Direct from the AHR Expo Hall – Our Exclusive Q&A with A. O. Smith CEO Stephen Shafer

CONTRACTOR: Thanks for speaking to us right now. What’s A. O. Smith’s foremost message to the contractors visiting the sales space right now?

Shafer: In a phrase, gratitude. We wish to specific our gratitude to the contractor neighborhood for what they do for us. We’ve got decade-long relationships with a lot of our contractor companions, and we wish to unfold the message that A. O. Smith is investing to take care of our management place within the trade, they usually can rely on us. We’re dedicated to bringing one of the best merchandise—the best effectivity merchandise—to market, working hand-in-hand with the contractor neighborhood.

We wish to make merchandise which are simpler for them to put in, preserve, and repair. So, we’re out right here ensuring that we proceed to study from them and in addition unfold the message that we’re able to spend money on these improvements.

One other essential matter is modifications round shifts in expertise and within the regulatory atmosphere, and we wish to be out right here supporting the trade, serving to to navigate these modifications, and being ready with the proper merchandise, and having the ability to get these merchandise within the fingers of customers.

CONTRACTOR: What do you see as the massive problem for A. O. Smith as a producer in 2026?

Shafer: An enormous problem for us is uncertainty. We work on an extended timeline. It takes us years to develop a brand new product, add the manufacturing strains to make that product, and ensure we launch these merchandise with the standard and reliability our prospects count on from A. O. Smith. It takes time to do these issues.

To ensure we’re engaged on the proper issues, certainty all the time helps. However we’re residing in a much less sure world now greater than ever. Tariffs, geopolitics, shopper confidence, and financial uncertainty, and potential provide chain disruptions—these are just a few of the belongings you want to remember as a producer.

What I’m sure about is that we’re remaining versatile and agile to maneuver shortly when issues change. A key technique at A. O. Smith is that we’re capable of make investments broadly sufficient that we will make the most of favorable developments available in the market. We manufacture in a number of areas to mitigate threat. We’ve got very subtle provide chain groups to assist handle these uncertainties.