Johnson Control’s York Unitary Products Group, a long-time manufacturer member of the Heating, Airconditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), became the industry’s first equipment manufacturer to recognize its factory branch operations as legitimate wholesale distributor businesses by making them HARDI’s first integrated wholesaler members.

York factory branches are now part of the trade association’s current membership of 450+ HVACR distributor companies. HARDI created this category to provide the industry’s factory-owned distribution operations access to best practices, education, benchmarking data and idea exchange.

Data from the integrated wholesalers will now be formally included in the industry’s wholesale association reporting. HARDI’s inaugural Integrated Wholesaler members include the York factory branches in Arizona, California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Canada.