CMX 2004 - Plumbing & HVAC

Building Wolseley
from the branch up
Two customers of Wolseley Canada
are featured in the 2003 Annual
Report for wholesale-distributor
Wolseley plc of the U.K. Dale Elliot
from Whissell Contracting in Calgary
made the front cover while Mark
Dumont, also of Whissell, had an inside
page.
This is just one example of the focus
that Wolseley companies worldwide
have toward, not only their customers,
but also their own employees. And that
certainly comes out in talking to Paul
Lachance, President and CEO of
Wolseley Canada Inc., Burlington, Ont.
“We believe in the
economic power of
Paul Lachance
proper customer
service. We believe if
we are successful in
determining and fulfilling
our customer
needs, it provides an
opportunity for both
companies to prosper,” he said.
“The strength of the various divisions
of Wolseley is their people,”
Lachance states. “The most important
factor is the relationship between our
customers and ourselves. We have to
know their business almost as well as
they do.
“We have to know what every customer
buys, where and when to ensure
we have those products in stock, and
when and where he wants them day-today.
Customers are all different. They
have their own preferences and purchasing
behavior that we need to be
aware of at every branch to retain their
business and help them grow,” he said.
“Growing our businesses is behind
the hiring of business development
managers to look for those new sales
opportunities which can be missed or
not developed,” Lachance reported.
“That can range from helping staff service
their customers, to working with
contractors, consultants and owners to
win the material contracts for new
projects and retrofits.”
Showrooms the next step
“Expanding the number of showrooms
in our branches is another step for the
benefit of our customers. We are renovating
existing branch facilities to create
space for product displays. This is a
partnership with the contractor so he
can see the range of products, where he
can bring his customers or send them
there and let our showroom staff provide
the sales
expertise in completing
the sale on
his behalf with a
materials list for
installation.
“In many ways,
branch managers
are entrepreneurs
taking care of their
local markets. And
it is their knowledge
of their markets
that feeds back through the company
to advise purchasing, marketing and
management in their decision-making.
“We have taken more of a bottom up
approach than in the past,” he said.
“Finding the balance between local
needs and economies of scale will
always be a struggle here in Canada.”
Lachance understands all this very
well. A chartered accountant, he started
in the Frontier HVACR division in 1987
from Clarkson Gordon. After six years
in Ontario, he transferred to Calgary for
seven years. During that period the
mechanical and electrical divisions were
separated.
He chose the mechanical division
and became vice president operations
for North America and later Vice
President and General Manager of
Plumbing in Canada.
In June 2001 Wolseley plc acquired
the business and Lachance became
President and CEO for Canada.
While visiting the 237 Canadian
branches, Lachance has started to hold
informal ‘town meetings’ with staff so
Wolseley is renovating and expanding its branches.
that the direction and focus of the company
could be explained and discussed.
They can ask any questions personally
and learn management’s approach and
goals for the company and the opportunities
for employees.
“We have the same strategy, including
doubling the size of Wolseley
Canada within five years. With the purchase
of Nuroc Plumbing & Heating
Supply in Toronto last August, Meridian
Specialties of Edmonton, an industrial
PVF distributor, a year ago, Brock
Engineering of Montreal and Les
Plastiques Fusionex of Montreal, we
have taken the first steps to reach that
goal. We are actively pursuing other
compatible acquisitions as part of our
growth strategy,” he added.
You can meet Paul Lachance and
other officers of Wolseley Canada at
CMX in Toronto and ask your own
questions and learn about the huge
range of products and services that
Wolseley provides.
Circle Number 157 for More Info
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www.plumbingandhvac.ca March/April 2004 – Plumbing & HVAC Product News 53