32
NEW YEAR MESSAGES
Craig Miller,
managing
director,
AluFoldDirect
Jon Vanstone,
chair at Certass
Despite the uncertainty
around Brexit and
worries about skills
shortages in the
industry, 2018 has been an incredible
year for AluFoldDirect customers. We have
seen so many of them grow throughout the year, as they have
gained the confidence to grab opportunities offered by the
buoyant aluminium glazing market.
It’s simple really. We deliver aluminium windows and doors
in one week unglazed, two weeks glazed, direct to site in an
unmarked van. By perfecting our fabrication methods and
delivering aluminium windows and doors right first time, on
time, every time, we have taken the pain out of fitting aluminium
glazing. Giving installers this level of certainty that they need
from their supplier, means that they can say yes to aluminium
glazing and grow their businesses.
Last year we launched the purpose-built Aluminium Installer
Training Academy to give them the skills to have the confidence
to fit the Everything Aluminium range right first time, every time.
We’re fully booked four days a week, proving just how crucial this
hands-on training service is for installation companies.
For the businesses who want to take the next step and move
onto large commercial projects and domestic developments, we
launched Aluminium Glazing Projects. It’s our in-house project
management service that offers support for installers, architects,
specifiers, builders and developers to make sure these big projects
run smoothly.
We also launched the impressive Venlo RD2 entrance door
range, a flush sash aluminium entrance door that completes
the Everything Aluminium suite. We ended the year on a high,
with a double G18 Award win, that’s a credit to the whole team
who work tirelessly to make sure that we deliver certainty to
customers.
The market is showing no signs of slowing, and neither is
AluFoldDirect. We’ve got plans to help even more installers get
their piece of the aluminium market. We’re looking forward to the
year ahead and seeing how customers can build on their success
even further by partnering with us.
2018 was the year of the
skills gap. There has
been lots of industry
focus on our ageing
workforce and the distinct lack
of school-leavers being attracted to a
career in glazing. It feels like we are making
no progress on the issue, despite the initiatives that are popping
up to revisit the old, tired agenda. It’s good to see that FIT Show
2019 is tackling the issue head-on with Skills Thursday and it
will be interesting to see what it will bring to the table.
As well as the skills gap, getting digital needs to be on the
industry agenda. A recent report by Lloyds Bank found that the
most digitally capable SMEs were more than twice as likely to
have increasing turnovers than those who didn’t have digital
skills. We all know it’s time for businesses to get digital, no
matter how small. But I still hear reports that companies are
ordering from suppliers via fax and giving hand-written quotes
to consumers. It’s not what they expect from professional
companies.
It’s an issue that was talked about at the Everglade Windows
customer conference back in July too. We need more innovators
like this in the industry who are willing to invest in the
technology that helps installers future-proof themselves.
To support our members to ‘go digital’ we’ve introduced a
number of initiatives this year. Building certificates have gone
digital and are emailed out after a job is registered. We’ve also
recently launched the Certass digital support package that
gives members a unique business profile on the Certass site,
which homeowners can find when they search for their nearest
Certass member. We’ve also added an online ratings section, so
customers can score Certass members service and workmanship.
Plus, every member gets a personalised member logo, to prove
their authenticity.
For us, the big triumph of 2018, was the launch of Certass
Trade Association, which has not only given us a platform where
we can give real business tools and advice for installers, but also
provided a new voice for the industry. There’s more of the same
planned for 2019. Watch this space…
www.ggpmag.com January 2019
/www.ggpmag.com
