10 | JANUARY 2022
News
Read online at www . proinstaller . co . uk
‘ OVER THE MOON ’ WITH SYSTEMS SWITCH
Decades in the industry , more than 10 years as business owners , four factories and two showrooms later , why did D & I Windows switch from PVCu to aluminium ?
When Pro Installer visited D & I Windows in Barnsley , ‘ D ’, Dave explained that ‘ I ’, Ian would be joining us shortly as he had gone to a site to assist an installer with a fit . In fact , as Dave and Ian met each other when they were installers for Berneslai Homes , it isn ’ t unusual for either of them to get hands-on if required .
Between them they have had a hand with everything and anything you could imagine when it comes to doors and windows , from fabricator to fitter , service engineer to supplier ; when Dave and Ian took redundancy from their local authority roles in 2010 , it wasn ’ t a surprise to anyone that knew them that they wanted to set up their own company . Right in the middle of a recession however , they didn ’ t think it was going to be easy .
Dave Saxon explains : “ We had no customers and no orders when we first set up , but we put out some local press releases and started to drum up work . We were fabricating and installing Kömmerling C70 initially ; taking on care home and commercial work . The more work we did , the more work we got and soon we ’ d outgrown our first premises . It was a bit of a surprise how fast it took off actually , but we both had the drive to make the business work , so we had that determination from the offset .” This determination and a growing order book took the fabricator through several more years , two more factories and a retail showroom . Along the way , D & I Windows tried different systems and suppliers , profiles and products ; until eventually PVCu just wasn ’ t working for them the way they needed it to .
Dave continued : “ It wasn ’ t one particular thing , we just started to find we weren ’ t able to make as many frames in PVCu as we wanted , we started to buy them in and supply them , but meanwhile the ali market was taking off . We saw homeowners willing to start spending more money , we saw the once ‘ cold ’ product only used in commercial jobs becoming more mainstream , aluminium is more sustainable and better for the environment . In short , we wanted in on this fantastic product .
“ At the moment we ’ re using a mixture of Deceuninck and Sheerline , and the products we fabricate complement each other perfectly . In fact , we ’ re thinking of adding some more later in 2022 , but even at the moment , whether the customer needs a set of bifold doors – one of the most popular products as everyone agrees at the moment – or a window , or a full suite of doors and windows for the same property , they can mix and match across the catalogue .
“ It was a bit of a shock to the staff at the first , but once they started working with it , they loved it too . For the fabricator , aluminium is just nicer to put together . It ’ s a little bit harder to get to grips with , we believe , but it ’ s more mechanical – and the worker gets to do more with it than with PVCu where you tend to have one person per station doing the same thing over and over . There ’ s more job satisfaction on a personal level , and professionally , it ’ s keeping the work coming in , so the team soon agreed with us that it ’ s probably the best decision we ’ ve ever made at D & I Windows .
“ Obviously , we had to invest in new machinery and equipment , and then there was the move to our fourth factory and second showroom , but we ’ ve never been scared of making changes if it ’ s the right thing for the company and the customer . We pride ourselves on quality and service
D & I Windows is currently looking at trade partnerships for the supply of Decalu 88 Bifold doors , and Sheerline Prestige windows and door , so now would be a great opportunity to get in touch before the order books get too full .
Tel : 01226 280380
first and foremost , and if that means we need to move to a better-suited premises , or try a new system , or train our staff in a new product , that ’ s what we ’ ll do . We ’ ve been in the industry long enough to know that it ’ s easy to get left behind so we ’ re never afraid of hard work to make sure that doesn ’ t happen to us , nor will we do anything to let down or lose our own customers .”
www . dandiwindows . co . uk