From the completion of our largest contract to date, to the expansion of our UK manufacturing facilities, 2022 was a big year for us. In our latest blog we share some of our highlights from the last 12 months and some exciting spoilers for the year ahead!

Oaklands contract completed

We started 2022 on a high after completing Oaklands Rise in London, an exciting mixed-use development which is also our largest contract to date. This was a successful example of collaboration, working closely with designers CZWG Architects and main contractors the Vistry Partnership, as well as two of our most experienced supply chain partners – OCL Facades, who we worked with on the first phase residential scheme and Soundcraft, who completed the work on the commercial elements. We supplied a mix of our aluminium fenestration solutions, including both our PURe® windows and doors, for this large-scale scheme which comprises three tower blocks varying in height from ten to 27 storeys. Oaklands Rise is one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK in recent years and we are extremely proud to have been involved and to continue our work in London and the South of England.

Showing off our showroom

At the beginning of the year, we were also putting the final touches to project a little closer to home and in June, we were ready to unveil our new showroom! Located at our Denaby HQ in South Yorkshire, our showroom also doubles up as a welcoming meeting space as we have enjoyed inviting many of our fabricators, installers and specification customers to take a closer look at our aluminium fenestration systems. Keeping Part L in view.

The summer of 2022 also saw a big change in the wider construction industry as the long awaited, and much discussed, changes to the Building Regulations came into effect. The new lower U-values dictated by Part L, as well as the stricter requirements of Part O and Part F, have highlighted the important role that windows, doors and curtain wall systems have to play in reducing energy waste and fuel costs. Our work in this area goes much further back than this year, with the development of our future-proof and thermally-enhanced PURe® system first launched in 2015. As a manufacturer that is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its processes and creating energy-efficient product solutions, we were ready to hit the ground running with a comprehensive range of compliant solutions including our slimline Ali range of windows and doors. We welcomed the new changes to the Building Regulations and will continue to work support all of our customers in making more sustainable choices going forward.

Increasing capacity

We are proud to be the UK’s largest privately owned aluminium fenestration systems manufacturer and with so many established Part L compliant products available as part of our extensive range of solutions, meeting demand is a main priority for us. Our company motto of giving our customers what they want, when they want it, has never been more relevant and we have not been immune to the global challenges facing the industry in terms of material shortages, delivery disruptions and price increases. Our position as a privately owned, UK based company, and the autonomy that gives us has helped us navigate these challenges as we are been able to remain flexible, responsive, and much more in control of our own operations. A key part of our continuous improvement strategy has been to invest in our manufacturing and distribution resources and in late 2022 we were delighted to announce the acquisition of a new facility in Rotherham. This additional 90,000 square feet of usable space is helping us to increase our storage and production capabilities, and complements our established sites in Denaby and Livingston, Scotland. In total, this takes our overall UK manufacturing capacity to 220,000 square feet. Once fully established, our new Rotherham site will help us to increase our production and distribution capabilities, allowing us to manufacture and deliver more of our Part L compliant products to more sites across the UK.

What’s in store for 2023

The investment in our new Rotherham site marks the start of an exciting period for us. During the Christmas break, we’ll be making several improvements to our state-of-the-art in-house powder coating facility to put us in even better shape to meet demand in 2023. Over the next 12 months, we will also be unveiling a new livery design for our fleet of nationwide delivery vehicles.

Our ongoing commitment to supporting sustainable construction will continue to be at the top of our agenda as we explore more ways to reduce the embodied carbon within our manufacturing and transportation processes. The responsible sourcing and use of recycled aluminium for our extrusions has given us a strong foundation on which to build and throughout the year we will be announcing new ways that we have been able to source and develop product solutions that have an even lower carbon footprint.

This all-important topic of sustainable manufacturing will also be the theme for our annual awareness event – Aluminium Day. Set to dominate our social media platforms on Monday 13th March 2023, we will be discussing our own environmentally-conscious initiatives, as well as inviting our supply chain partners and the wider construction industry to share their success stories and examples of best practice. More details will soon be announced so make sure you follow us on social media and look out for the #AluminiumDay hashtag!

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year

We would like to wish all our partners, customers and colleagues a very happy new year and we look forward to working with you all on some exciting new projects in 2023!