Representatives from 35 of the industry’s leading manufacturers recently attended the Pipe Center and Climate Center’s annual conference, held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

The event attracted several hundred staff from the heating and cooling distributor’s sales and central support teams across the UK, to review performance, discuss strategy and celebrate outstanding achievements across the business.

Leading manufacturers present included headline sponsor Pegler Yorkshire, Lawton, Tata Steel, Grundfos, Geberit, Crane, Georg Fischer, Ideal Stelrad, Polypipe Terrain, Wilo, A-Gas, Pump House, GEA Searle, and Daikin, to name a few. Suppliers staged an exhibition of new technology, to update branch managers and sales teams on the latest developments.

Managing director Lee Jon Newman thanked suppliers for their strong support and commitment over the past year. He outlined plans to work even more closely with suppliers in future, and continue building on the company’s customer service proposition - with the aim of making Pipe Center and Climate Center the undisputed merchants of choice in their respective markets.

He said: “There is no doubt that our close partnerships enable us to deliver the best service and product offering in the market. This, in turn, helps customers deliver for their own clients.”

During the two-day event, the company’s performance and ambitions for the coming year were highlighted though presentations based on well-known television shows, such as the One Show, Question of Sport and Question Time.

Key targets identified for growth include the core building services market, industrial sector, and refrigeration and air conditioning.

An important addition to the network is a new distribution centre at Measham, Leicestershire. Together with a programme of new branch openings, it will help streamline product deliveries and enable the company to offer class-leading response times across the UK.

The event concluded with a series of award presentations, including two Suppliers of the Year, won by pump manufacturer Wilo (for Pipe Center) and air conditioning accessory specialist Pump House (for Climate Center).

Special guest at the event was Sean Fitzpatrick, former New Zealand All Black, who led a foundation-shaking ‘haka’ on stage.