School is in Session!
Manufacturer reps are taking their trucks on the road to educate and showcase the products they represent.
In the rapidly evolving world of manufacturing and distribution, staying ahead of the curve and having a competitive advantage are necessary. Enter mobile truck training, a solution that manufacturers' representatives use to bridge the product knowledge gap and empower customers with hands-on learning experiences. These rolling classrooms, equipped with the latest technologies and product demonstrations, bring the training directly to the doorstep of wholesalers, contractors and engineers. This approach enhances product knowledge, fosters relationship building and drives sales by offering a personalized, immersive experience.
We wanted to see and hear about our industry's manufacturers' representatives' mobile training trucks and put out an industry all-call. We received an overwhelming response and are happy to showcase our road warriors! Due to space limitations, we have highlighted a partial group below, and the full lineup can be found online at www.phcppros.com.
Emerson Swan
Randolph, Mass.
Emerson Swan is bringing the training to your front door. Schedule your custom event, and our team will show up and give your attendees a hands-on educational experience they won't forget. Our trailer features a live fire boiler from Ariston, a working heat recovery ventilator unit from Lifebreath and a working heat pump from Haier/GE.
In addition to our working demo units, we have a commercial boiler simulator that allows contractors to test and troubleshoot with our trainers. We have products on display from Watts, Taco, Ariston, Haier/GE, Fernox, Neutra-Safe, Little Giant, Flexcon, AGS, Lifebreath, Smith's, Modine, and more! The display boards inside are interchangeable, so you can customize your training experience.
You can schedule custom training for your team by visiting our website, emersonswan.com/training, or by speaking to your local Emerson Swan salesperson. Each training is custom-made to your needs.
Herkowski Stickler & Associates
Milwaukee
At Herkowski Stickler & Associates, our internal Hot Water Technical Solutions Team specializes exclusively in Bradford White and Laars hot water products. Comprising three licensed plumbers and two inside sales support personnel, this team offers design assistance, project equipment estimation, product allocation, start-up, project management scheduling, technical support and training services.
The Bradford White trailer has been invaluable, serving as a showcase at customer events and shows and as a practical training tool. It allows for customizable on-site or off-site training experiences, offering hands-on interaction with our range of tank and tankless units, available in gas or electric models. The trailer has a TV to display current marketing and training media. The trailer enhances our training sessions and customer interactions by providing a tactile experience with our products.
This interactive approach ensures that our customer engagements are memorable, reinforcing our commitment to delivering top-tier products and support in the market
Hugh M. Cunningham Companies
Carrollton, Texas
Hugh M. Cunningham Cos. personifies a sales agency for building products: mechanical, light industrial, waterworks, fire protection, turf, irrigation, HVAC, water well, agriculture and plumbing products.
We've had our mobile training trailer for 10 years. We take it to wholesale distribution counter days, industry tradeshows and jobsites for contractor training. We do product training, which includes installation, maintenance and troubleshooting.
This hands-on training allows our customers to "learn through doing" how to troubleshoot and repair the product themselves and the best practices for installation. Our live-fired grinder pump display shows the grinder system in operation. Currently, we have a pump trailer for sump, sewage and effluent pumps.
We are adding a second trailer to promote handwashing systems from Bradley, smart and connected products from Watts, and new heat pump technology and tankless products from A. O. Smith.
Keyline Sales
Downey, Calif.
The Noritz training van assists our teams by providing a closer look at our latest tankless lineup for in-person events and training. Constructed in-house in early 2024, our training van has been traveling across southern California since and comes equipped with residential and commercial products to showcase our units' space savings and highlight our lineup's versatility. It features a touch-activated retractable tankless display, adjustable awnings for summer training and two flatscreen TVs for video content.
While not live-firing, each unit is a working tankless and internal parts can be further inspected by removing the covers. Our training van has allowed our team to highlight our products for those looking to learn more about tankless while supplementing our training experience. Its addition has been a positive and insightful experience for our team members and guests.
Lobell Sales
Noxapater, Miss.
Lobell Sales mobile training trailer is a 16-foot enclosed trailer that is climate-controlled and set up to do small group training, open houses, and show and tell. We use it to train wholesales, engineers and contractors on Navien tankless water heaters and boilers; it is a valuable tool for us to take our products on the road directly to the contractor location and provide personalized training. We have live-fire units in the trailer, which takes it to another level.
