CONS ERVATORI E S & OR ANGERI E S
Life is a rollercoaster
Double R Glass & Roofing Systems is celebrating years in business
this year. As the industry hits pause to do its bit for the Covid-
international crisis, managing director, Ian Sims, reflects on the last
years and considers what might be next for the sector.
At the time of writing, we’re taking a pause
in manufacturing, along with most of
the industry, to do our bit in preventing
the spread of the Coronavirus. It’s an
unprecedented time for the industry and although
we are celebrating years in business this year, we
have never witnessed such a widespread challenge
affecting work and home lives alike. As is always
the case in desperate times though, our industry
is showing its resilience and pulling together
in any way possible. Although this is the most
significant event most of us will have to navigate
our way through, there have of course been many
other challenges we’ve had to face as individual
businesses and as an industry in the last years.
We’ve weathered fragile economies, tightening
legislation and fast changing consumer demand.
At every juncture the industry adapts and comes
out the other side slightly altered, but we do always
come out the other side.
At Double R, our approach in good times and
bad is a consistent focus on our customers. We
had lengthy conversations with our customers
before acting in this current crisis and we remain
in close contact despite hitting pause on the
physical manufacture of conservatory roofs and
glass units. We have genuinely always worked with
our customers in a true partnership approach to
overcome the challenges, but also to make the most
of the opportunities over the years.
UNIQUE IS THE NEW STANDARD
Just looking at the conservatory roof fabrication
side of our business for example, when we started
making roofs, we were making the standard leanto,
Edwardian or Victorian style roofs with glass or
polycarb panels. We would make a few that were
more unique in their specification, but on the whole
people wanted standard conservatories. Today,
there is no such thing as standard. Homeowners
want something completely in keeping with their
properties and instead of wanting the same as Mrs
Jones next door, they want something different,
something special. The size and shape of each
roof we make are different now and the colour of
the profile sees a lot more variation too. Also, as
the lines between conservatories and single storey
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extensions continue to blur, rooflights, different
glass types and solid roofs all continue to be
popular choices in . We have invested in a
broad offering in our conservatory roof division to
ensure we can meet this new demand on behalf of
our customers.
Solid roofs have seen an increase in popularity
both on new conservatories and as replacement
roofs on existing conservatories. At Double R we
ensured our customers were in a good position to
take advantage of this new market, by being the first
UK conservatory roof kit fabricator to start using the
Guardian Warm Roof solid roof system in ŽŽ.
PIONEERS LEADING THE WAY
As you’d expect, we’ve implemented significant
changes to our infrastructure in the last years.
We started out in a Ž‘ft2 factory and today
our IGU facility, decorative glass division and
conservatory fabrication unit span “,ft2. We’ve
prided ourselves on taking a pioneering approach
and still do today, to ensure we do our bit to keep
our fabricator and installer customers ahead of the
competition. We have continuously invested in the
business to ensure we’re always improving and have
in fact added a team of new employees at the start
of this year to further boost our production team.
We’re also in the process of building a dedicated
new facility for our conservatory unit and our team
of decorative glass experts.
TRUST IS PARAMOUNT
While products, people, logistics and of course
the wider market context have all changed over the
years, never more so than right now, one thing that
has remained the same is our customer focused
approach. We genuinely want to work with our
customers to deliver what they need and if there is
ever a problem, we work hard to solve it fast. We
have found this approach has become particularly
prevalent in the current more unstable climate.
People are becoming more and more wary about
who they buy their products from. They want
suppliers that are quality conscious and can offer
consistent supply, reliable support and ongoing
communication.
Double R has always been able to provide this,
and we look forward to coming out of this crisis and
continuing to work with likeminded
suppliers and
customers through and beyond.
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