Onwards and upwards
Gary Morton, CEO of the Boing Boing Group, gives his view of the challenges faced by fabricators in 2019, and explains what the Boing Boing Group is doing to overcome these challenges across the PVCU and aluminium sectors.
Every organisation and business will always have challenges to navigate in order to be successful, and they come from all angles. At the highest level, industries are feeling the impact of globalisation, climate change issues, and technological and knowledge revolutions. Closer to home, although it feels like a tired subject, Brexit has created ongoing uncertainty for the UK markets with no resolution in sight.
Against this backdrop, the window and door industries have their own unique set of challenges to overcome. This isn’t an excuse to sit back and complain, but it’s important to acknowledge where we are, so we can move forward. We see it as an opportunity to add value through innovation.
Failure to innovate is, in itself, a form of either arrogance, or fear. Arrogance that you feel what you are doing is better, or fear from the change innovation brings. Both are ridiculous viewpoints. Before we can address the challenges we face, however, we need to be open about what they are.
In some ways, PVCU and aluminium sectors are worlds apart; even though they are different markets, and require different manufacturing methods, both face similar issues.
As we see them, here are the top five:
The landscape of installers is changing.
As we are seeing in the wider construction industry, our installers are ageing with very few younger installers coming through. This creates an issue with capacity, as well as affecting the integration of new products and technologies. Consumers are expecting more and more from their windows and doors and, as an industry, we need to meet and exceed these expectations.
Price driven sales.
In the past, pricing wars were synonymous with PVCU window companies and, while that market is still contending with the issue, it’s becoming particularly prevalent in the aluminium sector now too. A race to the bottom where pricing is concerned is never useful, but all too tempting when the pressure is on.
Introducing innovation.
In several studies over the years, around 90% of business executives place innovation, coming up with new ideas, and creativity at the top of the list in terms of what they need for long-term success. Innovation improves quality, range, service, manufacturing processes and so much more. With any change, however, comes a level of resistance. As previously mentioned, this can be an issue with customers, but it can also be an issue with those implementing the changes within the business.
Skills shortage.
There’s been no lack of discussion about the skills shortage we’re facing as an industry, so I won’t dwell on that here, but add to this the potential loss of overseas workers that make up a valued proportion of our workforce and the challenge gets even bigger.
Pricing uncertainty.
Raw material pricing trends are becoming more important than ever before for fabricators. While we have seen and managed incremental increases before, it’s the uncertainty that is the issue now. Forecasting and planning have become more difficult.
Even though it’s not always easy to implement, at the Boing Boing Group we still believe innovation is the answer. In order to overcome new challenges we must adapt to the new requirements.
We work closely with our staff and our customers to deliver solutions that strive to keep everyone happy. Our recent debut at the FIT Show saw the official launch of our Central Hub, a concept that was borne out of our continued desire to enhance our customers experience, which was extremely well received. We also showcased our latest product range expansions, which included our brand new Timbercore Door, as well some of our most popular products including the Optio BSF70 Bifold door, all alongside our promotion of our Smart window commitment.
Whatever challenges we face, the team at the Boing Boing Group have the experience and determination to continue to innovate and invest to ensure our customers, and in turn ourselves, are well-equipped to succeed.
