In the door and hardware sector, the most effective solutions rarely come from a catalogue alone. They come from conversation and a clear understanding of what a customer is wanting to achieve and a willingness to work through challenges together. Karen Nelson, business development manager at Hoppe (UK), details the company’s approach to customer collaboration, with insight from Robust’s commercial director, Paul Williams.

For Hoppe, success is not simply about supplying hardware. It is about listening to customer needs, applying technical expertise and helping customers reach the right outcome for their market.

Our long-standing relationship with steel door manufacturer Robust UK shows that approach in action.

Over the past decade, we have developed a partnership built on trust, continuity and a mutual understanding of each business.

Testing to succeed

That depth of knowledge matters when a new requirement emerges. Robust recently identified a need for a cost-effective PAS 24-compliant panic exit hardware solution for its single and double steel security doors.

The collaborative process began with exploratory testing using standard panic hardware from Arrone a Hoppe brand, and a typical door from Robust. This provided a benchmark, helping the team better understand the test itself and what was needed from the door, as well as shaping the hardware solution.

As Paul Williams, commercial director at Robust, explains: “Both sides needed a clear understanding of the project goals and the flexibility to adapt their part of the solution to achieve them.”

Expertise in action

Dan Savage, product engineer at Hoppe, played a central role in that development journey.

His involvement spanned research, design and testing, giving the project a more streamlined path from concept to refinement. We invested in additional test equipment so we could build our own testing capability further, carry out more indicative work in-house and go into third-party testing with greater confidence.

From Robust’s perspective, that practical support was important. Paul added: “Hoppe took the lead in arranging early test fitting and indicative testing of the new Secur-Dor 2.1, helping to prove the approach before Robust committed it to a full-scale test programme.”

All of that speaks to one of the biggest strengths Hoppe brings to customer relationships, which is practical support backed by technical expertise. Huge investment is made in training to help staff achieve qualifications from the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI).

In the case of Robust, years of liaison with the same team have created familiarity, responsiveness and mutual confidence.

Paul said:

“Hoppe has demonstrated over time that it understands the Robust business, its product requirements and where value can be engineered into a solution without compromising quality.

“This strengthened partnership sets the scene for future collaboration and a better understanding of how to define the initial specification at the outset of a development project.”

Partnerships like this bolster Hoppe’s position, not just as a supplier but as a responsive, solution-led partner with the engineering flexibility to tackle new challenges.

The relationship with Robust reflects a mindset built around listening first, staying engaged and being open to new ideas. When both sides are prepared to share expertise, work through obstacles and keep sight of the end goal, the result is often better than either could achieve alone.

The value of working together

In a market shaped by regulation, performance demands and commercial pressure, that kind of partnership has real value. The relationship between Hoppe and Robust shows that finding the right solution is not about forcing a standard answer. It is about understanding the challenge, bringing the right knowledge to the table, and working together to achieve the best possible outcome.