Sep 16, 2021   SOURCE: BusinessWire

HVAC Innovator Bluon Acquires XREF Publishing

A new move by Bluon, Inc. – the leading support platform that more than 65,000 member technicians depend on every day – positions the company to become the first brand-agnostic marketplace for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) industry. With a mission to bring unparalleled innovation to the industry by empowering HVAC technicians, Bluon seeks to enhance the relationships and transactional experience between local technicians and their local distributors.

Bluon has acquired XREF Publishing Company, the leading provider of replacement part and cross reference part information used by thousands of local HVAC distributors in the US. XREF is the only brand-agnostic, cross reference engine available to distributors, allowing them to identify what replacement part is compatible with their customers’ specific needs and within their local inventory.

By adding XREF’s one-of-a-kind database and their long list of existing distributor customers to Bluon’s rapidly evolving platform – with its loyal community of HVAC technicians – Bluon becomes well positioned to enable local technicians to acquire replacement parts from their local distributors in a tiny fraction of the time currently required.

“The XREF acquisition marks a huge milestone for Bluon, in our evolution from a sticky support platform loved by technicians, to enabling the existing marketplace between contractors and local distributors to operate much more effectively and efficiently,” said Scott Pierson, a distribution pioneer and executive vice president at Bluon.

Existing XREF customers will benefit substantially by the transaction, with a far better interface to access the coveted XREF data. More importantly, starting in 2022, they will be able to receive transaction requests, informed via the XREF data, from their local customers utilizing the Bluon app + support platform.

The XREF information will be seamlessly added to the Bluon platform and will be easily searchable and available to Bluon’s HVAC technician members, as well as distributors using the platform. Empowering technicians with this data for the first time will contribute to a revolution in efficiency within the HVAC B2B supply chain. Technicians will soon be able to easily interact with their local distributors and exchange real-time information about replacement parts – directly from within the Bluon platform. Faster transactions, better communication with technicians, and improved in-field independence will produce more revenue and higher margins for local distributors.

About Bluon

Bluon recognizes that HVAC techs are the heart and soul of the industry and the ultimate drivers of its efficiency and innovation. Bluon’s support platform is a revolutionary mobile app that offers tools, training and 24/7 tech support to HVAC technicians in the field. Bluon is the first mobile app platform to aggregate detailed technical information on more than 40,000 unique HVAC models, further providing technicians with the information they need to be effective and proficient on the job. With more than 150,000 downloads, 65,000 onboarded technician members (growing by 6,500 each month) and hundreds of distributors already in the Bluon network, it has become the largest and fastest growing support platform and community in HVAC. Fueled by the feedback from its members, Bluon is set to revolutionize the way in which technicians and their local distributors interact, enabling both parties to do more with less. For more information about Bluon, visit www.bluon.com.