FOW SALES
New display opportunities around the country with presence now in PlaceMakers Timaru, Oakleys Dunedin, PlaceMakers Nelson, My Plumbing Depot Whanganui, and still to come - Oakleys Christchurch. A new showhome under way with Friday Homes and Lockwood Homes. Have a tiny home for the Wellington region and for Auckland region. Emandee Homes new showhome and a stand in Nook Homes!
We are working on Zip Thorndon’s new showroom which will showcase brand new product and are finally getting a display back into Zip Paraparaumu - plus have quoted OEM exclusive toilets for Zip Plumbing Plus!
With Reece across the country, we are seeing great uptake with the Wolfen products, regular sales now going through on this – Jerry will be happy!
Top of the North Island and MJ has some great wins – 48 units with Renoarts, a 16 unit project with Harrison and Bloy Tauranga and is working on a possible opportunity with Reece on our accessible toilets as their standard spec, not to mention Smartcart sales are building!
Sale events to date in the Lower North have not set the world on fire, with poor results, but we are all battling away on the end of line product and starting to see sales coming through. For Lower North, a couple of merchants will feature mirrors in their upcoming sale events and have bought stock, so better in their warehouses than ours!
- Rachael (Regional Sales - Waterware Interiors)
LOGISTICS AND WAREHOUSE
The warehouse team continue to work on creating a location system in the warehouse. Sau has almost completed giving all shelves a location code and then he will load all our codes against the location to give everything a home. This will make it easier for the team to locate product quickly and improve our accuracy.
Thanks to everyone for improving on how you access the warehouse and engage with the warehouse team when you require product, this will help to improve our warehouse and stock accuracy.
We are focusing on identifying slow moving and aged product for the sales team to focus on moving out of the business.
We are also focusing on product that will not comply with the new low lead requirements due to be imposed on us in Sept 2025. (This date is likely to move).
The new legislation currently states we can’t sell non-low lead product after the cut off date if it is being installed for the use of our drinking water. So; basin taps, plumbing valves, and other brass fittings used in potable water lines are products we need to run down and replace with a low led option.
This process has already started with Caleffi and their introduction of new TV's and PRV's coming out in low lead.
Pioneer tapware is Stainless Steel so we are not required to make any changes but most of our other ranges do not comply and we will either run them out and/or replace them.
- Joff (Logistics and Inventory Manager)
MARKETING
Hi Team,
The marketing team has been busy lately! We've been updating brochures, printing materials, and sending out displays across the country. This is fantastic for raising Waterware's profile!
However, with all this activity, it's important to keep an eye on our spend. We're currently $20,000 over budget with displays, and brochure printing is also adding up.
To maximise our impact while staying within budget, I'm proposing some changes to streamline our workflow:
Online Request Forms: We'll be implementing simple online forms for display and brochure printing requests. This helps everyone track time and resources spent, and it gives us a clear picture of the projected return on investment (ROI) for each display.
Marketing Materials Content Form: We'll also be introducing a form to capture all the information and content needed for new or updated marketing materials. This will streamline the process for everyone involved.
It's normal for any change to take some getting used to, but I know with your support, these new tools will make our marketing efforts even more efficient and impactful.
- Ben (Marketing Manager)
OFFICE MANAGEMENT
I'm pleased to announce that Tara's hard work over the past few months has resulted in the successful launch of Go Sweet Spot (GSS). This freight management tool integrates directly with our courier companies, offering our customers enhanced transparency and real-time order tracking capabilities. GSS represents a step forward in our ability to provide efficient service to our customers.
On another note, we had recently implemented a Working from Home (WFH) Policy for the business, as part of our ongoing commitment to fostering a flexible and supportive work environment. Thank you for providing valuable input to the policy, and you may each find your signed copy uploaded to your Employment Hero profile.
Lastly, I'm sure most of you have noticed my new email signature template. I'm now in the process of deploying this for a few more team members before rolling it out 100%. The sales team will be happy to know that the signature can also be used when emailing from your work phone - no more unattractive "sent from my iPhone" signatures!
- Danielle (Office Manager & Marketing)
TECHNICAL SALES
Hi Team,
Welcome to the next installment of the Little W.
