Spirotech recently held a training workshop at its UK headquarters. The event, which took place on Wednesday 18th October in the West Midlands, was the fourth in a series of sessions designed to educate heating engineers on the importance of deaeration and showcase Spirotech’s range of system protection products.
Following the success of the first event, which took place in September 2016, the workshop was open to any installer who had expressed interest via Twitter. The 20 places filled up instantly, leaving organisers with a waiting list of more than 50 installers for the next session.
Damon Steele, an Installer who attended the first event and has since taken a primary role in organising the subsequent sessions, said: “Before the training, I had been fitting Spirotech units but I didn’t have a full understanding as to why. As an installer, the sessions have been invaluable in teaching us about new products and techniques that will help us do our jobs to the best of our ability.”
The day was divided into different sessions; the morning was dedicated to presentations delivered by some of Spirotech’s most experienced engineers and sales personnel on the various aspects of air removal, including busting the common myth that an AAV and deaerator perform the same job. After a lunch break, the installers were then divided into three groups to observe live demonstrations of Spirotech’s deaeration products in action, using specially-designed demo units.
Damon continued: “In the year since the first event, Spirotech’s profile has risen massively within the industry. Now, plumbers are asking specifically for Spirotech when they enter a merchants, and that’s got a lot to do with these training sessions. Deaeration is gradually being recognised as the key to managing system health.”
As Spirotech’s way of thanking the installers for taking the time to attend the training, overnight accommodation at a nearby hotel and dinner and drinks were provided after the event to give the engineers an opportuntiity to dicscuss and share ideas in a more informal setting.
The workshops gave the company valuable insight into the way installers feel about the current state of the market and, in particular, Spirotech’s product offerings.
Rob Jacques, National Key Accounts and Technical Sales Manager at Spirotech, said: “The main advantage of events like this is the direct feedback from an experience group of leading engineers. We want to use these kinds of workshops to stay in touch with our customer base and facilitate a two-way stream of information that benefits both us and them. The sessions act as a forum for installers to voice their opinions, which allows us as a manufacturer to keep a finger on the pulse of the industry. We are then able to analyse the feedback internally to ensure what we offer is both relevant and effective.”
Installer testimonials
Dean Torris, Hornchurch Heating & Plumbing
“I learnt so much about Spirotech products at the session, specifically with regards to deaeration. The highlight for me was personally meeting the team and the demonstrations on how the products work. I now recommend the SpiroVent RV2 every day to other installers; it’s a good price for a fantastic bit of kit. There won’t be a boiler I don’t install them on.”
Chris Pringle, Karbon Homes
“The course was extremely helpful and it has given me the confidence moving forward to deaerate my system water instead of using chemicals, depending on the metals used within a system design. A particular highlight was seeing the SpiroVent RV2 in action proving what happens to a system’s solution when heated. I’ve already forwarded other installers on to the organisers for the upcoming sessions.”
Andrew Riley, Andrew Riley Heating
“The best thing about the Spirotech training was being able to sit in a room with other engineers, designers and sales people to exchange advice and information. It allowed me to see how the theory of deaeration really works in practice – I would highly recommend to anyone.”
The full list of 2018 training dates will be published early this year. For more information or to sign up for an upcoming training session, please direct message @SpirotechUK or @SteeleDamon on Twitter, or alternatively email [email protected]
