All systems go
Scott Foster, sales & marketing director at BDC Aluminium, outlines the latest developments and future plans for the fabricator.
When Rocal Group Holdings – the parent company of a number of highly respected fenestration businesses including Endurance Doors – acquired BDC Aluminium in late 2023, it did so for good reason.
Not only did the nature and focus of BDC’s operations fit with wider plans for diversification and growth, but it was an attractive acquisition target in its own right with an impressive track record and many notable strengths.
Specifically, over its 16-year history, BDC had grown into one of the UK’s top 10 fabricators of windows, doors and internal screens based on highly respected aluminium systems from Smart.
It had also developed considerable expertise in delivering large commercial products, frequently with a value in excess of £1million.
Given these achievements, the focus at Rocal was always on refinement rather than reinvention. There was no desire to fix something that wasn’t broken.
Instead, we have remained focused on augmenting BDC’s expertise and resources whilst preserving those principles that had ensured the business’ success in the first place – such as its commitment to customer service excellence, its impressive speed of response, and the exceptional quality of its fabrications.
Opening up new opportunities
Since joining the Rocal fold, new and exciting opportunities have opened up for BDC Aluminium – and especially with regards to investment and the scope to scale the company’s operations.
Historically, the business had predominantly served customers in London and the South East. We are now starting to extend this reach however so that installers across the UK can benefit from our high performance product range and service-orientated approach.
As well as increasing the geographical footprint of BDC’s customer base, we’re also looking to expand our presence in both new and existing markets.
Reflecting this, we are capitalising on the rapidly growing popularity of ‘Crittall-style’ heritage aluminium doors, windows and internal screens.
These products, and particularly external French doors and internal screens, are continuing to see strong demand from consumers.
We are perfectly placed to maximise the impressive commercial possibilities of this trend thanks to our position as one of the UK’s largest fabricators of Smart heritage windows & doors.
We have also become one of the first companies in the UK to begin fabricating Smart AluSpace internal screens. These products again have enormous potential as they are ideally suited to a range of both residential and commercial applications.
In addition, we’re furthering BDC’s achievements in the commercial sector by drawing on our in-depth technical knowledge to help customers specify and install the ideal solution for any project – whether that’s a small shop front or a large, glazed facade for an office block.
Combining strengths and expertise
Our expertise in areas such as lean manufacturing, product development and marketing has enabled us to shape Endurance Doors into one of the most successful composite door brands on the market, recognised and desired by the homeowner as well as preferred by the installer.
We’re now applying that same knowledge to deliver similar dividends for BDC.
This already has, or soon will, manifest itself in a variety of ways with installers set to benefit from homeowner focused brochures, material for their social media channels, and content and tools for their websites such as product configurators.
These resources, combined with additional forms of sales support, will help to increase awareness of and generate leads for BDC products.
Following its integration into the Rocal group, there are many significant developments planned, underway or already in place for BDC Aluminium.
These are exciting times.
Not only for the business, but also for anyone who buys, installs or lives with its products.
