Success in both the social housing and trade sectors dedicated sales service

Composite doors are on the increase. In 2004, market researcher MSI divided the external door market as 43% PVC-U, 39% timber, and 5% composite, and while PVC-U declined by 9% between 2000 and 2004 and timber declined by 3%, composite doors grew by 21%.

So the composite door is making inroads, particularly as a Best Value option for social housing contracts. This growth is certainly benefiting Homesafe Doors, which has grown from zero to £12 million turnover in 13 years, with a lot of that coming from the Government Decent Homes standard. The purchase of the business two years ago by the Laird Group saw the departure of founder Dusan Beim and the appointment of Vince Conroy, previously at Garador, as Managing Director of the Laird Door Division.

Around 900 doors leave the company’s factory in Newent, Gloucestershire every week, and with a third phase of Homesafe’s expansion already underway this figure is set to rise to 1,300 per week. The new 27,000 sq ft building due for completion at the end of this month, will include space for 1,000 doors to be held in stock – an encouraging sign against a backdrop of tough market conditions.

‘The one thing that has remained strong in the difficult market of the last 12 months is the composite door’, says John Adams, Sales Director for Homesafe, who believes that growth in public sector housing will continue for another eight years before it starts to level off.

Anticipating this, in the last three years Homesafe has been making inroads into the trade sector, which has been addressed with a dedicated sales team headed by national sales manager Steve Collett. The newbuild market remains untapped, but for how long you may wonder?

Improved aesthetics

While Homesafe composite doors have remained fundamentally unchanged for 13 years, the company has consistently improved key areas such as materials, security and aesthetics.

Doors are constructed using a high impact Compax thermoplastic skin, a subframe made from sections of 90mm thick blocks of engineered timber, and a polystyrene core that delivers an optimum door leaf U-value.

A patented glazing system, unique to Homesafe, significantly improves aesthetics by eliminating the commonly used glazing cassette. The unit is easily serviced from the inside in the same way as a PVC-U window, by removing a bead.

Laird is using the benefits of vertical integration to good effect, as Homesafe’s locks are supplied by ERA, also a Laird Group company. Door frames are LB Plastics PVC-U. Every door is shipped pre-hung with frames protected by recyclable packers.

Different markets

‘Due to technical demands and the need for low maintenance doors, the social housing sector recognised the benefits of the composite door concept first’, says John Adams.

Now local authority contracts run to thousands of doors and can include surveying, installation and other services.

The one thing that has remained strong in the difficult market of the last 12 months is the composite door

The trade sector offers higher value but is more costly to service in terms of sales, brochures and distribution. Homesafe composite doors offer many attractive features, but the market is still dominated by panels, which for many window companies are an easy, low cost option that can be delivered quickly and built into one of their own frames to produce more profit.

John Adams is concerned that the higher spec composite alternative is not being sold to the homeowner because the market is price conscious.

‘Our trade business has grown 25 per cent year-on-year in a shrinking trade sector,’ he says: ‘so clearly we are taking sales from panel doors. Whilst it has been a frustratingly slow process, sales are accelerating as the trade’s experience of the product increases. And the composite doors we sell tend to be coloured, whilst PVC-U door panels are only white or woodgrain foiled.’

He believes another reason why window salesmen have been slow to push composites is the fast turnaround that panel manufacturers can offer, because they are not made to measure. The window company simply cuts a panel to size and makes a frame for it.

However, he stresses that the economies of scale from recent and current expansion plans mean that Homesafe’s composite doors really are competitively priced, as profitable and a much better deal for the homeowner.

‘Our increased capacity means we can turn them round quicker, so window companies don’t need to worry about a composite door delaying the window installation and hurting cashflow.’ says John.

Tendering vs. selling

Homesafe boasts a 13-year track record supplying composite doors for social housing. Through its contracting arm, the company offers housing associations and RSLs a comprehensive survey, supply and fit service. Yet John Adams believes that the current state of PPQ documentation that drives the tendering process for public sector contracts can make it difficult for suppliers to fully present their credentials.

‘Best Value selection is based on price and a combination of factors, and it’s quite a complex mix.’ He says. ‘Identifying major potential contracts is relatively simple as they are advertised through the European Journal, yet the genuine frustration for many companies is that the procurement process does not necessarily lend itself to the purchasing authority getting the best deal. As an extreme example, the questionnaire might miss something as obvious as establishing a company’s production capacity.’

If there are limited opportunities to make a sales pitch in the public housing sector, the Homesafe management team has the consolation of also selling to trade customers. ‘We believe it’s a unique position, says John, ‘I don’t think anyone else has managed to make inroads into both markets simultaneously, and be successful. We’ve achieved it by recognising that the two markets have very different needs and we’ve responded with two sales teams, two different enquiry routes on our website, two sets of literature, two internal sales departments, two slightly different specifications, and we even use two types of packaging.’

What’s new

Product development comes from a combination of increasingly demanding door standards and the need to respond to customer requirements. Homesafe’s recently introduced range of FD60 fire doors for example, were developed following an enquiry from Renfrewshire Council, who wanted a higher-specification alternative to traditional plain fire doors, to would match the 7,500 Homesafe doors already installed in the county. Early next year the company will expand its composite door range with the introduction of a fibreglass facing featuring sharper definition for the door grain moulding. John Adams expects the new door to be a hit with both public sector and trade customers. The finishing touch will be a new range of chrome door furniture.