An Interview with John Buck of Marlo Coil
MarloAIR™ is a pre-engineered air handling unit with a variety of modules that can be configured for the customer’s specific application, from 8,000 to 24,000 CFM.
The Creation of MarloAIR™
Until 2008, Marlo focused on manufacturing custom air handling units. Then, the company stopped production of AHUs completely. John Buck, the Director of Strategy and Commercial Industrial Sales at Marlo Coil, explains, “The problem with doing completely custom AHUs is that it’s very difficult to manage customer expectations, and vice versa. There was no set standard of features and benefits that a customer could point to.” He continues, “That caused a lot of confusion and frustration in those days, which led to the leadership team deciding to exit the commercial AHU business.”
In 2017, the company decided to reenter the market with its modular framing system intended to service the replacement market. Buck says, “When we decided to develop the MarloAIR™ product line, we looked at the customers’ needs. We realized we can meet 90% of their needs with this particular style of an air handling unit using a modular framing system.”
The walls of the AHU are foamed in place; they are precise and tightly controlled dimensionally. This configuration allows the manufacturers to stock panels, framing components, corner cubes, and the rest of the hardware needed to build the AHU.
“That structure is almost universally configurable for any applications, and it allows the manufacturers to build the units rapidly,” Buck states. “Our goal is four to six weeks from the time a customer places an order to delivering the AHU to the application site.”
A Unit Designed Around High-Quality Components
Due to the precisely engineered framing system, there is a complete thermal break from the inside to the outside of the MarloAIR™ unit. This system allows for more efficient use of energy, with less undesirable heat transfer out or out of the AHU and condensation in unwanted areas.
Another feature of the air handling unit is the high-quality coils made by Marlo. “The Stratomizer® is the best in the industry,” Buck states. “You cannot find many manufacturers that would have that level of quality coils or integral facing bypass coils in their AHUs.”
Buck continues, “MarloAIR™ is specifically designed around our coils and Stratomizer®. And so, not only do you have high-quality coils, the high-quality Stratomizer® and high-quality components, but you have a high-quality air handling unit that’s designed specifically for those products to take the best advantage of them.”
Additionally, the company offers a three-year warranty on its commercial products. While most manufacturers in the industry have a one-year warranty, Marlo’s confidence in their products supports their extended warranty. Buck says, “We take pride in our product, the high-quality materials, and the manufacturing processes that we use.”
Continuing, he states, “Marlo Coil is also very flexible. If the customer has a unique requirement, our team is willing to take on some of those more challenging projects and do what’s out of the box.”
Buck also emphasizes the importance of collaboration with the customers. “Our team works closely with customers to figure out what is the most optimum solution. We want our customers to be fully informed of what is going into their product so that they can receive the exact specifications they need.”
Want to Learn More About MarloAIR™?
Coward Environmental Systems, Inc. is proud to represent Marlo Coil in the Philadelphia region, Central PA, Delaware, and Maryland. Contact us today to discover we can be a part of your next project.
