Opportunities in aluminium
Aluminium is forecast to reach 220,000 frames a year by 2020. Dave Thomas, managing director of Haffner Murat, says that if you want to take advantage of the opportunities, you need to make sure you are properly equipped to do so.
PVCU has been – and still is – the dominant material in our industry. But there’s no denying that aluminium is a big growth area. It’s as dominant as it always has been in commercial projects, but domestic projects are starting to see its benefits too.
The interest is largely being driven by the bifold door sector (growth of 50% to 35,000 units by 2020 is forecast) but windows are big news too, especially in heritage settings, where the slim sightlines and crisp elegance make aluminium an attractively authentic option.
As these figures show, there are clearly opportunities for growth for ambitious aluminium fabricators. The question is how to best take advantage of them. As is always the case, the businesses best placed to take advantage of the opportunities are the ones that have a plan in place to do so.
The cornerstone of any growth plan is your means of production. Get this right and you are in a position to grow without compromising on the quality, reliability or turnaround times on which you’ve built your reputation. Automation machinery gives you the tools you need to achieve this. It allows you to improve the quality and quantity of your output and – at the same time – reduce your overheads.
But however much sense automation machinery makes if you want to achieve growth, there is no denying it is a big decision to make. If you want to make the investment a success it is important to choose your machinery wisely and partner with a company you can trust.
Haffner Murat is the UK’s official agent for the Italian range of Italmac aluminium fabrication machinery. Italmac’s Onix 3.3 three-axis CNC machining centre is a perfect example of a machine that can add value to a fabrication set up. It has been designed for milling, drilling, threading and cutting bars or workpieces made of aluminium, light alloys, steel, and PVCU, which makes it a versatile machine.
It can be used to fabricate bifold doors, windows, flush casement systems, patio doors and french doors. It’s also suitable for handle and drainage preps and milling operations. It is constructed from electro-welded steel, and the three-axis movement is controlled by high-precision brushless servomotors and the electric spindle is fitted with an ISO 30 tool connection, which means it is a robust, reliable machine that drives quality throughout the fabrication process.
But the machine itself is only the start. You need to know your supplier is on your side and there to support you. That’s exactly what you get when you work with Haffer Murat and feedback suggests the knowledge and support are the biggest reasons why customers return to us when they need to make a further investment when their business grows.
We’ll work closely with you from the very first contact to understand your business and offer you sound, experienced advice about the machinery that’s right for you and your plans for growth.
If you’ve got machinery to part exchange to help fund the investment, we can discuss the options. We also have finance packages to help spread the cost of the investment. When you invest in a machine from us we will install it and provide full training so it can start to add value to your set up straightaway.
We will also arrange the right service and support package so you have peace of mind throughout the lifetime of your new machine.
