In case you missed it, CCI is here to give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at this year’s recent Niagara Summit. Built around the powerful forces driving the controls community, you’d be hard-pressed to find such an incredible mix of master systems integrators, building engineers, application developers, building owners, and facility managers anywhere else.

So what exactly did we encounter at the Niagara Summit 2022?

Our very own Michael Youngs, President and General Manager of CCI, led a panel on IAQ

Tenants and employees are returning to their commercial and industrial settings, and the next big question on everyone’s mind is how we approach indoor air quality (IAQ). Customers want to know if it’s safe to be back in buildings and what actions have been taken by the employer and/or building owner to ensure their safety.

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a condition affecting workers and inhabitants of buildings alike. And it’s the last thing your customers want to deal with! At the end of the day, if you have poor IAQ, you’re going to have a sick building. IAQ index scores and dashboards are important to maintain your building(s) and ensure it and its occupants stay healthy.  There are many products targeted for healthy buildings such as IAQ monitors, UV disinfection systems, and negative pressure solutions.

What’s next? Building Management Systems are moving to the CLOUD

We all see it happening. Over the last decade, systems and parts have started the move to a secure, digital framework as technology advances. There are convenience and connectivity benefits that come with the Cloud. Being able to complete and access is one of those benefits. Another benefit of the Cloud is real-time data. This is a positive effect on maintaining healthy efficient buildings. With BACnet products and powerful dashboards like Niagara Reflow controls and BAS professionals everywhere are enhancing their workflow and maintenance.

Here comes NEW Products: Jace 9000 and Niagara Edge 10.

The Niagara journey continues to evolve with each iteration of the Niagara Framework. As we progress to more digital-based services and products, the top priority becomes SECURITY.  We are excited to learn about the latest JACE model – JACE 9000 which has built-in secure, remote access, as well as the Niagara Edge 10 Field Controller.

The JACE 9000 controller leverages all the features of Niagara 4 and up. It adds to the enhanced user experience, maximizing Niagara’s advantages in delivering HTML5 views, charting, and other aspects of data visualization, as well as its robust security and improved device management capabilities.

The Niagara Edge 10 is an IP-based field equipment controller powered by the Niagara Framework®. The Edge 10 drives applications such as zone temperature control, fan coil unit operation, single-stage air handling units, water-source heat pumps, and more.

The controller runs the full Niagara stack, with 10 points of onboard IO and remote expansion capability.

We can’t wait to add this to our product line stack! Want to be the first on the list to order? Contact us at 781-335-8353 or email us at info@controlconsultantsinc.com.

Play the Kele slot machine and win every time

Part Three of a multi-part series

We all know that Vegas is the capital of go big or go home. And these days, you need the same attitude to tackle your workload. Because lately? Trying to get everything you need for your upcoming HVAC/BAS job is the equivalent of putting on a show at the Bellagio or The Venetian.

You’re trying to stay on schedule, under budget, and all that jazz (all whilst keeping all the glitz and glam of HVAC/BAS alive). Add in some blinking neon lights to spotlight your stress levels and you’ve got a show that encompasses the issues everyone in the industry is currently facing. And after attending the 2022 ASHRAE Winter Conference and experiencing what we did, we know that everyone in the audience would be able to relate to your very realistic show.

Raw materials such as aluminum, copper, steel, and plastic are in short supply, creating a bottleneck within the industry from a manufacturing standpoint. Most suppliers can’t get you parts because they just haven’t been made yet. Or they’re missing the microchips needed to function (i.e. thermostats, furnaces, etc.,). Supply chain issues seem to be never-ending and it’s a problem that will persist throughout the rest of 2022 and into 2023.

The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article on how contractors and HVAC/BAS professionals alike are navigating the current economic climate while simultaneously inventing workarounds for suppliers who can no longer deliver on in-demand parts. And if that wasn’t enough of an issue, staffing and labor shortages are causing those projects and break/fix jobs to pile up even more. Everything seems to be working against you industry-wide; it’s as though every time you bet on red it turns up black. But Kele is committed to getting you back to winning every time you play.

We know that your workload continues to grow; cashing in your chips on a completed job is only getting harder. We’re working overtime (like an Elvis impersonator officiating elopements) to make sure that your “marriage” to your supplier, aka us, is the relationship of a lifetime. From keeping 3 million+ parts in stock to offering staging and tagging for your orders, we’re in it for the long run. We’re committed to getting you what you need, when you need it and being there for you every step of the way.

It’s been said that going to Vegas means saying goodbye to your money. Going to Kele though? It means saying goodbye to your project and break/fix problems and saying hello to the parts you need.

In case you missed the first two articles in our ASHRAE series, click the links below to catch up on what you missed. Get ready to hit the jackpot and win when you shop with Kele! Thanks for catching up with us about everything we experienced at the 2022 ASHRAE Winter Conference.

Part Two: Behind the scenes with Kele at ASHRAE: Focus on the supply chain

Part One: Behind the scenes with Kele at ASHRAE: Focus on the education

Are you ready for a full house?

Part Two of a three-part series

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to place your bets. On what you ask?

1. On when you’ll be able to find the parts you need.
2. On when they’ll be shipped to you.
3. Or, on if you’ll ever actually see them after paying for them.

