Limitless opportunities
Phil Bartram, sales manager at Window Warehouse (UK), says the company is fortunate to work across a spectrum of markets, from high-end domestic to major commercial projects.
Window Warehouse (UK) was formed in 1996 offering residential PVCU windows and doors, and we were quick to spot the potential for extending the domestic portfolio to include aluminium products, partnering with systems supplier Smart Architectural Aluminium; a partnership that continues to flourish after three decades.
The introduction of aluminium products opened doors, with seemingly limitless opportunities in the commercial market. In 2010, we introduced Aluprof to enhance our commercial product range. Dual sourcing gives us flexibility and greater opportunity. Our customers are offered the best possible product with a cost-effective solution.
With many Smart and Aluprof products at our disposal we can start our customers thinking about what’s available and what’s possible. This has been most noticeable with a rise in orders for sliding doors, as an alternative to bifolds.
It’s not just about profile and product, colour has a massive part to play in responding to modern fabrication and installation requirements. With chartwell green bursting on the scene, and more recently the surge in grey tones, we spend a lot of time reminding customers that a multitude of colours are available. Finishes have also been a point of interest for specifiers.
Powder coated, our coloured profile is made to order with both dual and unique colours options. And considering that the majority of our orders are bespoke, we are fortunate to have the facility to offer a quick response and delivery to our customers.
One area where we truly benefit from our supply chain partnerships, is the ability to draw on their knowledge and expertise to enhance our technical support. We can approach Smart and Aluprof with anything, from unique requests to technical calculations. With this level of proficiency, from the systems house and fabricator, our customer – the installer – can be confident of fitting a high-quality, fit-for-purpose product.
After almost 25 years in aluminium, we certainly don’t believe it to be a market reliant on the whim of homeowners and specifiers. Of course, demand is driven by the end user but it’s exactly that, demand, rather than impulse.
Domestic aluminium sales continue to grow, with television programmes like Grand Designs and home improvement magazines educating the homeowner about the benefits and advantage of aluminium glazed products. And homeowners realise this and now come to us with more extreme requests. They understand that aluminium is probably their best solution. This has been most apparent with the desire for large apertures being incorporated into their projects.
We believe that aluminium product development far exceeds that of alternative materials. With durability, slim sightlines, aesthetics and recyclable attributes, aluminium products won’t be going away any time soon. It will continue to chip away at both PVCU and timber market share.
Stand D20 will showcase our corner sliding door with floating mullion, a parallel opening window for improved and safer ventilation, and a glazed 60-minute fire door.
Our commercial and domestic product offering is available as supply-only or supply-and-install, depending on your requirements.
