Pioneering a new entrance door solution
Tasked with finding an alternative to sub-standard composites, Danny Williams discovered Gerda Doors – and brought affordable quality and unbeatable performance to the UK entrance door market.
As an installer, what’s the first thing that crosses your mind when you receive an enquiry from a homeowner who’s looking for a new composite door?
Is it a feeling of excitement, because you have a great portfolio of products that you know will easily satisfy their design aspirations, and as such you are well placed to make a quick, easy and high value sale? One that will possibly lead to a five-star recommendation and maybe even a second enquiry from that customer for more work further down the line?
Or is it a feeling of dread, fuelled by previous experiences of sub-standard composites that have warped, bowed and caused endless problems with remedial work, a situation made worse by underwhelming support from suppliers and the subsequent negative impact to your reputation?
The chances are that most installers in the UK will be able to relate to the latter of those two scenarios. Some may even have stopped offering composite doors altogether, rather than risk another call from a customer with a door that won’t open or close properly.
Pioneering spirit
Thankfully, there is now a better way to service enquires for new entrance doors, a solution that has been introduced to the UK market specifically to solve the problem of warping and bowing once and for all, and one that’s available for just a marginal uplift in price over a composite.
Danny Williams, managing director of trade fabricator Pioneer Trading, and director of Gerda Doors in the UK, picks up the story: “I just knew there had to be an answer to all those poor-quality composites that have plagued the sector for so long,” he says. “For such a mature product, it was so frustrating to see problems with bowing and warping persisting, but then that’s the nature of a composite door – it’s made of multiple materials, that all react differently when they’re hot or cold.
“It doesn’t matter how much you try to engineer it, that inherent design flaw remains.
“After looking long and hard – unsuccessfully – for answers in the UK, my attention then turned to mainland Europe and the Gerda range of steel and aluminium doors,” Danny continues.
“Here was a product that was designed to withstand the extreme temperature variations of a European, from a well-established and respected brand with a lot of experience in hardware and security, that knew how to make a door that would last.
“And when I discovered that this previously undiscovered premium, contemporary looking offering was designed for the mid-market, which meant it could be positioned below the majority of more expensive aluminium options and only slightly above a composite door back in the UK, I was sold – I introduced Gerda to the industry at FIT Show 2022 and have been steadily growing the dealer network ever since.”
Built to last
Constructed from steel and aluminium, within a high-performance aluminium frame, Gerda doors are designed to be incredibly robust – while also delivering outstanding energy efficiency.
That’s thanks to a polyurethane core that helps to achieve U values as low as 0.74 W/m2k, equivalent to Passivhaus standards.
They also boast a comprehensive range of finishes, glass and hardware options, with PAS24 security. They’re also compatible with Tedee smart hardware, combining traditional mechanical locking with advanced smart enabled technology for remote locking and unlocking.
These benefits have allowed Gerda Doors to take a foothold in the UK, with homeowners easily upsold on the quality, aesthetics and visceral, solid ‘thunk’ when opened and closed.
“When I set about on my quest to find a superior alternative to composites, it was my number one priority to find an entrance door that would raise standards for quality, performance and functionality, something that we’ve absolutely achieved with Gerda Doors,” says Danny. “As a homeowner, why would you choose a cheaper composite, when for a few hundred quid more you can have a door that looks and feels superior and will perform faultlessly.
“And for our Gerda network of trade partners, it’s about absolute trust and confidence in a product that will generate repeat sales, and will help to grow your business in the long term.”