It’s the best decision we’ve ever made
Glass Times editor, Luke Wood, talks to Prefix director, Chris Baron, about the successful introduction of Sheerline’s S2 glass roof.
Prefix introduced the new S2 roof from Sheerline at the 2023 FIT Show and the response, according to director Chris Baron, has been overwhelmingly positive.
“S2 was really well received at the FIT Show but for us it’s not just about being able to offer our customers a great looking product that’s packed full of excellent design features,” he says.
“Partnering with Sheerline has introduced some key advantages to the business. Sheerline is a modern, vertically integrated company; it extrudes aluminium profile here in the UK, it has a brand new, state of the art powder coating facility and all the ancillary supply is also on site.
“That introduces cost savings, which we can now pass on to our customers, but ultimately, in a more challenging or contracting market, you want quality, value and great service – and that’s what you get with Sheerline and the S2 roof,” he continues.
Based loosely on the original and hugely successful K2 roof, the new S2 from Sheerline has a number of USPs, including modern, square look chambered glazing bar top cappings – making it one of the most thermally efficient glazing systems available – as well as contemporary, square line internal claddings.
There is also a square line aluminium external top capping which works with aluminium ridge cappings to give a complete aluminium finish – available in any RAL colour – while the square box sections eaves are stronger and will span further than other roof systems. An eaves bolster is also available to accommodate larger openings, and for expansive bi-fold installations.
S2 also includes options for a lighting pelmet, configurable to a range of pitches and sizes, as well as a gutter shroud that can easily retro fitted to any existing S2 roof or standard fascia.
The large capacity 205m box gutter with built in structural brackets is a popular feature which means additional gallows brackets are not required – this was carried over from the original K2 system – and so is the slim ridge section (reported to be the slimmest on the market) and neat, radius end cappings.
“Another advantage of partnering with Sheerline, is that the team there is also very receptive to new ideas,” continues Chris. “That’s allowed us to look at some new design details, which will be introduced through 2024.
“Making the switch to S2 hasn’t been without its challenges in the short term, we’ve had to adjust to new systems and we’ve had to train up staff to the new product, but we’re through that phase now and we’re looking forward to the future and long term gain,” adds Chris.
“We’ve been fabricating since June, and it’s been a great success. “That means, despite a relatively difficult start to the year, when the market was probably around 25-30% down, we’re now in a great position to help our customers take advantage of an upturn in activity since September and October, including building up showrooms and providing marketing support. “We’re already scheduling well into the New Year and we have some customers booking as far ahead as June 2024.
“With the introduction of the S2 roof, we’ve broadened our product offer, which has allowed us to expand our market share and offer an outstanding new product to our customers – which in turn has given them the opportunity to differentiate and win business,” he concludes.
“Making the switch to S2 and partnering with Sheerline really has been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.”
