50
COLOUR
Is foil supply letting down your
fabrication business?
GGP Magazine talks to Aluplast’s Ian Cocken, about how reliability in foil supply remains
www.ggpmag.com January 2020
The number of foiled products
supplied into the UK home
improvement market has
jumped by more than 45%
in less than a decade. It’s key in
driving second time replacements
and makes up a growing number of
new build specifications.
These are massive pluses for
the industry but despite this,
commentators argue that if you
speak to most fabricators on the
subject of colour, it remains an area
of continuing friction with their
systems suppliers.
“Availability and reliability in foil
supply are massive issues within the
industry. There are some systems
companies who are better than
others, but it’s a real problem,” says
Ian Cocken, director of sales and
marketing, Aluplast.
“Lead times and prices can also
be widely variable. With continuing
issues around stability of finishes on
others, foil supply is a minefield for
fabricators.”
The contribution foils have made
and are making to growth of the
second time replacement market is
clear. Analysts predict that by next
year, 95% of windows in privately
owned properties will have been
replaced at least once (Palmer).
a bugbear for many fabricators.
That leaves very few first-time
replacements to go at, Cocken
arguing that this is something which
gives foils and finishes even greater
significance.
“Aspiration is always key in
consumer sales. White doubleglazing
was an aspirational product
(the emphasis here is on the pasttense).
It isn’t any longer. As systems
companies and fabricators, we need
to give installers the tools they need
to sell and at a price point which
delivers margin throughout the
supply chain,” he says. “We can help
fabricators do that.”
Continuous investment
and economies of scale
Aluplast processes more than
150,000 tonnes of PVC-U in Europe
annually, equivalent to 75% of
the whole UK and Irish markets
combined. This includes foiling a
million plus metres of product each
month.
But it’s not only volume which
Aluplast has brought to systems
supply. It is also flexibility on nonstandard
finishes. This is built
around the investment that Aluplast
has made in CNC foiling technology.
In eliminating the time lost in
traditional foiling in manual set-up
and switch over, it cuts change times
between runs from hours to just
minutes. This has enabled Aluplast
to pass on the cost and efficiency
benefits to its customers in a highly
competitive service.
“Our customers can order
standard colours on a Wednesday
and it can be with them the
following Monday,” continues
Cocken. “We can also deliver
bespoke foils within 15 working
days or less.
“It’s a massive advantage to our
customers not simply in cost savings
but in shorter lead times. Consumers
are prepared to pay more for colour
but they are not prepared to wait
for it.”
It has also invested in the
development of its colour range. This
includes a grey substrate option on
its highly flexible and contemporary
Ideal 4000 and lift-and slide
systems, which will be followed
with a grey core option on Ideal 70
planned for the start of the new year.
It also added jet black, which
Aluplast describes as a ‘true matt
black finish’ and positions as an
alternative to palisander black, at the
end of 2019.
Aluplast’s finish offer also
includes Woodec. Developed to
combine a real wood appearance
with all the practical advantages
of a PVC-U window, it’s visually
indistinguishable from natural wood
but also feels the same to the touch.
Foil delamination
Cocken argues the other issue
rumbling away in the background
of foil supply is one of surface
stability, delamination and issues of
accountability.
“There are a growing number
of issues surrounding the surface
stability of some systems,
particularly where those profiles
are using recycled content from
unknown sources, which can
make it very difficult to predict its
behaviour and ultimately surface
and dimensional stability,” explains
Cocken. “We avoid this within
our green Ecotech ranges firstly by
only using pre and post extrusion
product and post fabrication waste
plus known source post installation
pelletised, PVC-U.
“We’re also one of the very few
systems companies to have invested
in dual extrusion technologies. This
uses two compound screw feeds,
ensuring that any recyclate used is
isolated within the inner webs of the
profile and not anywhere near the
profile wall.”
Major area of opportunity
These issues aside, Cocken points to
the fact that if 167 million window
frames have already been replaced
in the home improvement sector
at least once “there’s a market of
167million frames to go at – because
the majority are white,” he argues.
“Colour is a massive positive for
the industry, it’s simply that there
are too many fabricators who are
being let down in supply. Without
wishing to become too paranoid,
delamination can be and is an issue
and if you’re selling more foils, it’s
important that you’re not storing up
more problems down the line.
“The current volatility seen in
systems supply is another thing to
keep your eye on as a fabricator”,
Cocken adds. “What we’d say is
if any of those things ring true as
a fabricator, it’s certainly worth
speaking to us.”
/www.ggpmag.com
