Vaillant, a history of warming you and your home

If you live in areas outside northern China, where there is no central heating in the winter, you will probably find it tough and hard to get through.

Central heating is supplied and controlled by a central provider, such as the government, rather than the individual household.

However things may change as Vaillant, the global industry leader in the fields of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology, sensing the enormous need in areas south of the Yangtze River, has shifted its focus since 2015 when it moved its China headquarters to Shanghai — an area that suffers from wet cold, more unbearable to some than that of the north.

Three strengths of Vaillant give it the ability to help people avoid the pain and discomfort of wet cold.

Service matters

Vaillant is a German company established by Johann Vaillant in 1874. Since day one, Vaillant has been converting energy into warmth for people.

Its 144 years of experience in heating makes it one of the oldest established brands in the field.

As early as in 1995, Vaillant entered the Chinese market following the opening-up that began in 1978.

The difference in gas quality between China and Europe posed a challenge.

“The gas quality of China was different from what we used in Europe,” said Jeroen Sterel, Director of Asia-Pacific Region, Vaillant Group.

“So if we didn’t adjust the product, it might not work.

“So first we had to study and find ways to make sure our products could be used in Chinese market.”

It took Vaillant more than 10 years to bring its products to China, but for a company that cares about the customer experience, it was worth spending time on that.

The emphasis on customer experience is a tradition of Vaillant.

Providing high-quality products to customers is not enough. Vaillant wants its customers to have a good experience.

It has worked hard to achieve that.

“The product itself is not enough,” Sterel says. “The product we have cannot be used independently. They have to do with fittings and components, piping of water or gas, electricity and so on.

“There are many aspects that will affect customer experience. We have spent a lot of time in improving the quality of components by producing them ourselves or selecting credible suppliers, in training our dealers, our installation personnel, and we have a wide network of 31 after-sales service sites in major cities — around the clock.”

With the hope of promoting expertise across the entire heating industry, Vaillant started its “Vaillant Training+ Program”, an installation personnel training program, in Nanjing in August in cooperation with the Nanjing Technical Vocational College.

The program includes class training, practice, internship and other phases, using the German “dual system” vocational education system, which emphasizes balancing theory in the school and practice in the workplace.

Trainees are recruited nationwide, and get free training for five months and receive certificates once qualified. The first batch of 19 trainees is now already working in the heating industry.

“Some of our teaching staff have obtained ‘the German Master Certificate’ — recognition for their professional competence,” Sterel says.

“We also have, on a regular basis, experienced experts from Germany to check whether they have done things correctly.”

It is the emphasis on customer feeling that drives Vaillant to work to improve the quality of components, installation and after-sales service.

Sterel believes the product is only one thing and that it is the overall service and experience that matters.

A pioneer of household heating

Vaillant was one of the earliest enterprises that brought the concept of household heating — where a household provides its own heating — to China. After being in China for more than 20 years, Vaillant has witnessed the evolution of Chinese families’ understanding of heating.

“Many years ago, the Chinese people put up with cold. As the economy and the society develop, change happens,” Sterel says. “Now, when people change houses, they will think about what kind of comfort they want in the house, and heating become important for them. They have different requirements of comfort now.”

Indeed nowadays it is a social convention that when purchasing one product, customers don’t just want comfort.

They want more. They want the product to be more energy-efficient and healthier.

Central heating and air-conditioning have a long history in China. But they are different to household heating and the affect of dry air has been a concern for some people.

Air-conditioning has poor reputation for performance in the extreme cold of winter.

The lower the outside temperature is, the less effective the heating effect is.

Central heating requires a gas pipeline, the construction of which is not a priority of government outside northern China because of the high cost. Therefore in areas south of the Yangtze River, central heating is unlikely.

Moreover one cannot choose to turn on or turn off the heating and regulate the temperature as they like with central heating.

But individual household heating overcomes all these problems.

However, many people think that to have household heating in the house is a big project that may tear down walls and even renovate part of their home.

But that is not the case.

The installation of household heating only takes an average two days, says Sterel.

Due to its efficient heating and relatively easy installation, household heating is getting more and more popular in areas like Shanghai.

Most newly constructed buildings in Shanghai have been installed with household heating, and Vaillant’s condensing boiler accounts for a large part by cooperating with some real estate developers such as Vanke.

Sterel is confident that in five years, Vaillant can double or triple its sales of household heating appliance and bring more families a comfortable home climate.

Green heart, sustainable mindset

Instead of stressing the detailed content of Vaillant’s sustainability strategy, Sterel repeatedly put his hand on his heart and said that to convince people to practice sustainability and follow sustainable standards is the most important thing.

According to Vaillant’s 2017 sustainability report, more than 40 per cent of primary energy in the European Union is used in and for buildings.

As a company that specializes in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning — some of the key users of energy in buildings and homes — Vaillant believes it can contribute to help save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2017, Vaillant set out its new corporate vision — taking care of a better climate. Inside each home and the world around it.

The vision reflects Vaillant’s hope to practice sustainability in partnership with every family by providing them efficient and energy-saving products.

In addition, Vaillant is serious about the recyclability and the carbon footprint of materials used in its products.

It has “The 6 Green Rules” to ensure that both its products and the fittings of suppliers meet sustainability criteria.

The details of Vaillant’s sustainability strategy include: by 2020, 80 percent of the total turnover comes from high-efficiency products such as condensing wall-hang boilers; use 85 percent fewer materials in production; reduce greenhouse emissions and energy consumption by 25 percent; an and halve water consumption every production minute.