Universal Arches are the clear market leader in the UK with considerable experience and expertise in shaping and processing PVCu window, door and building profiles. This was recognised by the industry when they won G09 Specialist of the Year at the G-Awards in 2009 and they have continued to invest and develop their business.

Given their position in the market place and the fact that they deal with many of the leading players in the industry, they have been perfectly positioned to help promote the show as Leon Day explains: “I’m a great advocate of exhibitions and we all need to get behind the FIT Show. I’ve been involved right from day one with the promotion of the show and I’ve even made it on to the final cut of the video. However I don’t anticipate any calls from Hollywood yet!”

To view Leon Day and other leading industry figureheads then log on to www.fitshow.co.uk/videos, or you can find them on YouTube by searching for ‘FIT Show, Telford.’

For the savvy salesman, nearly any timber glazed product can be replaced with a high performance PVCu variant and often it becomes less of a price sensitive issue, more a distress purchase. For many years these opportunities were left behind for other more favourable sales of conservatories, roofline etc, but now they are being actively sought after.

The sector for shaped frames was built upon arches, circles, gothic heads, angles, raked and gable frames for conservatories, and shaped heads for doors (gothic and arched). More recently we’ve seen an increase in demand for shaped heads on vertical sliding sash windows. Yet one of our most exciting projects for sometime was to shape and form a cable management system for Rehau at an installation at Bolton College.

This joint project involved installing a complete cable management system for Bolton’s new multi-million pound Sixth Form College, which was part of a £90m re-development scheme. Due to the modern design of the project, curved sections of Rehau’s cable management system were required to satisfy the significant IT and electrical requirements of the new building.

While white PVCu building materials dominate the market, colours and an ever expanding range of woodgrains are now coming to the fore. We are able to process any foiled profiles from just about any European PVCu window and door system and can now offer a fully bespoke painting facility for our products. We’ve also raised the benchmark in the sector once more by offering direct deliveries and collections on set days in the main areas of the UK, eliminating the issue of damaged and missing goods from the large national carriers, who use regional hubs.

We’re not just shaping our products, but they way in which we interact as an industry sector with our respective customers. Online ordering is all well and good for relatively generic products such as consumer goods which are found on the high street, but not necessarily in a bespoke market.

Our own experiences and developments on the internet have also shown that we need to be able to process bespoke orders online and this is something we’ve been embracing for around 18 months. This then highlights a further problem in being able to interact with customers, about what can appear to be the most complex of orders.

We have a hugely experienced team of people at Universal Arches and now through our relatively new Universal LIVE facility, we are able to interact with our customers via High Definition video screening. Not only can we interact face to face, but with their permission we can also take control of their computer.

We’re also proud to be founding partners of the FIT Show, which will be held at the Telford International Centre on 16^th-18^th April 2013. It’s important to support the resurgence of an industry trade show and with it provide us the opportunity to meet customers and people from the wider elements of the industry.

So while we may be shaping new products designs and colours, in a wider context we’re actually shaping the way in which we engage the industry as the market leader in our sector and as an influential voice. Joint the debate and follow us on Twitter @universalarches.

Companies should now be regarded as home improvement companies at the consumer level, helping remove the tarnished image of the ‘double glazing company.’ We need to communicate trust and confidence back in the eyes of the consumer.

The opportunities for shaped frames were once shied away from by salesmen, but now they provide the opportunity to make a good margin and with products now available in a plethora of designs within around 7 days, the logistics are comparable to the standardised product within the industry. This is an impressive performance for the bending sector which cannot readily benefit from highly automated production lines.

Colours are now taking a significant proportion of sales in the bending industry and not only can we process foiled products for our customers, but at Universal Arches we can offer fully glazed and coloured frames within 7 days and through our new delivery system. But how have we communicated the changes, investments and developments?

We have always believed that marketing is fundamental to any business and it’s a core business process for communication. Not only do we advertise, but we also harness PR very effectively, have developed a ground breaking website and have even taking a leading stance in social media through Twitter. Direct mail and customer correspondence also form part of our communication activities as will the FIT Show in 2013.

The new website at www.universalarches.com not only incorporates online ordering for both standardised and bespoke products, but it incorporates 2-way HD video. This acts as a virtual salesperson as customers can have a face to face conversation about how to order or any specific questions about particular designs. Rather than have several faxes going each way, customers have already used the facility to interact with Universal directly, helping speeding up the ordering process, simplifying queries and building a stronger customer relationship.