We put trailer No. 1 in service in November 2021, and it has many thousands of miles all over Mississippi and Louisiana. We are outfitting trailer No. 2 for some of our other product lines and territories. Lobell Sales is a rep firm offering solutions in HVAC and plumbing in the Deep South states. We represent Navien, First Company, Supco, JPL Flex, and others. Contact us with your needs
Manufacturers Marketing
Indianapolis
MMI is an independent manufacturers’ rep serving Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky. We have had our trailer since August 2022, and focus on taking it to contractors’ shops to showcase Bradford White water heaters and the various products we represent.
It has been instrumental in increasing product awareness and driving sales. It allows us to reach more customers by coming to them, as contractors in the far reaches of our territory are often too busy to come to us. We also typically bring breakfast or cook lunch on our grill for them!
Our trailer has been in high demand this year. Word is out about what we do, and requests for our trailer have increased each season.
Marsh & Moore
St. Augustine, Fla.
We have had our Liberty Pumps trailer for seven years. As it is live-fired, we use it to demonstrate the amazing features of the Liberty Pumps grinder pump at wholesale, contractor and engineer branches. The hands-on training helps to show our customers the features and benefits of the Liberty Pumps grinder pump. We feature the LSG202-A for the live grinder demo and showcase various Liberty Pumps products within the trailer.
We also have a TV to show several videos of various Liberty Pumps products. Marsh & Moore is an award-winning manufacturers’ rep covering Florida since 1972 and has proudly represented Liberty Pumps for 13 years.
Metropolitan Industries
Romeoville
www.metropolitanind.com
Since 1957, Metropolitan Industries has provided a wide range of pumping solutions. We are a one-stop shop in the pumping world from commercial booster systems to municipal lift stations to residential battery backup systems.
Throughout the years, we have established a strong partnership with Navien, a manufacturer of water heaters, boilers, and much more. As a result, we offer in-house training on Navien products. While we wish everyone could visit our shop, the demand for continued training at other live-fire locations became paramount. In collaboration with Navien, we constructed a new mobile training trailer to meet the high demand and allow for more on-the-road opportunities.
The live-fire trailer is equipped with state-of-the-art Navien boilers, water heaters, combi boilers and even the new NPF Navien furnace. It has everything you could need and more to allow for seamless demonstrations and technical training. Salesman Brian Drafke sums up the excitement: "Our team is committed to continued education, and we are excited for this new trailer to hit the road!"
Northeast Sales Associates
Rochester, N.Y.
Northeast Sales Associates (NESA) uses the Bradford White training trailer to engage with wholesalers, contractors and engineers across Upstate N.Y. This mobile unit facilitates virtual and in-person training sessions, where NESA and Bradford White highlight their unique offerings. Sessions cover the flammable vapor ignition-resistant burner technology and other distinguishing features that set Bradford White apart, such as being employee-owned, American-made and committed to wholesale distribution and the trades.
NESA, a top rep agency in the plumbing industry, employs 18 staff members, including a management team, inside and outside sales, a commercial division and operates two warehouses. Representing more than 30 manufacturers, NESA emphasizes Bradford White's quality and industry leadership through comprehensive training and education initiatives, reinforcing its role as a trusted partner in the region's plumbing sector.
P-M & Associates
Indianapolis
We've had our trailer for about 12 months. We've taken it everywhere, from our wholesale partners and contractors to the engineering departments at some of our local universities for hands-on training and demonstrations. Everyone loves it! It allows people to try products and familiarize themselves with installation and troubleshooting in the field.
Pacific Systems Group
Torrance, Calif.
Pacific Systems Group (PSG) is an adaptive partner that assists consulting engineers, distributors, mechanical contractors and building owners in designing HVACR systems, providing efficient and cost-effective indoor environmental solutions. To meet the specific demands of your project, PSG capitalizes on its strong relationship with HVACR equipment manufacturers. PSG's sales engineers have intimate knowledge of each product design and its application.
So, we introduce PSG’s Carrier HVAC product training trailer. This innovative trailer is designed to provide hands-on training at contractors, engineers and Sigler distributor offices on the latest Carrier HVAC products and technologies. The trailer is fully equipped with a range of Carrier HVAC units, including residential and commercial models, from ductless to variable refrigerant flow.
In addition to product training, the trailer also provides in-depth information on Carrier's innovative technologies and energy-efficient solutions. Technicians will better understand how Carrier's products work and how they can help customers improve their indoor comfort and energy efficiency.
