Hardware & Security
Fit It and Forget It
Why Birmingham City Council and Shelforce Chose the Winkhaus autoLock AV4
As Europe’ s largest landlord, Birmingham City Council, and its manufacturing partner Shelforce began reviewing their door specifications, the focus was not just on performance or compliance, but on people.
As Business Manager of Shelforce, Howard Trotter oversees the manufacture of all doors and windows for the Council’ s 58,000 properties. His ethos is grounded in ethics, inclusivity, and value over time.“ Our customers are ultimately the tenants,” he explains.“ Their safety, comfort, and ability to use the product easily are at the heart of every decision we make.”
An Ethical Approach to Specification
Part of Birmingham City Council since the 1950s, Shelforce is more than a manufacturing unit, social value has been the heartbeat of their 186-year history. Many of its team members are themselves tenants of social housing, giving the organisation a unique empathy for the end user.“ We put ourselves in the tenant’ s position,” says Howard.“ If you make a fire door, you know people must be safe behind it. If you make a front door, it should be easy to operate for everyone, regardless of age or ability.”
High Performance as Standard
That philosophy underpins Shelforce’ s decision to make the Winkhaus autoLock AV4 its standard specification for composite doors.“ For us, it is about integrity and doing the right thing,” Howard continues.“ If there is a product that performs better, lasts longer, and makes life easier for our tenants, why wouldn’ t we use it?”
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62 JANUARY 2026 CLEARVIEW-UK. COM