40 years of excellence
This year, Central Window Systems is celebrating 40 years in business. We talk to CEO, Gary Morton, about the journey so far and plans for the future.
Central Window Systems is celebrating four decades of manufacturing, a period in which the company has grown from a small PVC-U fabricator to a business with an annual turnover of over £13 million.
“Central Window Systems has a long and rich history, and to reach 40 years is an incredible milestone for the company and everyone that’s been involved throughout that time,” comments CEO Gary Morton.
Long history
Marking the beginning of a successful journey, the company started off as Reliant Products Limited (RPL).
In 2015, Gary started up a West Midlands fenestration manufacturing group, the Boing Boing Group, with a plan to build one of the UK’s best fabricators.
And one of the first acts of the Boing Boing Group was to buy RPL.
“For many years, PVC-U had been a very basic, functional product, but it has since come on leaps and bounds. We were starting to see more of a demand for premium quality PVC-U windows and doors, and so through Central RPL, we wanted to help installers make the most of these products,” Gary explains.
The company also put a lot of time and effort into streamlining processes, talking to customers, and focusing on exactly what they wanted to see from a fabricator.
Not long after, Gary saw a similar gap in the aluminium market – installers were looking for high-end products, and aluminium fabricators were in short supply.
As a result, in early 2017, Central ASL was born, focusing exclusively on quality aluminium products, from bi-folds and patio doors, to casement and sash windows.
Just four years later, in early 2021, RPL and ASL merged into Central Window Systems, giving customers access to the best of both worlds.
Gary explains: “RPL and ASL were both excellent businesses offering a wide range of market-leading products, but we found that many of our customers who bought PVC-U products from us struggled to make the connection to our aluminium offering, and vice versa.
“Merging the two just made sense, and really allowed us to provide a better, more streamlined service, helping installers benefit from the full extent of an entire product range.”
Looking to the future
Since then, Central Window Systems has gone from strength to strength, with decades of experience helping the company navigate through two years of a pandemic – the most challenging period the industry has ever seen.
And today, Central is only looking to the future.
In the past year, as part of its overall growth strategy, the company expanded its aluminium service into the domestic market, growing both its product portfolio and customer base.
This investment came after a factory expansion to a total of 52,00ft2, creating the capacity to manufacture up to 1,500 frames per week, as well as for additional storage space in which to keep more stock, thus ensuring lead times are kept to a minimum.
The past few months also saw Central invest over £400K in new machinery to meet growing demand and improve its manufacturing capability.
In addition, the company has introduced a new warehouse and logistics manager, commercial estimator, and expanded both its senior management and customer service teams.
“Since 1982, we’ve seen it all – recessions, economic booms, regulatory changes, Brexit, and a global pandemic,” Gary concludes. “Through a steadfast commitment to delivering high-quality products and services, we’ve thrived over the past 40 years, something we would not have achieved without the support of our valued customers, suppliers and colleagues.
“We are incredibly proud to have reached this milestone – it’s a testament to our hard work and dedication, and a poignant time for Central, marking not only the company’s rich past, but the start of what I believe will be a very bright future ahead.”