Red Dot is a worldwide leader in the design and production of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and replacement parts for commercial trucks, buses, and vehicles used in construction, mining, agriculture, fire and rescue, and military service.

The company was founded in Seattle, Wash., in 1965 and now has 430 employees at three locations in the United States and Europe.

Entering its 40th year, Red Dot is growing on the strength of its ability to meet rapidly expanding demand among traditional customers, as well as new business supplying air-conditioning units for military vehicles.

OEM: Red Dot supplies HVAC systems for original equipment manufacturers of medium and heavy trucks; coaches and buses; off-highway vehicles (construction and mining); agricultural equipment; emergency vehicles; and military trucks. Its OEM customers are recognized leaders in their fields, including Caterpillar, Freightliner, John Deere, Mack Trucks, Case New Holland, Komatsu, Takeuchi, PACCAR, Gillig, and Volvo Construction Equipment.

Aftermarket: Red Dot got its start building add-on air-conditioning and heating units for heavy trucks. Today, aftermarket sales and replacement parts account for nearly half of Red Dot's revenue. This business is split between two equally strong channels: OE parts and warehouse distributors. Red Dot has a global network of authorized aftermarket or export distributors.

Seattle, Wash., USA: Red Dot's headquarters and largest manufacturing and assembly facility covers more than 350,000 square feet of plant, warehouse, and office space. It is located at the southern junction of Interstates 5 and 405, five miles from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and close to a number of common carriers for truck shipments.
Physical address: 495 Andover Park E., Seattle, WA 98188-7657; 206-575-3840

Ipswich, Suffolk, U.K.: The headquarters of Red Dot Europe, established in 1998, houses design engineering, sales administration, and 30,000 square feet for warehousing and light assembly work.
Physical address: Red Dot Europe Ltd., One Goddard Road, Whitehouse Industrial Estate, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 5NP UK; 011 44 1473 406 406

Memphis, Tenn., USA: Red Dot's Memphis, Tenn., distribution center features 40,000 square feet of storage, shipping, and assembly facilities. Its geographic location allows more responsive aftermarket support for customers and distributors in the eastern United States and Canada.
Physical address: 4272 Pilot Dr., Memphis, TN 38118

Red Dot employs 430 people at its three locations. In January 2000, it transferred ownership to an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) and became a 100% employee-owned company, fulfilling a long-time goal of employee-ownership by its founder, Harcourt "Harky" Runnings.

Red Dot is a culturally diverse workforce, with more than 17 different languages spoken on the factory floor.

Randy Gardiner, President

R. Bruce Channer, Chief Financial Officer/Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Richard Hay, Vice President of Operations

Stephen Machin, Managing Director, Red Dot Europe

Red Dot is a vertically integrated manufacturer, meaning it can design, build, test, and assemble the components that comprise its HVAC products. This includes the production of heater cores and condensers; pressure switches; hose, tube, and pipe assemblies; wire harnesses; duct and plenum subassembly; powder coating; control panels; sheet metal fabrication; and HVAC unit assembly.

In 2002, Red Dot fully adopted a lean manufacturing philosophy, focusing on productivity, product quality, continuous training, and reducing customer lead times. Combining "lean" techniques with investments in automation, the company has closed the time from design to finished product to just two days.

Red Dot's Seattle production facility uses three shifts and is active seven days a week.

Red Dot registered as an ISO 9001 company in 1994, the first in its field to achieve this quality designation.

The company performs functional and pressure tests on all final assembly units. Components like heater cores and evaporators are also tested individually, prior to assembly.

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• R-152a: Climate Action Partnership demonstration project

• Defroster maintenance: Don't give your A/C system the cold shoulder

• Making the weather: Inside Red Dot's research and test facilities

• Tactical response: Designing and delivering air conditioning units for armored HMMWVs and other military vehicles in Iraq

• Cold facts: How mobile air conditioning systems work

• How Lean Manufacturing can reduce lead times

• How to ramp up for a new customer without compromising your ability to produce for your existing ones

• Open-book style of management

• Managing a culturally diverse workforce

• "Dirty Hands" initiatives: The benefits of putting managers on the production line

• The Kaizen training culture

• Making the transition to 100% employee-ownership