We’ve also leapt into the social media universe with our Twitter account at first as something novel, but now it works as a genuine business tool. We’re now rapidly heading towards 1,000 followers and love it or loathe it, Twitter is a powerful means of communication. It’s quick to digest, instant and not necessarily the domain of celebrities such as Lord Sugar. It’s proven to be a great way to break down the corporate barriers and to see what goes on in a day to day basis and in a more informal manner.

The industry has always pride itself on being a people driven business. It’s not just a cliché, but something I genuinely believe sets this industry apart. With the demise of Glassex, the industry has been bereft of a large national show, though the G Awards have been great in terms of getting the very best of the industry together for an awards night. We quite rightly should reward what is a great industry, with prestigious awards for those that clearly stand out.

The FIT Show has now been launched and from the outset not only was I convinced about the benefits of exhibiting, but I’m now taking an active role in promoting the show to the customers of Universal Arches and my own personal contacts. The industry needs a national show to show face to face what we are, what we do and how it can help our respective customers. If we can all come away from the show with new information, contacts and ideas for products, then it will make for a far more healthy and rewarding industry.

While there is still talk of a relatively stagnant economy, it’s proven that those that commit to marketing during such times come out the other end in a far better position. Talking to some of the more proactive players in the industry I can see a lot of commonality in terms of their respective successes. Each company invests heavily in long-term marketing, not just a short fix to fill the sales tray.

Whether you Tweet, advertise use PR to shape opinion or are looking at the FIT Show, there’s never been a better time to look at your marketing activities.

Several years ago, as sales of replacement windows began to slow down somewhat, some people were suggesting that it was the end of the industry and that the apparent demise of the conservatory market would compound the problem. However first generation PVCu windows are being torn out and replaced with highly energy efficient new ones and even the PVCu conservatory sector is beginning to follow suit. Markets seem to have an uncanny way of reinventing themselves.

In recent years the industry has experienced a considerable shake up through the introduction of the FENSA scheme, new Building Regulations, Window and Door Energy Ratings and the experience of a protracted recession. During this period, standards have by and large been raised and product choice has been expanded at both trade and consumer level. Is it demand driven, forced legislation or an effort by companies to innovate and differentiate themselves in a tight market – I would suggest an element of all three variables.

Product differentiation has come about through the new Building Regulations, a thirst for energy efficiency and improved security in the home. The Window Energy Ratings scheme has had a major impact, though I’m not sure that the Door Energy Ratings scheme will have the same value. Thanks to the highly recognisable energy rated stickers, even the layman can now differentiate the performance between an ‘A’ or ‘C’ rated window for example.

Systems companies have also introduced new designs with additional chambers and we’re now seeing the introduction of pan-European systems which take triple glazing as standard with frame depths around 85-90mm. It must also be noted that as a specialist bending company we’re able to shape even these deeper new sections with consistency and outstanding product quality.  

Colours are now a big thing in the industry with some of the leading systems companies offering over 40 foiled finishes and this can also be seen in the conservatory sector where sales of coloured conservatories have remained relatively strong, while white PVCu sales have seen a dramatic fall. Such has been the demand, that not only are we shaping and bending foiled profiles but we also offer a bespoke painting facility that we can incorporate into our 5-7 day lead time. This also includes the sector’s first fully glazed offering too.

Deliveries, systems and procedures have also improved immeasurably in the glazing industry in recent years. Since Speedframe set the benchmark of a 5-day delivery over 10 years ago, companies have been quick to implement operational efficiencies. You can now get windows, doors, conservatory roofs, specialist glass and even our own shaped frames within a 5-7 day lead time.

The use of independent carriers has also been diluted for the purposes of nationwide deliveries, as regional companies have expanded their network of customers. While it’s ok for Amazon to have their books and goods sent out by carrier, it’s not always proven to be ideal for conservatories and shaped frames. We’ve already implemented a new delivery procedure where the key areas in the UK are serviced by our own vehicles and the remainder serviced by a local, independent and specialist haulier.

While fabricators may have benefitted from increased automation through cutting and machining centres, the nature of the products in the bending sector have meant that products manufactured, still require a good degree of labour and the use of single and double headed welders. However, there has been the increased adoption of quality control standards across the glazing industry as our ISO 9001:2008 accreditation shows. There are also a number of larger fabricators and indeed systems companies that carry the same standards and that also operate to world class manufacturing principles. It’s often what’s beyond the physical order that can make the real difference in terms of the quality of product received on the company’s ability to deliver on time and in full.

