VEKA’s 29-strong colour palette (including 16 ex-stock) further proves customer commitment

Earlier this year, VEKA Group announced a £5M investment forecast for 2018, with a primary focus on extending our lamination facility, including a new building, new, flexible lamination line, standard lamination line, colour changing head and heat tunnel.

When it comes to profile sales, foiled product makes up 39% of sales here at VEKA, and 33% of total sales, which is well above industry average. It is also the fastest growing area of our industry. Therefore, as a business that has always prided itself on responding to industry trends, when planning investment opportunities for this year, we knew that lamination had to be a top priority.

Planned improvements to the lamination facility, at the Farrington Road site in Burnley, Lancashire, could potentially see lamination capacity increase by 50% and we are already expected to produce 10,000,000 metres of laminated profile (6,000 miles!) in 2018 alone; with 500,000 possible product and colour combinations.

And it’s not just the high quantity orders that will benefit. When it comes to smaller runs, and quirkier colour options; an improved lamination department means we can respond faster, get the profile to fabricators more quickly, so that installers can complete jobs, all with the knock-on effect of a more satisfied end-user. The minimum order quantity will remain at one pack, so that smaller companies don’t need to meet hefty requirements, nor carry the expense (and space) of unused product in stock.

Out of the current 29 colour options available in the Variations range, 16 combinations are now available ex-stock; the most recent being Anthracite Grey Smooth. This flat finish, dark grey foil has become increasingly popular for Bi-Fold Doors and FlushSash windows, offering the ‘Grand Designs’ look of aluminium but with all the extra benefits of PVC-U profile; better energy efficiency, less upkeep/maintenance costs, and lower initial installation fee/cost. As for VEKA Group’s Vertical Slider, Anthracite Grey and Cream have both been added to the ex-stock list for both VEKA and Halo VS systems.

In terms of numbers, foiled Bi-Fold sales have increased by over 30 percentage points since 2014, while an almost unbelievable 92% of FlushSash sales are now foiled; which is in no doubt thanks to the growing desire for Heritage-look products that offer modern day performance.

These facts and figures help illustrate the type of growth we are seeing here at VEKA, which we think is especially important for our fabricators and installers to see in the face of a relatively flat market, yet there is more to the decision to improve the lamination department than some impressive numbers.

VEKA is a company that prides itself on listening to customer feedback. Meeting the demands of our fabricators and installers means that they can, in turn, meet the demands of theirs. This is something we take very seriously, and also one of the reasons, we believe, that many of our customers have stayed with VEKA since the company came to the UK; over 30 years ago.

Whether the end user is from the residential or commercial sector; requires a period-product or an ultra-modern design; a single window replacement or a complete new build; continued efforts and investment at VEKA mean that the systems our fabricators and installers provide homeowners and specifiers is constantly improving and moving forward.

With more options available, faster production times, and a lamination department with greater capacity, coloured foils may change the way we think about door and window design forever. One thing that remains constant at VEKA, though, is the steadfast commitment to customer service.