on September 16, 2019.

“Those are lofty goals, but entirely achievable,” said Nazzaro. “The only way they’re possible is for heating professionals to commit to the use of Bioheat.”

Such confidence doesn’t come unfounded, though. Before the Providence Resolution was approved, consulting agency A.T. Kearny was hired by NEFI (National Energy and Fuels Institute) to determine whether or not net-zero carbon emissions were a possibility for the liquid fuel industry. 

Having advised many of the biggest governments around the world and three-fourths of the Fortune 500 list, consultancy A.T. Kearney is regarded as one of the world’s foremost consulting partnerships in the energy space.

“We came to the conclusion that yes, successfully achieving the goals laid out in the Providence Resolution is achievable,” said Neal Walters, a partner at A.T. Kearny “That’s the reality.”

How? By adopting a B20 Bioheat fuel blend by 2023, B50 by 2030, and B100 by 2050. Some skeptics may wonder if producing 4 billion gallons of a plant- and recycled oil-based fuel is possible in a year.

Supply Capabilities

“People need to understand the upstream,” said Nazzaro. “Not only is the soybean industry capable of it, but there are countless feedstocks for biofuel.  The volume of recycled oil in this country alone is staggering.”

Kearney’s research indicates that much, if not all, of the required supply, infrastructure and production capacity already exists.

“Today, the northeastern U.S. produces about 150 million gallons of biodiesel per year, and to get a B20 blend [to completely replace #2 fuel oil] by 2023 we’ll need 800 million gallons per year,” said Yuri Kopylovski, a manager at Kearney. “That might seem like a pretty big increase, but in 2019, North American production capacity was about 3 billion gallons, and only 1.7 billion gallons were actually produced.” The capacity figure accounted for biodiesel plants in the U.S. and Canada. “This means that with existing plant infrastructure, we have about a 73 percent increase in production that could be made without any additional capital investment or reliance on imports from outside North America.”

The future is bright for renewable liquid fuel, but only if heating professionals act now.

Educating Consumers

As heating professionals, we have a very crucial role to play in the future of low-carbon energy mix. We must educate consumers on our ability to immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the heating sector at little or no cost to them. The time to act is right now. There is no time left.

A wholesale executive predicted to me that if we don’t act within five years, we will have lost 35 to 50 percent of our customer base. ISO-New England is predicting that they can convert 750,000 homes from fossil fuels to heat pumps within the next five years. That’s a lot of customers to lose and a lot of delivered gallons lost. Now is the time we need to invest in our industry.

The most important thing mechanical contractors and fuel delivery companies can do is to realize that status quo won’t work. They need to embrace change.

“What’s great about our industry is that we have a product that allows us to change very quickly,” said Nazzaro. “Propane and natural gas can’t pivot like we can because they don’t currently have a renewable alternative that’s scalable nationwide. We do. Implementing Bioheat is more than defense. It’s a long term play.”

Aside from NORA, NEFI, and a host of other organizations, the largest, most progressive energy delivery companies in the country have already committed to the change. In 2021 for example, PETRO (the largest fuel oil dealer in the US) made a commitment to deliver only B20 or higher blends as supply commitments are coordinated between PETRO and their wholesale partners. My company, Cubby Oil & Energy, has also made the same commitment.

Our location gives us access to a number of wholesalers that sell biodiesel blends. There are parts of the country where these blends aren’t as readily available, but that’s changing rapidly. More and more wholesalers are starting to provide biodiesel blends at their terminals.”

Those wholesalers and oil dealers that refuse to offer biofuel blends risk being regulated out of existence. Massachusetts has implemented a new APS (alternative portfolio standard) incentive program including 80 dealers, in which the dealer receives an energy credit for every 33 gallons of B100 sold.  Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York have blending mandates which are increasing the amount of renewable fuel being sold. In those three states, B50 will be the minimum standard by no later than 2035.

“The industry has made a commitment to liquid renewable fuel,” said Nazzaro.  “We’re part of the solution to greenhouse gas reduction, not part of the problem. We’re doing now what others are hoping to accomplish later.”

“Installers of hydronic systems should be educating themselves,” he continued.  “They should be speaking with their organizations about actions either being taken or that can be taken, and they should be educating customers.”

There are a variety of resources available to contractors right now:

• MyBioHeat.com is an excellent source of information for the consumer.
• NEFI.com hosts much of the latest Bioheat news concerning incentives, legislation and regulations.
• NORA, which has conducted a great deal of research on Bioheat’s use, transportation, handling and performance, publicizes information at Renewable Fuels – National Oilheat Research Alliance (noraweb.org) in order to help everyone in the industry transition to the renewable fuel.
• Cubby Oil’s website has an entire page dedicated to educating customers Clean-burning Bioheat® and Dependable Bioheat Delivery – Cubby Oil

“We are gaining momentum but we’re far from mature,” said Nazzaro. “We can’t compete with the utilities or heat pump manufacturers from an ad budget standpoint, so dealers need to educate themselves and talk with customers. I believe this will be the biggest lost opportunity our industry will ever see if we don’t act right now. You can have an impact today!”

Charlie Uglietto owns Cubby Oil & Energy in Boston, Mass.  In addition to his 45 years’ experience in the deliverable fuels industry, Uglietto has been instrumental in deploying higher blends of Bioheat over the past decade.  Despite owning the company, he spends plenty of time in the field and holds pipefitter, burner and HVAC licenses.