It almost feels like most of you are playing a game of roulette and hoping that you end up being lucky when it comes to sourcing parts these days. See, just like you never forget your first time in Vegas (or better yet your first ASHRAE conference), you don’t tend to forget when an industry partner fails to get you what you need. But what’s the holdup? The supply chain.

Talk of how to navigate the supply chain and its many issues was a hot topic at the 2022 ASHRAE Winter Conference this year. Overcoming it was an even hotter topic. It’s what’s captivating not only the industry but the world right now. A recent New York Times article predicted that the supply chain chaos is likely to persist through 2022 (and possibly beyond!).

But how exactly does an industry partner, like Kele, go about overcoming something that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon? We’re glad you asked!

It all comes down to two words: Stocking. Distributor. As supply chain problems persist, Kele has been striving to overcome them by building resiliency within the industry via our stocking position. We’ve grown from being a stocking distributor of 1.8 million in-stock parts to 3 million in-stock parts. And doubling our in-stock inventory was just the beginning. The hard-to-find parts that no one has? Our purchasing and product teams have been taking and placing bets to ensure that we’re stocking direct and functional alternatives. This way none of the parts you need have the chance to pull a Houdini.

And since we’ve been in the game forever, we decided to go back to basics. The whole reason Kele was founded, was to simplify the supply chain; getting you what you need, when you need it. Focusing on our roots led us to invest in infrastructure. The best way to safeguard against industry (and the world) disruptions was to get as close to our customers as possible. Now we’re not talking creepy security guy at a poker tournament close. More like strategically placing our distribution centers across the country so that 74% of the U.S. can get parts in two days or less close.

Instead of letting the chips just fall where they may, Kele is here to make sure you hit the jackpot time after time; whether it’s focusing on getting you what you need or helping you navigate the current inflationary environment we find ourselves in. Vegas is said to be a place for everyone. Kele knows we’re the HVAC/BAS equivalent to that. Who said that a jackpot doesn’t come in a Kele package? The best-kept secret in the business is that you and I both know it does.

Get ready to place more bets and stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes from the 2022 ASHRAE Winter Conference about break/fix and projects.

RELATED BLOGS:

Part One: Behind the scenes with Kele at ASHRAE: Focus on education

Part Three: Behind the scenes with Kele at ASHRAE: Focus on projects & break/fix

Ready. Set. Vegas!

Part One of a three-part series

While most people agree that “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” some secrets just aren’t meant to be kept. And what happened at the 2022 ASHRAE Winter Conference is a secret we won’t be keeping. We all know that snitches get stitches, but Kele is betting on black that you want to know what went down—and it’s a gamble we’re willing to take!

So what exactly did happened at the 2022 ASHRAE Winter Conference?

Kele showed up. As pioneers of the supply chain for the BAS industry, showing up when it counts isn’t new to us. We’ve been doing it since day one and know that our customers depend on us to help them get the job done. By attending the Winter Conference, we were doing just that. As the industry grows and evolves, we make it our goal to do so with it so we can help you win no matter what. By attending ASHRAE, we’re able to run the table and stay up to date on what the industry has to offer so that we can offer it to you.

Getting back to face-to-face interactions allowed us to stack the deck so to speak; we were able to personally connect with suppliers and customers alike in a conference setting for the first time in over two years. Having the opportunity to collaborate with both on current trends and discuss what’s next in the industry was instrumental in planning for our joint success in 2022.

And by collaborating, we were able to talk more in-depth about one of the main issues that are plaguing the industry currently: the supply chain. Educating ourselves by hearing first-person accounts allowed us to better understand the frustration and major impacts that are occurring to both customers and suppliers alike. While everyone in the industry knows this is an issue we’ve been dealing with, our conversations centered on creating solutions with you in mind.

Overcoming supply chain issues and figuring out how to do more with less is a top priority for both our customers and Kele in 2022. It’s another reason this tradeshow is so important to the industry. It allowed us to collaborate with both customers and suppliers and solidify our strategy to increase our stocking position for supply challenged parts and create new ways to help our customers win while successfully managing the total cost of their jobs.

Education and improving our process are what help us continue to grow, evolve, and adapt to win the game every time. Kele Product Manager, Tina Nelson, put all her chips on the table and was focused on winning, saying, “Kele is constantly working to solve customer problems by partnering with suppliers to ensure the best outcomes possible. By consistently thinking about how to improve our product segments, how to gain the best products, and how to expand our growth in underdeveloped areas, we’re able to grow and learn to better serve our customers. Trade show attendance lets us engage with our existing partners, increase our presence in the industry for potential partners, and get the most out of both to serve our customer’s needs.”

Getting you what you need, when you need it, is paramount to us right now. It feels like this is the most important thing we can do industry-wide right now, other than continuing to educate ourselves, to make sure that we hit the jackpot every time.

For more information on what you missed at ASHRAE, catch up by reading the State of Society address from president Mike Schwedler and ASHRAE’s article on the event, or by watching the 2022 ASHRAE Winter Conference Meeting of the Members Plenary Session here.

Get ready to cash in those chips and stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes with Kele from the 2022 ASHRAE Winter Conference.

RELATED BLOGS:

Part Two: Behind the scenes with Kele at ASHRAE: Focus on the supply chain

Part Three: Behind the scenes with Kele: Focus on projects and break/fix