The industry has always been particularly sales and marketing savvy. While traditional forms of marketing in terms of PR and advertising continue to be highly successfully harnessed by leading companies, the industry has been quick to embrace the newer social media tools. As this article is penned, at Universal Arches we are heading towards 900 followers on Twitter and this has enabled us to give a greater insight on a day to day basis as to the variables and issues affecting our business. It’s about getting closer to your target audience.

In a final note, it’s great that we have finally got an industry exhibition back that we can be proud of. Fit Show will happen in 2013 and we’re proud to be one of the first companies to sign up. We’re in a people driven industry and what better way to get in front of people than an exhibition and following the repeated failures of Emap, it’s now a show for the industry and run by the industry.

In April 2011, Universal Arches implemented a pioneering new delivery process for the bending sector, so a large proportion of customers could receive direct deliveries and collections on specific dates. Prior to this, the bending sector had relied on the large national carriers despite the risks associated with multiple handling, use of delivery hubs and the subsequent threat of damaged or missing products.

Through the close working relationship with a specialised local transportation company, this new delivery and collection service has been further refined and expanded to include the Eastern region of the UK. Existing customers within 75 miles of Universal Arches continue to receive the same free delivery service on company vehicles, whilst those in the other main areas of the UK will benefit from direct deliveries and profile collections on nominated days.

Leon Day, managing director of Universal Arches comments: “Our new delivery and collection service has been incredibly well received. It’s a first for the sector and the latest expansion into Eastern England is an important development for our customers. We’ll also be hoping to expand the service further at the back end of the year.”

Contact Universal Arches for further information on their products and to find out about this new delivery and collection service on 01744 612844 or log on to their website at www.universalarches.com and have a live video chat in HD.

While companies such as IKEA employ an animated virtual person called Ask Anna, to engage and support internet visitors, Universal’s new system developed by Vee24 goes one step further. This is evolution of e-business to vee-business, according to the developers. Video Engaging Enterprise (VEE) is fundamentally altering the way we search, navigate, present and transact information on the web.

Broadband speeds have increased over recent years and live streaming of video over the internet has become increasingly popular, thanks to the phenomena of YouTube. Video on demand through a computer is now a reality and you can already stream films through services such as LoveFilm, but now you can engage in a live 2-way HD video, over the information superhighway.

Universal Live allows visitors at www.universalarches.com to engage face to face and that makes for an impressive customer experience. Drawings can be shown or even amended in real time and one of the respected and experienced customer support team can even take you through the online ordering process step by step. It also adds a further dimension as an educational tool as both parties can make amends to existing orders over the internet via the video link, saving time and helping simplifying the process.

With VEE, web visitors can enjoy all the benefits of the traditional shop assistant, delivered through the convenience of a website, right at the time they need it most. For the customers of Universal Arches it’s like having a one- to one with one of their experienced staff. As the company has invested heavily in online shopping both with standard products and also more bespoke designs, this is a fundamentally important new tool.

Research by Jupiter Research has shown that 42% of 1,179 online consumers surveyed have left a site without purchasing multiple products because they couldn’t get a question answered about one of the products in their shopping basket. In addition, 41% decided not to make a planned purchase because they couldn’t readily find a piece of information about the product or service. These statics clearly show that customers often need help and assistance in the purchasing process.

Universal Arches are manufacturers of bespoke and shaped products and this requires experience at their end and the means to support customers. Having a 2-way, live conversation with one of their team has helped address ordering queries quicker and has built a stronger customer relationship.

The telephone-based call centres aren’t yet a thing of the past, but the harnessing of such video technology over the internet will be the way for the future. As the first company to embrace this technology in the glazing media, Universal are leading by example.

Back in 2009 when Universal Arches won G09 Specialist of the Year, it was based on a very comprehensive and impressive entry, demonstrating what we had achieved as a business and our influence in the bending sector as the clear market leader. It wasn’t a boastful premise, but one in which showed that companies across all manufacturing industries should lead by example.

Investment has been a clear focus in our business for several years. From the introduction of the bending sector’s first 3D modelling software, to direct deliveries (those not requiring 3^rd party fulfilment), through to the adoption of internationally recognisable quality standards, namely ISO 9001:2000. As the market for shaped window and door frames has come of age, companies have also looked to add other more conventional capital equipment and we’re certainly no different.

