Hamworthy Heating has changed. In the last four years, it has introduced a range wall-hung boilers and a range of condensing boilers. It has also changed its manufacturing process. More importantly for the installer, it has changed the way it deals with its customers. Mike Shaw, sales and marketing director, explains why to Paul Braithwaite
WANT a wall-hung boiler for a commercial premises?

Want a condensing boiler for an office complex?

Think Hamworthy Heating!

In the last few years Hamworthy has undergone a quiet revolution.

The company has been around for 40 years as a leading boiler manufacturer in the commercial and industrial sector.

But the last four years have seen a sea change.

Perhaps the catalyst was that Hamworthy was sold by Powell Duffryn plc to investment bank NBGI in January 2002.

As might be expected there is a new management team under Nick Templeton-Ward as chief executive officer and non-executive chairman.

During 2002, Mike Shaw joined as sales and marketing director and Terry Mahoney as operations director with Andy Moore joining more recently as financial director .

Completing the team is Steve Hills as commercial director and Bob Walsh as technical director who between them have more than 50 years experience in the industry.

Mike insists Hamworthy has a strong brand name with a reputation that stands for good, solid engineering from a reliable company as the product will often last for 30-35 years.

What the company needed was to retain and build on this heritage. For instance, Mike says, the company did not have a full condensing boiler range.

Three years on, it has a comprehensive range of condensing boilers which has joined its non-condensing offering.

Hamworthy had a very limited range of wall-hung boilers.

Now the company has a complete range of wall-hung boilers to sell alongside the floor-standing offering.

“Hamworthy is well known for its floor-standing boilers but not for its wall-hung boilers and this has to change.”

There’s more!

Customer service and response times have improved dramatically and, now, boilers are tested before they leave the factory.

Before, during busy periods, there would be a backlog of quotes.

Now when a client phones in for a quote, Mike assures, it is processed and returned within 24 hours.

There is a new lean manufacturing system with the workers divided into cells.

“If someone sends in an order for a boiler, we can make it and ship it today.”

Very little stock of finished product is held but there are enough components to build all of the boilers as they are needed plus back-up stock at suppliers should it be needed in a hurry.

“We have a ‘takt’ time for each operation. Each cell is manned according to expected output. If the requirement goes down, an operator can move from the cell and go to work elsewhere in the factory. If the requirement goes up, then extra operators are introduced.”

Not that everyone needs an order processed within 24 hours so Hamworthy would normally take one or two weeks.

Mike says it’s all about flexibility.

“Customers know they are going to receive their orders so they can order much later.”

Mike says currently “Quotif” (Quality, On Time, In Full Delivery Performance) “is running at an impressive 92% but there is still room for further improvement.

He adds that “in full” means that if the customer has ordered other ancillary components to go with the boilers then these should be delivered at the same time.

How did the new management empower the workforce?

Not surprisingly the operatives often know most about producing quality boilers. The management wanted them to take the initiative and do what was needed to improve the systems and then run their own show. He admits it took a little time but now the operatives know that, for instance, if they want to change the production cell around, they have the authority to do just that.

Mike stresses: “the workforce is flexible, motivated and highly committed to the business”.

All these measures have improved customer care (and customer satisfaction).

But while the short-term challenges have been met, the company has no intention of allowing complacency to creep in.

It has also begun building pipe work kits and rigs so that time is saved on-site and there is less chance of mistakes when connecting up.

And, for the future, Hamworthy intends to extend this pre-fabricating service. Again, Mike is anxious customers know Hamworthy is willing and able to add these ancillaries so that its kit is virtually plug and play.



There are around 100 staff of which 35 are field based.

“Hamworthy has the biggest sales force in the industry. The focus is on supporting the consultants and contractors while also working with building operators to establish total solutions to ageing boiler installations.”

All the sales people are able to sit down with consultants and go through the designs, understand their needs and respond, he says. “We are not box shifters and we do not sell through merchants,” Mike insists.

“All Hamworthy products are carefully designed and are exclusive. Nothing in the portfolio is sold by anyone else.”

Backing the sales force is a team of experienced office-based technical engineers and a team of service engineers able to support the products through their life by providing service and maintenance support to the building operator.

Mike adds Hamworthy is willing and able to help with the design of any heating system – boilers, hot water products, flues, pumps, controls, pressurisation units – and anything else required for a project.

However, he insists, Hamworthy will not lose sight of the fact that it is primarily a boiler manufacturer – for now.

“Further down the track, it intends to be known as a heating solutions provider, supplying not only the boilers but also the ancillary equipment especially the hot water products.”

Hamworthy supplies a premium product with premium service and at a competitive price, says Mike, so the support doesn’t end when you buy the boiler. Hamworthy engineers will go to site to commission it. And if they do, then an enhanced warranty kicks in.”

Why the difference?

“If we commission it we know the product will perform as designed and achieve its optimum performance. So many times problems are created by faulty installations and commissioning.”

Nevertheless, Mike insists that if there were a problem, Hamworthy’s engineers will stick at it until they find the solution.

Performance and reliability are key.

Mike says there are Hamworthy boilers in the market which have been there for 30 plus years still providing reliable service.

“Those boilers were designed using cast iron heat exchangers and, while many competitors have stopped using the material, we have modernised the design to retain all the benefits of cast iron to produce the Purewell Variheat high efficiency condensing boiler which was launched at the end of last year.”

Mike adds Hamworthy uses only cast iron, stainless steel and copper in its commercial boilers because of the issues of water treatment and corrosion with aluminium.

All its commercial boilers have large diameter waterways whereas some other manufacturers use smaller waterways which could clog up in a commercial environment, says Mike.

All the product ranges comply with the new Part L regulations.

Mike sees plenty of potential from the wall-hung boiler range (100kW - 35kW) and hot water delivery products now that the range has been expanded from eight to 34 products including condensing and room-sealed water heaters.

The company is now working on renewables such as ground- and air-source heat pumps, biomass and solar and it intends to be involved in these markets.

On offer: training and a roadshow

HAMWORTHY service engineers will train partner installers.

The company has training facilities in its Poole manufacturing facility and another in Derby and its engineers are also happy to visit installers’ premises to train there too.

There is also a new customer centre in Lutterworth where consultants and contractors can see the products which are available and learn more from a series of seminars covering the latest issues relevant to the heating and ventilating industry.

Also a roadshow van is used to demonstrate products to consultants and contractors at their own sites.