Therma-tru chases number one spot

Early 2005 will see the start of a £7.5 million investment programme in plant, premises and staff at Sentinel will provide increased capacity, improved product quality and range, enhanced service and shorter lead times for Therma-Tru’s and Sentinel’s customers. It forms an integral part of the Therma-Tru planned European growth programme and its commitment to building lasting partnerships with customers and suppliers.

The investment, by Sentinel’s parent company Therma-Tru, is backed by the Welsh Assembly Government through the RSA grant scheme, and supported by the Welsh Development Agency. It will cement the company’s position in the marketplace and further strengthen its reputation as the UK’s only door company offering a genuinely complete service. As well as the comprehensive installation service for which Sentinel has become well known, Therma-Tru plans to expand and further improve its customer service offering, from specification and design through to installation and after-sales services.

The investment will start with the development of a new 52,000ft2 production facility on a new five acre site in south Wales which offers the company significant expansion opportunities. The new premises will be equipped with highly automated lines with the capacity to manufacture 250,000 doorsets per annum.

A new R&D and technical facility will allow Therm-Tru to maintain its position on the cutting edge of door technology. The new lines, which should be operational from Quarter One 2005, will provide the local south Wales economy with 150 new jobs. An additional 50 jobs will be created in other parts of the UK as Therma-Tru continues to grow its business.

‘This investment indicates our commitment to our future in the door market, and our intention to become the UK’s leading specialist door brand,’ comments Therma-Tru’s MD of European Operations, Steve Brown. ‘It represents not only a major opportunity for our staff, who are the life blood of our business, but also for our customers. It will help us to cement real partnership relationships by offering products which stand the test of time, and unrivalled customer service.’

Therma-Tru has been manufacturing doors in the USA for 40 years and selling fibreglass doors in the UK for nearly 15. In 2004 the company acquired Sentinel Doors, one of the UK’s leading manufacturer of composite doors, in a move designed to accelerate its growth in the UK. The company is now implementing ambitious expansion and investment plans to meet its target of achieving number one status in the UK door market.