Glass News Interview Rapide Frame Supplies

EVERYONE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT IF YOU’RE STILL WORKING TOGETHER AFTER 30 YEARS

Talking to the Humberston, Grimsby, based Rapide Frame Supplies’ owner, Tim Cattell, is Chris Champion, Editor of Glass News.

Loyalty to a supplier, with an equivalent loyalty shown by the supplier to the customer over more than 30 years is not unique but is certainly unusual. Rapide Frame Supplies is very much a family business which boasts three installer teams and has an ever-growing order book. Why this long-standing relationship with one supplier when there are so many tempting offers out there? Tim Cattell’s reply is worth listening to. It’s not just a case of Tim being someone who relies on relationships but hearing who made his first frames is, at the very, least interesting! The answer sheds light on Tim’s respect for Jeff Walsh, Chairman of Pearl Window Systems. Sticking with a fabricator when they change profiles can produce problems for an installer – was that the case with Rapide when Pearl Window Systems changed to Liniar? Or does it mean other opportunities arise? Again, it must be a case of having a relationship with the supplier and, more than that, absolute trust.

While we all know that there has been a boom for our industry following lockdown, that isn’t the only reason for the increase in business that Rapide Trade Supplies is enjoying. Tim talks about the growth in new build and how certain areas of the country are faring better in that regard, than others. Where Tim Cattell is really effusive about working with Pearl Window Systems is when he explains what the Signature Collection Installer Scheme has done for his family business. They have taken every advantage there is within the scheme even down to adopting the app that allows the installer to immediately register the job, both with Building Control Certificates and Extended Warranty Certificates, and all within 48 hours. The extended warranty through CORGI comes in for special mention and is obviously appreciated by the homeowner, especially as it is part of the scheme and is cost free to them.

The branding, and being part of a nationwide scheme, has had its effect. Rapide Frame Supplies has adopted the Signature Collection branding across the board, from website and stationery to vehicles and uniforms. However, Tim is fully expecting further enhancements from Jeff Walsh and his team at Pearl Window Systems and he comments that Jeff is always thinking ahead and adding additional benefits for both the customer and the installer. Has the scheme actually made selling easier? Listening to Tim explain how the homeowners immediately see the advantages offered by the Scheme, gives a clear answer to that question. The Signature Collection Installer Scheme benefits everyone in so many ways and has even made the office administration more efficient, such that Tim Cattell and his team at Rapide Frame Supplies appear to be very happy to continue the 30 year relationship with Pearl Window Systems. To be fair, if the boss of your fabricator was the one who made your first window all those years ago, it must be a relationship that will stand the test of time!