Sales Team Update
After going through most of March and April with zero sales staff on the ground, we welcomed back Daniel M from his OE and also two new staff members started in May – Lea Swan-Gawith (who is now looking after the Lower South Island) and Shane Mannagh (who is managing the Upper North). Unfortunately, Daniel resigned in June to go back on the tools in Whanganui with his son alongside him, so we wish Daniel all the best in this new endeavor. We are now looking for a suitable candidate for the LNI plumbing and heating sales role so we can continue to build on the momentum we have created.
Caleffi Update
Due to all the staff disruptions, we have really struggled to get the required traction on the Caleffi rollout. After selling the first 100 units to Zips, no further orders have been placed and Zips have expressed disappointment with the lack of promotion via their stores and customers. We have learned that despite the strength of the Caleffi brand, it doesn’t sell itself and many younger plumbers have never even seen a Caleffi valve. Also, plumbers go with what they know even if it costs more, so we have implemented a restructured program of training trade staff in the Zips stores, and identifying key plumbers in each region to do toolbox training sessions with. Initial results of this approach are promising but there is a lot of groundwork still to do.
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Vaillant ecoTEC Plus
We have successfully sold through the majority of the existing Vaillant ecoTEC stock and we have received the first shipment of the new Vaillant ecoTEC plus Hydrogen ready boiler. The 15kW models are now in stock with the 25kW and 36kW Combi arriving in the next month or so. A couple of 15kW units have been installed and feedback has been extremely positive.
Ritter Thermal Plus R290
This new product arrived in April and has quickly become a game changer. We pre-sold most of the first container before it arrived and are now looking to place an order for a third in as many months. This new product offers significant value for money due to its competitive price point which has opened up a market that previously found high temperature heat pump solutions out of reach. An example of this was Pipeline in Wellington who had 4 jobs priced with Steibel Eltron heat pumps that were not going anywhere, but 3 were converted immediately when repriced with Ritter R290.
Uponor Pipe System
After the successful release of the Uponor S-Press Plus system into the HVAC market led by our commercial sales manager Shane West, we are now ready to roll out the rest of the product range into the residential heating market. Stock orders for all pipe & fitting sizes 16-32mm will be placed this month with a scheduled rollout in September. This system will provide us with the ability to get our pipe and fittings stocked back into merchants and take further market share from CHNZ and KeKelit.
Market Outlook
There is definitely a market downtown a-foot, and we need to be prepared for a rocky year ahead. Both plumbing and heating channels are very slow right now, but we have been blessed by some strong results with key products and in the commercial market to offset the deficit. We are realigning our strategy to be more focused on specification to ensure we can covert necessary sales and keep the ship moving forward. With our new team getting up to speed and a renewed focus on sales performance, we are confident about our ability to weather the storm and come out the other end in a stronger market position.
- Steve (National Sales Manager)
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Trips, Slips, and Near Misses
When working in any form whether it be remotely, on a site, travelling in your car or in the office if you fall, drop something, walk into something, trip over yourself or spill something on yourself or on the floor - these little things that are all part of life should be logged.
By logging, you're helping us as a company, having an active log of incidents or near misses is normal and looks good for any company especially as we have a warehouse, technical area and lone workers (that includes you our sales reps) it helps to build a better outlook and repour between staff and the H&S practices of Waterware. Any empty log book is an unhealthy one and raises questions so please log, if you have team meetings within you sector please include a section for H&S going over anything that has happened. I am happy to assist in anyway possible if you haven’t downloaded the app please do.
- Tara (After Sales Care & Health and Safety)
Waterware's Mission
In closing, we would like to share our inspiring video that explains our mission to maintain a relentless pursuit of excellence.
Please enjoy this video that encapsulates the Waterware spirit. It highlights how our dedication fuels growth, learning, and customer happiness in alignment with our values of solution-driven service. We constantly evolve our offerings while building partners that share our vision for a more sustainable and technologically advanced future.
Click the video to see our mission in motion. Here's to embracing the promise of tomorrow with passion and care for our clients each step of the way.
- The little w