Great and British

Glass Times editor, Luke Wood, visits the new DoorCo facility in Thorne, near Doncaster – a facility that will become a new R&D hub for DoorCo and the home of a new timber core product range, BritDor.

DoorCo’s new facility, located in Thorne, near Doncaster, may not currently be as expansive as its main headquarters in Macclesfield – but that could all be about to change in the next two to three years.

The Thorne factory, which was only purchased at the start of 2024, is at present dedicated to the production of DoorCo’s new timber core offering, BritDor – more details of which later in this article.

Representing an initial investment of around £1.2million, it boasts the latest innovations in machinery, all of which is designed to ensure a high level of automation and consistent high quality. Refinements in production techniques, also mean that the setup is extremely efficient.

But while it is concentrating on the new BritDor product range for now, DoorCo has much bigger plans for the new factory, as managing director, Dan Sullivan, explains: “We have essentially outgrown the original Macclesfield site so this facility – which has the potential to be expanded to 120,000ft² – gives us the room we need to grow.

“We will still be keeping our production of foam slabs in Korea,” he adds. “That’s because the manufacturing facility in Korea is so well developed and gives us the capacity to produce at scale – it gives us the volume we need to support the market demand here in the UK.

“What we have been lacking, up until now, is the capacity for additional research and development, to introduce new products into our line-up, and that includes BritDor which effectively now fills the gap in our range for a timber core door.

“Our customers now have access to a complete composite range, all from one supplier, with GripCore, our hybrid timber/foam/aluminium core door representing our premium offer, BritDor positioned as our mid-range door and the Original, foam filled door as our entry level offering.

“We are extremely proud of how far we have come already with the new factory, as it required a substantial investment to bring it up to a modern standard and we have big plans to expand it considerably over the next few years,” continues Dan. “In fact, our ambitious targets and the fact that we already own the entire 4-acre site, mean that we will be pushing ahead to increase current capacity beyond 20,000ft² and introduce additional, brand new production facilities in the very near future.”

The task of bringing the Doncaster site up to standard is down to DoorCo’s highly experienced head of operations, Mark Towers.

“It’s really exciting to be able to take all the knowledge we have of door production and apply it to a brand new premises,” he says. “We are well known for our innovation, and now we have the space to really accelerate our R&D, to have a UK-based location to produce new products on a full-time basis whilst also testing new concepts and working on bespoke projects – and of course to unveil the new BritDor range.

“Our current benchmark for output is around 100 BritDor slabs per day, but we are expecting volumes to rise significantly now the product has been unveiled and is available to order – and we have the capacity to manage that demand.

“One of the greatest parts of opening a new facility in a new location is the ability to be able to provide the area with job opportunities,” continues Mark.

“We’re one of Macclesfield’s largest employers, so it’s also great to be able to now expand our reach into Doncaster. We’ve hired for a number of positions including production operatives and management roles – it means we are bringing fresh new faces in the business to help us progress this new step in our journey.”

Introducing BritDor

BritDor’s construction is a timber core finished with Thermoplastic CoolSkin technology, made to fit any profile on the market. The collection will include existing styles like 6/4 combi, flush and farmhouse, as well as two new exclusive designs just for this range, Enzo and Glenman, available in over 15 colours.

“When it came to bringing an identity to life for our new door, there was a clear theme in mind from the start: British,” reveals DoorCo’s marketing manager, Ellie Pool. “This is the first product to be manufactured out of our new Doncaster factory, as opposed to our current overseas facilities and therefore we wanted this brand to have classic British heritage at its core. We’re proud of our connections with brilliant oversea manufacturers, such as our team at DoorCo Korea but as a nod to our latest investment in Doncaster, we wanted the British theme to take centre stage.

“The creative process included sifting through varying ideas incorporating red, white and blue, before settling on a palette of British racing green and a complementary cream shade. As we watched this brand come to life with the new fonts and logos, we knew this truly captured the essence of what we wanted this brand to be – sophisticated but steeped with heritage and tradition.”

A nod to Doncaster

“We love how many little nods to Doncaster there is within BritDor’s identity,” continues Ellie. “As well as being traditionally British, the theme also replicates the scenes of Doncaster’s famous railways. The chosen fonts capture the strong, industrial nature of the railway signage and give a real feel of stability and longevity.

How BritDor came to be

“While the visual identity of the brand resonated with us quickly, giving a name to the new door was not so easy. We knew exactly what we wanted the brand to represent and how we wanted it to sound. After road-testing a few more ‘alternative’ name options, we knew that simplicity was exactly what this brand needed.

“BritDor captures exactly what this is – a British made door. No frills, no ifs, buts or maybes. BritDor is a simple, solid choice backed by Brilliantly British Manufacturing,” says Ellie.

“Although BritDor is designed to be straightforward, as a brand it does still offer a competitive edge against the rest of the timber door market. From a design perspective, the multi-directional design of the icon captures the endless options that BritDor presents from prepping to suit any profile to having exclusive blank designs not currently available on the market.

“The branding is just the start of BritDor’s journey. The product has been in development for some time and we’re excited for it to be officially out in the open now and ready to be ordered by customers.

“Our new Doncaster team are well-settled and the production line is flowing nicely,” concludes Ellie.

“Under the management of our head of operations, Mark Towers, senior manufacturing manager, Chris Mansfield and Doncaster’s manufacturing manager, David Wells-Burr, the BritDor operation is in capable and innovative hands, so the next steps for the brand are exciting.”

BritDor solid timber core is available via the DoorCo ordering portal now.