Welcome to our new blog.
We plan to update this regularly with news about our new products, general advice and tips on maintenance, getting the best from your existing products, and anything else that we feel might be of use to anyone reading it.
2020
It’s been a challenging and difficult year for most of us, and we have all experienced unexpected changes in our lives following the global pandemic of Covid19. Yet, most of us have adapted quickly and have worked hard to change the way we live, both professionally and personally.
Many of us at Insulating Windows have relatives working in the NHS, ranging from consultant surgeons to nurses to cleaning staff. We have all experienced the bravery of our partners in their working capacities through the pandemic. We have all been amazed by the lengths that people have gone to, in keeping this country running, whilst battling this awful disease.
As I write this, the government are rolling out the first vaccines in hospitals and care homes, and mass testing is due to begin in schools. The signs are there that, despite the odds, we stand a chance of winning the battle and returning to a ‘new normal’ in the year ahead. Simultaneously, however, a new strain of the virus is spreading quickly across the country.
In terms of how the pandemic has affected us in our work, our industry has suffered many, with delays to shipments, combined with an unprecedented rise in demand. Several large suppliers and installers have entered administration due to the lockdown forcing huge debts to go unpaid. This has put pressure on the remaining suppliers, with new customers joining an already stretched industry.
Unfortunately, following the first lockdown, the largest European supplier of raw material for uPVC products suffered a massive lightning strike, forcing the plant’s closure for over a month while repairs were undertaken. This has caused huge problems for most window and door suppliers. Luckily, however, our main suppliers had previously secured large stock shipments, meaning that they have not suffered from uPVC supplies compared with many other suppliers.
There are still shipment problems with window and door components. The majority of issues being caused by the backlog of containers in Holland awaiting transfer across the English Channel. This has caused delays in production at all factories across the country, thereby having a knock-on effect of last-minute delays to installations.
We have tried to keep our customers as informed as possible about potential delays. This has been frustrating and regrettable for everyone, but we have tried to keep these problems an absolute minimum. Hopefully, as things return to a more normal way of living, we will experience fewer delays and return to the reliable and timely service we have always strived to provide.
What’s new at Insulating Windows?
Having taken over as Managing Director at Insulating Windows around 18 months ago from my friends and predecessors, Dave Flower and Grant Gutteridge, I have successfully updated the business, in line with modern technology and consumer demands. We have employed the latest technology in our back-office system, which has provided its challenges. Though it is still being implemented, we are now beginning to reap the rewards inefficiency and professional presentation.
We have also hugely expanded our range of products. We have maintained our long-standing relationships with existing suppliers. Still, We have added further relationships with known and trusted trade partners to offer premium products, such as The Residence Collection, Hardwood Shutters, A huge choice of Aluminium Products and Solid Hardwood Windows and Doors. We have also expanded our offerings of modular buildings and conservatory roof conversions. I will add blogs to discuss these new products in further detail in the coming months.
Another exciting development is that we have now been approved to offer interest-free credit. This will make purchases much more agreeable for many customers, meaning that purchase costs can be split over time without the penalty of having to pay interest on the loan.
Future Plans for Insulating Windows
We have grown very quickly over the past year, despite the pandemic and the challenges we have faced. We have doubled our premises’ size at our head office in Hemel Hempstead, and we have made plans to extend the business further.
As such, we have made new hirings, to ensure that our staff support and customer care continues to be as robust as always, offering what we believe to be among the best service in the industry.
We have a somewhat aggressive growth plan for the next few years. Still, we have made sure that we will maintain our attention to customer care and our customers’ experience when dealing with Insulating Windows.
Our management structure has grown to include Michael Bennett and Jessica Willis – two fantastic new assets to the business, bringing a wealth of product knowledge and technical skills.
Michael and Jessica, join me, Liz Regan and Dene I’Anson, who remain part of the management from previous years, representing product presentation and project management.
We have plans to open offices in other areas, with the ambition of surrounding the M25 within the next five years. Our next office is planned for the Guildford, Surrey area, and when we have managed to secure suitable premises, we are ready to move ahead with immediate effect. Later next year, we plan to open an office in Maidstone, followed by a North London office in 2022.
While we plan to work as a group, we intend to ensure that each branch works independently, to maintain the level of service we have always prided ourselves. Each branch will have its manager, and they will be trained in our ways and our company ethics and ethos.
Having expanded our product range so much in the last twelve months, we have no plans to add any more – but we never say never!
Do keep an eye on our website for other blogs showcasing our products and providing useful advice and tips on getting the best out of our low-maintenance products.
Thanks for reading, and do please contact us if you have any queries about our products and services.
James McBride
Director
Insulating Windows Limited.