Business View Oceania | September 2020

61 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA SEPTEMBER 2020 Firebird Heating Solutions & Central Heating New Zealand a true Partnership In 2001 the team at central Heating New Zealand travelled to Europe to visit potential partners. One of their first visits was to Firebird Heating Solutions based in Cork, Ireland. Firebird and Central Heating New Zealand immediately hit it off. Both shared the same enthusiasm, focus on the installer and homeowner, ambition for technical excellence and reliability, willingness to put the shoulder to the wheel and an agreed sense of fair play. This laid the ground for this great partnership from the very first day. Firebird became CHNZ’s first supplier and CHNZ became Firebird’s first customer outside of Ireland and the UK. The business has grown enormously because the teams in both businesses have continued to live by their initial commitments. Firebird have been designing and manufacturing liquid fuel boilers for 40 years. At the forefront of technology, Firebird Heating Solutions continues to develop innovative cost-effective, energy-efficient heating solutions that not only meet, but easily exceed today’s stringent legislative requirements. Over the 20 years, the partnership has seen boiler efficiencies increase from 70% to greater than 95% and with our new burner partner Elco, we have seen our boiler efficiency grow even further, move the oil boiler industry towards blue flame technology and our Nitrox Oxide (NOx) emissions have reduced by 70% to limits that are currently half the European limits. This ensures huge savings for the end user while ensuring we remain environmentally responsible. During 2017 the Firebird and CHNZ teams decided to develop a product that was exactly suited to the New Zealand market. Key attributes required were easy to install, easy to service, robust/reliable and a backup service second to none. This started an 18-month project where both companies continuously listened and learned from one another. Installers travelled from New Zealand to Cork and Italy for training. In 2017 the Firebird team travelled to New Zealand to listen and understand the New Zealand market. This bought a deeper understanding of issues important to CHNZ. In November 2019 Firebird travelled back to New Zealand to showcase the team’s new boiler. The team completed 9 roadshows across New Zealand to introduce this new CHNZ Diesel Boiler. This was warmly welcomed and has been a huge success to date. For CHNZ and Firebird the journey is only just beginning, even after 20 years. We will continue to increase efficiencies and reduce emissions. We wish Central Heating New Zealand all the best and look forward to developing this partnership even further into the future! ...... For more information, please visit our website www.firebird.ie