Clearview National May 2019 - Issue 210 | Page 26

PROUD SPONSOR OF DOORS & WINDOWS DOORS&WINDOWS A Mark of Distinction Investment, initiative & innovation to stand out in the industry » » THIS YEAR MARKED THE 20TH anniversary of the first composite door being brought to Britain, by the same man who subsequently went on to found Distinction Doors. Since 1999, Distinction Doors Ltd has remained the clear market leader in the composite door sector (now installed in more than 3 million homes in the UK), and the company’s products now account for 25% of all entrance doors installed in British homes annually. Not one to rest on its laurels however, Distinction takes its position in the market very seriously, and with standards steadily improving – across the board – in terms of product build quality and especially aesthetics, sales growth remains positive, with the future looking bright for both composite door sales and other products. With this is mind, Distinction recently completed an £850,000 first phase of infrastructure investment; designed to further drive the company’s capacity to handle the extraordinary growth in prepped door products, as well as logistics for door blanks sold in volume. Managing Director Gareth Williams advises that the company’s investment forecast for 2019 is clear evidence of a commitment to growth, efficiency and innovation. “Our overarching commitment continues to be our customers, and in turn their customers,” he says. “For them and with them, we will continue to improve, to innovate and to lead in the market. “In turn, our relationship with our suppliers continues to be excellent and they are working closely with us to introduce some exciting new products as well as to continuously improve the quality of existing favourites.” With prepped doors now accounting for 40% of Distinction’s sales most of the budget has been spent on saws, CNCs, edgebanders, painting and related equipment and ancillaries in anticipation of further growth in demand and to create a margin to contain surges. Quality control has been significantly improved through the introduction of the latest production technology, with a significant reduction in waste and therefore cost. Preparing for the expected is just one part of the puzzle however. And, when the self-imposed industry-wide ban on GRP fire doors (resulting from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry investigations and subsequent bi-lateral fire door testing initiated by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)) was imposed, Distinction Doors once again rolled up its sleeves and undertook the work involved to resume sales of both its GRP fire door blanks and prepped fire doors at the end of 2018. At the time, Distinction Doors CEO, Andrew Fowlds commented: “It has been incredibly encouraging to see how well our industry has come together throughout this uncertain period and continues to do so as the Association of Composite Door Manufacturers (ACDM) carries on working with the MHCLG to now address the wider issues associated with the recent fire door changes.” Meanwhile, ‘back of house’, Distinction Doors, has recently been awarded the Silver Be Well @ Work Award by The South Yorkshire Healthy Workplace Award Scheme; designed to help businesses and organisations become stronger and more productive by ensuring that all employees recognise the role of health and safety and to develop procedures that allow everyone to become engaged in protecting and enhancing their mental and physical wellbeing. Commenting on the Award, Distinction’s HR Director, Helen Lovack, said: “As an organisation, we have invested a huge amount of time and effort into improving and developing our health and safety practices because we firmly believe that the people who work at Distinction are the most valuable resource we have. And if, as a company, we take care of our staff, then our staff are happier, more productive and the company is rewarded in return. “It may sound like a cliché, but the results are clear to see,” she continued. “In addition to measures such as regular health checks for blood pressure, our team of ‘Health and Wellbeing Champions’ have worked hard to create a real sense of community at Distinction, and this has not just helped to reduce absences, but has generated better communication in general, helping to reduce stigma on mental health and bring us all together in the process.” www.distinctiondoors.co.uk Distinction Doors has big plans for the 2019 FIT Show with the bold new 10IN10 initiative. Give them 10 minutes of your time on stand P20 and the team will give you 10 reasons to become a Distinction Doors trade partner. 26 » M AY 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M