Double vision’ – aluplast expands foiling capacity

Completed at the start of this year, investment in new lines has seen the German-owned systems house more than double its foiling capacity.

This means it now has capacity to foil more than 2.4million metres of profile month, up from a million plus metres.

Ian Cocken, Director of Sales and Marketing, aluplast, said its expanded offer allowed aluplast to bring one of Europe’s most advanced and rapid foiling capabilities to the door step of UK fabricators and installers.

“It’s not just about range but it’s the rapid turnaround times that we can offer on ex-stock foils which we see as being so key”, said Cocken.

He continued: “The reliability of supply of foils in the UK is hit and miss at best. We can offer fabricators access to a range of 27 ex-stock and special colours on lead times less than those offered by UK home systems companies.

“That gives our customers a high degree of flexibility to meet end-user demand for not only a wide choice of finishes but also rapid turnaround times.”

This follows on from the major investment aluplast has already made in CNC foiling technology. This eliminates the time lost in traditional foiling in manual set-up and switch over, cutting it from hours to just minutes.

This has enabled aluplast to pass on the cost and efficiency benefits to its customers in a highly competitive service with special foils orders available in 15 working days or less – inclusive of travel time from the Continent. Orders for single profiles are also accommodated.

This flexibility is built around the investment that aluplast has made in CNC technology. This eliminates the time lost in traditional foiling in manual set-up and switch over, cutting it from hours to just minutes. This has enabled aluplast to pass on the cost and efficiency benefits to its customers in a highly competitive service.

According to Palmer PVC-U sales were up by 8% last year, driven for no small part by a significant leap in sales of foiled products. This, the Palmer report suggests was most clearly illustrated in the window market, where a 1.2% increase in the market overall to 6.82m frames, was outstripped by the increase in installed value of 5.5% to £2.38bn.

This it states was driven by demand for foils including both woodgrains and solid colours – up 45% since 2013.

Cocken continued: “We can genuinely deliver a step change in service and what is perhaps a welcome shift in expectation. Foils are a growth area, we’re building our offer all the time, rolling our for example Agate Grey to Ideal 70 in addition to Ideal 4000, last month.

“Colour is absolutely key for fabricators and retailers. It offers the end user something tangibly different and that’s a foundation on which to win business and command higher margins”, he concluded.