All Articles Tagged Central Vacuum

CE Pro Editors | 03/30 08:47 AM, 0 Comments

With the existing home market dominating the custom landscape, some CE pros have wondered if high-margin, high-customer-satisfaction categories like central vacuum installations are still viable. It’s a category, like structured wiring or distributed audio, that is more often associated with new construction - but as the folks at M.D. Manufacturing emphasize to us, there is definitely room in retrofits for central vac, especially if your core clientele live in single-story homes. M.D. Manufacturing’s Andrew Bransby runs through the Retrofit 101 of central vac. Related: Anatomy of a Central Vacuum System:… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 03/11 10:09 AM, 0 Comments

Electrolux Home Care Products, makers of Beam central vacuums, has restructured its sales force to create geographically closer independent dealer-directed sales and customer support teams and telesales teams for its dealer-protected product lines. Russ Minick, president of Electrolux Home Care Products, says the restructuring will drive more traffic and sales to dealers. Larry Hartley will lead the newly reorganized sales and customer support team as director of U.S. field sales. The enhanced dealer and retailer support effort also will include improved online ordering and Web-based product warranty systems as well… View this story

Robert Archer | 02/09 04:31 AM,

The central vacuum category is easily one of the most misunderstood product categories in the entire world of custom home electronics. H-P Products is trying to simplify the category as much as possible for installers through product introductions like its new Vroom Garage System. The Vroom Garage is a stand alone system that the Ohio-based company says provide homeowners with the power and convenience of a traditional central vacuum system installed in a garage. H-P says the system is comprised of two pieces: a power unit that hangs on the… View this story

Robert Archer | 01/17 06:59 AM,

Custom installers often overlook the profit potential of central vacuum systems and now with the release the new CV400 Compact Power Unit, NuTone is providing electronics professionals with a product that can service smaller homes to increase their sales and marketing reach beyond the category's traditionally larger home market. The CV400 Compact Power Unit is designed for homes up to 2,200 square feet and the company says the product offers homeowners the same level of performance of its larger products in a form factor that doesn't take up a lot… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 12/10 01:52 PM, 1 Comment

CE Pro has covered in detail the benefits of custom installers branching out to find revenue opportunities in the existing home and commercial markets. Perhaps lost in this quest for expanded revenue streams has been the central vacuum category. Larry Hartley, vice president of sales and marketing for Electrolux Central Vacuum Systems, explains to CE Pro just how easily central vacuum systems fit into the retrofit home market paradigm, as well as other trendy markets such as the green building industry. There's a general feeling in the custom market that… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 10/01 12:10 PM, 1 Comment

Does one of your clients hate dirt and hate to vacuum? A central vacuum system may be just they need. Instead of lugging a canister around the home, the heavy lifting is done by a power unit located some place like the garage, where it can barely be heard. A central vacuum system can also be a healthier and greener choice, as it won’t emit dirt particles into the air, as do some other vacuum systems. For installers and consumers who are new to the category, we provide the foundations… View this story

Tom LeBlanc | 11/18 07:43 AM, 18 Comments

A popular gripe in the custom electronics industry is that architects, builders and interior designers don’t appreciate the need to include electronics in their designs. A gripe in the building and design communities is that guidelines for including electronics aren’t communicated properly. The Council of Home Automation and Residential Technology (CHART) was formed by architects, builders, designers and CE pros to fix all that. CHART’s resources will be available online when its Web site launches in December. The organization aims to provide a forum for communication and guidelines for the… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 10/17 06:43 AM, 6 Comments

Who knew that Roombas were herbivores? There I was presenting a Webinar while simultaneously vacuuming a spare room, feeling good about my work/life balance. Following the Webinar – as any good housekeeper would do – I went to collect my self-propelled vacuum cleaner. To my surprise, the Roomba was nowhere to be found. There was, however, an overturned plant that seemed to have deliberately flung itself from its stand onto my new cork floors – soil down, of course. After a little investigative work, I found the culprit: a very… View this story

Grant Olewiler | 09/29 09:48 AM, 2 Comments

Why is it that more than 65 percent of the CE Pro 100 companies are not offering central vacuums? Is it the ugly step-child the industry only offers when it's absolutely necessary? Is the category not sexy enough? Is the price point too low to include in a package? Our company participated in a recent CE Pro 100 Summit and even offered a free vacuum system for each of the participants. Yet, they still didn't pursue the offer. How do you reconcile this with regular statements from industry leaders that… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 07/10 11:49 AM, 0 Comments

M.D. Manufacturing, Inc. has reaffirmed its commitment to the American workforce by building a brand new, state-of-the-art operations facility in Bakersfield, California. Many US manufacturers committed to American-made goods continue to give in to the lure of low-cost labor moving production out side the United States; however, MD put action behind their beliefs in keeping quality jobs in America. The new MD plant is double the size of the former location and offers three times the storage capacity. The new facility houses all manufacturing, inventory, sales and support staff in… View this story