28
NEW YEAR MESSAGES
David Thornton,
chairman, The
Window Company
(Contracts)
Nick Dutton,
CEO,
Brisant Secure
From a commercial
installer’s perspective,
things are looking
positive for 2019. The
conversations we have had with our
existing clients, particularly in the social housing sector, have
indicated that their spending levels will be maintained, which
obviously helps us in terms of our planning and recruitment.
I do have some concerns though – largely around the continual
price rises which we see being imposed by suppliers across the
industry. We are at the sharp end and it’s very challenging for
us to try to pass these onto clients, no matter how justifiable
they might be in the face of commodity price rises, currency
fluctuations and Brexit. We recognise of course that prices must go
up to cover costs, but we need to make a profit too, and suppliers
who are perceived to be being greedy might well find that this is
their undoing.
We choose our supply partners very carefully and what matters
most is that they are financially strong and stable. The ongoing
consolidation we’re seeing in the trade market does nothing to
instil confidence in installers like us, because it saps the energy of
all those involved and distracts from the business of giving good
service.
As always, much of our focus as a business in 2019 will be on
efficiency, and on further developing the organisational systems
which we know our clients and their residents love.
It can take a long time to bring a new client on board in the
commercial market and the hard work is done sometimes years in
advance. For us, that’s about building and sustaining a reputation
for quality and service which means we don’t need to join in the
race to the bottom on price.
That comes down to the work of the whole team of course and
we will continue to invest in training and personal development
programmes for every one of us this year. In uncertain times,
communication within the industry tends to suffer and I think
the role of institutions such as the GGF will be more crucial than
ever.
2018 was an incredible year
with sales up 61% on the
previous period, a reflection
that there is a strong demand for
better products. It’s a trend that’s only going
to get stronger throughout 2019 and beyond, as homeowners
want better security and new entrance doors with furniture that
lasts many years rather than months.
We’re a young and dynamic market player with a passion for
innovation and in developing products for today and tomorrow.
We don’t have a 30 year old legacy, so we can focus on the issues
that the trade has faced for decades, something that we have
already addressed with Lock Lock, Ultion and more recently
Sweet.
With around 2,000 doors manufactured every day with Ultion,
security remains top of the agenda when it comes to composite
doors, with design and energy efficiency further down the
list. Indeed, an article in the Daily Telegraph on 7 December
reported that two thirds of burglaries ‘were no longer being
pursued properly by officers’, a damming indictment of the way
in which these incidents are being dealt with.
CCTV and alarms may act as a deterrent, yet an Ultion
cylinder will stop would be burglars gaining entry in the first
place, as our real life videos on social media show. More than
ever, we now have a responsibility to consumers to offer the very
best security products and that includes Lock Lock, the only
Sold Secure door security handle.
The demand for better also extends to door furniture as the
reputation of installers has and continues to be tarnished with
rotting door furniture. This problem is further compounded by
the way in which warranties are administered – why replace a
failed handle with one that will pit again?
We have an opportunity to specify better products and with
the unrivalled marketing support we offer, we can and do help
installers, door manufacturers and locksmiths sell these better
products for better margins. Let’s make 2019 a year where we
offer consumers products that are fully fit for purpose, secure
their homes and that enrich their respective lives.
www.ggpmag.com January 2019
/www.ggpmag.com
