INDUSTRYNEWS
PROUD SPONSOR OF INDUSTRY NEWS
‘ True’ aluminium / PVC-U crossover casement and grey substrate driving commercial growth
»»
CLEARVIEW REPORTS ON HOW aluplast is opening-up new opportunities across residential and commercial sectors, through its highly flexible new Ideal 4000 system. aluplast unveiled its new Ideal 4000 SquareLine Casement system at the NEC in May. Representing a major investment by the German-systems house and vote of confidence in the UK, it’ s defined by a contemporary squareline detailing and forms a highly competitive PVC-U window offering in-itsown-right, lending itself to residential, new build- and commercial sectors.
Tested to Part Q, PAS24 and Secured by Design Specifications, with five thermally efficient chambers, the Ideal 4000, also easily achieves a WER A +. It also packs in green credentials with aluplast’ s ecotech offer.
THE IDEAL 4000: AN ULTRA-ENERGY EFFICIENT PVC-U / ALUMINIUM CASEMENT CROSS-OVER
It’ s aluskin, aluplast’ s innovative‘ clickand-fix’ aluminium external fascia system for casement windows, however, that elevates this solid PVC-U offering to a new strata, as the only PVC-U casement window and door suite available in the UK, with an external aluminium cladding option.
While the Ideal 4000 has been developed specifically for the UK casement window market, through aluskin, aluplast exploits established and proven global leading technologies, to create a high-end and equally high-margin aluminium platform. Significantly, this can be manufactured by PVC-U fabricators without investing in specialist machinery.
This not only levels the playing field in PVC-U manufacture but also gives fabricators new reach into not only mainstream but premium residential and commercial markets through a single system.
“ Ideal 4000 gives fabricators incredible scope across markets” says Ian Cocken, Director of Sales and Marketing, aluplast.“ They can manufacture a high performing‘ standard’ PVC-U window and do so competitively, or through foil or ultimately, aluskin, access premium and higher margin residential and commercial sectors – the Ideal 4000 and aluskin delivers incredible flexibility.
“ It’ s the only true aluminium external cladding system available in the UK today on a casement window – that USP generates real opportunity for fabricators and installers.”
NEW GREY SUBSTRATE This rapidly increasing demand has driven not only aluplast’ s development of aluskin and its foil ranges but also the launch this autumn of its new grey substrate.“ The demand for anthracite grey and other aluminium-type finishes is a key driver of growth. Offering a grey substrate in addition to a grey foil or aluskin, delivers an infinitely stronger aesthetic”, says Cocken.
He continues:“ It’ s logical, it looks incomparably better and delivers genuine USPs to our customers. Why would you put a grey or black foil on a dark brown profile substrate and even more importantly why would you choose it as an end-user if you were offerred an alternative option – you wouldn’ t and they don’ t. Grey substrate is winning our customers business.”
DEMAND FOR ALUMINIUM UP- PALMER
Aluminium’ s reach into the new build residential but also the commercial sector continues at pace. According to the The Window, Door and Conservatory Markets in Housing in Great Britain, by Palmer, aluminium saw 24 % growth in the last year, including 26 % growth in volume terms and installed value by 28 % in sales of aluminium windows.
“ Our customers are winning business on the back of Ideal 4000 daily, across sectors but particularly in commercial markets where specifiers want great aesthetics but also want a high level of thermal performance”, says Cocken.
“ The ceiling on aluminium’ s reach into the commercial market is set by u-values and pricepoint – aluskin and the Ideal 4000 lowers both”, he says.
NO MINIMUM ORDER, NO SURCHARGE AND NO SETTING UP CHARGE ON SPECIAL FOIL ORDERS aluplast also offers one of the UK’ s most competitive foiling offers, with special foils in 15-days or less with no minimum order, no surcharge and no setting up charge on special orders.
This includes three smooth or‘ sanded’ finish grey options, in Basalt Grey; Anthracite Grey; and Brushed Aluminium. aluplast has also recently added Agate Grey( RAL7038) in either a flat or woodgrain option, to its offer.
MAJOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS ON THE HORIZON
As a global systems house, aluplast R & D programme is continuous. In addition to the Ideal 4000, it also launched its new Liftand-Slide door at this year’ s FIT Show. With U-values as low as 0.65 W / m2K – a Passive Haus Standard- and capable of spanning openings of 6.5m X 2.8m with just two sashes, it delivers impressive design flexibility, including aluskin options.
“ There are some very exciting innovations ahead in terms of the range that we are able to offer and the levels of performance that we’ re going to be able to achieve”, says Cocken.“ We expect to be able to announce these in the early part of 2018 and will build on the approach we have adopted with the Ideal 4000 and aluskin, something which is already winning our customers business across sectors.”
www. aluplast. co. uk
24 » NOV 2017 » CLEARVIEW-UK. COM