60 business elite canada
H
JAN/FEB 2015
from a stocking distributor to a system integra-
tor, and the next future for business for Sarnia
Piping is service,” Richard said. “Being able to
provide on time, immediate service to our cus-
tomers is going to be important.”
INNOVATIVE SAFETY SHOWER
WAS A TURNING POINT
An increased focus on industry safety in the
mid-2000s turned Sarnia Piping’s sights to
new products. One of the company’s greatest
successes lies in the safety shower business,
spurred by American National Standards Insti-
tute (ANSI) regulations that now prevent com-
panies from using cold water in their employ-
ee safety showers. In 2009, ANSI changed the
standard to ensure shower water was a tepid
60 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and that quickly
became a challenge for large, older plants that
didn’t have an easy way to heat water running
to the showers.
In response, SPS launched a joint venture with
England-based Hughes Safety Showers to pro-
vide unique tank showers outfitted with im-
mersion heaters and self-contained tepid water
tanks. Hughes Safety Showers North America
in Sarnia has been a substantial contributor to
the growth of SPS, and customer response to
the product has been impressive.