This Year Could Be The Best Year For Foils Yet

Out of all the areas of the industry that are taking a nose dive, one area that seems to be gaining strength is the market for coloured and colour foiled PVCu.

The start of the year has seen for us, a big step up in the number of quotes we are sending out with coloured options on them. Black I still think remains the main colour of choice when it comes to front doors. But from the window perspective cream wood grain, Irish Oak and now Anthracite Grey are becoming more and more the popular options.

Customers have grown very weary of the standard white PVCu window and are now looking for something that extra bit special to transform the appearance of their home - despite the increasingly poor economic outlook.

One things that hasn't changed with customers is their high demand for new products. Consumers these days expect lots of choice, with whatever they are buying, not just windows and doors. More choice allowed the customer to purchase something which is more unique to them, rather than the customer having to settle for something 'off the peg', like the mass majority of people.


As well as the PVCu colour market on the rise. The expansion of coloured aluminium has also reinforced the coloured market over the last couple of years. The coloured option is now here to stay. And with one-off 'grand-designs' becoming ever more popular, coloured windows and doors are going to become increasingly popular over the coming few years.

Aluminium Making A Colourful Comeback

For many years PVCu has been top of the pile when it comes to materials choice for replacement windows and doors. But thanks to the recession and the inherent need for businesses to diversify and find niche areas of the market to squeeze extra money out of. 

Over the last couple of years, aluminium seems to have made a significant and sustained comeback. Success for aluminium has been found in high-end bi-folding doors and coloured frames. I'm sure that those of you down south will also report that aluminium is still a popular material choice down there. Aluminium has improved in appearance over the years and I think it is probably time for it to make more of an impact in the industry. If it is targeted at the right customers of course.

I think it is time for those companies who only sell PVCu to have a look at aluminium, especially the bi-folding doors, and add it to their product portfolio's. Aluminium bi-folds aren't going to be a regular seller unlike your standard white PVCu windows. But they are going to be those once-in-a-while high value contracts which earn you a lot of profit. As are the odd contracts where you sell coloured aluminium frames in a specialist building. You wont do it often, but when you do, this is your chance to earn a rare fat profit margin.

I am of course speaking from a PVCu installers point of view. Aluminium will probably never replace PVCu as their material of choice. I am simply saying that having the ability to sell aluminium for higher end projects, they're probably going to open a few more high value doors.

Those who sell aluminium purely will probably back me up when I say they have seen an increase in interest in the product. 

Now is the time to take a serious look at aluminium again. I'm not saying it's going to over take PVCu, especially when it still holds 85% of the residential market. But high end alumnium products could win you those extra high-value contracts every company will be desperate to get.

Guest Post: Understanding The Supply Chain

I'm happy to say that this is my first guest post, and has been sent by Nick from www.aluminiumtradesupply.co.uk:


If you've been in the supply business for any length of time you will know that the end user can end up waiting for an unexpectantly long time for their order, and when this happens tempers can flair.

The aluminium supply chain is no different.  I'm aware of at least one end user (customer) that is waiting for installation of  aluminium patio door for which he put down a deposit over two months ago.

In another situation, a different customer is also waiting for delivery of patio doors – again they are delayed by the systems company and this customer is having an extension built.  The "second fix" on site is being delayed due to these patios.

How long before customers like these start demanding compensation?

So lets look at the detail.   The Patio doors are usually purchased from a Systems Company in Kit form by the manufacturer, fabricated and delivered to the customer.  It is more often than not that it is the Window Company installing who has the contract with the end user.

In situations like this communication is the key.  Does the customer understand the chain? Does the window company installing the end product understand why delays can occur?  If they don't how can effectively communicate this to the customer?

It is the end user who ends up feeling frustrated with his Double Glazing Company who he is blaming for the delay in getting his patio doors. The end user has a contract with the Window Company he placed the order with and gave his deposit to. From the end users point of view the buck can simply stop there.

However, does the customer understand that his window company will not be the manufacturer and will purchase fabricated product from the trade manufacturer.  The trade manufacturer is then reliant upon receiving a product from a Systems Company – either in bar length or in kit form.

The important link in the chain here is colour.  Coloured aluminium.  Plastic products will in the vast majority of cases be simple white plastic profiles, easily held in stock, easily available.

Aluminium profiles in a non stock colour need to be polyester powder coated.  Here again the end user wont appreciate that the particular shade of RAL colour grey he wanted for his patio doors isn't held in stock and will need to be polyester powder coated from stock mill finish material.

There is another link which can possibly break the chain – Dual Colour Powder Coated.

Here the end user wont appreciate that being offerred the option of white inside grey outside also isnt held in stock and will need to be polyester powder coated and the process is longer still.

Here is why:
Nowadays the thermal break in aluminium consists of a polyamide section which unlike the old pour and cut thermal break enables dual colour on aluminium profiles much easier than before.  Dual colour needs to be polyester powder coated for the inside colour, polyester powder coated for the outside colour and the sections then rolled together with the thermal break.

So unless the Systems Company has its own Powder Coating plant they too are reliant upon another link in the chain – the Powder Coater!

Therefore:

1.Order placed for lovely new dual colour patio with Double Glazing Company by end user
2.Double glazing company places order with Trade Manufacturer
3.Trade Manufacturer places order with Systems Company
4.Systems Company sends Mill finish material to powder coater to be painted two colours
5.Aluminium returned to systems company for rolling.
6.Systems Company rolls sections to produce dual colour bars
7.Systems company manufactures Patio door in kit Form
8.Kit Form patio is delivered to Trade Manufacturer
9.Trade Manufacturer manufactures the Patio door and delivers to Double Glazing Company
10.Double glazing company orders units
11.Double glazing company installs patio (and hopefully is paid by a satisfied customer).
We will discuss timescales for the above in another post.

Therefore an order placed 10-12 weeks ago has still not been delivered to the end user.  It is not the window company's fault that the product takes a long time to produce and it is not the trade manufacturers fault

Is it the fault of the systems company?  Well, one has to know the reasons why the kits are delayed and the higher up the chain you are then you are likely to know.  This doesnt help the Double Glazing Company or the End User, but the truth is that an explanation early on in the process will usually prevent the need for apoligies and excuses further down the line.

One of the challenges facing aluminium trade suppliers is effectively communicating the differences with this type of product as opposed to their mass produced counter parts.  Aluminium patio doors are no exception.