ALUMINIUM
Pressing Play
on Aluminium
A surge in demand from both the
industry and existing customers led Titan
Trade Windows to move into aluminium
fabrication earlier in the year. Almost as
soon as the machines were set up at the
Alfreton factory however, Covid-19 meant
it was curtains down on the operation,
like so many others. Here, Leigh Titchener,
Managing Director, discusses calling
action on aluminium once again, life
behind the scenes at Titan, plus we put
the AluK F82 under the spotlight…
» “TITAN TRADE WINDOWS IS
predominantly known for manufacturing
uPVC casement windows and doors, uPVC
flush casement windows, composite doors,
conservatories, and aluminium windows and
doors, for which we used the Smart system.
It started to become impossible to ignore the
demand in aluminium, so this Spring we set
up our own fabrication facility.
“It seemed that no sooner had we produced
our first aluminium bifold, however, that
lockdown came into place. Today, I’m actually
surprised at how busy we are, but it’s a
welcome surprise considering the disruption
that Covid-19 has caused to everyone and
everything.
“It’s been a tough three months as I’m sure
it has for everyone. The easy bit was putting
it on pause, the hard bit is pressing the play
button again; whilst trying to work within the
government guidelines. We did implement a
phased return, however we are already back to
a full workforce.
“And, we have been working with our
suppliers trying to mop up everything from prelockdown,
we are getting there so hopefully we
can look forwards to a more settled three months
ahead of us. My expectation is we will remain
busy in this period and more than likely through
to the end of the year, however it remains to be
seen what the long term effects of this will be.
“As I said though, the demand is there
and I think that’s because of the advantages
of aluminium - excellent material to work
with and easy to machine, durable with no
expansion/contraction unlike uPVC, and
a contemporary product. Add to that, the
decision we made to work with AluK.
“We were looking for an established
company that produced in the UK and was
not only market leading but could provide
personal, technical support required. We
looked at the AluK facility in Chepstow and it
ticked all of the boxes. We were also impressed
with the professionalism.
“In terms of product, bifold doors are
undoubtedly the stand out ‘hits’. AluK offers
two options for the market, the BSF70, which
is the standard offering; and the F82 which is
the premium product offering several benefits
over the BSF70 such as slimmer sightlines,
lower U-values, flush handles etc. This gives
the customer the choice based on their needs,
style, and of course, budget.
“Aluminium as a manufacturing process is
very different to uPVC so the biggest hurdle
has been adapting to that and all of the parts
you require to make the frames, because of
this stock control is also important. It can also
be a costly material if you make mistakes. We
pride ourselves on quality anyway but even
more so now!
“Aluminium hasn’t replaced uPVC for
Titan Trade Windows, we see them sitting
side by side nicely. All our previous experience
contributes to this new adventure and all the
expertise we pick up along the way adds to this
as well. So far we have absolutely no regrets
and expect Titan to become as well known for
its AluK aluminium products as it has become
for everything that came before.”
FEATURING THE F82
The intimacy of inside spaces with the
freedom of outside living. The F82 bifold
door combines a 1.3 U-value (double glazed)
or 0.9 U-value (triple glazed) on panels of up
to 3000mm with faster fabrication and easier
installation; pushing the industry forward with
unrivalled innovation; accept no imitation.
Developed with homeowner demands in
mind, the F82 is both stylish to view and
simple to use. It is a ‘smooth operator’ due to
its unique gearbox, heavy duty rollers come
as standard, and the flush pop-out T-handle
delivers stand out design.
All of this, and more, plus a choice of
colours from standard to stand-out (RAL
palette) means any homeowner would want
a F82 in their home and every fabricator and
fitter needs it in their portfolio.
www.titantradewindows.co.uk
32 » JUN 2020 » CLEARVIEW-UK.COM