Waiting up to three weeks for aluminium door deliveries has become a frustrating fact of life for thousands of installers around the UK. One new fabricator is aiming to change that.
Aluminium is the standout glass and glazing success story of the last twenty years.
Look at the biggest breakthrough products since the turn of the millennium – bifolds, patio doors, roof lanterns and more – and they’re virtually all made from aluminium.
Why? Because homeowners love its sleek, minimalistic, Grand Designs aesthetic. They love its strength and – since the widespread adoption of polyamide thermal break technology – its outstanding thermal performance.
And together, that’s made it a sure-fire way of appealing to style-conscious end users with a lot of money to spend.
From an installer’s perspective, in fact, it’s only got one drawback. The lead times.
With uPVC, you place your order, and in the majority of cases the products will be with you in seven days or less. With aluminium, it’s a different story.
Most fabricators will make you wait 2-3 weeks if not longer – and if your customer’s got quotations from a number of installation companies, even a few extra days of waiting can mean the difference between an order lost and an order won.
And it was that conundrum that inspired the newest business to come out of London’s Chigwell Group – 6 Day Doors.
“Aluminium doors have boomed in popularity over the last twenty years,” comments Managing Director, Sunny Singh. “They’ve quickly become one of the biggest growth opportunities installers have available to them.”
“But while the products themselves are state-of-the-art, the service from fabricators who offer them often isn’t.”
“We’re living in an incredibly fast-paced, time-pressured world now. In 2020, three weeks is a long time to have to wait for anything. And I’ve always been astounded that so few aluminium fabricators have tried to cut those lead times down.”
“That’s why, this year, we’ve decided to do it ourselves. The Chigwell Group is a very entrepreneurial business. We’ve never been afraid to take on a challenge – and 6 Day Doors is the result.”
“6 Day Doors does what it says on the tin. We’re offering the industry leading Smart Visofold 1000 bi-fold in grey, white and black – and when you buy one from us, it’ll be with you in six days. The door is available in other colours of course, but on a longer lead time.”
“Already, I’ve spoken to a lot of installers who want to know what our secret is. If we can do it in just six days, why isn’t every fabricator doing the same?”
“The truth is, there is no big secret. Frankly, I think the industry has got used to having to wait nearly three weeks for aluminium doors, and so no-one’s felt the need to invest and speed that process up.”
“What we’ve done is simple. Using the resources and expertise of the wider Chigwell Group, we’ve acquired some cutting-edge machinery and manned it with some experienced and highly motivated fabricators. It’s certainly not easy, but it’s not hugely complex either – if you’ve got the willpower to do it, it can be done.”
Call yourself something like 6 Day Doors, and before long someone’s going to ask the awkward question. We all make mistakes. Accidents happen. So what happens if you’re a 6 Day Door customer and your delivery takes more than six days to arrive?
“In 99.9% of cases, we’ll deliver within six days,” Sunny explains. “But if we don’t, you get your next order from us at half price. It’s as simple as that.”
6 Day Doors are offering other products on longer lead-times, including the Smart Visofold 6000 bi-fold and Visoglide Plus patio door.
If you’re interested in finding out more, speak to 6 Day Doors today – call 020 8500 4900.