way we would any other fuel source,” he says. “It’s a known commodity, and that makes working on these kinds of proj-ects a lot easier.” Founded by Daron’s father, Gordon Thomas, in the summer of 1968, Thomas Industrial began in a modest home office with only two employees and a handful of product lines, most of which they still represent today. With time, the com-pany established itself as a reputable supplier of heating, water, and waste-water solutions, and set up operations in a multi-unit building in the Fredericton Industrial Park in Fredericton, N.B. When Daron became president of Thomas Industrial in 1990, he oversaw the company’s move into their own building—and current centre of opera-tions—in the Vanier Industrial Park in Fredericton, and continued his father’s legacy, helping to grow the company into the multiple office sales and service organization it is today. It wasn’t until eight years ago, how-ever, that Thomas Industrial first under-stood the promise and potential of modern biomass technology. “When we decided to take another look into the biomass market, I had no idea how far the technology had come,” Thomas says. “It was an entirely dif-ferent world.” Thomas credits his compa-ny’s relationship with Viessmann Manufacturing—an international manu-facturing firm with a dedicated biomass department supporting the Canadian market—with their decision to enter the biomass market. Drawing on an existing partnership in Prince Edward Island established by Viessmann’s acquisition of the European company KOB, Thomas Industrial began to service Viessmann KOB wood pellet boilers in the region. This firsthand access to operational installations was an important step for the company, both in terms of furthering its understanding of the technology and demonstrating its potential to interested customers. Using this newfound knowledge and expertise, Thomas and his team have worked to build the biomass market in Atlantic Canada ever since. As relatively early adapters, Thomas acknowledges that the process has not always been easy. “There is a lot of possibility, but there Daron Thomas of Thomas Industrial Sales checks out the master control panel for the new radiant heating system at Les Residences Jodin. Thomas Industrial has installed and serviced more than 20 biomass heating systems across Atlantic Canada. has also been some pain, just in terms of learning on the fly and working with an entirely new fuel source,” he concedes. “Still, we know we’re headed in the right direction and we’re really starting to see some of the fruits of our labour now.” Five of Thomas Industrial’s six projects this year will use Viessmann’s Pyrot KRT 540 kW wood pellet boiler, with the sixth relying on the Pyrot KRT 300 kW, which relies on wood chips instead of pellets. Just as his father taught him, however, Thomas knows that good industrial busi-ness depends on more than just good machines. To that end, Thomas Industrial places great emphasis on educating stake-holders and supporting the growth of biomass in the region. “Biomass technology requires local support, solid engineering, exhaustive knowledge of controls and controls integration, and quality technology,” he says. “The reality is that the technology for many of the trades—from plumbers to pipe fitters, electricians to control technicians—is new. We need to provide the support so these projects work to the customers’ expectations.” And while biomass business is better than it has ever been in Atlantic Canada, Thomas still believes the best it yet to come. “I have no doubt that other compa-nies will be able to benefit on the work that we’ve done,” he says. “I believe we’ll continue to see significant growth and development in our region for years to come.” • Canadian BIOMASS 11
Canadian Biomass November December 2016: Page 11
