From the Director’s Desk: Mini Q&A with Karen Harman-Smeltz, Your Average September, PFI HDD Index to Launch October 2
Mini Q&A with Karen Harman-Smeltz
Late this summer, PFI-member Hearth & Home Technologies (HHT), launched the shared master brand Forge & Flame, unifying the Vermont Castings, Harman, and Quadra-Fire brands. The Pellet Wire caught up with PFI board member Karen Harman-Smeltz to learn a little more about the motivations for this launch and HHT’s ambitions for this new brand.
Congratulations on the announcement regarding the recently announced master brand of Forge & Flame. What made now the right time to unify the historic brands of Vermont Castings, Harman, and Quadra-Fire under one name?
"Thank you, we’ve been working on this concept for close to two years as we evaluated how we can lead the hearth industry in more ways than product.
Through Forge & Flame, we have created a hub for consumer education, inspiration, and product selection. We lead consumers to the trade partners more educated and ready to buy than ever before. We are fortunate to have a deep heritage dating back to the energy crisis of the 70s. Our founders, Dane Harman, Alan Trusler (and Dan Henry), and Duncan Syme (and Murray Howell) are true innovators, and we are thankful for the products and technologies their legends were built on."
Hearth & Home Technologies has maintained relationships with hearth retailers for years and those strong relationships are the hallmark of Hearth & Home Technologies and how they go to market. What are you hearing from hearth retailers about this new go-to-market approach?
Our trade partners are the core of how our brands grew into the powerhouses they are today. We want to honor what they have grown and help them accelerate even more by focusing on how consumers are changing their wants and the knowledge they need to shop for big purchases like a stove or insert.
We arrived at Forge & Flame carefully and brought a variety of trade partners in to give feedback before final decisions were made. I believe this had a lot to do with the overwhelmingly positive response to Forge & Flame. We will continue to evolve Forge & Flame and are excited at what the future holds.
Each of those brands had certainly established itself as a formidable and trusted brand in the hearth space. How does HHT plan to connect the quality and performance that go along with those brand names to the new master brand of Forge & Flame?
Harman, Vermont Castings, and Quadra-Fire products will continue their reputation for quality and performance. What’s more, our new product development, manufacturing, and distribution remain untouched. Our stove plant in Halifax, PA is a Gold Certified Lean Manufacturing facility that has strict quality, delivery, cost, and safety measures.
Forge & Flame Seeks Nominees for 9th Annual Harman Hero Giveaway
Since 2004 Harman has awarded a pellet stove to military members, first responders, health care, or school workers as a thank-you for “their generosity, sacrifices, and impact on our everyday lives.” PFI member, Lignetics, contributes one ton of wood pellets to get the awardee started.
This is a terrific promotion and the PFI is proud of its members for celebrating heroes in our communities.
Does this promotion bring someone to your mind? If it does, nominations are welcomed through October 12, 2023. Submit your nomination online.
Your Average September
As the month winds down, here’s a quick look at some statistics for production, sales, and inventory positions for September. All data is from the Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report.
5-year averages
Production
East 118,697 tons
South 22,579 tons
West 36,165 tons
U.S. Total 164,262 tons
Sales
East 125,695 tons
South 40,831 tons
West 48,224 tons
U.S. Total 214,749 tons
Inventory
East 108,325 tons
South 36,327 tons
West 70,415 tons
U.S. Total 215,067 tons
Notes: September finds our industry at full song. September ranks as the third-highest month for production AND sales. Our industry’s best years are marked by a strong September. The 2.2 million ton 2019 saw September sales of 229,327 tons. Conversely, the great fizzle of 2021 saw September sales slump to 188,737 tons. 2023 monthly production has outstripped the average by 20% or better from February – June. Assuming that logic holds, this September’s production might flirt with 170,000 tons.
PFI HDD Index to Launch October 2
The correlation between Heating Degree Days and wood pellet consumption is clear. While we can’t do anything about the weather, we can understand and monitor its impact on consumer pellet usage. The PFI launched the PFI HDD Index as a way of monitoring the season’s accumulating Heating Degree Days against the prior year and long-term averages. The Index is updated weekly and can be found on the PFI homepage.
