aluplast’s influence is growing in the UK. We talk to Director of Sales and Marketing Ian Cocken to discover the details.
Editor: What does growth look like for aluplast in the UK?
Ian Cocken: The journey with aluplast has been quite a ride over the past few years. We joined the UK as one of the smaller systems houses, but quickly became a medium-sized business as we developed a loyal but ambitious customer base.
We are now taking the next step in our growth and investing in people, infrastructure and products.
For example, our three-strong technical department have more than 100 years of window and door experience between them – having worked for fabricators, installers and other window companies.
And we have doubled our primary site at Tewkesbury, helping us to meet the demands of our growing customer base.
Ed: Where are the opportunities coming from?
IC: Energy efficiency and sustainability are undoubtedly the biggest drivers in the UK today, and they underpin all our new product development.
One recent product is Energeto neo, which is currently available as a tilt and turn window.
Its composite-type design has been received exceptionally well by commercial developers, and the product is now being specified by some of the major house builders in the UK.
This success has prompted further investment into product design that will help building designers meet the expected reductions in U-values demanded of windows and doors in the coming years.
And we have invested heavily in our profile design and manufacture, which is made using ecotech at its core. ecotech is made by extruding PVC-U profile in a highly advanced co-extrusion process, which isolates recycled material away from structural elements of the profile and the surface, guaranteeing manufacture to exacting tolerances and surface stability.
aluplast’s surface profiles are completely flat virgin material with depth of gloss, no pits, and no extrusion ‘lines’, but still results in a product that is lower in embodied carbon, is more sustainable, but is still highly engineered and long-lasting.
Ed: What trends are you seeing among homeowners in terms of design?
IC: Colour remains the biggest growth area, and our customers continue to pick up work on the strength of their colour offer.
Almost half of aluplast windows have a foil of some description, and we are supporting this with continued investment in foiling lines and product design.
Our unique aludec and woodec ranges – which replicate the look of aluminium and timber respectively – are exceptionally popular, especially on high-end designs, and we have just added three new woodec options. This has brought the number of premium foils up to 10, within an overall colour range of 40+ foils, and the ability to have different colours on the inside and the outside.
This offer supports growth in other areas, such as heritage projects, which is also supported by the launch of our mechanically joined flush window.
Together with a woodec foil and the deep bottom rail and woodec, the new mechanically joined flush window marks a step change in authenticity, and gives homeowners the opportunity to confidently replace timber windows while benefiting from improved thermal performance and a lifetime of low maintenance.
Ed: what’s the next big thing on the horizon for aluplast?
IC: Product development, investment and market growth are all ongoing commitments, but we are looking forward to the FIT Show next May.
Products like our mechanically joined flush sash will be on display, along with the new foils. But we will also be unveiling new products that will promise a huge step change in terms of design and technical capabilities.
Ultimately, aluplast grows as we continue to meet the demands of an ever-evolving market, and this is what we will be celebrating at the FIT Show.
Fabricators can get more information about aluplast’s market-leading products by calling 01684 273401, emailing info@aluplast.co.uk, or visiting www.aluplast.co.uk