Choosing the right PVCu profile supplier for your business

Whether you’re a well-established window fabricator or you’re just entering the industry, choosing a PVCu profile company to partner with can be a somewhat overwhelming decision. To help make your choice an easier one, Liniar has outlined a few important areas to consider.

Innovation

What kind of window and door fabricator do you want to be? Are you looking to offer cutting-edge products which are energy efficient and environmentally friendly? If so, it’s important that you align with a PVCu profile supplier which embodies innovation. Ask them how many registered designs and patents they hold and whether they have a dedicated design and development team.

Product innovation is critical as we move into the future. Homeowners want beautiful, thermally sound fenestration products which offer noise reduction and suit the style they’re seeking for their properties – and legislation around energy efficiency will continue to raise the bar.

Customer-focused

The easiest way to find out if a PVCu profile company is customer-focused is to see what their current or past customers say about them. The internet has made it very easy to find out how a company is performing – but it isn’t the only way. Ask your potential PVCu profile supplier whether they carry out customer satisfaction surveys – and if so, what the most recent results are.

Customer focus also includes offering easy, convenient ways to order, being part of lead generation and tender opportunities and receiving regular communication to help you manage lead times and keep own supply chain informed. Working with a customer-focused PVCu profile supplier can help take your business to the next level.

Products

Every systems company offers a range of windows and doors but look beyond the surface. Have they won awards for product innovation or manufacturing excellence? Do they offer additional products which could allow you to provide more choice to your customers? Do they offer a wide choice of coloured profiles?

Whilst awards may not be at the top of your questions list, the answer could provide insight into other areas of the business. Award-winning companies often offer long-term benefits for their customers, including stability, sustainability, quality assurance and after-sales care.

An extensive product range beyond simply windows and doors is a boon for new and growing fabricators. A fully-matching range of windows, doors, conservatories, roofs, building products and outdoor products means increased sales opportunities, a single point of guarantee and the ability to provide homeowners with fully matching products – for example, a conservatory with stunning windows, a bi-fold door and low maintenance decking.

Colour is all the rage and continues to grow substantially. This year, all the shades of grey are the most sought-after by homeowners – but if you’re working with a PVCu profile supplier that boasts an in-house lamination and foiling facility and a growing range of colours, that means you’ll be at the forefront of all the ‘popular’ colours homeowners want in the future.

Marketing

Do you need help when it comes to marketing the products you fabricate to the wider market? Ask potential suppliers whether they have an in-house marketing and PR team and whether you’ll have access to a media library.

An in-house PR and marketing team can work hand in hand with fabricators and their customers, writing, producing and publishing case studies, arranging photography and video shoots, suggesting website content and creating social media posts to share. If they offer instant access to a media library with photos and video, you’ll be able to select exactly what you need to get started. This will help maximise your own marketing efforts when producing literature and digital content.

These questions have only scratched the surface. If you’re in the process of choosing your first PVCu profile company or you’re thinking of switching to a new provider, check out Liniar’s comprehensive ‘Making the Change’ guide. It will help you ask in-depth questions which will help ensure the PVCu systems company you choose is the right one for your business.

Read the Liniar Making the Change guide at www.liniar.co.uk/making-the-change/.