Is the grass always greener?

What happens when price is the main (or only) factor a fabricator relies on when choosing to switch to or sign with a systems company? One fabricator shares an experience that comes with a word of caution for those who choose to base their choice of window system on price alone.

Located in Romford, Essex, Glazefix was established in 2012 and soon became a Liniar fabricator. Lewis Mayer, Glazefix's Managing Director, and the team were happy with the wide range of Liniar products available to fabricate, the superb service and support they received and the 99% 'On Time, In Full' delivery record - but they still wanted to make more margin without increasing their own prices to customers.

When Lewis was approached by a rival systems company offering him a 'too good to be true' price on profile, he jumped at the opportunity and began the process of switching over.

At first, as with any new relationship, things ran smoothly - but over time, the service, support, supply and delivery standards started slipping to unsatisfactory levels and began to negatively affect Glazefix’s business.

A new horizon

In February 2019, Glazefix was in the market to replace its end-of-life machinery and add a machining centre to its expanding fabrication operations. Lewis called Avantek Machinery to find out more about its own Supercut machining centre; and compared with other machinery companies whose lead times were in excess of 10 months, Avantek could ensure the whole order was delivered and installed in a fraction of the time.

Whilst taking care of Glazefix's machinery order, Group Sales Director Nigel Bishop was in the unique position to see the system supply issues Lewis was experiencing. He was able to offer Lewis a deal which included not only the machinery he needed, but tooling for a switch back to Liniar at the same time.

The deal came at the perfect time for Glazfix. After being let down so many times by its systems house's supply issues, the swap back to Liniar provided the reliability the company and its customers had been asking for.

“A breath of fresh air”

Lewis tells us how the new machinery and switch to Liniar made a difference to Glazefix:

After the problems we’d been having, returning to Liniar really was a breath of fresh air! Upgrading our machinery in a few simple weeks ensured our production wasn't negatively impacted and with the change to Liniar it meant we no longer had to worry about unreliable supply.

“We now have the security in knowing that orders will be delivered exactly when we need them."

First anniversary

Fast forward to the present and Glazefix is still fabricating Liniar's 70mm windows and doors, with the revolutionary double-rebated Resurgence flush sash window system soon to be added to the range. Now that he's had a full two years of production with Liniar, we ask Lewis how he'd rate his partnership with the leading systems company:

"I'd give Liniar a solid 98% customer satisfaction rating. There hasn't been a time where we worried about the supply coming from Liniar and our deliveries always arrive when we expect them.

"With this stability, we're looking to branch out into the new build and commercial markets. Having a stable, reliable systems company providing your profile makes all the difference in the future profitability of a business. Sure, you might get a better initial price on profile from a systems house but the cost, in the long run, could be significant to your business if they are unreliable or have service and support issues," Lewis states.

Making informed decisions

Choosing a systems company to work with is a crucial decision – one that of course, includes price. When you’re considering price, however, it’s essential to consider the full cost of fabricating a window, including profile, components, glass, hardware and the time it takes to fabricate one in your facility. It’s only then that you can see how competitive you’ll be within the wider market.

To help make an educated decision into which systems company you choose, Liniar has a brochure which outlines the important questions to ask potential systems companies. ‘Making the Change’ addresses everything from a systems house's commitment to customers and on-site technical support to delivery statistics, annual investment and so much more. For your own copy of 'Making the Change', contact Liniar at marketing@liniar.co.uk or visit www.liniar.co.uk/making-the-change.

To discover the Avantek Machinery difference, visit www.avantekmachinery.co.uk.