GLASS NEWS INTERVIEW: DECALU
The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper
REDEFINING THE EXPECTATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO AN ALUMINIUM SYSTEM. THAT’S DECEUNINCK ALUMINIUM. Nigel Headford, Director of Deceuninck Aluminium, talks with Glass News’ Editor, Chris Champion, about the frenetic two years since the Decalu products were first launched. The last two years have probably not been the best of times to launch a new business but, despite difficult times, Deceuninck Aluminium broke cover with a completely new aluminium window and door system, and very successfully too. It may seem like a natural progression for a system house such as Deceuninck to branch out from their well-known PVCu system, however moving to a different medium takes significant investment: there’s a learning curve and a market to find. The immediate market is existing Deceuninck fabricators who are looking to expand their own offering but, there again, the corollary is the new customer to the Decalu product, as they call it, who may switch their usual
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PVCu system to that of Deceuninck. Is that realistic? Listening to Nigel talk about their way to market and what has transpired is very interesting. When a new system comes to market does the offering cover all bases? When it comes to aluminium the Bifold door system is always going to be at the forefront, followed swiftly by the Lift ‘n’ Slide. But what about the whole variety of windows from casement to fully reversible? Then there’s entrance doors to consider…. Nigel describes the range offered under the Decalu brand and emphasises how the system has benefitted from the integration of techniques that have been used in Deceuninck’s PVCu system. The aim was always to make fabrication and installation as easy as possible and optimising the number of components utilised, negating the central gasket and having preassembled gaskets in the glazing bead has helped assembly considerably. The design has met the high insulation values required and the aesthetics have been helped by hiding drainage within the frame. The aim was to make efficiencies in manufacturing of up
to 40% and it seems that fabricators have experienced just that. What about legislation and the changes to Part L in 2022 and, beyond that, the Future Homes Standard in 2025? Nigel’s explanation of the low u-values achieved by Decalu is reassuring and makes aluminium systems a sure part of fenestration, going forward. As he says, Decalu is a next generation aluminium system that combines thermal performance together with fabrication and installation efficiencies. Is Decalu a home improvement and domestic product: what about the commercial side? Interestingly, they are already working with some fabricators on a number of exciting commercial applications and the energy performance of the system has been an important driver in this area. Being new into aluminium, what about the problem of gaining national coverage by fabricators to satisfy the demand from installers? Nigel describes 2021 as being brutal and that isn’t just down to Covid! Bringing on fabricators all over the UK has resulted in a punishing routine of
spending many hours on the road ensuring that Decalu gets the national coverage it requires. He has been fortunate in that the buy-in to the system on offer has been incredible and, in turn, those fabricators have benefitted from leads and orders that have been waiting to be satisfied. And what of delivery issues? With the aluminium manufacturing taking place at their facility in Poland have they suffered from transportation problems? And what of lead times, something which is always important whether for fabricators, installers or the end-user? And what about support from Decalu for their customers, both technically and from a marketing point of view? Nigel Headford answers all those questions and emphasises that the manufacturing and thermal efficiencies afforded by Decalu is backed-up by a commitment to underpin that with service and support levels which redefine what has normally been expected from those providing aluminium systems. As Boris, or whoever is Prime Minister in January, would say: I commend Nigel’s interview to the house!
January 2022 | www.glassnews.co.uk
