Door Industry Journal - Summer 2012

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk It has been announced that Darren Baker has taken sole charge of garage door manufacturer Alluguard Ltd after buying out business partner Jeremy Baker. The two men founded the business together two years ago after realising there was a gap in the market for insulated roller garage doors that were reasonably priced and did not compromise at all on quality. Alluguard has grown considerably since its formation but since Jeremy’s other company has merged with another firm Darren has taken individual control of the Yorkshire-based company. “It has been great working with Jeremy and this is very much an amicable parting of the ways,” explains Darren, “but when the opportunity came to buy him out I was glad to take it as I know what a fantastic business Alluguard is and just how much potential there is for future growth.” Alluguard already has a roster of clients across the UK, including major names such as Anglian Windows, who enjoy access to a range that has ironed out many faults previously associated with insulated roller doors and includes features such as Alluguard’s unique steel-reinforced locking strap, which is built into the top of each door. A wide range of colours are available, including wood grain finishes that are available at the same cost as standard white doors. Alluguard also offers 7-day delivery as standard, part of a customer care package that always caters to the needs of distributors, as Darren explains: “I have spent twenty-six years in the garage door industry, both in retail and manufacturing, so I am fully aware of the frustrations distributors can face and we work hard to provide them with a product and a service that makes life as easy as possible, which in turn allows us to build strong and enduring relationships. For example, when we take a distributor on board we promise exclusivity and won’t work with any other distributors in that area. Our customers really appreciate this proactive attitude and we have been able to build up a strong base of clients in a relatively short time, although of course there is always room for more!” Alluguard’s customer-friendly attitude even extends beyond the commercial environment and keen racing driver Darren recently organised a race day at Silverstone for a group of his clients, giving them the chance to power around the world famous track in a range of high-performance racing cars, which were all fitted with on-board cameras to record the experience for posterity. One of the guests that day was Paul Bate of Nortech who says: “We all had a fantastic day out at Silverstone. It’s the first time in a long while that a manufacturer has brought customers together in a non-commercial setting and it was great to be able to meet up with old and new acquaintances. Not only that but we got to race around Silverstone in some amazing cars - top marks to Darren for organising it all!” It is not just race days that Darren puts on - as patron of Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity he also organises the annual Weston Park Charity Ball, which attracts a host of representatives from the garage door industry and has raised around £200,000 over the last five years. Further details about the Weston Park Charity Ball can be found at www.charityball.org.uk To find out more about Alluguard garage doors call 01709 529723 Email: info@alluguard.co.uk www.alluguard.co.uk DARREN BAKER TAKES SOLE CONTROL AT ALLUGUARD 30 THE door industry journal summer 2012 garage doors “Alluguard’s unique steel-reinforced locking strap” Walnut Golden Oak Rosewood