Aluminium Extra
What a titan difference a year made
This time 12 months ago, it might have
been a bit of a shock to see Titan Trade
Windows in an aluminium special feature.
The Alfreton outfit did supply aluminium
but was much better known as a uPVC
fabricator, with a comprehensive product
portfolio using predominantly Spectus
and more recently Optima profile.
» BUILDING UP A FORMIDABLE
reputation over some 15 years as a uPVC
fabricator and supplier to the trade - with
almost every type of window, door, and
even conservatory one could imagine - is
certainly impressive, but again
nothing that would get you into
Clearview’s Aluminium Extra, so
what has changed since Titan last
year? In a nutshell, Titan went
Extra Aluminium…
“Aluminium fabrication was
something we’d been thinking about
for some time,” began Leigh Titchener, Titan’s
MD. “And, as suppliers we weren’t new to the
market, and had been keeping a close eye on
it. Watching the demand increase steadily, we
saw it as the perfect time to start investing in
our own machinery and start fabrication. As
a business that was already well-known and
regarded for our uPVC product and service,
we wanted to replicate that with aluminium.
“Bringing it in-house was not only
something that we thought could be a
lucrative move in the long term, but gave us
full governance over what we were sending
out to customers across both materials.
Furthermore, for those projects that required
a combination of uPVC and aluminium
components, being a fabricator of both now
means we can manage the whole process from
start to finish; which should be easier for our
customer - the installer - and ultimately their
customer too.”
Aluminium hasn’t replaced uPVC for Titan
Trade Windows, but the team has certainly
gone above and beyond in setting up the
new venture; the launch of which almost
precisely coincided - not so helpfully - with
a global pandemic and a UK lockdown.
With the operation back up and running
now though; the shaky start isn’t so much a
distant memory but Leigh and the team are
allowing themselves to return to the initial
excitement they had when they first set up for
aluminium.
Like many other businesses, thankfully
Titan has not seen a decrease in demand,
and post-lockdown production is running
smoothly, no doubt a nod to the careful
thought and consideration that went into the
original plan right from the beginning, and
an encouraging thought for anyone customers
looking to place an order; either uPVC or
aluminium (or perhaps both).
“We started fabricating aluminium because
the demand was there, and it still is there,”
continued Leigh. “No one knows what
the future holds (this year has proven that
and then some!) and we can’t prepare for
everything. But, what we can do is choose
what we believe to be the best systems and
the best products, and nurture the best staff
and develop the best processes to be in the
strongest position.
“Based on experience and extensive research,
we asked ourselves ‘who is an established
company, based in the UK, market leading but
also can provide personal, technical support
required, and the same level of professionalism
we offer to our own customers?’ The answer
was AluK.
“Add to that, the challenges that a new
venture of this size and significance poses,
such as learning a new manufacturing process,
sourcing new machinery, training staff, even
getting our head around a new portfolio; any
brand that can make this transition as smooth
as possible is a major advantage. Again, that
answer was AluK.
“The ultimate goal when you start something
like that is that your peers recognise you can
monitor the market and confidently adapt
to present trends and future forecasts, the
industry notices an ambitious and competent
business that can take on new processes without
neglecting your current ones, and that your
customer can come to you on day one and
think you’ve always been doing it. Finally, the
staff should feel stimulated by the new venture
but also supported in their evolving roles. It’s
a balancing act for sure, but we wouldn’t have
done it if we didn’t think we could pull it off,
and we certainly have no regrets.”
www.titantradewindows.co.uk
» Next time, Leigh picks his favourite
AluK products to fabricate and fit…
30 » AUG 2020 » CLEARVIEW-UK.COM