Selecta Systems head to the FIT Show, ready to celebrate their 40^th year in business! Sales Director, Andy Green, talks about why it is important to celebrate this momentous milestone and having a presence at FIT Show 2022.

“Reaching forty years in our industry is an excellent achievement in itself, when you consider the number of companies that have been and gone over the years – especially profile systems companies. What is even more unique is that Selecta have continued to remain independently owned by the same family who started the business way back in 1982.”

Andy continues, “There is an enormous sense of pride within the business, in reaching the big 4-0, with success built on a number of simplistic principles and beliefs. Flexibility, personal customer care, service and support combined with fabricator friendly profile systems, continue to be key aspects of the Selecta ethos and values that are firmly rooted within the business. With that in mind, we believe that being at the FIT Show 2022, provides ourselves with the perfect platform to celebrate our 40^th anniversary with our customers, industry friends and colleagues.”

Having exhibited at every previous FIT Show and Glassex beforehand, Selecta have been a stalwart in supporting industry specific events. So, what can visitors expect to see from Selecta at this years event?

A relaxed Andy explains, “Exhibitions are generally seen as an opportunity to sell, sell, sell. Everything pointing towards seeing that return on investment by promoting that new product or service. For Selecta, it’s going to be nice to go in to a show where we can be purely there to celebrate and say thank you.”

“Behind the scenes, there have been a number of large investments in our infrastructure and logistics. This has included new upgraded plant and machinery, extrusion machines, material storage silos, HGV delivery vehicles, profile foiling machines, staff recruitment and business restructuring. We also have a host of new customer support mechanisms and initiatives coming your way with two brand new websites, one consumer based to generate sales leads for customers. There’s a big update of our Connect customer support portal, but on the back of two challenging, yet successful years, we’ve seen FIT Show 2022 as the perfect platform to just celebrate and say thank you, with so many people being able to be in one place.”

“FIT Show 2022 will be all about celebrating being 40! It’s an occasion where we can thank everyone who has been part of and continues to be part of the Selecta success story. Our stand will solely be a hospitality area, with a bar serving drinks to everyone who is, may become or has been #partofthefamily and wishes to celebrate our 40^th with us! There will be no hard sell and no big product samples on show. We’re there, simply to say thank you and celebrate our success.” says Andy.

“The late-night Wednesday opening, also provides us with the extra opportunity to pop on a bit of music, have a piece of cake and a celebratory drink in a relaxed environment. Over the course of the three days, there will also be an opportunity to win a fantastic prize on our stand too!” Andy concludes, “We’re extremely proud to reach the milestone of being able to celebrate our 40^th anniversary and welcome you to our stand, K60, at the FIT Show on May 10 – 12^th to have a celebratory drink with us. No hard sell. Just a big thank you to everyone who is, may become or has been #partofthefamily”

In the 2^nd part of our ‘behind the scenes’ at Selecta Systems feature, we take a candid look in to window and door product testing. Technical Manager, Cliff Prosser, provides us with an eye-opening account of the rigorous testing processes of achieving PAS 24 certification.

Our first behind the scenes feature spoke about it not just being a window or door and seen as a piece of plastic, but of a precision engineered range of products. What we have is a collection of windows and doors that undergo a series of external tests to ensure that the window and door solutions are compliant to a comprehensive range of standards – thus meeting building regulation requirements.

Window and Door Testing

So, what is PAS 24:2016? Well, PAS 24 is the industry standard for Enhanced Security Performance Requirements for Doorsets and Windows. This is a product assessment specification and primarily referenced in the Building Regulations Approved Document Q. The manufacturer, or systems company in this case, submit a range of window or doors to a UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited test house for testing to PAS 24 and the relevant ‘fit for purpose’ standards.

Rigorous testing methods for forcing entry are carried out to ensure that there can be no failure of components that make up that window or door. Testing also includes BS 6375 consisting of weathertightness, operational performance and strength, ensuring that the windows and doors serve their two main purposes of protecting the property from unwelcome visitors and keeping inclement weather at bay. In this feature we’ll concentrate on PAS 24 product testing.

Prior to any fabrication of test windows and doors, a number of research and development meetings are held with hardware, component and accessory suppliers to ensure that the appropriate hardware is used, and in certain cases profile specific, to ensure maximum performance.

Test windows are generally made up of the largest side hung, next to the largest top hung over a fixed window, whereas French doors are made to the largest configuration, thus also covering single leaf doors as a worst-case scenario. Our patio and EASi-FOLD doors were again fabricated to the anticipated largest pane sizes to cover a number of configurations. These configurations and sizes provide the fabricator / installer with the opportunity of offering a vast range of multi-light window and door options, where PAS 24 is a requirement.

