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The Wales Darby Mobile Learning Center is all geared up and hitting the road for Live-Fire A. O. Smith Training with the ProLine XE® Voltex® AL Smart Hybrid Electric Heat Pump Water Heater! Take a look at the video of our Contractor Services Group Manager, John Resso as he takes you through a virtual training session on the new high-performance, high-efficiency unit.

The TACO Comfort Solutions Live-fire Mobile Cart, jointly developed by Wales Darby's Contractor Services Group Manager, Rick Koester, and VP of HVAC Department, Steve Poli, is now ready to hit the road just in time for the upcoming heating season. This mobile training facility serves as a hands-on educational platform for ECM technology, which is set to become the industry standard according to the Department of Energy (DoE) by 2025. The cart showcases a range of hydronic accessories offered by TACO, presenting a comprehensive solution package for contractors. Its portability allows it to be easily transported via van to various Distributor Counter Days and events, where Wales Darby trainers and Sales teams can provide valuable training sessions.

Among the featured items on the cart are the 007e, 015e, and 018e ECM Circulators, VT2218 Delta-T Heat Pump, Zone Sentry Valves, Magnet Filtration, 4900-Series Air Separator, Hydro-separator, Switching Relays (SR), Zone-valve Controller (ZVC), and 5000-Series Mixing Valve, all provided by TACO Comfort Solutions. Additional products from the Wales Darby linecard, including Spacepak Thin Wall, Flexcon's Expansion Tank, and Electro Industries' Mini-Boiler, are also incorporated to simulate a home heating setup. Notably, the use of the In-line Balancing Valve is a key highlight of the showcase, allowing users to simulate room dimensions and the required linear feet of baseboard for heating. Combined with the TACO 018e Circulator Pump, featuring Bluetooth technology, users can adjust the resistance on the balancing valve and observe the reaction via an app displayed on a mounted tablet, gaining a better understanding of how this equipment can work together efficiently for optimal home heating.

Fujitsu General America hosted its annual Technical Service Advisors (TSA) Conference at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Wales Darby Contractor Services Group Managers Rick Koester and John Resso along with fellow TSA’s from distributors such as Ferguson, Johnstone and Sid Harvey’s found it extremely productive to attend. 

Themed “Unified in 2023,” the event strengthened manufacturer-distributor relationships, and empowered in-field technical support to pass on their knowledge to contractors. In this way, the TSA Conference acted as both a team building event and a service training event to help to deliver the highest-level of support to our contractors.  

The three-day event featured motivational speeches, networking events, hands-on troubleshooting and breakout sessions covering everything from commercial and residential training to warranty processing, parts and marketing. The speeches from the Wounded Warriors Foundation and Ben Poole of HVAC Tactical™️ stressed the importance of unification of contractors and trainers, explaining how important this bond has become to the industry. Further relationship strengthening happened during the networking events where TSA’s from different regions connected to discuss key issues in order to come up with solutions that will be taken home and implemented. “Contractors call and rely on us to solve difficult situations which can sometimes slow things down. We want to help pass the torch and empower them with the knowledge and technical resource tools provided by Fujitsu to solve issues as they come up in the field. We’re here to make a significant impact and priority #1 is helping our contractors be as successful as possible” said Rick Koester, Contractor Services Group Manager, Wales Darby.