Fabricators are looking at new opportunities as the market starts to slow, but what may look good on paper may end up costing more in the long term. We ask First Degree Systems’ Greg Beachim where efficiencies can be found.

The ability to adapt as markets contract and demands change is a defining feature of successful fabricators.

Factories that are optimised for high volume work during periods of peak demand can be altered to meet the demand for high-value niche products as that core demand falls. And as we enter a period of likely recession, many fabricators are reporting an increased demand for doors.

Entrance doors tend to be straightforward to accommodate, with small-scale production often taking up a small footprint, but bi-folding doors tend to place a greater demand on space. And if PVC-U fabricators want to capitalise on the trend for aluminium bi-folding and sliding doors, then extra workflows and stock-holding arrangements need to be taken into consideration.

“While the bread-and-butter, high-volume refurbishment work may have dipped since extra pressures have been put on household expenses, there is still a steady flow of orders from homeowners who can take price increases in their stride,” explains Greg Beachim, sales manager at First Degree Systems.

“This steady demand for higher value products is still driven, in part, by our lockdown experiences. We are seeing many cases where homeowners want to improve the look and feel of their homes, and installing a new front door, or a bi-folding door to the back, are very quick but effective wins.”

While fabricators can typically accommodate the demand for new products without too many difficulties, the software package required to process the designs can sometimes create a stumbling block, according to Greg.

“The profitability of aluminium has grown tremendously,” Greg says. “But what hasn’t really come along the same way is the software capabilities of some of the aluminium systems.”

Greg explains that unlike PVC-U window manufacture, the software to design and fabricate aluminium windows and doors is often given away as part of the systems package, which does little to improve manufacturing efficiencies.

“The potentially cumbersome or time-consuming software products that are given away free of charge don’t cut the additional processes that are needed for this market,” Greg says.

“Fabricators are more likely to be running more than one aluminium system through the factory, so it makes no sense to be running multiple pieces of software alongside each other.”

Greg says that even those third-party software platforms, which incorporate the technical data from multiple systems, tend to be architectural, and are thus slow when processing products and require a high degree of technical understanding.

First Degree Systems provides specialist software to the fenestration industry, most notably Window Designer.

“The difference with Window Designer is it is just a configurator, so it can work with any profile product, allowing you to centralise all processing and benefit from its wider functionality,” Greg says. “Within reason, a PVC system, an aluminium system, and a timber system are just other profile systems within the bill of materials.”

Greg explains that this approach to window design suits those fabricators working in the domestic market, because they don’t have to account for architectural elements like wind loading and other façade interfaces.

It also means they can adapt quickly to a changing market without waiting for new software systems to come online.

“If we look at a standard fabrication business, you would have some operatives making PVCU windows and doors with one piece of software, and on a separate line you would have operatives making aluminium products using a different software product,” Greg says.

“Realistically, they are just window or door products. If you can get that centralised team to work on product using the same software, then it’s a win-win situation. You are reducing overheads, you are reducing the number of people processing products, and you’re moving into a situation where you’re much more flexible, and able to meet the changing demands of the market.”

Greg says that those window fabricators that have moved to a subscription model for their software packages are best placed to make the most of this single software model. They also have access to bolt-on packages – such as Stock Assistant and Production Manager – that can create further efficiencies in production, including keeping stock holding to a minimum, and managing an effective throughput of product, both of which boost cash flow and improve profit.

“The kind of efficiencies your software can offer you are probably just a phone call away,” Greg says. “You will have to change to a pay monthly tariff, but the savings you make will almost certainly cover that cost.

“Window fabricators are having to make difficult choices about what sort of investment they should make in their business at a time when they are being squeezed from all sides. By optimising your software, you could make an impact on your bottom line that is comparable to investment in machinery, but only at a fraction of the cost.

“And, if you are already a Window Designer user, you already have a modern solution at your fingertips.”