Looking back over 10 years ago, the bending sector lead times were 10-14 days and companies only ordered shaped frames when they needed to. At this stage there were no companies actively seeking sales for shaped and unusual windows and doors either. As the conservatory market hits its peak around 2004 the bending sector benefitted from additional orders for raked and gable frames and this spurned a number of newcomers to the market. But product capability in terms of shapes and operational efficiencies has come on leaps and bounds since.

Lead times are now down to around 7-9 days, the industry norm for windows, doors and conservatory roofs. This is despite the fact that shaped frames are one-off orders generally, there’s no huge cutting and machining centres, rather the employment of considerable expertise within the manufacturing environment. However companies ordering unglazed frames will need accurate templates to order the glass, in what can only be described as double order entering.

Most recently we have launched our own fully glazed service, which means customers can now receive their shaped frames fully glazed and ready to go to site. It removes the issue of adding a separate order for glass, the risk of incorrect sizing and any related delays. We can offer this within our own 7-9 day lead time and we believe that this will set the benchmark for the sector in the coming years.

Coloured windows, doors and even conservatories have increased immeasurably over recent years and we as ever, have had to adapt to market change. Not only can we process foiled profiles either from our own stock or through collection from our customers, but we can now offer a fully painted service and even a fully glazed option within 7-9 days.

Consider the position of an installation company with an order for an odd shape frame in a specific colour. It’s not necessarily for a domestic job, but it could also be for a contract in the commercial market. Only a few years back this would involve ordering a shaped frame within 7 days, having it delivered and sent out to a painting specialist, then received back making it 14 days in total. Following receipt of the glass order, this would make it 21 days in total and three separate orders and invoices. The opportunity for a glazed, coloured and shaped frame in 7-9 days is a big and obvious step for the sector.

The way in which customers send us profile and we deliver completed orders to our customer network has fundamentally changed. We’ve now implemented a new delivery process, so customers can benefit from direct deliveries, a new collection service and all but eliminate the issue of damaged goods in transit.

The bending sector has primarily used the large national carriers, which means multiple handling, the use of delivery hubs and an increased risk of damaged or lost products. We’ve worked jointly with a specialised local transportation company to develop this new delivery process and with it further increase the levels of customer support and flexibility.

Existing customers within 75 miles of Universal Arches will still receive the same free delivery service on company vehicles, whilst those in other key areas will benefit from direct deliveries on nominated days. Those companies receiving these direct deliveries will also have the option of a profile collection service on the nominated day for each geographical area. The response from customers has been phenomenal and we’re already looking to expand the direct delivery service geographically to other parts of the UK.

Finally one other area that the bending sector can harness is to look at other plastic building materials. We’ve already worked with Rehau on several projects for shaping cable management systems and it has shown us that we can process just about anything in PVCu. This is a perceptual shift in what we do, at Universal Arches we process building plastics into non-standard sizes and shapes.

Not only has the UK’s leading bending specialist got a team of expert support personnel and proven marketing literature, but feedback from both new and existing customers has shown that the website is an important portal for all information relating to shaped PVCu frames. The company is also one of the leading companies in the glazing industry to harness Twitter and has promised a £500 donation to UNICEF once they achieve 1,000 followers. They currently stand at 788.

Nearly all companies in the glazing industry now have some sort of web presence, but the secret is navigation and content. Given the bespoke nature of the products manufactured by Universal Arches, it’s been important not only to add standard products from their catalogue to the online ordering section of the website, but the facility to upload bespoke designs for order processing and quotation.

The customer support function at Universal Arches has for many years supported their customer network. But the integration of a live 2-way HD video facility provides real face to face support. Visitors to the website only need a set of speakers and a webcam and they can interact directly with a member of staff.

Rather than the sending of several faxes each way, customers can now query designs and drawings in real time, speeding up and simplifying the ordering process. Alternatively company staff can help users navigate on the website through the online ordering system using the 2-way video link. It’s proven to be a dynamic means to support customers and demand is increasingly daily.

The company has taken a great deal of pride in the support they offer, something recognised when they were awarded the coveted G09 Specialist of the Year. Since then there’s been further investment in the factory, new delivery systems, option of a fully glazed service directly to customers and a new colour service, all available within 7 days. 

