One product, one supplier? A solid integrated hydraulic solution with the IWC

For the manufacturing of a pump, a lot of components are needed. And it’s essential that all components fit perfectly – in size, design and functionality.

This means that boiler and heat pump manufactures have to coordinate with multiple stakeholders at the same time, managing the supply chain of each product component, monitoring suppliers, and assuring the regulatory compliance of the components. This can be time-consuming and complex. 

The coordination challenge of multiple suppliers

The more suppliers are involved, the more complex coordination becomes. This leads to a number of additional costs, such as for:

• Assembling individual components
• Handling orders of components with multiple suppliers
• Handling complaints with multiple suppliers
• Storing individual components before assembly
• Spare part management with multiple suppliers
• Tracing and coordinating delivery times
• Handling service from multiple suppliers

Boiler and heat pump manufactures build on reliable supply chains

For boiler and heat pump manufactures the advantages of using one single supplier are simple. If you have one supplier, it means that you only have to rely on one party.

For the IWC integrated hydraulic solution, the supply chain is simple. That’s because it is designed and produced at a Grundfos production facility and all components of the IWC are handled in one, straightforward supply chain.

The time spent on troubleshooting and figuring out which supplier is responsible for the quality assurance of each component can be reduced. And boiler and heat pump manufactures can spend their resources on more important tasks than monitoring multiple suppliers at the same time.

Reliability through a global innovation set-up and local presence

Boiler and heat pump manufactures need to be able to count on reliable supply chains and on-time delivery. With the multi-plant operational setup, you can be sure that there is a division in close proximity and production can be easily manoeuvred between plants.

This way, production facilities can adapt quickly to local needs and boiler and heat pump manufactures can rely on a stable supply chain that allows for flexible and customised product manufacturing. 

Reliability is built into the IWC

While ensuring the same quality, the efficient design of the IWC can also save boiler and heat pump manufactures a lot of time and costs in the instalment and maintenance process.These feature the newest technologies and functions such as:

• The new Smart Hydro Block, which comes with an integrated valve and actuator function, reducing the number of components needed for manufacturing.
• The new PHE with an active front place technology.
• The new Flow Sensors, improving robustness and quality.
• The new UPM3-Wave 3, extending the electronic lifetime, being fully integrated with our LIN bus system and offering a more user-friendly interface for installers.

Remote and simplified maintenance

The pumps of the future should save installers’ time by reducing the number of required in-person checks for simple fixes and diagnoses. Working with the LIN Bus communication protocol, the IWC can communicate with pumps, fans and gas valves, among others, and problems can be diagnosed remotely.

For boiler and heat pump manufactures, this means that potential dysfunctions, such as deflated expansion vessels or blockages of the PHE, can be diagnosed in real-time and needed service can be automatically "ordered" from a distance.

With an integrated pump and flow sensor, temperature and flow can be easily adjusted via digital features. At the same time, next-generation boiler circulators can use data from previous settings and automatically tailor their settings to present conditions, optimising the functionality of the pump.