Time to think outside the box

Mark Frain, national business development manager for WarmCore, gives a candid interview to Glass Times editor Luke Wood and explains why fabricators and installers could be missing a trick if they don’t embrace hybrid windows and doors in 2025.

Luke Wood (LW): Most of our readers will be aware of the history of WarmCore. Can you explain a bit more about how it now fits into the Profine and Kömmerling family of products?

Mark Frain (MF): WarmCore is a perfect fit for Profine and Kömmerling. Both brands are global leaders with strong reputations in the UK for quality and innovation and despite the initial launch in a blaze of glory which yielded considerable success from the previous owner, we believe with our considerable resources that the brand can hopefully now get the recognition it deserves and to realise its global potential.

Profine and Kömmerling have already shown their commitment to WarmCore by retaining key staff from the brand’s past, but the full range of hybrid windows and doors form a big part of the group’s 2025 UK Vision.

The strategy is to seek out opportunities and deliver the best solutions for the future today, which means diversifying into aluminium and hybrid windows and doors, as well as building on the strength of the existing PVC-U offering and launching a new range of building products. WarmCore offers Profine and Kömmerling a readymade solution for hybrid windows and doors.

LW: It’s not exactly buoyant out there at the moment – are there enough opportunities for hybrid windows and doors?

MF: I honestly think 2025 will be WarmCore’s year. I think it has been undervalued to date and genuinely has the potential to open doors for a lot of fabricators and installers that are struggling to sell traditional aluminium products in the current market. There is a desperate need to differentiate and what better way to do that than with a hybrid aluminium range?

WarmCore offers fabricators and installers an opportunity because it has the aluminium aspect that consumers want, it performs fantastically when it comes to energy efficiency and security, but it is also less of a financial commitment than many of its aluminium counterparts, which is important when there is still so much uncertainty politically and economically and it’s now available in bar length too.

LW: You briefly touched on energy efficiency there, which looks set to continue to be a huge issue this year with more energy price increases on the way – how much of a difference can WarmCore products make to homeowners?

MF: We are justifiably proud of the thermal performance of WarmCore products. Our 70mm aluminium hybrid products typically achieve a U value of 1.3 W/(m2K) with double glazing and 0.9 triple glazed, while the patio door can achieve 1.4 with double glazing and 1.0 on triple glazing too.

The market needs to be careful of misinformation when it comes to energy efficiency, but our customers can rest assured that these values are achieved with adherence to the sample size and style which are determined in BS EN 14351-1 standard. Most homeowners in the UK have windows and doors that don’t meet current Building Regulations, because regulations have tightened over time, so if they were to replace their out-of-date products with the efficient WarmCore system, they would feel the difference in the home and be able to save money on their energy bills.

LW: What do Profine and Kömmerling have planned for WarmCore next – are there any new developments you can let us in on?

MF: As existing WarmCore customers will tell you, the brand has already seen a significant amount of product development since being managed by Profine and Kömmerling, and yes, there is more investment to come.

We have recently launched a range of foiled colour options which enable customers to install WarmCore in matching colours to existing installations. For example, one of our customers was recently asked to match a WarmCore bi-fold door to the existing Irish Oak windows and was able to do so perfectly.

We have also provided WarmCore in bar length now, to open it up to the market even more and give fabricators more control, while deeper WarmCore product platforms are also well underway.

LW: You have recently launched a new product for the commercial market as well, can you tell us a bit more about that?

MF: Absolutely. The WarmCore 76 tilt and turn is our latest product designed with the commercial sector in mind as you say. It boasts a 100% recycled core which makes it a more sustainable choice as well as energy efficient with a certified U-value of 1.2 W(m²K) with a standard double glazed unit. The 76mm system with welded Graf corners also creates a perfect finish with clean lines and delivers incredible quality and performance.

As part of the launch, we worked with manufacturing partner, Unique Window Systems, to produce some test samples of the product and the results were genuinely impressive.

LW: Putting the product’s credentials to one side, do enough people know about the product to support strong sales?

MF: A sizable proportion of the market knows about WarmCore but in all honesty I don’t think they know enough about the product yet. For example, a lot of the people I’m talking to assume WarmCore is just a bi-fold door and don’t realise that it’s a complete suite of products including patio doors, entrance doors, and casement, tilt and turn and flush sash windows. This is something we are in the process of addressing though thanks to more investment from Profine and Kömmerling.

Customers are in the process of seeing more dedicated marketing for the WarmCore brand. They have a dedicated website for the entire product range, and we have just launched a suite of stunning brochures to help customers sell our bi-fold doors, patio doors and windows. We are also investing heavily in more PR, advertising, direct mail, dedicated social media channels, and a premium sample box to help customers demonstrate how WarmCore is different to its competitors.

LW: So, in summary Mark, can you tell our readers why WarmCore is worth a look in 2025?

MF: As we all know, the market is tentative at the moment so unless you want to get into price battles which are bad for business and bad for the industry, fabricators and installers need to differentiate. WarmCore aluminium hybrid windows and doors, which can achieve excellent energy and security performance, are a fantastic way for companies to stand out from the competition, and for homeowners to have stunning windows and doors that save them money on their fuel bills. It really is a win-win solution.