A.O. Smith moves offices

IRVING, TEXAS — A. O. Smith Water Products Co. has announced that it is moving its headquarters to the Ashland City, Tenn., site of the primary manufacturing facility of State Industries, which was acquired by A. O. Smith. The move is expected to be complete by July 1.

Plans are underway for a major renovation of the company’s Ashland City offices, and A.O. Smith is also constructing a Customer Care Center. Scheduled for completion in early July, the center will include state-of-the-art training and customer support facilities that can focus on all the company’s brands and product categories.

Ron Massa, president of A. O. Smith Water Products, said that a primary objective is to maintain separate State and A.O. Smith brand identities and build on the significant brand equity that each has established. In addition, Maytag brand water heaters are being marketed through Maytag-authorized plumbing contractors and wholesalers.

“From the point of view of A. O. Smith contractors and wholesalers and State contractors and wholesalers, very little will change,” Massa said. “We will maintain separate distributor networks for each brand, and work with each brand’s distributors to create value for all our customers. Our efficiencies will come from merging manufacturing, accounting, product support and marketing.”

Commenting on the Customer Care Center, he said: “We realized that combining our customer support functions would improve our service levels tremendously. As with our marketing programs, careful differentiation between the brands will be maintained.”