More Doors

Let me ask you a question: did you find that you sold more doors than normal?

I sold A LOT of doors during the second half of 2011. Maybe people were prioritizing doors above windows as they see doors as more of a security risk. Maybe there were more knackered old doors that needed replacing than windows - especially the old timber ones with leaks and draughts all over the place, with bad weather exposing the bad areas.

People are certainly putting their efforts into the doors in their home. And why not! They use them every day. They need to be secure, high performing, good in looks and brilliant at keeping the heat out.

We've started this year in brisk fashion, and guess what we've been selling plenty of? Yep, doors. The pattern from last year seems to have carried on to the start of this year.


I'm really asking you all a question with this post really. Are you finding that over the past 6-9 months there has been a relatively obvious shift towards installing new doors as opposed to full house replacement windows.


Clearly plenty of windows are still being sold, I just think doors have taken over in the priority race right now. Do you agree?

Be Nice To Your Customers

Customer service is probably one of the most basic and fundamental qualities to have as a business. Yet many fail miserably at delivering that service.


What has inspired me to write this post was how we were talked to by a member of staff by one of the larger composite door companies in our industry. The short version of the story is that there were rather major problems with some of the door slabs we installed a few months ago. A senior sales rep cam out to see them, agreed that they were very poor and that positive action would be taken. However 48 hours after agreeing to replacing them, a snotty, arrogant, attitudal member of their office rang to say that they wouldn't be re-making them, despite the very poor nature of the product, and after a previous promise that they would be replaced.


But the thing that really put our nose out of joint was the way the office girl rang us up and told us that information. She told our office administrator the info, and was then very put out that she was put on the the proprietor to explain to him again why they weren't going to honour the agreement they made earlier.


What I fail to understand is why companies employ people like this. Staff like that can cost companies business. And to that end, we are now looking at other products on the market. The customer service has been generally poor from this company, and it's something which has made it hard to deal with them.


One of the most simple rules in business is to make sure you're nice to your customers. It can cost you otherwise, and this time, it may well have done for this company.

DERs Finally Here

Doors have now joined the ranks of windows, in being judged on an A-G scale of how efficient they are.

In my opinion these should have been introduced at the same time as windows. I don't know why it has taken 4 years for it to be implemented.

Whilst windows have the A-G scale of judgement, windows can also be passed efficient based on their U-values. According to an article from Homesafe Doors, doors will also be judged on the same A-G scale. Though at a minimum U-value of 1.8, this will placed doors in band E. This means companies are going to have to spend and invest in new technologies and equipment in order to get themselves up to the minimum C band.

There are certain companies already providing certificates to show how efficient their doors are. Door-Stop are one. They have been providing certificates with their door order confirmations for some time now, and we find them quite useful. However they don't provide one with an A-G scale - will they invest the time and effort to bring these out?

Personally, I believe customers recognise the energy rating certificate more than a U-value. They make the job of explaining and selling the idea a little bit simpler.

It will be interesting to see how fully glazed doors with shape up - like French and sliding doors.

Unfortunately, there isn't much more I can dissect out of this. Very little detail has been released. So there are many questions left to answer. If anyone has any further information on this, feel free to leave a comment, or I can add your information as a guest post on here.

Yale In Cahoots With Door Stop?

A couple of comments have been made over the past couple of days on Twitter about this, but I must say I have known about this issue for about a year, but didn't want to say anything until now. 


Yale have their own composite door website in which prospective customers can go design their own door in great deal, and order for it to be fitted by Yaledoor fitting teams. All this would be fine, if it wasn't Door Stop in Yale's clothing! Thousands of companies buy door slabs and ready to fit doors from Door-Stop at good rates. The last thing any of us need is a company the size of Yale to muddy the waters. I have had a customer in the past use them versus us, annoyed me a little bit. To make the waters even murkier and more confusing, Yale have just carried out a massive advertising campaign with various companies to help push their new Keyfree door handles on Door-Stop's composite doors.


So are Yale here to help? Or are they just treading on other company's toes? Well I'm of the latter opinion. Trading is hard enough as it is, we don't need Yale making that task even harder. And by all accounts, they're cheaper than some companies in the south of the country, which I'm sure isn't going down well.


Would be nice to get some comment from either Yale or Door-Stop on this matter. But personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the Yaledoor website disappearing!

