Mainstream place earned

Installers who still see aluminium as a specialist product could be missing out on more and more future business. Michael Connor, MD of the Panoramic Group, says the facts speak for themselves.

Just think back. It isn’t really so long since grained and coloured windows were seen as a bit of a speciality product. Or even more recently, you’d never consider recommending a box sash unless you were restoring some iconic piece of national history.

Now, think how many fabricators and installers still see aluminium in the same light. We know there are plenty of them out there but we also know from statistics that they are getting fewer and fewer, as more are seeing the benefits – and reaping the rewards – of adding ali to the mix.

What can this be down to? We see several factors all working together here. First, the same rebellion against plain white PVC may have some part as homeowners feel more empowered to look to more adventurous options. But, we can clearly see the same quest for making a statement coming from our TV screens with everything from Grand Designs to a host of home improvement shows, showing homeowners how their windows and doors can be a real feature and not just a function. They are seeing how they can add a real wow factor with something like bifolds or our Panoramic swing and slide doors and create a completely different aesthetic to their homes, as well as adding real value.

Of course, we must not forget the pure logistical factor that patio doors have been a route to entry for installers for over a couple of decades. For every business that was PVC only, I would guess maybe more than half have at some point installed aluminium sliders and bifolds, and for anyone who has worked with the material it is only a small step to start looking at what else they could be offering.

For our part at the Panoramic Group, we have focused on creating a powerful core range that any installer can work with, whether new to ali or an old hand. Beginning with a diverse range of over 40 product lines from the former Alumen business, we stripped it right down to seven products from two systems: Cortizo and Smart. No confusion, no duplication, just the products that installers know homeowners will want, and with stockholding efficiencies that benefit all, and much tighter lead times that all installers – and their customers – want.

Among those products, we have developed a number of unique products such as our timber-out/ali in flush casement window, a real premium product that sits right up there against some of the biggest European brands. I should add that the stockholding benefits at our end mean we can now offer almost all of our range in white, black and anthracite 7016 straight from stock.

When we say we have proof of a growing interest among installers for aluminium, the figures say it all. We have seen demand grow by 30% year on year lately. This is coming both from new customers coming on board as well as growing sales for existing installers, and with all the developments that have been brought about in the last year, we can only see that figure growing.