Gap - ‘diversify to survive': GAP's Charles Greensmith gives his advise to installers

Recent statistics and market feedback from this year prove the casement replacement boom is over and the market has almost reached saturation point.

Window sales peaked in 2002, but since 2003 the market has slowed. The first quarter of 2005 recorded a sharp drop, due directly to the decline in window replacement (Windows & Doors 1995-2005: a 10 year perspective, WHS Halo Report, Michael Rigby Associates).

With the window market harder than ever, manufacturers, distributors and installers have to take up the slack and make up for lost revenue.

On GAP's calculations one in five window companies will disappear unless they find new avenues - and we are seeing this actually happen.

Companies dependent on domestic replacement casement window installations have to look around for new business. That means being more creative and more courageous: exploring new and niche markets, and reviewing past experiences for lost opportunities. As a consequence, some companies are now marketing second-generation replacements, while others are moving into the specialist windows arena.

Some installers are focussing on other products - on doors. Traditionally, doors have been a dirty word in the installation industry. Simply, they've been too difficult to make money from. Recurring problems with quality, supply and service mean door installations have been an expensive hassle.

Locked out

Anxious homeowners were locked out of their houses when replacement panel doors expanded during hot weather, resulting in endless call-backs for installers. Problems with discolouration and de-lamination provoked further call-backs - all repeat work affecting both profitability and reputation. Then when sales service and supply reflected the poor quality of product, installers started to give up on doors.

When GAP first entered the market in 1993 we encountered these problems first-hand. In fact the supply and quality of door panels was so bad we couldn't source enough. We either got the number we ordered, but the doors were inferior, or we got the quality we expected, in half the amount.

We looked for new suppliers who could provide good quality, good value doors in the quantity we needed them, when we needed them, but there was apathy in the marketplace.

Traditionally, doors have been a dirty word in the installation industry. Simply, they’ve been too difficult to make money from.

GAP seemed to have few options; either we got out of doors (like so many others) or we got into doors, in a big way.

Unable to find a supplier which met our requirements, we decided to manufacture our own panel doors. Yes, we were a distribution company, yes we had no manufacturing experience, but we also had a broad knowledge of our customers' needs and how the market worked in practice.

Our approach to door panel manufacture was simple: What were our installers asking for? Could we give them what they wanted? Was it profitable?

The fact that twelve years ago GAP started manufacturing 50 door panels a week proved those questions were worth answering. We're still asking those questions, and by the end of 2005 production hit 2500 a week.

We've kept our initial motivation and provide enough doors to ensure consistency of supply and a reliable back-up service. But we had another flash of inspiration. We realised we were only supplying part of the door market, and that our business model could be applied to more products. We wanted to appeal to a more discerning customer, looking for high standards of manufacture with products offering both style and security.

The expanding market

In 1997, Rockdoor (a sister company to GAP) was born. We learnt from our panel door manufacturing experience and now also produce high quality composite doors.

Our new Rockdoor manufacturing line is almost fully automated, with capacity to produce 3000 units a week - six times our current output. That's how confident we are that doors are the new windows, an option that installers looking to diversify need to seriously consider.

Now installers don't need to miss out on a growing door market just because there has been little faith in the products or service on offer. It's an open and shut case.