Above and beyond

DoorCo has secured its position as one of the leaders in the UK composite door market through strategic investment and innovation, but to maintain it, Dan Sullivan MD shares what he believes is important in the industry today.

DoorCo has the ultimate composite door offer: we are the only UK manufacturer to supply three types of composite door – the market leading Original foam-core, Gripcore solid timber-core and Firecore, our FD30+ fire door option – and our own glazing cassette system, Flip.

We also offer approved components such as Paint and Glazing, which both enable choice in door design. We have the widest range of slab options too, including the Original designer door styles, Monza II and Links, and smart prepped doors which offer true savings to the fabricator.

All of this has been delivered through our desire to keep ahead of the market through innovation. Our development is considered, and our R&D is comprehensive to ensure that the product is not only right for the time, but also for the future. Like the redesigned Standard design of Flip, which has been embraced by a market which didn’t even realise they needed it.

Success today goes beyond a great product range. The composite door market is mature, making it a competitive place to be. There are still products to develop and improvements to be made, but what really sets a supplier apart is how they deliver.

Service economy

DoorCo operates with a clear set of values that are part of our brand and our culture. Conscientious, Committed, Collaborative, Considered, Connected, Consult, Complete, Communicate and Committed. The ‘Co’ represents DoorCo’s fundamental beliefs and behaviours that have underpinned the business from day one.

With all the glory of FIT show behind us, it’s time to concentrate on ensuring we’re delivering these principles. The backdrop remains turbulent and the door market is still tough. However, how we manage our business and the service we deliver is still within our control and this is where our focus currently lies. Our customers must be satisfied, and although there are still challenges while we continue to work hard on driving down lead times, there are other projects underway which are aimed at improving the overall DoorCo customer experience.

Through a programme of investment in manufacturing and technology, we’re improving production efficiency and knocking down the traditional boundaries associated with distribution and manufacturing supply. No matter the size, all our customers can access a multi-level, hybrid service that can flex to support the customer as they need, whether that is slab only, prepping, painting or glazing, or our just in time delivery proposition that delivers what you need, when you need it.

Stock

Over the last couple of years, DoorCo has upped the ante even further on stock. While many shied away, even before the escalating import costs, we invested and made strategic decisions, like accelerating the launch of Flip, to ensure the products our customers need are readily available. Our unique independently owned status in both the UK and Korea enables us to react quickly in an ever-changing landscape – from the massive shift in consumer tastes during the lockdown home improvement boom, to the global shipping crisis, we’ve done our best to maintain the bolstered stock levels that are now standard for DoorCo.

People power

The driving force, underneath all the innovation and investment, is the team and good, old-fashioned people/relationships. DoorCo is blessed with a team comprising of the young, energetic and clever, mixed with decades of experience, including new senior industry figures coming on board this year to further enhance our management team. They underpin everything and will continue to drive DoorCo forward.

I strongly believe, going forward, these relationships will be stronger as a result of the personal interaction, which helps shape our business and mould the team into being even more dedicated to go above and beyond than they were before.