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A passion for developing high-quality products that are functional, dependable and affordable has contributed to the success
of this Pennsylvania-based hearth supplier.
BY CAROL DAUS
It is no surprise to people in the hearth industry that Harman Stove Co. has experienced skyrocketing growth in the past few years. The company's hearth products are some of the best in the business, offering functionality, reliability and appealing designs.
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| Dane Harman, president and founder of The Harman Stove Company, still plays an active hands-on role in the development of new hearth products. |
The success of these products in the marketplace, along with a complete array of support services for both retailers/dealers and customers, are the reasons that the Halifax, Pa.-based company is poised for even greater growth. Harman Stove Co. is guaranteed continued success as it opens its new 383,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and office complex this fall, which will result in the creation of at least 277 jobs within five years, plus the retention of about 300 existing employees.
“The Harman Stove Company is a great example of how a home-grown business can expand and flourish,” Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell stated during a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion last spring. “Started by one man in his garage, this company now exports products across America, Canada, Western Europe and the British Isles,” Rendell said.
This one man, of course, is Dane Harman, president, who not only founded the company but still serves as the primary designer and engineer. Harman’s expertise and commitment in the area of product innovation are the keys to this 27-year-old company’s success. Todd Kaufman, national sales manager, says, “Product innovation is certainly Dane’s territory, but we’ve grown to the point where we now have eight full-time employees in our R&D department.”
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| Introduced two years ago in honor of the company's 25th anniversary, the Harman XXV Pellet Stove has been praised for its functionality, realiability and design. |
A Focus on Teamwork
Even with the company's independent research-and-development department, Kaufman is quick to point out, a strong bond and effective communication between all of the departments within the company have played roles in product innovation. Ideas for new products or improvements of existing products come from a variety of sources, including the internal sales force, external sales representatives and company and independent representatives, as well as the customer-service and marketing staffs.
According to Kaufman, biweekly meetings with his sales staff are an effective means of generating ideas for product development. “One of our ongoing agenda items is to identify future products and/or develop strategies for taking existing products to the next level,” he says. “We also have forms that employees can fill out if they have suggestions for R&D.” An annual sales representatives' meeting has proved extremely useful in developing ideas for products. The group discusses potential products or product improvements and then narrows the list down to four of the strongest possibilities. Action plans are then developed to turn these ideas into working projects.
It was this type of collaboration that led to the development of the successful Harman XXV pellet stove, named in honor of the company’s 25th anniversary. “We had always been praised for functionality, but, in this case, we knew (based on discussion with our sales people, reps and dealers) that design was important, too,” Kaufman says. In the past, the company’s steel stoves had a tall, narrow look, as opposed to that of the new cast-iron pellet stove, which was designed to be short and wide, based on customer preferences. The XXV turned out to be one of the company’s most successful products: more than 2,000 units were ordered even before a price was established.
One of the reasons that products such as the XXV cast-iron pellet stove have been so successful is that when the stove was planned and designed, a team of employees was used as consultants. “Teamwork is emphasized during product development, not to mention during forecasting, production, marketing and sales,” Kaufman says. “We all wear a lot of hats, which creates a very dynamic working environment.” The same types of teamwork and ingenuity were applied to the development of Harman Stove Co.’s new pellet boiler, which was introduced in March at the HPBA EXPO. Once again, numerous orders have been taken for the boiler, even though its exact price has not been set. “Our dealers understand that this pellet boiler will offer the same efficiencies and features as the most expensive boilers in the marketplace, but will be far less expensive,” Kaufman says.
A Strategy for Success
In most cases, products come to fruition using a combination of a slow, steady approach and a fast, rousing form of inspiration. “Getting started with something on paper is always the hard part and takes some time, but then, as somebody gets that light-bulb moment, it serves as inspiration for making the idea even stronger,” Kaufman says. With a passion for product development and manufacturing, Harman still plays a key role in this area by sketching out ideas for products and then using the necessary software to make refinements.
Whether the idea comes directly from Harman or his research-and-development team and support staff, there is no doubt that it will result in a product that offers dependability at an affordable price. “Functionality is our claim to fame, and we currently have a reputation for offering the most reliable pellet stove on the market,” Kaufman says. This commitment to providing high-quality products extends back to the company’s early days. In fact, it is known around Harman Stoves that one of its Magnum Stoker coal stoves has been fully operational in a house in the Halifax area for 23 years without ever needing a replacement part.
With construction in high gear at the company’s future headquarters, one can certainly envision a promising future for Harman Stove Co. Set on a hill overlooking a verdant valley, the picturesque setting of the new facility will surely inspire future generations of employees as they continue the tradition of designing and developing innovative, high-quality hearth products.
PHPR July/August 2006
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