Jason Wootton, sales director for Midland Aluminium, looks at the hidden costs that erode installer margins, and why the products you specify and the supplier you choose matter more than most people realise.

I’ve been in this industry long enough to know that most installers aren’t losing money on the big, obvious things. They’re losing it on delays they didn’t see coming and call backs they thought they’d never get. Those two things, more than anything else, are what chip away at a decent margin and make a job that should have been profitable feel like hard work.

We set up Midland Aluminium specifically to take those problems off the table for trade customers. That sounds like a bold claim, but everything we do – from how we handle enquiries to how we run our deliveries – truly is geared towards making your jobs run more smoothly.

Getting it right first time
The economic climate isn’t making anyone’s lives easier right now, but choosing the right supplier can be the difference between staying afloat and actually thriving. A good supplier should be reliable, speedy and uncompromising in the quality of their products.

The way I see it, if we’re doing our job properly, installers should barely have to think about the supply side of their business at all.

At Midland Aluminium, our range covers everything from aluminium windows and doors to the popular Timberlook range. We run free nationwide deliveries with no minimum order and no delivery charges.

Lead times on stocked aluminium colours sit at two to three weeks, and on bi-folds we can often turn things around in as little as seven days. Every quote we receive gets a response within 24 hours – no waiting around, no chasing.

When you’re trying to keep a project on schedule, that kind of reliability matters more than people give it credit for. It means you can commit to a start date, organise your team, and not spend half your week wondering where your order is.

The other side of this is product quality and compliance – and I think this is where a lot of installers leave themselves exposed without realising it. A supplier offering sub-par products may be able to give you a good deal, but quality and compliance are worth every single penny.

We know that installers need products from names they can instinctively trust. We supply aluminium systems from Smart Systems, which are independently tested and PAS 24 certified. Under Approved Document Q, that certification is a requirement for most replacement and new-build window and door installations in England and Wales. Getting that right at the point of specification means no complications with building control, no awkward conversations with clients, and no risk of a job being queried down the line.

We also take the time to explore how we can improve our product line to give our installers greater flexibility. On our flush aluminium windows, we’ve incorporated two features that I think make a genuine difference to how the product performs after installation. The first is a hood vent system that hides trickle vents within the frame itself so there are no exposed covers on the outside to trap muck or prompt a complaint about appearance.

The second is built-in drainage covers that deal with water properly at frame level.

Margins in this industry don’t look after themselves, and the businesses that do well are usually the ones that have got the basics nailed – reliable products, solid compliance, and a supply chain that doesn’t let them down when it matters.

Getting those things right isn’t complicated, but it does require working with the right people. At Midland Aluminium, that’s exactly what we’re here for.