Door Panels News

Doorman Direct, a division of Door Panels, has been created to give installers a range of exciting new opportunities, using the strength and loyalty of its door panels’ customer base, many of whom have been with the company for many years.The company already has a range of composite doors, conservatories, garage doors and door canopies in its portfolio, and has recently added garden rooms and wireless alarms too.

The company believes that by extending a wider range of products and services to its installer customers, they will be able to break the mould from being traditional double-glazing companies into genuine home improvement businesses. Doorman Direct is committed to being a one-stop-shop solution for installers and has already started lining up its second phase of products which include bi-folding doors, windows, vertical sliders, french doors and patio doors.The company also hopes to be able to offer aluminium frames in the near future in response to the resurgence of aluminium in both commercial and domestic use.

Door Panels Managing Director, Dean Rinaldi, is in no doubt that Doorman Direct has an exciting future ahead of it. He says: “As the UK’s largest and longest established manufacturer of door panels, we have an excellent rapport with our customers, and Doorman Direct is a direct response of the dialogue we’ve been having with them over recent months.We have listened to what they’ve been saying, and I believe we have given them some new opportunities to helping them grow their businesses in these tough times.”

Some of the products selected by Doorman Direct have been specifically chosen to allow installers to revisit previous double glazing installations with the offer of additional home improvement products:“With the majority of UK homes already having first generation double-glazing, the need for new products has never been greater. Previous installations are an excellent source of leads for selling other products,” says Dean.“There are only a few installers that have seen the advantage of offering other products such as garage doors for example and the potential for replacing hundreds of thousands of garage doors in housing estates built over the last 20-30 years is huge.”

Supporting installers is key to Doorman Direct and the company has produced a suite of attractive sales literature for each of the product ranges to help installers sell. As a further added attraction, installers can have these brochures designed and printed with their company logo and contact details free of charge.All products are backed with comprehensive technical information, installation instructions, and easy-to-use order forms. All products have been selected to ensure that they offer installers competitive prices and lead times, with an emphasis on quality, which matches the market leading door panels that Door Panels have been manufacturing for over 25 years.

“It would have been very easy to find cheaper products, but that would have been putting our reputation for quality of product and service in jeopardy, and that wasn’t a gamble we were prepared to take,” says Dean.“We are far more concerned in ensuring that installers can buy good value -for-money products that help grow their businesses, from one source. We can save our installers a lot of time, money and effort by being their One Stop Shop.”

Products such as orangeries, garage doors and solar panels can help installers gain extra sales and increase the opportunities for returning to previous customers.There is also scope for adding lower-priced home improvement products to the initial package of windows, doors and conservatories. Products such as loft insulation are relatively low-cost and can be added to your offer as a means of not only adding value but also helping to close the deal.Another product proving successful in the same way is a wireless burglar alarm system - a product that has a high-perceived value in the eye of the consumer.

With the recently leaked Home Office document forewarning of a credit crunch crime crisis, there is no better time than the present to be offering home security to homeowners. It is fitting then that Doorman Direct is now offering the comprehensive Yalerange of wireless security devices to fabricators and installers. By using the latest in security technology, the wide range of wireless burglar alarm systems offers homeowners a system that acts as a true deterrent to intruders and is backed by the recognizable branding of Yale. Gerald Allen, Marketing Manager of Doorman Direct and associated company Door Panels believes that by offering added-value products to existing ranges of doors and windows, installers can encourage customers to commit to the sales. He says: “The creation of Doorman Direct has allowed us to provide customers with additional added value products.The wireless alarms are a fine example of this and we are now able to offer these direct to our customers.The beauty for installers is they are very quick and easy to install and are relatively low-cost.They are another product that can help window and door installers become complete home improvement providers.”

