Ben Hartshorn, Technical & Design Director, Sheerline

Fabricators and installers unfamiliar with Sheerline might assume that when we talk about‘ service’ we’ re referring only to our OTIF( 99.4 % for the year 2025) and how we achieve it, or transparency around our 5-day lead times and compliant U-values.

In reality, when we talk about‘ service’ it includes all of the above but extends to every aspect of the business. It’ s software support from IT, an order query that customer services help with, or high-resolution images for a new website from marketing. But it’ s also technical support. This might look different depending on the systems house, but at Sheerline it means something very specific: reliable support for our fabricators around the UK, when they need it most.

Tailored Technical Support

How often does a‘ one-sizefits-all’ approach work in the fenestration industry? Or any industry for that matter? Anyone who takes their customers seriously knows their needs are as unique as the projects they work on, regardless of the size, scale, or complexity.

That’ s why we ensure our customers receive tailored support at every stage of their Sheerline journey:

• An initial tooling audit helps customers determine what equipment they need depending on the products they are going to fabricate and supply

Dave, David and Dean

• During the audit, there is an opportunity to assess the current manufacturing space to see if there is the potential to add other products or a showroom in the future

• Full IT support is provided by our in-house team during the software set up phase

• Once the initial order has been placed, customers receive their tooling and have the opportunity to book training that will take place at their premises and is tailored to their needs

• This training plan typically takes place over a 4-to-5-week period depending on the requirements. This timeframe gives customers the opportunity to get used to the products and ask questions between training sessions

• There’ s no limit or cap on the training available, so the technical engineers revisit fabricators as and when required

• Ongoing technical support is available for product or project queries, special requests, or one-off quotes such as for arched frames

• New product training is offered as standard( whether that’ s a new product launch such as Sheer- Glide ®, or if a fabricator adds a new product to their range).

It’ s all in the Delivery

In many respects, it’ s not just the kind of support we offer, but how we offer it that differentiates us from other systems houses. For day-to-day enquiries we have a team in the office that answers queries via email and phone. This could be an installer asking if we offer a particular colour

or service, or it could be a project-related question. Whatever the query and whoever it’ s from( fabricator, installer, homeowner, specifier), having dedicated team members respond in a timely manner makes a difference.

But it’ s not just the team in the office at our HQ in Derbyshire who provide support. David, Dave, and Dean, our three experienced technical field engineers, are a point of contact for our fabricator partners across the whole of the UK.

Aside from assisting with the tooling audit and the initial set up, product training, and answering queries, as they’ re mobile, in the scenario where a fabricator has forgotten to order something critical to production, they’ re often local and carry essentials with them.

Final thoughts

What makes us different at Sheerline is the fact we offer support without limits – we’ re willing to work with our fabricator partners to develop solutions that help them. For example, a customer might require support on a specific project-related enquiry.

This could be thermal calculations, project-related certificates or documentation, or detailed drawings that adhere to specific building regulations such as Part M for instance – whatever the request, we’ ll always help where we can.

Knowing there’ s someone at the end of the phone willing to help, to talk through any queries, someone who is knowledgeable and cares about doing a good job – it’ s this that makes a real difference to our fabricator partners.

To talk to us about your next project call us on 01332 978 000. www. sheerline. com