End of Baxi/Remeha Avanta boilers - why?

[D_Hailsham]

I have just read that Baxi are discontinuing the Avanta range of boilers (originally marketed as Remeha Avanta) with immediate effect.

Does anybody know why?

The Avanta still seems to be available in Holland, along with the later Calenta and Tzerra Plus models. But is there any intention to bring these models to the UK?

 

[Phill Peck]

I would guess they are being discontinued due to being complete garbage.
I can't believe Baxi took it on must have cost them.

 

[Steelmasons]

Commercial remeha range are pretty good , as for domestic....total bag of shyte.

 

[D_Hailsham]

I can't believe Baxi took it on must have cost them.

I will ignore your personal opinion of the boiler.

However you do not appear to know why Baxi merged with de Deitrich/Remeha in 2009. The answer is simple: Baxi were in financial trouble.
Baxi was owned by two private equity partnerships and owed £445m, £45 million of which was due that year and the rest by 2014. Remeha was the knight in shining armour who rescued them from the clutches of the insolvency practitioners.

 

[Phill Peck]

Irrelevant...
the avanta was worse than an isar.
Absolute **** box.

Most were lucky to make it through the warranty.
I replaced a couple that were still under warranty cos the customer had enough of it.
Almost all the ones I see have leaking condense rotting the casing
The electrodes last 2 years if you're lucky
Burner seals caused all sorts of issues.
Spark gen is ****e.
Don't get me wrong this is good for me. I never fitted one I just fix or replace them.

 

[Steelmasons]

Haven't you got a Remeha DH?

 

[dreadnoughtheating]

I fitted dozens, and only had probs with one where rainwater deluged the insulation boards (vertical flue).

Found Tech help and Heateam (once 'trained up' on them) only too happy to throw parts at it, and I have most of a new 35Kw one under my sideboard looking for a home...

Surely that cost of parts could not continue for ever, hence perhaps, the extortionate cost increase of the basic 'service kit'.

DH (not that DH though.....)

 

[vulcancontinental]

I can't believe Baxi took it on must have cost them.

I will ignore your personal opinion of the boiler.

However you do not appear to know why Baxi merged with de Deitrich/Remeha in 2009. The answer is simple: Baxi were in financial trouble.
Baxi was owned by two private equity partnerships and owed £445m, £45 million of which was due that year and the rest by 2014. Remeha was the knight in shining armour who rescued them from the clutches of the insolvency practitioners.

What is more interesting snd dissapointing to me is why Baxi group were in trouble in the first place.

 

[D_Hailsham]

What is more interesting and disappointing to me is why Baxi group were in trouble in the first place.

Basically the Private Equity partnerships had borrowed a lot of money when they bought Baxi. The drop in the housing market meant fewer boiler sales, so the owners had to borrow more money to keep Baxi going. Some of this was due in 2009 and the till was empty.

Google "baxi set for de dietrich merger" and read the first result from the Financial Times. The other results may also be worth reading.

 

[Biggles..]

It was an all round winner.
Poxybattertom got a foot in the European market and de Dietrich wanted heat team.

As for the products, the avanta is the biggest pile of garbage out their. I only ever rip them out, they're worse than the Buderus 500

 

[vulcancontinental]

I go back a little further than that. Baxi were a Partnership like John Lewis and owned by the Blaxenbdale family and the workers. They were embarrisingly solvent. Everyone in the company had a share and their boilers were simple to install, easy to repair and nearly always broke down least from the old gas board regional figures when fitted. gas112 might bear me out on this. They had one service engineer for entire Eastern Gas Region.

The family stepped back and a high flyer walked in , offered all the production workers a few hundred quid for their shares, a lot of money for then and enough took it so he could take control. All financed on loans of course. Then his ego drove him to conquor the woirld with the purchase of Potterton from Blue Circle and some other boiler manufacturer's in Europe. As you quite rightly point out it went t*ts up and I understand they were one week away from going broke when purchased.

The rse who did all this made a packet, ruined the two best at the time boiler manufacturers now wanders aroundthe country giving lectures on business management.

There, I feel better now.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I remember the relaunch..... Hendon raf museum. They toured the country too. Must have cost a fortune.

Th CC sent a delegation to liberate them from their ropey complimentary wine and food.

Then promptly set about pointing out to the poor reps the obvious design flaws and what a shyte design it was.

 

[simond]

Avanta was a pile of rubbish. Some were pushing them hard on this forum about 5-6 years ago. If you want to know who, do a search.

Poxi Batterton went through a range of owners including Birmid Qualcast and Blue Circle Cement, until they were taken over by BC venture capital.

Venture Capital is based around an investment vehicle buying an undervalued company, extracting the most amount of value from it, and then selling it on, hopefully for a profit. Poxi Batterton was not a success story (unless the venture caps quietly bled it dry) and by the time of sale had a pile of debt, numerous appearances on 'Watchdog' and an out of date range of products; DeDietrich Remeha bought the debt pile.

If you have an Avanta boiler, you have my sympathy. Even the front door is made entirely of plastic, and on the OV models they couldn't even afford a plastic cover round the electronics.

 

[vulcancontinental]

ing Birmid Qualcast and Blue Circle Cement, until they were taken over by BC venture capital.

Venture Capital is based around an investment vehicle buying an undervalued company, extracting the most amount of value from it, and then selling it on, hopefully for a profit.

It can work, it worked for Ideal.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Didn't the Ideal lot at least have some engineering pedigree though (albeit french)?