Door Industry Journal - Spring 2019

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 120 THE door industry journal spring 2019 Locks & Building Hardware Bringing Formula 1 quality to the door and window market Newly-established window and door company Clear Edge uPVC has chosen HOPPE (UK) to provide high quality handles for its doors and windows. The Buckinghamshire firm, established in 2018, was initially created to supply its sister company, a specialist in high-end garden rooms Green Retreats, with stylish patio doors and windows that met the company’s high specification requirements. Green Retreats prides itself on offering a superior product to its expanding customer base. Its garden rooms can be transformed into a huge variety of light-filled spaces, from garden offices, to family dens, to yoga studios, through to commercial premises and school classrooms. Often a Green Retreats room is an extension of the customer’s home, and therefore customers expect the same quality of materials and finish in their garden room as they would specify in their own home. To guarantee a high-quality finish, Green Retreats manufactures its garden rooms itself, and part of its philosophy is to keep as many processes and services as possible in-house, including employing its own installers and electricians. Chris Palmer, general manager of Clear Edge uPVC explained, “Before Clear Edge was established, the last piece of the jigsaw for Green Retreats was the doors and windows which were purchased from an external supplier. However, this resulted in less control over quality and an unacceptably high snag rate. Since Green Retreats has bought its windows and doors from Clear Edge, the snag rate is now down to zero.” A secure finish for high quality doors Clear Edge’s philosophy is to offer quality first. General manager Chris Palmer comes from a background in Formula 1 and he has brought the mindset of always choosing the best quality parts and components to the business. Chris commented: “When we set up Clear Edge, we went through a long process of due diligence. We visited other door and window manufacturers around the country and found that the best profile to use for high quality windows and doors that met our specification was Rehau. “We went through a similar process of due diligence to source the right ironmongery. We wanted a handle with a feel of quality that would complement our windows and doors. After extensive research, many meetings with sales reps and looking at a