Sontay’s Featured Distributor campaign shines light on the sales and distribution companies that connect Sontay’s products with the construction industry.

In our latest Featured Distributor post, Sontay catches up with Western Automation Leeds, a company which has over 50 years’ experience within the HVAC/Electrical distribution market. Western Automation Leeds offers a second-to-none knowledge base and a high level of service for customers large and small.

Phil Berry, Sontay’s UK Sales Manager has worked with Western Automation Leeds for many years, explaining it’s the company’s superb location, stock and customer service which keeps suppliers and customers coming back for more. “Western Automation Leeds has great industry knowledge and is the BCIA training venue for the North,” says Phil. “Our North West Sales Manager Marco has a fantastic Sontay partner with Western Automation Leeds and is lucky to have this team in his portfolio!”

To find out more about Western Automation Leeds, Sontay chatted with Nik Billingham, the company’s General Manager.

 

Q: What can customers expect when working with you?

A: Our loyal customer base expects and deserves the best service possible. Western Automation Leeds confidently offers a reliable delivery service, competitive pricing on quality products and has decades of knowledge of the HVAC industry under its belt. 

Q: What is the best part of your relationship with Sontay?

A: Since joining Western Automation Leeds 13 years ago I’ve become very familiar with Sontay. The relationship is fantastic; whilst we have had a few changes in personnel over the years, the working bond has become stronger over time, not just with Sontay’s external team but with senior management too.  

Q: What are your typical delivery times to customers on Sontay equipment?

A: We have just over 160 lines of stock. Due to our customer base, we hold a big stock profile of Sontay’s products and currently have around 60K in house at any given time. This means we can offer “off the shelf” service levels on next day delivery, either via our own van or by courier. Generally, deliveries are 1-2 working days unless it’s a bespoke or engineered product.

Q: Why is Sontay popular with your customers?

A: Sontay is pretty much the industry standard across the Yorkshire area, which essentially means the quality and price are where they need to be.

The company has evolved over the past decade and moved with new technologies and product trends, which is testament to the technical team and Sontay’s R&D.

Q: What is your favourite Sontay product?

A: The smart sensor range is gaining major traction in the market, with a wide range of features and the ability to add on extras such as LED displays or switches. With workers going back to the office gradually, Sontay has struck gold with its new temperature/humidity and PM2.5 sensor. This, coupled with the CO2 range, will give every employee the confidence that building and ventilation conditions are at their optimum operation levels.

Q: The Building Controls industry is progressing rapidly at the moment. What do you see the future of the industry is?

A: Smart buildings and IoT have propelled the HVAC industry into new territories. As a result of this everything is generally accessible by smartphone which is driving the demand for app-based software. This will no doubt grow massively in the market.

As an industry, we have to be mindful that the HVAC industry does rely heavily on experience and ‘old school’ methods of installation and commissioning. We must be respectful of this and should not discount the fact that traditional wiring and control are still the backbone of control systems and will be for a considerable time into the future.