Door Industry Journal - Winter 2020

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 88 THE door industry journal winter 2020 Automated Gates & Barriers The partnership between Alucorb Ltd and HorizAL continues to grow and strengthen, with gate companies throughout the UK requesting to join the unique ‘Portalier’ installation network. More information is available at www.horizal.co.uk/portaliers/. HorizAL is a French-based manufacturer of high-quality aluminium gates and has partnered with Alucorb to introduce its products and the pioneering ‘Portalier’ concept to the UK. The venture is managed by Darren Weatherill, Operations Director at Alucorb Ltd. Since its inception in this country just a few years ago, both demand and turnover has soared – and shows no sign of abating. This is despite a tough year for Stockport-based Alucorb. 2020 started with a fire at premises on their Industrial Estate, which resulted in a complete shutdown of the headquarters. Portakabins were quickly situated outside the smoke-damaged offices and, thanks to the dedication of staff, business as usual was resumed. Then, of course, came COVID-19, which – as Darren Weatherill explains – presented serious challenges: “When COVID hit we had no choice but to furlough the majority of our employees and just keep a skeleton staff running the company. It was tough, particularly as trade has been absolutely booming. Also, the Homebuilding & Renovating Exhibition at the NEC in March was cancelled, which had been our opportunity to showcase a vast range of new designs and collections.” “So, it’s been a challenging time, but we have got through it and are now operating at full capacity again, having HorizAL Builds on Success and Looks Forward to a Prosperous 2021