For further information log on to www.universalarches.com, call the sales office on 01744 612844 or help them reach 1,000 followers on Twitter @universalarches.

It’s often difficult to define a company’s perception of what they do, but sometimes it’s a relatively easy answer. Directline sell insurance, Apple sell innovation but companies such as Tesco sell, well just about anything! In the glazing industry the trade fabricators will sell relatively generic designs of windows and doors, but in the bending sector do we just sell odd shaped frames?

I would suggest not and I would also go on to propose that leading trade fabricators are professional manufacturing facilities. Capital equipment, materials and expertise are combined to help produce finished goods for the trade. The difference in the bending sector is that we are not producing mass products, as each order is very much a bespoke product.

Within the bending sector there are a small number of players capable of manufacturing arched heads, circular windows, angle heads and gable frames for conservatories, among other more unusual designs. We also provide arched and gothic heads for vertical sliders and at Universal Arches we’re even been able to work with Rehau to form and shape cable management systems. As a sector we should be looking far beyond the realms of PVCu windows and doors and into other PVCu building materials in the retail, trade and commercial sectors.

The very fact that we are specialist manufacturers, places added emphasis on the sales and order intake department, through manufacturing and onto logistics and concluding with customer support. In such a specialist environment it is important that as individual companies, that we have the expertise to support our customers whatever their requirements. Our own foray into live interactive 2-way HD support through the web, goes some way to show the importance of customer support in our sector.

All orders placed for shaped frames need to be assessed and processed by people with experience and expertise, though technology is playing an ever more important part of the process. The relatively recent adoption of 3D computer modelling has taken much of the manual template element out of our industry and helped moved it forward into the 21^st century.

There is no reason why the entire bending sector can’t look to process over 90% of orders using modern technology and with it remove the potential issue of human error in preparing manufacturing templates. The system also helps improve operational efficiencies and defines remakes a near distant thing of the past. Producing bespoke window and door shapes within a few millimetres of tolerance is a world class benchmark and something that gives added confidence to everyone involved in the sector including surveyors and installers.

It’s also important that the logistics element of our respective businesses is considered, as products need to be carefully delivered on time and in good condition. We need little reminding of the way couriers treat parcels and packages as our own experience as consumers will highlight. While no one is yet delivering nationwide with fully owned vehicles, it is something that the sector needs to aim for, to provide greater confidence in what we do.

When considered in the context of manufacturing expertise, alongside other engineering sectors for example, it’s the processes and procedures that set many companies apart from industry players to experts and there’s a clear difference. Carrying internationally recognisable standards such as ISO 9001:2008 is an independent audit and certification of operational standards and processes.

Whatever manufacturing environment you consider, it’s the people that can help put the processes and customer service first. Staff training and development programmes are important, as is the ability to retain your very best staff.

Finally it must also be considered that the best manufacturing environments are those that invest in new capital equipment as a continual process. Simply patching up old and obsolete equipment in the short-term is no long-term business strategy. In the bending sector we can’t boast fully automated lines of production due to the nature of our products, but new bending tables and welders will add to product quality, while new and extended vehicle fleets will deliver products on time.

So how do we see ourselves? It may be a question of perception, but I see enough in the bending sector and in the larger window fabricators to suggest we operate expert manufacturing facilities. At Universal Arches we’re already seeing the opportunity to shape all types of PVCu building products first hand.

The Bolton Community College and Sixth Form College received a grant from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which enabled them to go ahead with a £90m re-development scheme. This has resulted in the creation of three new state of the art buildings, including the new sixth form college which amounted to a £21m alone. Due to the modern design of the project, curved sections of Rehau’s proven cable management system were required to satisfy the significant IT and electrical requirements of the new building.

Universal Arches used their considerable experience and expertise in shaping PVCu profiles to provide the necessary shapes to complete the project, including a featured and circular coffee lounge area in the centre of the building. The project between Rehau and Universal was so successful, that there’s further work in the pipeline for the two parties at Blackburn College.

Leon Day, managing director of Universal Arches comments: “We don’t just shape profiles for the window industry, we can bend, curve and form just about any type of building plastics as this project at Bolton College shows. We’ve now built a strong relationship with Rehau and are looking forward to further such projects in the commercial sector.”

For further information log on to www.universalarches.com and experience their live HD 2-way video. Alternatively contact them directly on 01744 612844 for further information about their product range and capabilities.