In these uncertain times , sales of vertical sliders throughout the industry seem to be holding their own . Traditionally styled sash windows appeal to higher end buyers who are perhaps more cushioned against some of the current financial pressures . Through investing in the right machinery and products , Quickslide is making sure their trade partners are best placed to make the most of this demand . The enhanced Legacy VS is set to be released later this year , and the company has also made impressive investments over the longer term which have resulted in greater automated quality all-round , along with even more competitive lead times .
Investing in production
“ We ’ ve had a huge push on VS production at Quickslide , most recently with the purchase of our new bespoke Schirmer machining centre with its double milling station ,” says Ben .
“ It ’ s only been in situ for a couple of months so far – after an 18-month long and involved process of getting it built , installed , and commissioned – but it has already made a huge difference to our output . Both in terms of speed and repeatable quality in larger volumes , which is not only reflected in our lead times , but also in what it makes possible for us to achieve in terms of bringing new features and products to market .”
At £ 1.5m , the new machining centre represents
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Quickslide ’ s largest investment to date . In size , it ’ s twice as large as either of Quickslide ’ s existing Schirmers , requiring a factory re-jig to accommodate it . But while its installation may have been an involved and long undertaking , the results for trade partners will be much quicker to see .
“ With the new machining centre in place we ’ ll be launching our new enhanced Legacy VS . This now has a slim-line meeting rail that is one of the slimmest and most traditionally styled on the market , along with refined run-through sash horns ,” says Ben .
The new Legacy VS is available in exclusive dual foiled colourways and with intelligent sash fasteners , which allows homeowners to check if windows are left unlocked via a phone app .
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Sharing the benefits – transparently
Along with fast lead times of two to three weeks for VS , trade partners now benefit from more transparent pricing , with a new online price page which can be accessed at www . quickslide . co . uk / get-a-price .
“ We know our partners don ’ t want to wait around when they need a quote . And we ’ re a transparent and competitive business , so it makes sense to put our prices out there where our partners can benefit from instant access to them ,” says Ben .
“ We make long-term investments in our company to ensure our partners get the most value . Our Schirmers , for instance , are specifically optimised to reduce wastage from offcuts . We ’ ve always been tight on this , but with the addition
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of the new machine we ’ ve taken it to another level . Which perhaps sounds obsessive , but when you ’ re spending as much as we do on profile , re-optimisation to utilise offcuts makes a huge difference that financially can be seen directly on our bottom line . Which naturally our customers benefit from too .”
With three Schirmer cutting machines now in place at their Brighouse HQ , Quickslide is able to reproduce those savings across the board : “ In casements as well as VS , as we ’ ve moved our only three-year-old Schirmer into our casement production , improving process , speed and accuracies ,” says Ben .
“ Our new Schirmer has been a huge investment but one which has impacted positively across the business . We make investments like this because we measure our success long-term , not just month on month . It has meant changing our existing processes , even expanding our premises , to accommodate our longer-term vision .
“ And this is only phase one – it ’ s part of our planned £ 2.7m investment programme that will see even more results in the next 12 months , so this really is just the start .”
www . quickslide . co . uk
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46 SEPTEMBER 2023 |
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM |