12
JUNE 2014 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
Things can only get better
Clearview met with Jerry Webb, MD of CDW Systems, a company which has
been manufacturing aluminium for 22 years, to discuss a recent report the
company has carried out to assess the future of the aluminium market.
It is no secret the
economy is picking up
– according to government statistics we have
successive quarters of
growth; private sector
hiring intentions are improving; unemployment
is falling an d there has
even been incremental progress made to
reduce the UK’s trade
deficit.
Things are improving in
our industry as well. Here
at CDW Systems we are on
course for a record start to
the year and with the order
book continuing to fill up,
positive trading shows no
sign of abating.
specialist supplier or a multiple material fabricator. We
had come across many stories of recent entrants into
the aluminium market not
fully grasping how different
the material is to fabricate to
PVC-u; and therefore sometimes letting their customers
down on product quality
and lead times.
An overwhelming 88.24 %
said that they would prefer
a specialist supplier fabricating only aluminium. From
our vantage point this isn’t
surprising as fabricating
aluminium requires a completely different mind-set to
PVC-u.
Assembly process
Aluminium
renaissance
With this in mind we
wanted to assess the future
of the industry and take
its current temperature. To
do this we commissioned
Insight Data to poll 5657
aluminium installers in the
UK; asking them a series of
questions.
The results were interesting. In the report we asked
installers whether they
would rather buy from a
For example, assembling
a larger sized commercial
window is incredibly labour
intensive compared to the
automated production of
a PVCu casement window,
and as such PVCu fabricators recently turned aluminium fabricators may offer a
slower turn around and offer reduced quality products
to their installer customers.
Then there is the issue of
training staff to consider.
Unless you’re looking to
bus in a team of seasoned
aluminium fabricators, you
may not be giving your
customers the very best they
deserve.
Products
The strong performance
of the aluminium sector has
been helped by the bi-fold
boom; with aluminium
a more natural choice of
material for this product. So
it was unsurprising that the
majority of those polled said
that one of the products
they install most is bi-folding doors.
This suggests to me that
consumer appetite for
bi-folding doors shows no
signs of abating; and any
installers not offering this
product would be wise to
do so.
Sentiment
Personally, I was most
interested to gauge the
sentiment of installers going
forward. It’s been a tough
and long recession and
confidence has often been
in short supply.
Looking forward, the
report suggests that the
‘aluminium renaissance’
will continue; with 83.33 %
expecting domestic demand
for aluminium to increase in
the coming five years.
An overwhelming majority
also expected the commercial sector to hold up –
which is unsurprising given
aluminium’s stronghold in
this sector. But the numbers
could have been affected by
the curtailing of government
backed projects such as
the Schools for the Future
programme.
With such optimism going
forward the report suggests
to me that in the aluminium
sector things can only get
better.
Does experience
count?
With such opportunities
in the sector I was also
keen to see what installers
expect from a supplier. Only
29.41 % said that they had
confidence buying from a
supplier that has less than
three years’ experience
manufacturing aluminium, compared to 70.59%
who said they didn’t have
confidence buying from a
supplier with less than three
years’ experience.
72.22 % of those polled
said they would like to see
faster lead times improve
from their supplier; with 44
% citing communication and
service as what they’d like
to see improve.
This certainly gives aluminium fabricators some
food for thought, with lead
times having long been the
elephant in the room for
us.
Overall the results show
that optimism is strong in
the aluminium sector and
there are lots of opportu-
nities for installers, both in
the short and long term. It’s
also encouraging to see that
many believe that domestic
demand for aluminium will
also increase.
With confidence returning
to the economy and consumer spending rising; the
domestic sector could well
become a long-term natural
home for aluminium installers and not just for higher
end projects.
Call 01452 414853or visit
www.cdwsystems.co.uk
The Latest Innovative From Bi-Folding Door Specialists, Debar
Debar a leading bi-fold door hardware
manufacturer, is once again setting
precedence in the market with the
launched of their new concept to
construct a purpose designed timber
bi-fold door system.
The ‘Dewall timber bespoke bi-fold door
system’ was launched at this year’s Fensterbau
exhibition in Germany to an overwhelming
response, with Debar leading the way with
this first-of-its-kind concept. Specifically designed to include all complimentary hardware
components within the overall design structure of the timber door system, the concept
was previously only offered to PVCu and
aluminium producers.
On most occasions, timber bi-fold doors
systems are adapted from hardware that is
intended to fit any kind of timber door. The
new Dewall system offers a complete guide
of assembly instructions including; drawings,
dimensions, machining details and draining
instructions along with ‘off-the-shelf’ hardware
components and full technical support.
“The benefits to a producer are massive”,
explains Graham Fawthorp, managing director, “Timber door construction is highly
skilled and with our new Dewall bespoke
door system, it allows the carpenter or joiner
to construction the perfect timber bi-fold door
effortlessly”
“Our current hardware range selection, for
use with the systems includes; a concealed
security shoot-bolt lock with cylinder escutcheon option, Vivo and Verso colour matched
entrance and intermediate door handles,
magnetic door holders and bespoke cut tracks
and high strength runners.
“We are also providing assembly manuals
and CAD details which can be produced in
the company’s own branding, should it be
required.” explains Graham.
The Dewall timber bespoke bi-fold door system can be constructed to a maximum height
of 3000mm, 1100mm width and carry weight
of 120kg per panel. It will operate using various thresholds, offers slim sightlines and can
be adjusted and repositioned easily using the
Debar adjustable hinge.
For more in formation regarding the new
Dewall timber bespoke bi-fold call the
sales team on 01274 673547. Alternatively,
visit Debars’ website, www.bifoldhardware.com. Debar are also exhibiting
the new system at The ‘Fit Show June 10th
-12th June 2014.