Page 37 - Climate Control News Dec-Jan 2020
P. 37

Wholesalers Feature
MAIN & BELOW: Kirby
has been rebranding its shopfronts throughout 2019 post the acquisition by Beijer Ref, Sweden.
LEFT: The Kirby sponsorship of WorldSkills Australia reached a significant highlight in 2019 with the success of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Skillaroo, Patrick Brennan achieving a silver medal in the International WorldSkills competition.
“WE LOOK FORWARD TO BUILDING THE KIRBY BUSINESS TO A POSITION IN THE MARKET WHERE IT HAS THE SAME RESPECT AS KIRBY AND LOVELOCK ENJOYED MANY YEARS AGO.” – BRETT HEDGE.
leadership through the wholesale business. “It is hard to speak on behalf of all customers, but from what we have seen and heard we believe
that we are heading in the right direction.
“The experience that Beijer Ref provide as a leading global refrigeration and air conditioning wholesaler is a strength that will provide bene-
fits to our customers.”
The biggest news in 2019 was the change of
name announced in April.
“The name change has been accepted by all -
not surprising given the heritage behind the Kir- by brand,” Hedge said. “The announcement re- ceived some great recognition but also fostered a sense of expectation that is not lost on us. We look forward to building the Kirby business to a position in the market where it has the same re- spect as Kirby and Lovelocks enjoyed many years ago.” Looking ahead, Hedge said 2020 will be another busy year with a number of changes requiring significant focus. He said Kirby is working through the integration plan for a new enterprise system which will facilitate improved efficiencies from the purchasing of raw materials to point of sale staff.
The other major planned initiative is the relo- cation of the Milperra Head Office, Distribution and Manufacturing plant away from the patch of land that Kirby and Heatcraft have called home for the last 60 years.
“Over the last few years we have added stores to our network providing a platform that makes our great brands accessible in all parts of the
country,” Hedge said. “We are extremely well po- sitioned in metropolitan and regional locations to serve the market and in addition to the above want to be sure that we are doing everything possible to make sure that customers see Kirby as their preferred wholesaler.”
Hedge said the wholesaler will continue to fo- cus on natural refrigerant solutions and lower GWP alternatives. “Our success in influencing the market in natural solutions over the last 10 years is something that we are proud of and are looking to build on with a broader customer base by leveraging our global network through Beijer Ref,” Hedge said. “This is an area that fits well with the training and products that we can offer which is a very unique proposition of Kirby.”
Hedge said one of the highlights of 2019 was the launch of World Refrigeration Day.
“We look forward to even greater engagement from the entire industry increasing in 2020 and be- yond so that we can continue to raise the profile of HVACR,” he said.
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS DECEMBER 2019- JANUARY 2020
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