Yale is helping homeowners by offering affordable home alarm systems that are proven to significantly reduce the risk of burglary. These include easy-to-fit wire-free alarm systems that can be easily fitted by any window or door installer.Yale UK’s Marketing Manager comments:“60% of burglaries attempted on homes fitted with an alarm are unsuccessful, and in the past it has been the case that an economic downturn is linked with an increase in crime, so it is more important than ever to secure your home with an effective alarm system.”

There were over 700,000 domestic burglaries in the UK last year, with a further 300,000 attempted. Houses with no home security are almost 10 times more likely to be burgled than households that have simple security measures in place. With Yale offering the complete range of security solutions for the home, including door and window locks, the Yale brand has become synonymous with security in the window and door industry. By offering an alarm system along with all the security benefits associated with new windows and doors, the homeowner will be safe in the knowledge that their property is well equipped to combat an attempted burglary by a would-be intruder.

Doorman Direct offers a number of different solutions whatever customers’ needs are for an alarm system.The standard alarm is a basic keypad operated system ideal for a flat, a terraced, or a semi-detached home.The keypad enables the alarm to be set or unset via an access code.The system is pre-set with a 20 second exit/entry period and will allow the entire property to be either armed or disarmed.

The family alarm is a fully functional control panel system ideal for a family home. The system features a digital display and can be tailored to individual requirements.The length of the exit/entry period can be altered to meet the homeowner’s needs and the system will allow parts of the property to be armed whilst disarming others. For example, part of the house may be disarmed whilst the homeowner is in, but other areas such as the upstairs of the property, a garage or outbuilding can still be secured.

The premium alarm is Yale's top-of-therange house alarm that will ring the homeowner when triggered - for the ultimate peace of mind.The telecommunicating panel performs all the functions of the standar control panel with the additional feature of an alert by telephone should the alarm be activated.

Additional accessories are available to upgrade and personalise an alarm system to meet the individual needs of a homeowner.

Entering into the sprit of diversification, Door Panels PLC was looking for a way to help installers boost their business, and came up with the Doorman Direct brand to offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ for installers to source all their ‘add on’ products from. Managing Director, Dean Rinaldi explains: “Apart from the obvious opportunities in selling second generation, energy efficient, replacement doors and windows, installers have to look to other home improvement products to provide new revenue streams.

“Products such as garage doors have immense potential when you think of the number of homes built over the last 20-30 years that either need replacing or would improve the appearance for the homeowner. And with ourextensive range, the ability to automate your garage door makes it an attractive proposal.”

The garage doors are available in steel, Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) and timber, and all incorporate a high security, multi point latching system, solid steel locking bars, shielded latches and a Euro-cylinder lock to protect against forced entry. Such protection should also extend to the home itself – the credit crunch has brought with it a drive amongst consumers to protect their homes and belongings, bringing about an increase in those upgrading the security of their property. Recognising this, the company offers, through the Doorman Direct brand, a selection of wireless alarm systems.

While the economic downturn has ensured that there are less people moving, families are not getting any smaller, and installers could start to look at addressing a possible lack of space. Modular conservatories or garden buildings provide an ideal solution, and a variety of these systems is also available.

Conservatories include fully welded factory glazed panels, and doors that allow for easy assembly. Toughened 24mm double glazed units are securely glazed into the PVC frames, and doors are fitted with full frame high security locking mechanisms with shoot bolts, to ensure safety and security.

In terms of enhancing the appearance of homes, many installers now offer to fit door canopies and door surrounds. A range of canopies and surrounds is also available, manufactured from GRP for low maintenance.

The company offers a brochure and price list for each product range, and to further help its customers, will provide high quality sales literature produced with their own logo and contact details, free of charge.

Concludes Dean: “Doorman Direct is a direct response to the dialogue we’ve been having with customers over recent months. They’ve all been asking for new products, and new opportunities. We have listened to what they’ve been saying, acted swiftly and decisively, and I believe we have given them some new exciting new opportunities to grow their businesses. The response is exactly what we hoped for and gives us the confidence to accelerate our product implementation plan to cover a host of other value added, installer related products.”