Door Industry Journal - Spring 2018

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 48 THE door industry journal spring 2018 Domestic Garage Doors Double sectional doors with side extension springs – Alutech make breakthrough innovation Anyone who has ever installed a rear-torsion sprung sectional garage door has probably stopped for a moment and thought to themselves “Why can’t they just make large doors with side springs?”. The answer to this question has always been that only a torsion shaft, or sometimes overhead springs in trays, are capable of safely and efficiently balancing large heavy sectional doors. So it was with barely disguised delight that the team at JD (UK) Ltd, Alutech’s exclusive UK distributor, announced that Alutech have just proven this received wisdom dead- wrong. Unveiling their new 40mm Trend series DDTNS system, a double-sized sectional door with side extension springs in the frame leg uprights, was just the latest step in a product innovation journey which has seen Alutech doors capture an ever larger share of the UK market. The benefits of a side sprung double-door system are obvious. Requiring only 2 hanging straps on each horizontal track, installing the door frame is as quick and simple as it would be for a single size door. Without the need to assemble a torsion shaft system and find secure mounting points can save anywhere from 1-2 hours of installation time. So what about safety and compliance? The new Alutech DDTNS side extension spring system has been rigorously tested at one of Europe’s leading test-houses, the Rosenheim institute in Germany and the door complies with all relevant European safety standards. The technically minded amongst you might like to know that EN12604 states that the maximum out-of-balance static force occurring at the leading edge of the door should be restricted to no more than 200 Newton’s, in the event of a spring balancing system failure. The automated door system easily achieves this requirement, as Alutech’s new Levigato garage door opener is more than capable of supporting the full weight of the door in these circumstances. With less than 2% of all Alutech sectional garage door sales being manually operated doors, the requirement to fit the new DDTNS system with an Alutech Levigato automation system is really no limitation at all. The motor provides the secondary anti-drop protection which has allowed this product to easily exceed the minimum safety standards laid out in European safety regulations. Those who have been using the Alutech product since the early days, will have seen the steady evolution of the product which has become better and better suited to the UK market over the years. They will also be familiar with the market- beating prices which have weathered the storm of post-Brexit price inflation far better than some others in the market. The 2018 pricing structure offers up to 30% savings compared to other major manufacturers without compromising on product quality whatsoever. This can only happen with the support of Alutech and their commitment to the UK market. After all why would any manufacturer invest the time, energy and resources necessary to design, test and certify such a ground breaking product if they weren’t planning to be around for many, many years? Steve Hudson, MD of JD (UK) Ltd. commented: “Alutech are such a fantastic partner for us, they listen to feedback and work hard to develop products which solve real-world problems for installers. If anybody had any doubts about whether Alutech were here to stay and whether our market share would continue to grow – I think we just answered those doubts with this new product launch.” JD (UK) Ltd. have already seen a dramatic boost to their sales volumes after over 160 garage door specialists attended their open-days in late January. At the event a simple, safe and easy installation method was explained, which means despite the large size of the door fitting and balancing the spring system is really no concern at all. Louis Wynne, Northern Area Sales Manager for Alutech Doors put it very simply: “Why would anybody want to pay 10% - 25% more for a rear torsion sprung or over-head spring tray system which will take longer to fit, need more headroom and be less attractive in the end-user’s garage?” Requiring only 120mm headroom and sacrificing minimal amounts of drive-through height this product also offers the simplicity of any door up to 4500mm x 2250mm requiring exactly the same sideroom and headroom. So not only is installation far easier, so is surveying and selling! There has certainly been a real buzz in the industry surrounding Alutech products, so anybody who would like to learn more and perhaps save hundreds of hours of installation time, not to mention thousands of pounds on their buying costs, should contact the team at JD (UK) Ltd. on 01924 472924 or by e-mail on sales@jdukltd.co.uk .