HARDWARE & SECURITY
ERA’s Product Development
Collaboration With Solidor
ERA, the security expert, is continually investing in product development. Much of this
is of course market-led, and from time to time fabricators and installers request very
specific product development collaboration in order to future-proof their business
and to be able to differentiate themselves effectively from their competitors.
» A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS
type of collaborative product
development is a project recently
completed by ERA for Solidor,
the manufacturer and supplier
of composite doors. Fitted and
installed by a nationwide network
of approved installers, the
extensive Solidor range of doors
is widely admired for its stunning
design and unparalleled security.
So when Solidor asked ERA to
come up with some new hardware
it was clearly vital that both form
and function would be equally
important.
Pierre Mifsud, Solidor’s Technical
Director said:
“We have been very pleased with
the service we have received from
ERA in this product development
project. It was fascinating to visit
the company’s UKAS-accredited
test lab in order to ensure that the
products were going to perform
correctly, which was especially
important in the case of the new
hinge. It was great that ERA’s 3D
printing was able to show us how
much product consistency we were
going to be able to secure.“
‘brought together
under one roof’
‘It was great that
ERA’s 3D printing
was able to show us
how much product
consistency we
were going to be
able to secure’
ERA developed two new colours
for Solidor in the course of the
project: Heritage Black and Pewter.
The new colours are intended
for three door handles, two door
knockers, a letter plate and a door
knob. Additionally, ERA came up
with an enhanced door hinge
featuring a cover held in place by
means of a clip. Solidor had been
sourcing a hinge whose cover had
been screwed into position, and
the new product now offers the
company the improved aesthetics
of clean lines and colour-matching
with other hardware used. The
third part of the project involved
58
the development of a new heritage
style Pull in all of ERA’s Fab&Fix
colours.
A key part of the collaboration
between ERA and Solidor involved
the use of 3D printing in order to
enable all concerned to see exactly
how products would look right from
the early design stage. The 3D
models produced were painted so
that both teams could see clearly
the effect that the colours used in
the production process would have.
Once the 3D models had been
approved ERA then developed the
requisite tools and tool samples to
facilitate production.
One of the great outcomes of
ERA’s move to brand new purpose-
built premises on the i54 business
park just outside Wolverhampton
last year was the fact that
the design and development
departments were brought
together under one roof. The new
135,625 sq ft site is now home
to the company’s state-of-the-art
research and product development
hub, design team, test facilities as
well as manufacturing, warehousing
and training facilities. Having the
teams together not only facilitates
great collaboration amongst them
but also with fabrictor and installer
customers too, as has been borne
out by the results of the project just
completed with Solidor.
Visit www.eraeverywhere.com or
contact the sales team on
01922 490 000 or email
[email protected]
NOV/DEC 2019
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