How Long Left For PVCu Panelled Doors?

Until the arrival of companies like Door-Stop, composite doors were still very much a niche market product, very expensive and unknown to the general public.

But now with many more manufacturers involved in the composite door market, the product is now very much a mainstay of the industry. They've lowered in price, there are dozens of door styles and colours, but critically the general public are now starting to really get to grips with the product and it's becoming common knowledge - they key for any successful product in the double glazing industry.

The composite door is becoming so popular in fact that the sales of PVCu panels seems to have completely bottomed out. Out of all the doors I've sold so far this year, I can only recall 3, maybe 4 doors that were PVCu panels. The vast majority have all been composite doors. When you compare their looks, U-values, colour and door style options with PVCu panelled doors, there's currently only one winner...and it's not the panels.

When I speak to others they report very much the same, lots of composite doors, very little PVCu panels. So, with composite doors looking set to become the main door of choice in the country, how long has the PVCu panel got left?

Probably not very long. There's not a lot companies can really do in order to physically change a PVCu panel, it is as it is. More colour options won't boost sales. I see composite doors as the natural evolutionary replacement of panels. I'd give it about 3 years before we see the probable death of the product. And I don't see that as a negative thing really. Offloading a product no one is buying can only be a good thing - it will free up more room to really expand the potential of the composite door market.

Composite doors have been one of the few niche market products to really start making it big in the industry as a whole, and I believe there's still lots of potential left to take advantage off.

Fires Shut Down 5 Nan Ya Plants

It's emerged that the Yunlin County Government in Taiwan forced Nan Ya, producers of composite door panels exported to the UK, to shut down 5 of it's production plants after two fires broke out on 12th and 18th of May.


According to Nan Ya, these closures are causing a daily loss of around NT$8.4 million (I'm not quite sure how much that is in sterling!). It is unsure how these plant closures will affect both supply and prices here in the UK. It is also unsure how much of an effect these closures are having on production of the composite door products.


These problems come on the back of Japanese difficulties after one of the PVC production plants, which supplies Europe with around 40% of it's supply, was forced to shut in order to conserve energy for the rest of the country. It is unclear whether the plant has now re-opened.


UPDATE 6/7/11: it has been made clear by the comment below that it is only the petrochemical area of the business that has been affected, and not the composite door sector.

Door-Stop Showcasing Impressive Growth

Door-Stop International has just posted a £17 million turnover in just it's third year of business, that equates to a rise of 30%, up from £13 million the year previously.


The company has been taking a steady 25-30 new customers on per week. They also state that a lot of their growth can be attributed to organic growth.


MD Nick Dutton said: “Our existing customers are now buying 40% more doors on average than they were two years ago.” 


What is obvious is that the market for PVCu panel doors is collapsing at quite a rate. Personally I think I have only sold two PVCu panelled doors all year, the vast majority have all been composites.


We all know turnover is important, but most of us also know that profit is even more important. So it would be nice to know how much of that turnover is profit. A business is only a healthy one if it's making a decent profit.


However, a pat on the back is due to the Duttons at Door-Stop, they've done a sterling job in an industry with many negatives at the moment.

Black Is The New White

It's clear that since the introduction of coloured doors in the industry i.e. composite and foil wood grained doors, the most popular colour with customers has been black.


The reason? You can only assume that this is because it is the most neutral colour when compared to the other choices. Colours like red, green and blue are suited to people with those sorts of specific tastes. Where as black, just like white, is very much a more neutral colour option for many people. It's also seen as the most sophisticated and classy finish out of the block of colours.


Black doors have now overtaken white doors in number of sales. Has anybody else noticed this sort of trend?

Door-Stop vs Rockdoor

Over the past couple of years, Door-Stop and Rockdoor have become the two main brands that customers have come to see as representing composite doors the best. So much so that they ask for them by name, something which you don't usually associate with the double glazing industry. But that is from a customer's point of view. I want to know what installers think of these two market leaders. Who they think is best? Who has the best product? Who provides the best customer service? If they think they're cheap or too expensive?

Trends Show Composite Surge

The chart above shows the ever increasing interest in composite doors.


We have all seen increasing sales in composite doors over the past few years, mostly due to installation companies pushing them. But what the above images shows is that the general public are now starting to get to know the composite style of door, asking questions about them, searching specifically for them and asking for them by name. 


