Commercial success for Sternfenster customer
Quality products combined with strong customer support make all the difference when it comes to a successful installation project, according to Sternfenster’s long-standing partner, Sereco Windows.
“We haven’t seen quality like this anywhere else in industry to be honest,” says Steven Sanderson, director at Chesterfield-based installer, Sereco Windows.
Offering premium windows, doors and conservatories in PVC-U, aluminium and timber, the Derbyshire business recently partnered with Sternfenster on a local commercial project – and was said to be highly impressed with both products and service.
Fitting Smarts’ Alitherm 400 window system, manufactured by the Lincolnshire-based fabricator, Steven describes the product as “absolutely excellent”.
“Perfect glass, perfect units,” he said. “Not your usual marks and scratches. We’ve been working with Sternfenster for a good seven or eight years now and right from the start, they’ve been very keen on quality.
“You can clearly see the attention to detail, just from the way they deliver to site. Everything is shrink-wrapped to perfection to protect the products in transit.
“That really resonates with me, because I’ve been doing this for close to 40 years and I know how important quality is to success in this industry.”
Achieving a Window Energy Rating of ‘A’ with a double-glazed unit, and a U-value of 1.2W/m2K triple glazed, Sternfenster’s Alitherm 400 casement window from Smarts is well-suited to both refurb and newbuild projects.
Also available as a flush casement for a sleek and contemporary look, the 70mm thermally broken aluminium window achieves BS6375-1 for weather performance, and can also meet PAS24 or Secured by Design requirements thanks to optional sash claw locks.
Additional features include dual colour options, trickle vents, triple glazing up to 38.8mm, and mega egress hinges if the window needs to offer a fire escape route.
For faster fitting, the Alitherm 400 window also comes with Sternfenster’s new Quickglaze knock-in glazing bead with co-extruded gaskets, significantly reducing time spent on site for installers.
“We installed approximately 55 windows, plus four fire exit doors and a main entrance door,” explained Steven.
“We carried out a survey beforehand and Sternfenster was extremely helpful with that process. We deal with a few companies, but Sternfenster is the only one to double-check everything in such a diligent way.
“Someone from their team will give me a ring and say, ‘What about this?’ ‘What about that?’ ‘Have you checked this?’ And sometimes I think, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve missed that!’. Sternfenster really does give you that strong technical assistance and specification support.”
With high material costs and ongoing economic uncertainty impacting businesses across the sector, Sternfenster’s customer-centric approach continues to offset these challenging market conditions for its trade partners.
“Margins are extremely tight in the current climate, and we can’t afford to make mistakes,” added Steven. “At the same time our customer’s expectations are getting higher, and that’s an added pressure.
“Manufacturing is where it all starts for us and if a fault arises on the factory floor, or during delivery, the issues that fault creates are passed on to us on site.
“But we don’t have to worry about that with Sternfenster. There’s so much care and attention to detail in everything they do, we know we can rely on them to consistently deliver. That really pays dividends for us, and our customers.”
