Winkhaus AV4 a win for Shelforce

When Europe’s largest landlord, Birmingham City Council, and its manufacturing partner Shelforce began reviewing their door specifications, the focus was said to not just be on performance or compliance, but on people.

As business manager of Shelforce, Howard Trotter oversees the manufacture of all doors and windows for the Council’s 58,000 properties. His ethos is grounded in ethics, inclusivity, and value over time. “Our customers are ultimately the tenants,” he explains. “Their safety, comfort, and ability to use the product easily are at the heart of every decision we make.”

Part of Birmingham City Council since the 1950s, many Shelforce team members are themselves tenants of social housing, giving the organisation a unique empathy for the end user. “We put ourselves in the tenant’s position,” says Howard. “If you make a fire door, you know people must be safe behind it. If you make a front door, it should be easy to operate for everyone, regardless of age or ability.”

That philosophy is said to underpin Shelforce’s decision to make the Winkhaus AutoLock AV4 its standard specification for composite doors. “For us, it is about integrity and doing the right thing,” Howard continues. “If there is a product that performs better, lasts longer, and makes life easier for our tenants, why wouldn’t we use it?”

Low force, high impact

The AV4’s defining advantage is said to be its exceptionally low operating force. Unlike many multipoint locking systems that can require considerable effort to engage or release, the AV4’s design allows users to open doors smoothly and easily. This seemingly small feature has a big impact across Birmingham’s diverse housing stock, according to Howard.

“Many of our tenants are older people or have disabilities,” he explains. “If you have arthritis or limited strength, turning a key or even pushing down a stiff handle can be difficult. The AV4 lets you open the door with a much smaller amount of force, and that makes an enormous difference to daily life.”

Ease of operation is only one part of the equation. The AV4’s robust engineering also delivers significant lifecycle advantages for housing providers. With doors facing heavy daily use from mobility scooters, prams, and environmental exposure, reliability is crucial.

“Doors take a lot of abuse,” says Howard. “You have got warm, humid interiors, cold exteriors, and constant changes in temperature. The AV4 is more forgiving, it tolerates movement, knocks, and installation variances much better than most. That means fewer problems down the line.”

A £10 billion investment

Over the next decade, Birmingham City Council is reportedly planning to invest around £10 billion improving its housing stock and aims to ensure that every decision, represents a wise investment in quality, safety, and longevity.

For Howard, that starts with specifying the best available products, not simply the lowest-cost options. “We are not in a race to the bottom,” he says. “Our goal is to fit it and forget it. A door that works first time and keeps working for years builds trust, and that is vital in social housing today.”