The right part, at your branch, today. That's what a contractor's AI will ask.
For electrical, HVAC and plumbing distributors. Contractors are starting to ask AI assistants for a part by nameplate or spec, whether it's listed or lead-free, and which branch has it for pickup. Lehvel keeps your parts, certifications and branch availability accurate and current, so the assistant finds the right part and sends the contractor to your counter.
The counter question
A tech on a rooftop reads the nameplate on a dead condenser fan motor: 208/230 volts, 1/3 horsepower, 1075 RPM, 48 frame, counterclockwise. The question isn't what the motor is. It's who has one, or the replacement, at a branch near the job, before lunch.
| Compared | What the contractor's AI needs | Where it usually lives today |
|---|---|---|
| The part | Manufacturer and part number, or the unit's model and serial | Your catalog, IDEA, ETIM or ASA data, the maker's site |
| Ratings | Voltage, phase, horsepower, RPM, frame, connection size, flow | Manufacturer data, in whatever units each maker uses |
| Certifications | UL listed, lead-free, WaterSense, AHRI-matched | Each issuer's own directory, rarely on your page |
| Replacement | The universal motor or the maker's successor | Cross-reference tables, your counter staff |
| Today | Which branch has it for will-call | Your ERP. On the site, often “call your branch” |
| Price | What it costs on this account | Your pricing system, per account |
Three trades, the same problem
Electrical. The trade's data is the most mature, through IDEA and ETIM. What's missing for an AI assistant is the branch: what's on the shelf today, and how a gear or lighting package gets quoted.
HVAC. Split systems are certified as matched combinations, not parts, and the refrigerant changed on new equipment. Most of the work is replacing what failed, from a nameplate. An assistant needs the exact combination, its AHRI number and the stated refrigerant, or it guesses.
Plumbing. The trade got its first shared product data standard in 2025. Lead-free and WaterSense are what buyers and inspectors ask about, and they're certifications with a standard behind them, not adjectives.
Your data standards are a start, not the answer
ETIM, IDEA and the ASA standard solve classification and syndication, and Lehvel reads them as sources rather than replacing them. What they don't carry is everything after the catalog: which branch has it now, who stands behind a cross-reference, whether a certification is still current, and how a contractor's request reaches your counter with the right account.
Listed, matched, lead-free: stated, with the source
A certification has an issuer and a number. “Lead-free” comes with NSF/ANSI 372 or 61, a listing comes with its UL file, and an AHRI match comes with the certificate number for that exact combination.
A match is the combination, not the condenser. The same outdoor unit with a different coil is a different certificate. If the record doesn't hold that combination, the answer is “ask the branch,” never “matched.”
Unknown is not “no.” If a certification hasn't been read from its issuer, the assistant says it isn't confirmed. It doesn't say the product fails.
One request, five steps
Take the condenser fan motor. For your branch to be the answer, five things have to be true.
| Compared | The assistant's job | What has to be true about your supply house |
|---|---|---|
| Discover | Find HVAC supply houses near the job | AI knows your branches, trades and lines |
| Understand | Read the motor's ratings | Voltage, horsepower, RPM, frame and rotation are in text, with units |
| Qualify | Check the OEM part, or the universal replacement, and which branch has one | The replacement is stated with its source; stock carries the time it was read |
| Contact | Find the counter open now | Branch hours and will-call cut-off are published and agree with Google |
| Act | Send the part to the branch for a quote | It reaches the branch with the part and the job location. Your team prices it for the account |
What Lehvel does
One record of your company. Branches, counter hours, will-call, trades and lines, kept consistent on your site, Google and the AI assistants contractors use. We call it Business Truth.
Parts AI can read. Manufacturer, part number, ratings with units, lifecycle, documents, and certifications with their issuer and number, read from your catalog data and the standards you already use. We call it Product Truth.
Branch stock with a time on it. Answered only from a current reading of your ERP. An old reading becomes “ask the branch,” never “in stock.” We call it Operational Truth.
You decide what's public. Each fact is public, on request, or internal. Account pricing never reaches an AI assistant through Lehvel.
A check on what AI actually says. We ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity about your branches, your lines and sample part numbers, and compare their answers with your record.
A controlled way to request a quote. One action: a quote request with the parts or the spec section, routed to the right branch or desk. It never shows an account price, holds stock or approves a substitute.
What's live and what isn't
Live today. Websites, search presence, checks of what the major AI assistants say about a company, and one managed record of the business behind it.
Building. The part record for electrical, HVAC and plumbing, with certifications and branch availability carrying their sources; read-only answers for AI assistants; and a quote request that lands with your branch. We want one distributor to build it with first.
Not on the table yet. Account prices, will-call holds, substitute approvals or orders through an AI assistant.
We can't promise that any assistant will send a contractor to your branch. We can make sure that when one asks, your supply house has a correct, current answer and a way to take the request.
Find out where you stand
Check My Business shows what AI assistants say about your company today, where your website and listings disagree, and what to fix first. A person at Lehvel reviews the findings before they're sent. No credit card required.
Questions
Is this a replacement for IDEA, ETIM or our content provider?
No. Those are sources. Lehvel reads your catalog data the way they deliver it, adds the branch, the certifications' sources and the dates, and answers AI assistants from that.
We sell more than one trade. Is that one record or three?
One record of your company, with each line and branch marked for the trades it serves, so an electrician's assistant and a plumber's assistant each get the right answer.
Will AI see our account pricing?
Not through Lehvel. Contractor prices are per account. The step an assistant can take is a quote request, and your branch prices it.
Can an AI assistant tell a tech whether a system is AHRI-matched?
Only for the exact combination on record, with its certificate number and when it was read. Anything else is “ask the branch.”
Do we need to replace our ERP?
No. We start from what you publish, then add a stock export from the system you already run, under your permission.
How do we see what AI says about our company now?
Run Check My Business. It compares what ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity say with your own facts.
Check My BusinessWant to discuss your supply house with Lehvel?
Book a time with Lehvel and we’ll go through what your business actually needs.