Q&A
Garrett White, MD at Hevac, Mark Lohan, Group Managing Director, and Shane Colleran, Interim MD at Heat Merchants Group.
in Ireland have progressed and can be quite onerous. Most builders don’t have a design team in-house, and for us, as merchants, to be able to take on that responsibility is a massive benefit for small to medium-sized builders. They are compelled to come back, and, at the same time, we can sell high-margin products and low-margin products instead of concentrating on low-margin ones. P&H: How have the brands reacted to the new plan? ML: There is great enthusiasm around the business, as people in the operations are reassured by this sense of continuity and see the opportunities that will be unveiled in the next couple of months and years. The new management team is very customer focused. All the bespoke solutions we provide come from this experience of talking to the customer, from small builders to big
companies. We spend a lot of time before the sale is done just advising the customer, so a lot of the growth the brands have experienced comes from that level of customer engagement and being more than suppliers of parts and products, but providers of advice and solutions. P&H: How does the pathway to carbon zero figure in the new strategic plan? ML: Irish regulations are pushing for electricity-generated renewable energy, so we are working closely with our renewable product partners in Ireland, making sure we have what the customers are looking for. However, as gas and oil boilers are becoming increasingly more efficient, the gap between traditional and
renewable products is narrowing a lot in terms of impact on the environment, so replacing a boiler with a heat pump is not an automatic choice. One approach does not fit all households, so we will continue to pursue renewable ranges, but will stock the traditional ones as well. P&H: What does the new role mean to your career? ML: It is very rewarding, but also comes with a huge responsibility. There are 400 employees, and it is important to make sure that not only do the companies achieve their goals, but also give opportunities to people who want to develop their careers. Offering a career path is an important part of the plan going forward.
“We are working closely with our renewable product partners in Ireland, making sure we have what the customers are looking for.”
T: +353 (0)90 644 2300 - E: enquiries@heatmerchants.ie - www.heatmerchants.ie T: +353 (0)1 419 1919 - E: info@hevac.ie - www.hevac.ie
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