How to grow relationships

A £4.2 million school project in Derby has highlighted the major advantages that developers can benefit from when working closely with a conscientious systems house, according to Liniar.

Family-run construction firm GF Tomlinson completed building work on Akaal Primary School, Derby’s first Sikh school, in the summer 2018, which opens its doors to pupils in September 2018.

The new building will provide 420 pupil places for children aged four to 11, and is GF Tomlinson’s seventh project to start on site under the ESFA Regional Framework.

GF Tomlinson’s supply chain manager Terry Milton first met Charlotte Curtis, Liniar’s business development manager, at a Chamber of Commerce event in early 2017. Terry accepted an invitation to visit Liniar’s showroom and was impressed with the range of products on display, and the 400,000ft² facilities.

“We hadn’t been looking for a particular window system,” Terry said. “But we were introduced to Liniar and I have to say that it’s one of the best we’ve used to date.

“I was also very attracted by the idea of working directly with the profile manufacturer as well as a fabricator. I was certain that kind of relationship would have great benefits for us so we added Liniar to our tender list.”

When GF Tomlinson began looking for PVCU windows and doors for the Akaal Primary school project, Liniar Approved Fabricator Alternative Windows was introduced for the venture and meetings were set up at Liniar between Terry and Darren Pratt, Alternative’s sales director.

“It was of vital importance to us that we chose a fabricator that understood the importance of quality,” Terry said. “Alternative was already a member of the Liniar Approved Fabricator scheme, helping to confirm it was a company with appropriate standards. When we met we could see they also had the right attitude.

“Being a Liniar Approved fabricator meant that we could be safe in the knowledge that all of Alternative’s products contain only approved Liniar components, such as the correct reinforcement.

“Safety is paramount on all our projects and the quality assurances that Liniar’s Approved Fabricator scheme provides supported our prequalification procedure, giving peace of mind not only for us but for our clients.

“We’re delighted with the install. Alternative Windows provided a professional service and attention to detail.”

Darren Pratt said: “The commercial support we receive from Liniar is second to none. The team helps us to win numerous contracts for projects throughout the UK. They don’t just send us leads, they send us high quality tenders – just like the Akaal Primary School project.

“It’s always a pleasure to work alongside Charlotte as she has a genuinely infectious passion for Liniar and translates this superbly to construction firms.

“Working closely with her and GF Tomlinson has been great and we hope we can continue to do so in the future.”

Charlotte said: “Any development such as this one can face teething problems, but because of the relationship that we’d built between the three parties, we were able to sit down and discuss any issues face to face. This meant that we could find quick solutions that satisfied everyone.

“Because of this successful venture I’m confident that this relationship will continue to grow. It’s been a genuine pleasure to work with the teams at Alternative and GF Tomlinson.”

www.gftomlinson.co.uk

www.alternativewindows.com

www.liniar.co.uk