In this special 65th-anniversary edition blog, we sat down with our Co-owner & Outside Business & Sales Development, Wayne Feeleus, to talk about how the radiator industry has changed and evolved over the last 65 years.

Q: Can you give us a “snapshot” of what the heavy-duty radiator industry looked like when you got into the business?

Wayne Feeleus: When I got into the business full-time in 2002, we did primarily automotive. I’d go to the neighbourhood garages, and I’d pick up automotive radiators and automotive heaters. Then I’d bring them back to our shop, clean, test and fix them and then drive them back to those garages.

At the time we didn’t manufacture anything, so if we needed to have a core built we would have to go to one of two local manufacturers in the city. But every other rad shop in the city was going to the same manufacturers, so none of us had any control over the manufacturing process.

Q: What are some of the biggest changes in technology and manufacturing you’ve seen in your time with West End Rad?

Wayne Feeleus: In the 70s, 80s and 90s, heat exchanger systems were really simple. Back in the day a farm tractor would just have a radiator.

But now, when you open a tractor hood, a tractor might have a radiator, charge air cooler, hydraulic oil cooler, transmission oil cooler and an a/c condenser. Now it’s common to see five or six different types of cooling systems of all different shapes and sizes.

There’s significantly more cooling needs with newer machinery than there is with older.

Q: Looking at our own shop, what are some of the most important milestones we’ve reached or changes we’ve made over the years?

Wayne Feeleus: In my time here there’s been a few major milestones I think are really important.

Firstly, starting to manufacture copper-brass heat exchangers. That was a significant milestone for West End Rad.

Then, being able to successfully transition leadership from my brothers Pete and Arnold to Justin and I. This is one of the milestones I’m most proud of, because there are so many family businesses that don’t transition successfully. 

Lastly, finally being able to manufacture aluminum cooling systems. This took years of trial and error, training and practice to master.

Q: How have customer needs evolved over the decades, and how have we adapted to meet them?

Wayne Feeleus: Back in the early days when we first started working on industrial heat exchangers, customers used to drop their truck off for us to diagnose the problem, take the rad out, fix the rad and then put it back in. They’d ask if they could get their truck back in a week, and we’d say “Yes!” and they’d say that was fantastic.

Today, the most common question we get is “Can I wait in the shop while you repair it?” We’ve gone from having five business days to complete the job to five hours.

Every part of our business has had to adapt and become more efficient. Our office staff needs to ensure that invoices are ready for clients, while our shop staff must keep each step of the job, whether it’s a repair, rebuild or custom part, clearly planned and communicated.

Q: How has West End Rad stayed true to its origins of being a family-owned business while still evolving and growing?

Wayne Feeleus: As we’ve grown, we’ve always tried to practice treating others the way we want to be treated. That’s really the ultimate standard we’ve held ourselves to.

We always want to help and uplift our team. My dad himself was an immigrant who came with nothing and couldn’t speak English. Now half of our staff are people who have come to Canada to build a stronger life for their family. It’s such a diverse team and it’s fun to be a part of every employee’s journey.

Even as our capabilities expand and our operations become more complex, that family-owned mindset has never changed.

Q: You’ve toured rad shops around the world with The National Automotive Radiator Service Association (NARSA). Are there any memorable practices or insights from those visits that really stood out to you?

Wayne Feeleus: G&M Radiator, in the UK, was kind enough to open their doors to a tour of their facility. They had a few different solder dip pots that were very interesting as well as their own wind tunnel for testing the performance of their own heat exchangers.

This is something we’ve taken inspiration from, and it reminded us that even established shops are always evolving.

You can find more exciting content like this on our 65th Anniversary page