PMI Sales & Marketing Services
Houston
During the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, with so much uncertainty, one thing we did know was that our team was not planning on staying at home and waiting for the dust to settle. We originally purchased three trailers in summer 2020. We found that our distributor partners weren't allowing people on their counters but would allow us to show our products outside. We knew staying in front of contractors during this time would be paramount in growing our business when you couldn't talk to people at the sales counter.
The trailers are a convenient way to train, display and sell our products. We currently use three trailers, one for each office location. Each unit has a built-in TV, stereo system, mic, grill and room to store our setup material. They are used at counter days, trade shows, jobsites and distributor/contractor locations.
Preferred Sales (Bradford White)
Hermitage, Pa.
The Preferred Sales mobile water heating and hydronics trailer showcases all the latest technology Bradford White Corp. offers. In 2022, Bradford White outfitted many of its reps across the United States with similar trailers to enhance our connection to professional installers and distributors.
We decided to use our trailer to offer hands-on training for our wholesale distributors and professional installers on key Bradford White specialty and commercial products, such as the AeroTherm heat pump water heater, Infiniti line of tankless water heaters, CEHD commercial electric water heaters and Brute FT boilers. We also have additional product information and training content for Bradford White's comprehensive offering of residential and commercial water heating solutions.
The contractor engagement with the trailer has exceeded all our expectations, and our wholesale distributors have been vital in helping us put this training tool in front of the pros.
Rich-Tomkins Co.
Aston, Pa.
Rich-Tomkins Co. is dedicated to supporting the HVAC and plumbing trades through various training initiatives. We have invested in a company-owned Milwaukee Tool van and a Bradford White trailer to expand our educational outreach, turning them into mobile showrooms and training facilities. These on-the-go units bring our cutting-edge products directly to contractors, wholesalers, parking lots, events and jobsites, fostering hands-on experiences outside our facility.
Our Bradford White trailer showcases tankless units, and gas and electric tank water heaters and boilers. The Milwaukee Tool van allows contractors to interact and learn about the latest Milwaukee Tool has to offer. Through these mobile initiatives, we aim to break down educational barriers, ensuring that industry professionals can access the valuable resources and knowledge Rich-Tomkins provides, wherever they may be.
Soderholm and Associates
Ramsey, Minn.
Upon the development of the latest version of a mobile training vehicle, we wanted to establish a versatile tool that allows us to customize the focused training efforts of our sales team. This objective led to our Soderholm and Associates "Expo" vehicle. It is designed with six modular display panels, two Wi-Fi hotspot-enabled smart flatscreens and space for (travel-safe secured) live-fire equipment. Our sales team can change out display panels, equipment and learning management system training resources to meet the specific needs of our manufacturing partners and customers throughout our territory.
Synergy Sales NW (Bradford White)
Kent, Wash.
We’ve been towing our Bradford White training trailer around the Pacific Northwest for a year. We offer training on the latest Bradford White innovations and continuing education training for the recent water heater code changes regarding demand-response water heating in Oregon and Washington. The trailer creates an event for contractors and wholesalers wherever it goes, showing support and providing necessary information.
The Joyce Agency
Chantilly, Va.
Our mobile training trailer has brought education directly to our customers for five years. We go wherever they need us, from counter days to lunch + learns. We've discovered that contractors highly value hands-on experiences to test and understand equipment like Milwaukee tools, Watts drainage, Powers mixing valves, Orion pipe, Bradford White water heaters, and Sloan sensor products. Meanwhile, wholesalers can also benefit by learning how to sell these products effectively. At our core, we believe in building closer relationships with our customers through education. That's why hands-on training remains central to our approach.
Westcan Sales
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Westcan Sales completed our hydronic training truck in early July 2024. We have taken it to plumbing and heating wholesalers, contractors and mechanical engineers.
We showcase our entire offering of hydronics equipment, including boilers, tankless water heaters, pumps, valves and much more. For training, this trailer significantly helps with the hands-on aspect; we've found that people prefer to see and feel the product rather than read about it online or see pictures. Inside, we have a fully piped residential hydronic system to show people when and how to use our products in real-world situations.
At Westcan Sales, we are a manufacturers’ representative, representing more than 20 different companies across four provinces: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwest Ontario. Decals for this van are coming soon!
