New strategy unveiled by Bohle at FIT
Managing director of Bohle, Dave Broxton, explains why the company is targeting the home improvement industry at the FIT Show in May.
When we exhibit at the FIT Show in May, our attention will be very much on the home improvement industry, because we have the products to help window installers expand their offering to homeowners, while improving profit margins.
Bohle is best known for supplying the glass processing industry with water processing machinery, lifting equipment, and consumables such as cutting wheels, glass cleaner and grinding belts. But we also supply shower hardware, internal partitioning systems, sliding door systems, balustrades and Juliet balconies – products that target home improvement companies as well as glass processors.
We are going to the FIT Show because we know that this product range can create a significant profitable diversification opportunity for window companies to upsell on projects they are already involved in. To put it bluntly, as the market cools, and if you don’t diversify your offering, then you may find yourself competing for a shrinking pool of work.
Let’s take Juliet balconies as an example – they have become very popular in the UK, and there are several offerings out there.
Our new product is called Lyon, and it has several advantages over the existing products in the marketplace: it is very simple to install – just four fixings per side; it can be fixed to concrete, to steel, to aluminium, or to PVC with steel reinforcing; it can span a 4m width; and we can powder coat to any RAL colour the customer wants.
How often have you been on site replacing windows or doors, and seen opportunities like this to upsell or, worse, seen another company follow on behind you to fit the Juliet balcony or a new glass stair balustrade?
But the home improvement industry already sees a vast number of bi-folds going into homes at the moment, so we know the public are demanding products to bring the outside into a room. Plus, we see this in other aspects of our business, with sliding glass doors.
By having the Lyon Juliet balcony in your product range, you are potentially unlocking a new stream of work, replacing existing bedroom windows with French doors and a Lyon Juliet balcony. And we have a number of other complementary products that do the same.
Also on our 35m2 stand, our technical experts will be demonstrating how to install FrameTec 2.0, a new dry-glazing glass partitioning system designed and built by Bohle to support fast and cost-efficient installation using a modular design and easy-fix system.
This gives installers a route into the commercial and domestic interior market, offering excellent margins in the process. As does the MasterTrack FT/BT, a high-end sliding door system, which was designed to provide an exceptionally high-quality smooth opening and closing function, while being easy to install. There is also an option for double doors to open simultaneously, and it can handle door weights up to 150kg.
And we can’t forget our popular VetroMount balustrade system, which was designed to make installation easy with just three simple steps: insert, adjust, fix. Again, it allows installers to upsell on projects they are already involved in.
We will also be showcasing a range of high-end shower hardware, point fixings, patch fixings, point fixing and clamps, all of which have been designed to help installers bring the light into property interiors by offering them profitable diversification opportunities.
Window installers are in a unique position. Yes, available projects may be slowing, but with the right partners and the right products within reach, there are significant opportunities to upsell with minimal time on site, and minimal investment.
