With innovative products like neo smart slide, energeto neo and the interchangeable Ideal 70 and Ideal 4000 range, aluplast is evolving its systems and product strategy to support UK-specific performance demands.
Having spent more than four decades in the UK window industry, Graham Colls, Head of Technical and Head of Operations at aluplast UK, has seen a lot of change.
“I’ve been in this industry since 1984, and the customer base has significantly evolved over the last 40 years,” says Graham. “The industry has become increasingly professionalised, and the expectations of fabricators, installers and the end-user are continually rising,” he adds.
With product range expanding significantly along with colour choice, against a backdrop of stricter certification and performance requirements, aluplast has developed a strategy to support UK-specific demands.
“The UK is recognised by aluplast as a key marketplace for their products,” adds Graham. “As such, a dedicated innovation programme has been established so that we can satisfy the UK market, now and in the future.”
One example is neo smart slide. Described by Graham as “a very up-market sliding patio system”, neo smart slide aligns with the UK trend for larger apertures that increase daylight and enhance views with slim sightlines.
With a sleek, contemporary minimalist design and high-spec features that cater to architecturally driven spaces in the premium residential sector, neo smart-slide’s lower price point, compared with aluminium alternatives, translates to higher margins for fabricators and installers.
Accommodating units of up to 54mm, with U-values as low as 0.57W/m2K, premium finish options – including aluplast’s next-generation aludec and woodec foils – and top-class hardware, all add to its appeal.
For commercial applications, especially relevant in light of the UK government’s ambitious housebuilding targets and increasing energy efficiency standards, aluplast offers energeto neo, a high spec, high performing, tilt and turn window system.
“energeto neo has some superb thermal advantages over other systems, in that we can get down to a U-value below 0.7 quite comfortably,” he says. “The innovations that have gone into this system, in order to achieve this, will also be cascaded into our other systems at a suitable time.”
Another “big win” for UK fabricators, according to Graham, is the fact that aluplast’s flagship Ideal 70 and Ideal 4000 systems are fully interchangeable and integrated, allowing for greater flexibility.
“A sash from Ideal 4000, for instance, could fit into a frame from Ideal 70 if a customer wishes to do that, and the beading system is fully compatible across all the systems,” explains Graham.
Acknowledging how window and door design has “evolved massively” over the last few years, Graham also explains how aluplast is working closely with leading hardware suppliers to maintain compatibility.
“We work very closely with all the major hardware suppliers to ensure that we’re fully up speed and also that our systems are compatible with the widest range of hardware,” he confirms.
With more new products on the horizon, Graham highlight’s aluplast’s long-term investment in the UK market.
“We’re planning to launch a new inline sliding patio system, in January 2026,” which will have some great performance advantages over our competitors,” he says.
“It highlights our strategic commitment to the UK as a growth market, and the delivery of true product innovation to support this,” he concludes.
For more information call 01684 273401 email info@aluplast.co.uk or visit www.aluplast.co.uklast.co.uk