AluK’s S67 sliding door was named Product of the Year at the G-25 Awards. AluK’s design team and some of the first customers to start fabricating it explained just what makes this new door so special.

Paul Booth, technical director, explained: “Aluminium might be the number one choice when it comes to bi-folds, but in the fast growing slider market, PVC-U is still out in front. It won’t surprise anyone then to know that our aim in developing the new AluK S67 was to take on the leading PVC-U slider – and win.

“We set out to design a system which could justify the panel for panel price differential between aluminium and PVC through better performance and more stylish aesthetics, whilst also being so fast and efficient to fabricate and install that it still guaranteed strong margins for AluK customers. And, as the G-Awards judges recognised, that’s what we achieved.”

Mark Poynter, AluK’s R&D manager, was the man who rose to the design challenge. He said: “AluK’s group resources mean we sometimes collaborate with colleagues in Europe on large scale projects like this, and AluK in France had already demonstrated the viability of a new wraparound door system.

“We worked with them to make that innovation the focus of the S67, and it turned out to be a game changer. This is a design which is fundamentally different to every other door in our range because of the way the S67 is fabricated by assembling straight cut sashes directly around the glass.

“There’s no pre-prep, no need for bonding or silicone lubricant and no requirement to cut glazing beads, so the door can be integrated into virtually any factory with only minimal investment and fabricated by just one person from start to finish in just 90 minutes. We’re confident that’s the fastest time for any sliding door in the UK and those savings on machinery and manpower are translating directly into better margins for fabricators.

“There are better margins available to installers as well. With a pre-glazed sash and a 67mm frame depth which means there’s no need to cut back plaster lines in replacements, the S67 can typically be installed by a two man team in just 15 minutes.”

If you factor in the contemporary aesthetics of the Part L compliant S67 – with its 107mm frame, 35mm interlock, dual and triple track options, and impressive panel sizes of 270mm high x 3,000mm wide, it’s easy to see why it has quickly become the best-selling slider in AluK’s range.

Within months of the S67 launch in the Autumn of 2024, big name fabricators including Alu-tec, Hazlemere Windows, Complete Aluminium, CWG Choices, Fentrade Aluminium, Riverside Bifolds, Tradeglaze and Window Warehouse had all started manufacturing the new door, and sales figures are now reported to be 300% above target.

Phil Bates, Alu-tec’s managing director said: “The S67 is another win-win product from AluK! It’s so fast to fabricate that we’ve been able to move labour from the door line to other areas of the factory to increase output. And our customers say it has shortened installation times significantly as well, because they don’t need to glaze on site.

“Homeowners really like the sleek look of the S67 compared to other sliding door products on the market, and the handle and locking mechanism is a winner with the end user too – with the ergonomic handle easier to use than the standard handle offering of other similar products.”Jason Bradshaw, installation director at Hazlemere Window Company, agrees that the response from retail customers has been very positive: “Our clients choose these doors for the stylish slim sightlines, but are then pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to operate them, even at the larger pane sizes. The feedback has also been excellent from our fitting teams who are all happy with the ease of installation and smooth operation once in-situ.”