Bradnam's and their Growing Licensee Family

From humble beginnings in a backyard in Hervey Bay, Queensland in 1977, Bradnam’s founders – Bill and Jan Bradnam – had a vision of a window and door business underpinned by excellence in product innovation, quality and customer service. More than four decades later, Bradnam’s Windows and Doors is recognised as a leading supplier for the Australian construction industry. We sat down with Bradnam’s Northern Region Licensee Manager Ashley Woods to find out why their Licensee business model started and how it’s shaped the thriving business it is today.

In 1982 Bradnam’s introduced a Licensee model, with their first ‘Fabricator under License’ being Bill Dreger Glass and Aluminium in Bowen Queensland. Woods explains ‘we are proud to say that after 40 years this business is still a strong part of our Licensee family’. Through the Licensee model, Bradnam’s is committed to making each Licensee’s business a success by giving them access to reliable supply chains, innovative products, advanced production systems, quality tooling, customised business software and business experts.

‘Today, we have a passionate team of over 1,400 people, and hundreds of valued clients (and growing each year) including some of Australia’s largest builders. We are still a wholly Australian-owned family business, and we continue to have an unwavering commitment to Bill and Jan’s original vision of excellence’ explains Woods.

Their Licensee network currently consists of 46 licensed fabricators in Australia and overseas that manufacture the Essential, Signature and Commercial ranges, supplying first-home builds through to high-end residential buildings. ‘Being family owned, our Licensee support team sees each Licensee as an extension of the Bradnam’s family business, and our unique business structure allows us to support our Licensed fabricators’. explains Woods.

The Licensed Fabricators are supported by two state of the art Distribution Centres (DCs) located in Brisbane and Melbourne. ‘Both centres are fully automated processes that are supported via our computer software system that tracks orders 24 hours a day.

Real time information is available which means we can offer superior customer service’. says Woods. Bradnam’s metal and accessories are supplied and ready to be shipped anywhere in Australia on a four day lead-time, giving their network peace of mind knowing that they will receive material in a timely manner.

The Licensee team has dedicated specialists who assist with factory setup and layout, fabrication training and system support with their own in-house software system. Bradnam’s dedicated Account Managers are highly regarded, with extensive building and window and door expertise.

Woods explains ‘Our Mission is to provide an ever-growing, cutting-edge, and high-quality range of aluminium windows and doors, designed and manufactured in-house for Australian residential, architectural and commercial projects. The “Bradnam’s Difference” is centred around our vertical integration, innovative and premium products and excellent customer service’.

Bradnam’s is determined to maintain its position as a market leader in innovation and product quality, and to be sought after by builders, designers, architects and homeowners … even for the most complex and architecturally-creative projects. To achieve this, each year Bradnam’s invests in research and development for new products and continuous improvement on the existing range. Its research and development testing laboratory is fully-accredited and ensures compliance with building codes and regulations. The company also benefits from the depth of knowledge of ‘Altus’, their New Zealand joint venture partners.

‘We are still a wholly Australian-owned family business, and we continue to have an unwavering commitment to Bill and Jan’s original vision of quality, innovation and customer service - just on a much larger scale than that Hervey Bay shed!’ ends Woods.

If you wish to join the Bradnam’s network as a licensed fabricator please contact Ashley Woods on 0408 713 920