Terry Richardson, Managing Director of major North East aluminium specialists TWR Group, discusses why installers must be tapping into the aluminium bi-fold door market.
With the number of aluminium bi-fold installers increasing by a huge 43% in the last five years, the bi-fold boom shows no sign of slowing down.
The Sunderland-based aluminium and PVCu fabricator TWR Group, which also has a factory in
Peterlee, has been supplying installers across the UK with aluminium bi-folding doors for the past 10 years.
Research carried out by Insight Data, sister company of TWR Group’s marketing partners Purplex, has shown that the number of aluminium bi-fold installers has risen from 4466 in 2017 to 6398 in 2022 – with the number of specialist aluminium bi-fold door fabricators also rising in the last three years.
Terry said: “The 43% rise in aluminium bi-fold installers, and the higher number of specialist fabricators, shows how strong the product now is in the market and over the last five years installers have seen how aluminium bi-folds can provide them with more sales and bigger profit margins.”
A popular choice
With Google search engine trends showing that searches for aluminium bi-folds in October peaked at its highest point since February, homeowners are increasingly looking at the product as a sure-fire way to improve a home.
“Aluminium bi-fold doors have become increasingly popular due to their excellent durability, low maintenance and slim sightlines, which maximise the glazing area and helps provide a stylish and contemporary look while providing more natural light,” said Terry. “And with homeowners having an increasing awareness of sustainability, aluminium bi-folds are among the best-insulated products on the market, helping to lower energy bills. Aluminium is also a sustainable material that can be recycled too.”
Ahead of the curve
While the rise in specialist aluminium bi-fold door fabricators since 2019 shows fabricators are starting to see their benefits, TWR Group stole a march on most.
Starting life as a PVCu fabricator in 2001, the company teamed up with leading systems company Smarts in 2012 and introduced aluminium bi-folding doors to its product offering, growing to the impressive figure of 100 doors per week in a matter of months.
TWR’s marketing activity at the time was built around its bi-fold customer support service, with Terry branding himself as the ‘Bi-fold Doctor’ in the trade press to answer the many similar questions they were receiving from installers and share their knowledge with the wider industry.
Terry explained: “With programmes such as Grand Designs showcasing aspirational products like aluminium bi-fold doors, we recognised early on that homeowners would want them, and they would be a profitable route to market for our customers and the move into aluminium and the bi-fold market really paid off.
“As a large percentage of our target market were more accustomed to fitting uPVC windows doors, we also recognised we needed to offer comprehensive installation and technical support to installers to help those unfamiliar with the product.”
Expertise guaranteed
The family-run business’ expertise and extensive market knowledge has seen it grow into one of the most well-respected specialists in the supply of aluminium bi-fold doors.
TWR Group’s range includes the Smarts Visofold 1000 bi-fold and an aluminium bifold made with the Cortizo aluminium system, while the high level of technical support on offer for installers hasn’t changed.
“Many of our team have been with us for 17-18 years so we have the quality when it comes to fabrication and when customers choose TWR Group, they choose experience, quality, and outstanding customer service and support,” added Terry.
“The aluminium bi-fold door market has changed dramatically in the last 10 years and thanks to our high levels of service we are perfectly placed to help installers remain competitive in the ever-changing bi-fold market.”
TWR Group manufacture and supply aluminium and PVCu windows and doors for UK trade customers in the new build, commercial, social housing and public sectors and trade counters such as Eurocell Depots. For more information, call 0191 565 2200 or email sales@twrgroup.co.uk.