Cornering the specialist heritage sector
The application of Timberweld technology has helped to define HWL Windows has the UK’s leading specialist supplier of premium heritage products. We report.
“If I had to identify the most important innovation in PVC window design over the last 10 years, then it would have to be heritage style flush casements,” says Graham Howatson, Director, HWL Windows.
“Since their introduction they have transitioned from a niche product to a much more widely adopted style of window and have helped to drive huge amounts of growth in the process.
“And if I had to single out the next most important innovation it would be the way in which those windows are put together!,” he continues. “Mechanical and timber style welded joints have become a defining feature of flush casements – they’ve helped to create even more demand at the premium end of the market.”
As a specialist supplier into the heritage sector, flush products are an integral part of HWL’s portfolio, but the Leeds based fabricator has also invested considerably in developing its market leading offer through the application of Timberweld technology.
Timberweld is a unique, patented method of joining PVC windows, resulting in a highly authentic, timber style butt joint – replicating a traditional mortice and tenon joint – on both the exterior and interior faces of the window.
HWL pioneered the development of non-glass bonded Timberweld R9, making it easier to handle and significantly reducing costs for installers, and now offers a unique Timberweld Residence Collection open-in door – giving its customers the opportunity to upsell a matching Residence window and door package to homeowners.
It also has recently expanded its offer to include the new 70mm Kömmerling flush and is the first – and currently only fabricator – manufacturing this latest system with a Timberweld finish.
“At the premium end of the market, the devil really is in the detail, diagonal welds or corner grooves are simply not good enough,” continues Graham. “Consumers have become much more style conscious when choosing replacement windows and doors.
“Increasingly, that means they want a product that can accurately replicate a traditional timber casement, almost always with a foil, and with a seamless or mechanical joint.
“Timberweld delivers the very best timber-style aesthetic in a PVC window,” adds Graham. “You get a 900 joint inside and outside, it looks outstanding, and consumers are prepared to pay a premium for that aesthetic.
“If there’s a downside, for fabricators, it’s that Timberweld requires a level of expertise to manufacture properly,” he continues. “Yes, there’s automation but the tolerances involved are much finer, it’s not just a case of feeding in profile and hoping for the best.
“At HWL, we have spent a huge amount of time perfecting our processes, and Timberweld has become a defining feature of our product line-up. That includes our Residence Collection range, and it now extends to our latest Kömmerling offer.”
Built around a new, 6-chambered profile which helps it to achieve U values of 1.2 (W/m2k), the new 70mm Kömmerling flush is available from HWL with 21 foiling options from stock, in addition to a ‘fast track’ service on other finishes, and with glazing options from 28-40mm.
Designed specifically for seamless and mechanical welding technologies, HWL is offering it exclusively with a Timberweld finish.
“Our new Kömmerling flush is a very well-engineered system,” says Graham. “It offers outstanding performance, which is important in light of the new, stricter requirements for Part L that are due to come into force later this year, but it also delivers the high quality and aesthetic appeal that is essential at the top end of the market.
“Demand for high value, premium products has accelerated massively over the course of the pandemic and we’re expecting that to continue throughout 2022 and beyond,” he concluded.
“Our range of heritage and flush products, which are defined by our application of Timberweld technology and supported through our sector expertise, will ensure that our customers continue to be well placed to take advantage of that.”