Deceuninck Aluminium has been shortlisted in the New Product of the Year category at this year’s G-Awards for its Decalu163 lift-and-slide door. We talk to Deceuninck Aluminium’s Nigel Headford about why it is so popular.

Fears of a recession loom, but if all the anecdotal evidence and market reports are to be believed, then targeting the high-value end of the market should fill the gaps left elsewhere.

For most businesses on the front line, homeowners who are in the market for replacement windows and doors are moving away from standard white PVC-U products, and towards niche products, such as aluminium windows and doors in a wide choice of colours.

“Yes, there are pressures on the economy, and the effects are filtering down to the home improvement sector,” Deceuninck Aluminium’s director, Nigel Headford, says. “But this isn’t the whole picture.

“As things stand, window fabricators are reporting continued high levels of demand, but not for mainstream products, and this is putting extra pressures on the supply chain.”

In theory, a drop in orders will be more than offset by the increase in value and subsequent profit margin on the niche products being ordered by homeowners not directly affected by the cost-of-living squeeze. But Nigel argues that if installers don’t choose their suppliers carefully, then those margins could be squeezed due to delays, too much time spent on site, and unwelcome callbacks.

“Homeowners are specifying larger spans of glazing, and bigger, bolder products,” Nigel says. “We saw this trend pick up during the recent pandemic, but the series of lockdowns encouraged people to invest more in their properties as more time was being spent there.

“Energy efficiency is also high on people’s list of priorities, which surprisingly narrows the field of suitable products more than it should.

“But larger doors in particular can create headaches for installers if they are called back to site to fix issues such as hardware failure, so having access to the right products is absolutely key.”

Deceuninck Aluminium’s ultra-energy efficient Decalu163 lift-and-slide door is a finalist at this year’s G-Awards, and it can achieve U-values as low as 1.3W/m²K double-glazed making it Part L-compliant for home improvement without having to go to triple-glazed units, saving installers a massive amount of weight in handling.

The aluminium lift-and-slide door is also Part L newbuild-compliant, achieving U-values of as low as 0.8W/m²K, which also means that it will meet the expected standard for newbuild from 2025 in the Future Homes Standard, in its current configuration. This is achieved using advanced pre-inserted thermal inserts.

“You talk to any fabricator of aluminium doors, and they are left scratching their heads at how they can meet the building regs because their current suppliers are one step behind,” Nigel said. “Not only do we have an ultra-energy-efficient solution, but the Decalu163 also allows designers to go to town on size.”

The Decalu163 uses a specially designed and highly engineered operating mechanism. This means that each sash can accommodate weights of up to 400kg, maximising design reach.

Individual sashes can be manufactured to 3,900mm by 2,500mm, which gives the Decalu163 lift-and-slide the design potential to be comfortably manufactured to span openings of up to 4,000mm by 3,500mm long on a single track; 4,000mm by 7,000mm on a twin track; and 4,000mm by 10,500mm on our triple track option.

In common with Deceuninck Aluminium’s wider offer, dual-colour and marine grade finishes are offered – as standard – simplifying pricing ad guaranteeing performance regardless of where it’s fitted.

“The Decalu 163 lift-and-slide door offers opportunities for fabricators and installers to tap into that significant demand for bold products that maximise light and spaciousness, while not compromising on performance,” Nigel says.

“Homeowners was bold, energy-efficient statement pieces, and installers want to fit and forget while maximising earning potential. The Decalu163 fits that brief.”