Those who are geared up fully to take advantage of the composite door surge by having a good product at the right price will make plenty from this new emerging sector. Those who haven't I fear will be too late!

Work We've Done Recently

I thought I might share with your some of the work we have a done recently:

The above is a small Rosewood Victorian conservatory we did a couple of weeks ago for some very good customers of ours!


The next two are images of some of the first windows with mock sash horns we have installed. I was a bit unsure what to expect when I first saw them but when I got on site they looked pretty impressive. They are only a small feature but they do add the extra character that PVCu windows sometimes need.


The bottom two are black composite doors and side lights which we have installed in the last ten days. Black is one of the most popular colours we are selling at the moment. And one thing which matches the colour well are the glass designs the customers have picked.


Since changing composite door suppliers, we have had a massive surge in composite door sales. We are able to give customers a lot more choice of designs, colours and glass options. We have also been able to bring ourselves in line with the majority of the industry in terms of cost.

Composite Doors Overtake Panelled Doors For The First Time

This isn't official news, but comes from a half-reliable source, and doesn't seem too inconceivable to believe.


We had a visit from a HWL rep based in Leeds who came in to drop one of their brochures off and do a half-demo of their product and what they do. He said (claimed) some interesting things like Door-Stop only produce less than 200 a week, which I found strange bearing in mind they managed to turnover £13million last year. He then had various other digs about Door-Stop when I asked him who he thought was his main competition, and it was at that point I turned my brain off.


But one point I did pick up on was that he said that last month was the first time composite doors out-sold PVCu panelled doors. Now this seems to fit the picture that various people are saying. Many have said that composite doors will be the future of the industry, and it now seems that they have powered their way through and reached the level of sales that PVCu panels achieve.


My view is this; that panelled doors will be extinct within the next 3-5 years, leaving just engineered and composite doors as the main types of residential doors installers will sell.

Have I Missed Anything?

So then, I've been away for a week, have I missed anything important?


I see that U-Values for doors have been rendered practically useless for a time, which in a way isn't surprising considering the poor application of the changes.


One thing I can report is that while in the Highlands I noticed quite a lot of new-build luxury holiday homes being built, most with some form of orangery attached to them. But reading between the lines this seems to suggest something, that orangeries will only be acceptable on certain properties. Orangeries were seen by some as a replacement for the 'glass box', but a glass box suits almost any property, from 2 bedroom town house, to luxury 6 bedroom mansion villa (which I was lucky enough to stay in last week!). 


Try and stick an orangery on a 2 bedroom town house or anything similar then it's not going to work. However stick one on a part timber-clad part grey stone holiday home, then it's going to look stunning. And there's the point, they are going to be limited, hence they aren't going to take off like conservatories did.


I'm in the office tomorrow, so if there's anything you think I need to know and I've missed out, tell me! Otherwise I'll speak to you on Monday!

The Future Of Double Glazing According To Me

This is probably going to be a bit of a long one but bear with me on this one...

This is the way I see the double glazing industry in the future.

Doors

After recently changing composite door manufacturer we have seen a HUGE increase in the number of composite doors we're selling. I can also see that these are the future for residential doors. Composite doors have so much more character, owing to their wood grain finish and the range of styles they come in. They've managed to give the consumer the extra choice, rather than just choosing between plain white panels with different glass options.


I believe that the days of the plain white panelled door are over. Obviously the odd one will still be sold. There will be some out there who won't like composite or engineered doors and will still opt for the plain white panel option, but there won't be many. Panelled doors are also expensive for what they are, often when we price for panelled doors vs composite doors panelled doors come out more expensive! So it's a no-brainer to see that composite doors are going to start to rule the residential door market.

Windows
Despite the recent cock-ups of the GGF, BFRC and FENSA, I still believe WER will be relevant. Instead of companies using the certificates to show compliance, companies will be using them to help clinch sales. Companies will fight for contracts based on the energy efficiency of their windows, as well as quality and price. 


Colours I think are going to become a mainstay of the industry, but I believe some colours will fall by the wayside while some will become more popular. Cream, black and white wood grain will become a favourite, while odd colours like grey and green will be picked very rarely.


