In September of 2011 I traveled California to see the grandeur of
the state as well as visit with customers. One of the treats was a tour
of the TORO Riverside facility. The first things I noticed was how well
kept the building was. This is a building that TORO has been using
since 1961 after they purchased Moist-O-Matic. Originally a
manufacturing facility it is now a research and development facility.
After the purchase of Rain Master several years ago TORO moved them from
Simi Valley, CA to the Riverside location. I met the people that make
Rain Master the great product it is. On one bench was a young man who
tests every circuit board that is installed. No batch testing with Rain
Master. On another long table the controllers are assembled. One thing
I've always liked about Rain Master products is the emphasis on metal
face plates and enclosures. I was shown the new onsite sensor and was
very impressed. It will be equipped with a tipping rain gauge. Another
location was dedicated to building the Pro Max remotes. Once again every
Pro Max is tested before it is sent to the distributors. Most important
from my perspective was the strong commitment to servicing Pro Max
remotes to limit the down time for contractors. When TORO purchased Rain
Master they had a 6 week backlog of remotes in need of repair. Now that
has been cut to 2-3 days. That was confirmed to me by a customer who
had sent a couple in for repair. Rain Master will be introducing an
enclosure for the remote connectors. I plan to stock them when they
become available. They will require a male by female extension which we
currently carry.
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