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The first working week of the New Year is coming to a close, if this is any indication of how things are going to be for the rest of our season we are in for a busy, wild ride with many challenges. Northern Lights are in their new home in Deerfield Beach, Florida. It required a superhuman effort by all the staff to get into their new digs, a seamless interruption of customer service was foremost on their minds and they achieved this admirably. Delays in the construction caused chaos with the move but everyone pulled together and rode it out. We have some specials in this side of the house that I will be addressing in a separate message. All of us at Parts and Power are gearing up for the big push into the full swing of the season for the months ahead and are committed to keeping everyone informed of all specials and any new products that we can offer.
The new websites are starting to gain a lot of momentum with everyone hopefully participating. We have the Caribbean Northern Lights dealer website and the new upgraded Parts and Power site with tips and sales for everyone to see. We hope that this will benefit not only our dealers but also any customers who need to find help in any location and just to what extent the services offered will assist them with their particular problem. Input is always a big part of any successful website, so please don’t hesitate to come forward with ideas, articles or information. For those of you who remember Milagros, she is still playing a big part in our information system. She remotes in and runs our sites, organizing, updating and even has to bark once in a while to get our fingers onto the keyboards so you can have the latest newsletters and deals.
Dometic has come up with a few new products that we think will interest everyone. A new line of fridge/freezers that are programmable from +50F to 0F are starting to catch the eye of charter companies, cruisers and even homeowners. These units are not the old cold plate technology but carry a compressor with extra strong insulation. There are six sizes to choose from and the power demands are surprisingly low. With a12 volt supply, 6 to 7 Amps intermittently is all that is used. These units feature a battery sensor that will prevent complete draining of the battery. On the 24 volt supply they will only require 3 Amps. Intermittently, the 120 Vac. is 1.3 to 0.7 of an Amp. The portability is what really hits you as the greatest feature, you can stow them anywhere in a boat (they are built to withstand 30 degrees of tilt), in a car you don’t have to worry about melting ice cream or thawing meats while you finish other tasks or even have lunch while in town. The charter industries are very interested, as these are a quick answer to a chase call on a vessel with no refrigeration. Two of these units plugged in and stowed out of the way answers fridge and freezer in one quick visit. Then the problem can be addressed when the guests have left.
3M has a new filter material that we are trialing in the charter fleets right now. It’s an air conditioner filter that is aimed at reducing allergens, captures microscopic allergens like dust and smoke particles, large allergens like mold spores, pet dander and pollen. The sheets are 15 x 24 inches and can be cut to fit any intake or return air on any air conditioner. So far everyone seems to like it. The sheets come one to a box and 12 boxes to a case. These are electro statically charged and will slip right onto any intake or return.
As the season progresses and we all start to get a better feel for how the economy is going to impact us, be it lost percentage of sales, tougher competition, tighter budgets for customers and even longer delivery times from suppliers who have reduced stock, we need to keep our objectives in view. We need to provide the correct product, with the best service and an educated sales staff to provide the information the customer needs. This is what will carry all of us through a tough season. I am confident that with attention to detail and more aggressive marketing we can all make it through with a successful season and an eye to the future.
Drew Bremner
Sales Manager
Parts & Power Ltd