Success in the face of adversity

What would you do if your PVCu systems company suddenly discontinued the window system you've been manufacturing for years? Richard Handyside, Managing Director for Addspace Construction, faced this daunting prospect in 2019 and knew it was time to make a change.

New horizons

Change is rarely easy - and doubly so when you're changing the very product you've been selling for a number of years – but Richard knew the timing was right to make a fresh start.

Having been in business since 1988, Richard's team already knew the leading systems in the fenestration industry, and their decision was only ever really between two companies.

"When it came down to it, the thing that made my mind up about which system to choose was how the representatives from each company acted towards us," comments Richard.

"Liniar's Regional Sales Director Terry Grant was easy going, approachable and didn't ‘hard sell’ to us like the other company's representative. I trusted Terry right from the start, and if I had any questions or needed help, he was always there to advise.

It also helped that Liniar's product quality was far superior to the other company's and we want to sell the best to our customers.

The changeover

"The transition to Liniar was a smooth process, made even easier with the help of Liniar's Technical Engineer, Paul Tamony. Paul helped us every step of the way as we changed tooling and began fabricating Liniar windows," Richard states.

During the change over to Liniar, Richard also wanted to add machinery to the existing factory layout. Thanks to the partnership between Liniar and its sister company Avantek Machinery, getting a corner cleaner delivered to Addspace was a simple process – but then COVID hit the UK.

"Avantek delivered our corner cleaner right before the first lockdown took place. The machine waited, all wrapped up, while Addspace (together with everyone in the industry) was closed. Once we reopened, the installation team from Avantek arrived and ensured everything was up and running quickly," remarks Richard.

"Since then, it has worked perfectly, and we’ll be looking to purchase another machine from Avantek in the near future to help advance our production efficiency."

Working with Liniar

Addspace officially changed over to Liniar in late 2019 – and of course, 2020 was very far from an average year – but for Richard and his team, things are now stronger than ever.

"2020 was a challenging year for everyone, though it did start brilliantly for us with new machinery and a new systems company," explains Richard.

"Throughout the entirety of the pandemic, Terry has been there to communicate any issues that have arisen with raw material supply, foils or lead times. While the whole industry closed down for six weeks throughout April and May, we were still able to increase our turnover by 9% in 2020 and we’ve also shortened lead times where we were able.

"The surge in demand brought on by the pandemic hasn't lessened now that we're well into a new year and 2021 is set to be just as successful for Addspace – or even more so!"

Richard concludes:

"Switching to Liniar is the best thing we've ever done. It's a very forward-thinking systems company - especially when it comes to colour. Liniar offers exactly what customers are looking for and always has the trendiest shades available."

Find out more about making the change to Liniar at www.liniar.co.uk/making-the-change.