hen Peter Bajka, the “father of pool automation,” brought his motorized pool/spa valves to the first NSPI show in 1977, the gadgets aroused a lot of interest — and even more hesitation.
“Nobody had ever seen electronics in the swimming pool industry,” says the founder of Compool Inc. “‘Electronics won’t mix with swimming pools’ was the skeptic’s reaction.”
Thirty years later, homeowners are turning on their spas from cell phones and checking their chemical levels via Internet technology. With the click of a button, ordinary backyard pools are transformed into stellar light and water shows.
Chemical controllers, automatic cleaners and in-floor cleaning systems have taken a lot of the day-to-day rigor of pool maintenance out of the equation. Computer-aided design programs (aka CAD) have enabled homeowners to imagine what their pools will look like prior to installation, not to mention raising the level of professionalism throughout the industry.
In a business marked by resistance to change, increased consumer demand often is the only factor driving the automation sector forward. As a result, some dealers are slow to incorporate the new technology.
“Today’s consumer wants the most user-friendly, maintenance-free pool possible,” says Bruce Holmes, CEO of Pools of Fun in Plainfield, Ind., a Pool & Spa News Top Builder and vinyl-liner pool installer. “I think that’s an important feature that’s changing in our society. We have to start looking to the future and provide a product for their needs.”
Leaps and boundaries
In the past, low builder confidence and lack of consumer awareness often stunted the growth of automated products. But this is slowly changing. According to a 2003 study conducted by Readex Inc. for Pool & Spa News, 25 percent of pool builders say their customers request automated products on their pools without prompting.
The survey also reveals that only 49 percent of builders say they give customers an automation sales pitch, much to the chagrin of product manufacturers. Some believe that a number of retailers and service technicians are reluctant to recommend certain products. Lack of knowledge and a distrust of automated products’ reliability and usefulness tend to keep them at bay.
“I find a lot of service techs hate these systems,” says Javier Payan, president of Payan Pool Service Inc. in Santee, Calif. “But when you ask them if they know how they work, they say, ‘No, I have no idea.’”
Of course, evolution is something that happens in leaps and bounds. Once builders and service techs warm up to new concepts, the dam bursts. For example, in the early 1980s, automation was becoming popular with pool owners, but most builders were reluctant to add complexity to their projects by incorporating electronics.
Today, many builders say they wouldn’t even build a pool or spa without designing some form of automation into the job, whether the customer requests it or not. For this reason, Payan says, the industry can be a lot like some of his customers.
“People who have had a pool for 20 years are already set in their ways,” he explains. Automated items can be a tough sell until age catches up with folks, limiting their ability to manually maintain their pools. Payan says that’s when “they quickly realize how much easier it will be to upgrade their pools” or, in this case, their perceptions.
This new thinking extends to builders and service techs. As the automation trend marches on, it’s going to take highly qualified technicians to understand the needs of tomorrow’s customers. Education and proper training are especially important in the evolving marketplace.
A brave new world
Most industry veterans say automation is becoming standard equipment on new pools. For the next generation of pool buyers, staying abreast of the latest technology is a necessary part of functioning in the modern world. That extends to the backyard.
“I think the buyer of today is changing,” Holmes says. “My daughter’s generation wants the same things I wanted when I was young, but they want it better and faster.”
Payan agrees. “The younger generation wants things simplified,” he says. “For the generation that grew up with television, computers and remotes for garage doors, convenience is just a part of their lives.
So, of course, they’re going to want to automate their pools.”
This trend toward automation is giving birth to a new breed of service technicians and pool builders. They need to be more sophisticated and technologically literate. For example, AutoCAD software and various computer programs are modernizing the way builders do business. No longer are clients satisfied with the hand drawings on a piece of notebook paper, Holmes says. They want to visualize the end result before signing on the dotted line.
In fact, when doing an estimate, Holmes favors PowerPoint presentations. Just press a button and the laptop prints out a bid, contracts and order forms. The presentation not only makes an impression with Holmes’ customers, but it also helps streamline his business’ efficiency.
“Computers haven’t just helped the customer; they’ve helped the employer,” he says. “When you get more employees, you get more mistakes. Computer programs help curb the amount of errors we make.”
The bottom line, Holmes says, is that “the pool industry must change with society, or we’re going to be left out.”