In terms of materials, PVCu will remain the main material of choice. Timber and aluminium may see slight increases, but they won't be enough to dislodge PVCu from the top. Factors like recycling, energy efficiency and maintenance will determine that.


Conservatories/Orangeries
Conservatories will never recover to levels seen in 2004, where 270,000 were installed. In fact over the next 10-15 years they may go altogether. What I think will replace them are orangeries. With the tough economic climate, I don't think installation levels will reach the heights that conservatories did, but maybe 50-100,000 a year might be a good level once they become established.


Industry
I still think there are a lot more businesses to go bankrupt. Not the most positive outlook, but there are still many companies teetering on the edge, and if the October spending review dampens what has been a good recovery for the most part of this year, it could push them over the edge into bankruptcy.


There are still too many manufacturers and there are still too many installation companies. The market in my opinion is still saturated and the ones likely to go are those that aren't that old, haven't switched their energy efficiency heads on and who are still focusing on cheap products rather than higher quality at a higher price.


The industry now needs to move away from selling poor quality products and move towards the higher end of the market. If we all do this we may be able to shake off the 'cheap and tacky' tag the industry made for itself.

A Success Story

One of the biggest success stories in the double glazing industry at the minute has got to be the rise of Door-Stop International. Since it's inception only a few years ago, they have managed to cement a place in the top four composite door companies.

Their second year in business ended with £13 million in turnover, up from £6 million the year before, which is remarkable growth in what is still very difficult trading conditions.

One of the reasons for this has got to be customer service. I have written before about the importance of customer service and how it is probably the most vital part of any business. This is something which Door-Stop also takes very seriously. 3 day lead times, constant product innovation, excellent brochures etc. No one is going to buy from a supplier if they think they aren't going to be helpful or prompt.

I didn't want this to sound like an advertising article for the company, but I just can't help but feel very impressed at the job Mr Dutton has done with his company. It's just a shame there aren't as many suppliers as focused as this one.

Saturation Point

This is a very interesting read: (article from GGP magazine online)

"The domestic replacement door and window market in the UK has been ‘hit hard’ by the recession with further decline expected in 2010, according to a new report by AMA Research.

Defining characteristics of the market were identified as: maturity, fragmentation, increasing competition, building legislation, ‘green’ building issues, cost-management and diversification – as industry players seek to consolidate their market positions.

The report states that replacement windows are the dominant sector, accounting for an estimated 55% of the replacement market by value. Residential doors were found to account for an estimated share of 37%, while the patio door sector reportedly has a minor share at around 8%.

While the private ‘direct sell' or retail home improvement market represents around half of the market, AMA estimates that share reduced in 2009, as a result of the sharp contraction in consumer spending on higher value home improvements.

The public sector, by contrast, was found to have increased as a proportion of the whole market, with this sector maintaining volumes in 2009. AMA predicts that in the coming years, this will reverse, as public spending cuts are implemented with refurbishment programmes likely targets.

The report also found that changes in material usage continue to evolve. PVC-U remains the key material across windows and doors, though timber has made some recovery in recent years – particularly in the window market.

Composite entrance doors have also been successfully accepted in many sectors and now account for more than 10% of the replacement market - with an even higher share in public sector refurbishment.

AMA forecasts that the door and window replacement market will decline further in 2010, with only modest increases in value in 2011-13, reflecting the fact that this mature market has little scope for volume growth.

Caution and uncertainty remain key features, as companies are anticipating future spending cuts after the Election.

The report found that sustainability is becoming a key issue and predicts that in the longer term, the development of the sustainable building concept will affect the choice of materials by specifiers and end-users.

According to AMA, the design and specification of glazing products is already changing in response to these issues and it will become an increasingly important feature in driving commercial success in the medium-term.

The research predicts that long-term prospects will be governed by the underlying level of second and third time replacements, although the underlying growth in housing stock is said to provide some opportunities."

So, it looks like composite doors could be the main door type come the middle of the decade. Timber could make some sort of minor comeback (unless we do something about it). And public sector/supply only market will shrink as public sector spending cuts kick in.

I'm going to put a link on this site to the http://www.fightingbackwithfacts.com/ website. I believe the PVCu industry needs to do more to promote itself, else the timber market is going to continue it's modest gains. http://www.pvcaware.org/ will also be put on here.