BROOKFIELD, Wisconsin - December 17, 2002 - Pentair announced that its mobile showroom, launched by its water treatment business in July of this year, has enjoyed record attendance and positive reviews from water treatment dealers across the country.
The showroom was designed to both stimulate sales and build long-term customer relationships. It is the first of its kind in the water treatment industry.
In the past five months, the Pentair mobile showroom has been the impetus for 15 OEM-sponsored events from New Hampshire to California. Attendance at these events has been unexpectedly large, totaling an average of 30 to 50 dealers each time. Additionally, the van travelled with PWT customers to dealers that could not participate in those events.
Customer reaction to the mobile van has been favorable. Jim McIntyre, owner of Sunshine Water in Linden, Michigan, had this to say about the event he attended in September: "It was a big help. The Pentair mobile showroom is equipped with a working model of a softener, demonstrating the advantages of Pentair technology.
In addition, Pentair's technical guy presented new products, reviewed system troubleshooting and passed on some great tips on control valve installation and programming. I walked away with new information that I was able to turn into thousands of dollars worth of new business." Perrin Prescott, owner of R.E. Prescott Company in Exeter, New Hampshire, agrees. "My two hours in the showroom was time well spent. Because of what I learned, I picked up business in brine tanks and control valves," Perrin said. He added, "This is the kind of outreach the big companies need to do."
Pentair's Tom Horel, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, believes that Pentair is meeting a real market need with its mobile showroom. "OEMs and dealers don't have time to keep abreast of what's new, much less train their service team on installation tips and tricks for existing products," he said. "Our mobile showroom gives us the ability to meet those needs by sharing our technical expertise and introducing dealers to new technology on their turf," Horel commented.
Pentair Water Treatment (www.pentairwater.com) provides water treatment control valve and fiberglass pressure vessels. It manufactures a wide range of control valves for residential, commercial, and industrial water conditioning systems.
The business also offers a range of fiberglass/composite pressure vessels, storage tanks, filters, filter housings, UV and RO systems. Brand names within Pentair Water Treatment include Fleck, SIATA, CodeLine, Structural, WellMate, and Plymouth Products.
Pentair (www.pentair.com) is a St. Paul-based manufacturer whose core businesses compete in tools, water technologies, and the enclosures markets. The company employs 11,500 people in more than 50 locations around the world.
