Door Industry Journal - Spring 2018

Domestic Garage Doors 43 THE door industry journal spring 2018 Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk JD (UK) Ltd.’s Alutech garage door open days For those who have been with the company since the early days, the recent open days held at their base of operations in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, must have been an extremely proud moment. Seeing over 160 garage door specialists take time out of their busy schedules and travel, in some cases hundreds of miles, to attend a trade open-day, was an incredible vote of confidence in JD (UK) Ltd and Alutech Garage Door products. JD (UK) Ltd. is a completely independent and wholly UK owned business who hold the exclusive UK distribution rights for the Alutech sectional garage door, Alutech automation systems and Alutech roller door and shutter components. The Alutech sectional garage door product range in particular has seen unbelievable growth. From humble beginnings selling only a few dozen sectional doors each month, JD (UK) Ltd. have grown to become one of the leading sectional garage door suppliers in the UK. By some estimates up to a fifth of all sectional garage doors sold in the UK are now an Alutech product The open day was an opportunity for the current and prospective JD (UK) Ltd. customer to see the impressive 31,000 square foot warehouse and factory, 5,000 square foot showroom and training facility and meet the 25 strong JD (UK) team. With a fleet of 7 vehicles delivering to in excess of 300 customers nationwide JD (UK) Ltd. are now one of the largest players in the UK door market. The event was JD (UK)’s opportunity to thank their loyal customer base for their years of support and introduce some brand new products to customers both new and old. On show was the new DDTNS side extension sprung double sectional garage door system, a ground breaking product innovation which has already seen sales of Alutech doors spike by over 20%. The door received an unusually positive and warm reception from all in attendance. Seasoned old time garage door specialists are usually not known for heaping glowing praise on a new product innovation, but the genuine lack of any negative comments was pretty unique for a garage door product launch! There was also a great deal of interest in the new Alutech Levigato garage door opener (see page 36), a sleek stylish new system designed by Alutech in partnership with Italian design house Pinninfarina. The open day was also the official launch of the new Alutech Duo-Leaf side hinge door (see page 54) which will certainly be a welcome addition to the range for Alutech dealers, who have been crying out for a lower cost alternative for their insulated panel side hinge garage doors. With shorter lead times and some unique design features this new product also received a very positive response from attendees. It was also wonderful to welcome Eric Royds, former owner of JD (UK) Ltd., back to see the progress of the project he did so much to begin. The history of JD (UK), which was at one time run from a back bedroom and a shipping container, is one of those great success stories we all dream of. It was clearly a proud moment for the entire JD (UK) team proving there is still a place in the industry, so dominated by massive European manufacturers, for a customer-focused and dedicated sales team and an independent British business setting high standards for their customers. The formula of a UK based sales company actively engaging with garage door specialists and delivering a level of service which wins JD (UK) a lot of praise is undoubtedly a winning one. None of this could be achieved without fantastic products and Alutech certainly deliver on this front! With new products like the side extension spring double doors (see page 46) and Alutech Levigato motors now available there is little doubt that the Alutech name will be around for many years to come. If you do not already offer Alutech products you can contact the JD team on 01924 472924 or via sales@jdukltd.co.uk .