Notice Board
We respond to customer requests or concentrate on areas we are keen to develop. For 2023 / 2024 our products to design were the split spindle and PAS 24 panic hardware, which are both at launch stage now.
As part of this process, I run a significant research and development phase to explore what’ s on the market and new ways to innovate. This involves brainstorming for improvements and testing their feasibility through prototyping while ensuring designs are suitable for manufacture.
In this role, you are constantly looking for improvement, taking on customer feedback, and working closely with door manufacturers and other key partners.
I work with door manufacturers as they know what they want – to speed up the process, make things easier, and promote more ease in installation. This is because lots of products are placed on the door at source, so we must work together to meet their needs.
This is especially true of fire doors where everything needs to be tested together.
When it comes to architectural ironmongery, my focus is on creating new things in the market that they’ ll want to sell. Innovation is a big focus.
Is the process different when you’ re innovating from existing products?
We innovate from existing products if a feature or look and feel needs refreshing. The aesthetic might be a bit tired, or features need to be made more present or relevant for today’ s market.
Value engineering is also a big part of this, where I look for ways to make more margin. This can mean reducing material weight, taking out parts, or making assembly simpler. At the same time the challenge is to retain the same product with the same function and quality, while taking money and complication out of it. A CE marked product, for example, needs to retain standards.
It’ s an iterative process. You innovate to continually improve.
Sometimes we also partner with other manufacturers to carry out fire testing in a group to create an economy of scale.
Looking back, what have been some of the biggest changes in the sector in five years?
The speed of being able to design and bring a product to life has been key. Rapid prototyping is a part of this and at HOPPE / ARRONE we are putting this to use with a 3D printer. It means I can expedite the feasibility stage by designing in CAD and printing in one day, to move to testing very quickly.
It helps to understand fit and function, cuts cost and time as involves no external supplier, and also produces a better product by allowing for much more time to test and adjust.
Looking ahead, what major changes do you see for the next five years?
Now our metal prototype production takes two weeks but in the next five years I can see much more in the way of affordable 3D printing with metal to speed up the feasibility and testing process.
Aside from that, with the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response published in February, alongside a new Construction Products Reform Green Paper 2025, the focus is really growing around product testing and improving fire safety.
What are the opportunities for the business on the horizon?
For us, it’ s all about growing our range with more exciting products.
The level of software innovation will also be key for growth, especially when it comes to producing renders of designs. There is software out there that are game changers when it comes to making photorealistic renderings and animations of what you’ ve designed. Products can be brought to life when it comes to proposals for Board. They provide the ability to communicate a design in the early stages.
www. hoppe. co. uk
MAY 2025
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