Why are these plumbers hanging drywall? - Plumbing & HVAC

Shop ManagementService contractor achieves ISO statusTaking the high road to maintain market shareBy Simon BlakeToday’s independent residentialHVAC/R contractor faces competitionlike never before. Big companieswith big advertising budgets suchas Lennox, Sears, Home Depot andDirect Energy have entered the marketand are targeting the same customers.One Ontario contractor has found aunique way to stay competitive. AtlasAir ClimateCare recently became thefirst Canadian residential heating andair conditioning contractor certified tothe International Standards Organization(ISO) 9001-2000 standard.What that means, in a nutshell, is that“you have to say what you are going todo, do what you say and prove it,”reports company president RogerGrochmal, P. Eng., 54.Procedures within the company aredocumented and audited, both internallyby company staff and externally bya firm accredited to do ISO audits. TheISO is not just a managementinitiative. It requires a high level ofdiligence and record keeping in everyaspect of company business. Sheetmetal mechanic Steve Glanfieldhammers out ductwork in the shop.goal is to ensure the company has theright procedures to ensure consistentquality of products and services.It wasn’t an easy step for this familyrunbusiness with 50 employees that hasoperated in Mississauga, Ont. since1932. But in the tough southern Ontariomarket, Grochmal was looking for anedge. “It’s a very competitive market. Wehad to differentiate ourselves.” A mediareport on an ISO-certified First Nationscommunity got him thinking.Plumbing and heating contractorshave traditionally taken one of twoapproaches to competition, reportsGrochmal. They offer lower prices, butthat’s a difficult road against competitorswith significant buying power. Thesecond option is to compete on qualityand service. That isn’t easy, but it issomething the contractor can control.Procedures in placeAtlas Air has long made quality and service– covering everything from telephoneanswering to the equipment it supplies –part of its day-to-day operating procedure.A number of those practices wouldserve it well in the quest for ISO certification.Many of the processes werealready in place, Grochmal reported.Some were developed in partnershipwith other members of the ClimateCareCo-operative Corporation, a group ofindependent Ontario heating and airconditioning contractors that worktogether to develop best business, customerservice and technical practices.Members guarantee their work andabide by a strict code of conduct.Atlas Air began the ISO certificationprocess in December 2003 and completedit in November 2004. The MississaugaAtlas Air assembled a team to guide the company through the ISO process.From left are Gary Gibson, Marlene McLeod, Rhonda Campbell, Robin Hansonand Roger Grochmal. Missing is John Collins.office of the Business DevelopmentOffice of Canada (BDC ConsultingGroup) served as the independent auditor.BDC senior manager Doug Cranstonand his team analyzed virtually everyaspect of the business – purchasing,receiving, warehousing, customer service,handling of complaints, quality control,etc. They also conducted numerousinterviews with customers and suppliers.“It’s not often that we work with acompany that is so dedicated to whatthey are doing,” remarked Cranston. Atan open house at Atlas Air March 8, henoted that customer surveys in 2004showed an almost unheard of 94 percentcustomer satisfaction level.Staff supportAtlas Air staff had to develop standardprocedures for virtually everything theydo. Any deviation is documented, notedGrochmal. “That was a big challenge forall of us. We are not used to writingeverything down.”OUR 29 TH ANNIVERSARYBio-Clean your way intoPROFITSin 2005Ask about our Special Introductory Discount Package100%money backguaranteedPlumbing &Pumping IndustryExclusive since 1976(not sold inretail stores)ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFEDRAIN, SEPTIC TANK AND FIELD CLEANER ETC., ETC…Visit www.bio-clean.ca orCall us at 1-866-286-5931to become a DealerGerry Brushett Enterprises Ltd.He credits his staff for making thecertification process relatively straightforward:• Atlas-Air business manager RobinHanson served as ISO team leader andco-ordinated different departments asthey worked through the process.• Marlene McLeod ensured that reportingprocedures and computersystems were up to snuff. She set qualitystandards and created measurementsystems.• John Collins looked after purchasingand warehousing products. This includeddeveloping systems to deal withreturns and warranty claims. ISO requiredthat Atlas Air rate its suppliers.“We can’t deliver consistent quality if oursuppliers don’t deliver,” noted Grochmal.However, some suppliers are ISO certifiedand, as a result, disputes can beworked out through the ISO process.“It’s actually quite a powerful tool.”• Administration supervisor RhondaCampbell ensured that customer servicewas up to ISO standards. This meant developingstandard telephone proceduresand a process to make sure nothing “fellthrough the cracks,” reported Grochmal.• Field supervisor Gary Gibsontrained technicians in ISO proceduresand is responsible for quality control inthe field. Even the technician’s toolboxdidn’t escape the ISO process. Theemployee’s test instruments, for example,are calibrated at set intervals with theresults documented in a calibration log.• Grochmal worked with his salesstaff to upgrade sales procedures anddocumentation. They established salesbenchmarks, a documented salesprocess and detailed commission sheets.The company established a qualitycouncil that meets at pre-determinedintervals to review quality control problemsand establish preventative measures.Every member is assigned two orthree quality improvements to completeeach quarter.At the end of the day, the highstandard of operation makes Atlas Airmore efficient, competitive and profitable.And that is, or should be, everycontractor’s goal.Circle Number 152 for More InformationCircle Number 153 for More Information38 Plumbing & HVAC Product News – May/June 2005 www.plumbingandhvac.ca