As seen in Plumbing Engineer Magazine - October 2013 issue
and also online at www.plumbingengineer.com

By Jim Schneider

This summer, Plumbing Engineer was invited to attend Armstrong International’s “Engineer Visit” event in Toronto. As the name implies, the event gathered engineers from around the world to interact and to learn about new HVAC technology. We caught up with Armstrong CEO Lex van der Weerd to get his take on the event and some of the initiatives the company has underway.

PE: Can you tell us a little about the history and purpose of the Engineer Visit event?

LvdW: In a smaller, more casual form, Armstrong has been hosting an International Engineer Visit since the late 1980s. Shortly after 1990, the organization began to expand the event to include more attendees from international locals, as well as more presentations and installation tours. The International Engineer Visit affords us an opportunity to meet face-to-face with engineers from all over the world, and exchange ideas on HVAC designs and solutions. That's our primary goal for the event. And, our history of hosting engineers and creating opportunities for exchange has proven the value of the format year after year. Engineers gain from exposure to new and innovative solutions that they might not have otherwise been willing to consider. Armstrong benefits from the opportunity to build relationships, learn from our attendees and showcase some recent installations, of which we are naturally very proud.

PE: What is the basic idea behind Armstrong's Design Envelope approach that you hope to communicate to engineers, owners and contractors?

LvdW: Armstrong Design Envelope technology integrates the latest selection, control and hydronic tools into fluid management solutions that naturally accommodate changes in building design and demand. The technology was built on the foundation of three fundamental elements.

The first element is a collection of modern digital-era capabilities such as demand based control, all-variable-speed operation and automatic data metering. The second element is high-efficiency fluid flow equipment. The third element is a set of enabling technologies, including economical integrated controls, onboard intelligence and advanced 3-D design. Using these three fundamental elements as the foundation for solution design, Armstrong developed our Design Envelope technology to serve as an all-encompassing, integrated capability that optimizes design, selection, sizing, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance. The result is a set of fluid flow solutions that provide the lowest installed cost and life cost, excellent energy and environmental performance, lasting occupant comfort and reduced design, and operating and regulatory risk.

As with any new idea, it's our challenge and responsibility to communicate the value of Design Envelope to the world around us. Thankfully, the message is becoming easier to convey, because the proof of our success is now readily available in the many installations of Design Envelope technology around the world. Time after time, customers discover how much they can save, and how they can serve all participants in a building project by selecting a Design Envelope solution. It has been a long, arduous development process, but the results are incredibly rewarding, and Armstrong feels very privileged to be in a position to serve customers with this technology.

PE: How does Armstrong's new Sustainability Dashboard fit in with its systems, such as the Design Envelope?

LvdW: The Armstrong Sustainability Dashboard fits with Design Envelope in that it allows us to quantify the value we are providing to our customers, and ultimately to the planet. The organization is taking a leadership position by presenting our achievements to date in reducing carbon emissions. We hope to set the example for other manufacturers and at the same time make our customers aware of the tremendous energy and cost savings available.

PE: At the event, you discussed a sort of rebranding of Armstrong Fluid Technology. Can you comment on that process and what you hope to achieve in the marketplace?

LvdW: Our global rebranding initiative is a combination of practical and aspirational ideas. From a practical standpoint, it was becoming apparent that because of our growth and expansion, customers from around the world were interacting with Armstrong in several different markets. They were interacting with the same company, but referring to us using different names. It made sense to rebrand ourselves globally, organize all of our business entities under one single name, and eliminate the inconsistency of our brand in the global marketplace.

The aspirational aspect of the rebranding effort is evident in the terms used in our new name. Where our history through the 1950s and 1960s involved the manufacture and supply of pumps, the company has evolved to offer a far broader range of solutions, many of which draw on leading-edge technology developed by Armstrong, or on collaboration with industry partners. Developing and sharing leading-edge technologies is at the core of what we do, and it's because of that focus on serving our customers with technology-based solutions that we chose to include the word technology in our new name.

Our new name is a reflection of how we see ourselves now, and how we will develop ourselves in the future, building capabilities, and leveraging those capabilities to create new and better solutions for our customers. The new global name also recognizes a fundamental contributor to the company’s success — a long history of service to the building oriented fluid-flow industry — and marks its evolution from a supplier of system components to its current role as a solutions provider. In 2010, we adjusted our focus to include energy solutions for the built environment. We wanted to address the challenge that many building owners face when trying to upgrade the efficiency of their systems, having to choose between affordability and efficiency. Armstrong had long offered cost effective high-efficiency solutions that were actually more affordable than constant speed, low efficiency solutions. We chose to communicate that positioning with the phrase, “Making Energy Makes Sense.”

Looking ahead, we see an exciting future for ourselves, including many opportunities to serve customers around the world. We're also very excited to be able to offer those customers new product developments in the residential domain, total system optimization, and continuous building health management. Our newest solution for residential heating, the Compass Circulator, includes our Design Envelope technology, and offers extraordinary value to contractors, wholesalers and homeowners. As part of our commitment to help our customers optimize system efficiency and commercial environments, we're extremely proud of the early results from installations of the OPTI-VISOR chiller plant control solution, and our new parallel sensorless controller that show dramatic improvements in efficiency. And, of course, we are thrilled at the response from the market regarding the Armstrong Design Envelope technology. We have a leading solution that offers customers affordability, sustainability, flexibility and liveability and that message seems to resonate with engineers, contractors and building owners.