SUPPLIER PROFILE: Acorn Safety provides hands-on distributor training
Tell us a little about the history of your company.
Acorn Safety is the newest division of the Acorn Engineering Family of Companies. In 1954, Acorn Engineering was founded on the principals of design and quality and is based in City of Industry, California, primarily as a manufacturer of stainless steel plumbing fixtures for the institutional market (i.e. prisons, schools and hospitals). We currently employ 1,200 people and maintain approximately 750,000 square feet of manufacturing space with six regional warehouses located in Chicago, Dallas, Union (NJ), Myrtle Beach, Atlanta, and Miami.
What has been your company’s business strategy to gain market share?
Acorn Safety intends to create market share through a combination of developing specifications at the end user level as well with mechanical and design engineering firms. We are willing to provide hands-on training and field shower surveys for our distribution partners.
What is your company’s unique selling proposition?
Acorn Engineering has been making commercial shower systems and other plumbing fixtures for over 50 years. At one time in the 1960’s we had a safety shower division known as Logan Showers. This product line is a natural extension of our expertise. We offer more standard features, with more pre-assembly of product resulting in fewer up-charges for those features and easier/less expensive installation.
Describe the core branded products of your company that you promote most heavily?
Acorn Engineering has been a specialized manufacturer of stainless steel products for 50+ years. Any of our Acorn Safety barrier-free and/or corrosion-resistant models constructed of stainless steel will be heavily promoted.
Regarding your distributor network…
This is currently a work in progress with the safety distribution industry. We want to open discussions with any safety/industrial distribution group looking for a new manufacturer.
How do distributors contribute to your success in the marketplace?
Distributors are an integral partner to our success in the safety industry. For the most part they represent our sales force to the end user. Their relationships with their customers are the key to getting our product recognized in the workplace.
Any safety distribution partner will have product training and field shower surveys available to them and their customers upon request.
What business characteristics do you look for when selecting to work with a distributor?
Having an established customer base of emergency drench equipment users is one element. Being able to represent our products with professional safety sales personnel is another.
Describe your current financial picture.
Actual sales only began in April of 2008 so we do not have a history of sales to use. Our initial four months of sales has been positive and we are pleased with the customers’ acceptance of our product line so far.
What should distributors know about your company’s future, in terms of short- and long-range plans?
Short-term plans include building market awareness through reps, engineering, specification and marketing. Long-term plans are for Acorn Safety to become a full line manufacturer of all types of tepid water drench systems suitable for any climate. Additional products will continue to be introduced well into 2009.
Acorn Safety; (800) 591-9372; www.acornsafety.com
Acorn Safety is the newest division of the Acorn Engineering Family of Companies. In 1954, Acorn Engineering was founded on the principals of design and quality and is based in City of Industry, California, primarily as a manufacturer of stainless steel plumbing fixtures for the institutional market (i.e. prisons, schools and hospitals). We currently employ 1,200 people and maintain approximately 750,000 square feet of manufacturing space with six regional warehouses located in Chicago, Dallas, Union (NJ), Myrtle Beach, Atlanta, and Miami.
What has been your company’s business strategy to gain market share?
Acorn Safety intends to create market share through a combination of developing specifications at the end user level as well with mechanical and design engineering firms. We are willing to provide hands-on training and field shower surveys for our distribution partners.
What is your company’s unique selling proposition?
Acorn Engineering has been making commercial shower systems and other plumbing fixtures for over 50 years. At one time in the 1960’s we had a safety shower division known as Logan Showers. This product line is a natural extension of our expertise. We offer more standard features, with more pre-assembly of product resulting in fewer up-charges for those features and easier/less expensive installation.
Describe the core branded products of your company that you promote most heavily?
Acorn Engineering has been a specialized manufacturer of stainless steel products for 50+ years. Any of our Acorn Safety barrier-free and/or corrosion-resistant models constructed of stainless steel will be heavily promoted.
Regarding your distributor network…
This is currently a work in progress with the safety distribution industry. We want to open discussions with any safety/industrial distribution group looking for a new manufacturer.
How do distributors contribute to your success in the marketplace?
Distributors are an integral partner to our success in the safety industry. For the most part they represent our sales force to the end user. Their relationships with their customers are the key to getting our product recognized in the workplace.
Any safety distribution partner will have product training and field shower surveys available to them and their customers upon request.
What business characteristics do you look for when selecting to work with a distributor?
Having an established customer base of emergency drench equipment users is one element. Being able to represent our products with professional safety sales personnel is another.
Describe your current financial picture.
Actual sales only began in April of 2008 so we do not have a history of sales to use. Our initial four months of sales has been positive and we are pleased with the customers’ acceptance of our product line so far.
What should distributors know about your company’s future, in terms of short- and long-range plans?
Short-term plans include building market awareness through reps, engineering, specification and marketing. Long-term plans are for Acorn Safety to become a full line manufacturer of all types of tepid water drench systems suitable for any climate. Additional products will continue to be introduced well into 2009.
Acorn Safety; (800) 591-9372; www.acornsafety.com
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