Clearview National August 2016 - Issue 177 | Page 69

HARDWARE& SECURITY

Providing
a solution
Alan Parker, Managing
Director, Winlock Security
Limited, tells Clearview
cooperation is key…
INNOVATIVE HARDWARE
Established in 1987 in Telford, Shropshire,
Winlock Security Ltd is the only volume
supplier of window handles manufactured in
the UK, specialising in providing innovative
door and window hardware including
timber, aluminium, PVCu and composite
applications to UK and European fabricators
and installers.
Winlock Security Ltd designs, develops,
produces and supplies across the gamut of
door and window hardware from handles,
locks, cylinders and hinges, to vents, patio
locking systems, strikers and security devices.
It’s product portfolio includes the industryleading Stronghold range, which features
the patented extending deadbolt throw, or
so-called “slam shut” function.
Over the past 30 years of trading, Winlock
has formed strong unions with many key
hardware suppliers including Imperial,
Kenrick, GU, and Yale.
FULFILLING A NICHE
“We believe in co-operative projects
designed to meet the needs of our customers
and which help anticipate and respond to their
ever-changing markets,” explains Alan. “In
particular we are prepared to fill product and
service niches that our bigger competitors are
unable or unwilling to meet. If a customer has
a problem, we want to provide the solution.
“2016 has seen tough market conditions so
far, but Winlock has seen year-on-year sales
growth in all areas, and we expect this growth
to accelerate in the remainder of the year,
driven by new products and services.
“Delivering innovative solutions is
fundamental to Winlock,” Alan continues.
“Over the next two months alone we’ll be
launching two new products into the market,
which we believe will not just improve, but
will actively sell our customers’ doors and
windows.

PREPARING FOR DOCUMENT
Q AND PAS24
“The impact of this new regulation for
fabricators, is that they must have independent
testing for their doors and windows, a process
that can take up to 12 months, in place
by October 1st 2016, in order for them to
continue to supply the new build market,” Alans
explains.
“Fabricators who do not find a solution will
find themselves excluded from new build work.
More generally, the additional cost of meeting
PAS024 on a window is likely to be small, but
the additional cost for doors, especially French
doors will be significant and fabricators must
take care to ensure these costs are recovered.
“Some of our customers are only just
realising the impact this will have on their
business and are now looking for a quick
and easy solution, which we are now able to
supply.
“We knew many trade fabricators couldn’t
justify the cost of having their own Document
Q certification and we wanted to make available
to them high quality, cost effective PAS024
solutions across a broad range of popular profile
systems, which would allow them to continue
without further investment or delay.
“Having anticipated this issue 12 months
ago, we began our own programme of
independent testing in conjunction with key
partners; GU, Kenrick, Yale and Imperial,
on many of the UK’s most popular PVC
and composite systems,” Alan says. “The
testing programme covers outward opening
casements, single doors, French doors,

composite doors and flush sash windows.
Profiles covered to date include; Veka/Halo,
Liniar, Deceuninck, Synseal, Eurocell, Swish
and the new Profile 22 Optima system.
“We can now provide our customers with a
free Document Q accreditation system. This
provision allows fabricators and installers to
use Winlock’s test reports free of charge and
with immediate effect.
“This has been a major investment for
Winlock and we are just completing our test
program, but the sales benefits are already
starting to come through. We believe it will
add at least 10% to our sales within the next 6
months,” he adds.
CAUTIOUS ON BREXIT
“The Brexit risks for our sector have been
apparent since the referendum was called with weaker sterling and weaker consumer
demand,” Alan comments. “In the short
term, we see all hardware importers having
to increase their prices by 10% or more to
recover the increased sterling cost, but we see
the bigger overall risk to be a shrinking market
if consumer confidence weakens and housing
transactions fall.
OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK
“We have a bigger percentage of UK
sourced hardware than most competitors so
the exchange rate issue is a lesser one for us,
and our growth strategies are not predicated
on a growing market but on taking market
share with innovative new products and
services,” he reassuringly concludes.

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