Once set up in a test rig, mechanical load tests are carried out on each locking point of our test window. A load of 3.0kN, which is approximately 300kg, is progressively applied from the inside at each locking and hinge point, whilst an external 1.0kN parallel load is applied at the same time for a total of 10 seconds. This can be applied two or three times, horizontally and vertically at each locking and hinge point, dependant on the locking and hinge points on the top hung and side hung windows.

For our test doors, a load of 4.5kN, is progressively applied with an external 1.5kN parallel load applied, following a similar process to windows and all locking and hinge points. An infill mechanical test is carried out on the four corners of the fixed window and on any slave glazed infills, where 2.0kN is applied for 10 seconds.

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to view these tests, you really do appreciate the quite brutal forces that are applied, which intend to replicate an intruder attack using nail bars.

Up to five, three minute manipulation attack tests are then carried out, where a craft knife is used to cut through the PVCu, in an attempt to expose the hinges, locks and cams. A choice of nail bars, flat head screwdrivers or paint scrapers are used to try to break or release the locking points, again simulating a manual attack. A further three minute manual attack is also made with a craft knife in an attempt to cut through the bead and free up the glass. Watching the severe ruthlessness of these attacks makes you appreciate the qualities and strength of PVCu windows and doors when the appropriate hardware, furniture and fixings are used.

When testing our doors, they were also subjected to soft body and hard body impact tests. The objective of the soft body test is to assess the door assembly’s resistance to impacts using a soft body – a pendulum fall of a leather spherical bag of approximately 350mm diameter filled with dry sand to a total mass of 30kg.Three impacts are conducted at three points, which simulates a body charge or an intruder kicking the door.

The hard body impact is to assess the hardware, infill and its retention system to a series of hard body impacts by the pendulum fall of a cylindrical steel block having a mass of 50kg. Three impacts are made on the lock cylinder when fitted, at each corner of the leaf, on the door leaf at each locking point, on the door leaf at each hinge point, on a midrail, if fitted, at the centre of non-glass infill mediums and at each corner of the infill. Should panels be present, each corner and the centre of panels are also impacted. The whole purpose of this test is to simulate an unwanted visitor attacking with a sledgehammer.

When it comes to our doors PAS 24 security hardware and cylinder tests the objective of this test is to assess the door furniture, hardware and cylinder resistance to a 10 minute overall manual attack. The total time of each attack shall not exceed 3 minutes and consists of several activities where there is an attempt to remove, dislodge or otherwise gain access to the cylinder by attacking any item protecting the cylinder, attempting to break or defeat the cylinder by applying a twisting or bending force orif access to the internal workings of the hardware, cylinder or lock is gained, then attempt to defeat the lock and gain access by operating any accessible mechanism. An attempt is also made to screw a self-cutting traction screw into any part of the exposed cylinder and then try to break and defect the cylinder by employing force to the screw.

A standard cylinder can be bumped, snapped or drilled in a matter of seconds and after all the brutality of all the locking and hinge point attacks, it becomes quite futile when access can be gained easily and very quickly when using an inadequate cylinder. Every component, whether its on a door or a window, has to do the job and serve the purpose it there to do – prevent intrusion.

Let’s just say the PAS 24 mechanical and physical attacks leave windows and doors in a sorry state, but with the right hardware they will hold firm against the ruthless nature of the attacks. That’s why our research and development process is so important. From profile design and indicative testing through to collaboration with the supply team, to ensure the right components are used, and where required, profile specific. I must emphasise that fixings are so very important and imperative to a good performing window or door when under attack! There’s no point in having the best hardware and components if you’re not using the correct fixings to ensure that it cannot be manipulated or eased out of place when under attack. That’s why we here at Selecta don’t believe it should be referred to as just a window, door or piece of plastic. To Selecta it will always be that precision engineered product.

Selecta Systems Marketing Manager, Mark Walker, talks about the use of digital marketing and on-line platforms as a way of being customer ready; in the event of consumer demand starting to cool and when the market starts to become more ‘competitive’.

After two years of consumer demand at levels not seen for many years, we ultimately see ourselves heading in to 2022 and beyond speculating how this and next year will possibly pan out. Taking in to consideration that the last couple of years has been fraught by supply chain issues and rising costs, it has remained a challenging, yet prosperous time for many involved in our industry.

Whilst this demand has been welcomed, investment in marketing and support may have been put on the back burner. I’ve always said it’s very easy to fall into the trap that when business is good, some may think you don’t need to invest in your marketing and customer support. I believe that it is probably the perfect time to invest for the future good of the business and customers. It’s certainly far tougher and more costly to market and build your business and brand, to generate new and maintain existing business, in bad times than it is in good times. So how well prepared are we all if and when consumer demand does start to cool?

What has been made very clear is that customer service, support and care is as important as ever, irrespective of how good a products qualities are. Investment in these areas are key to not only maintaining existing business, but also attracting future business once the market becomes more competitive.

What is now apparent, is that we are now well and truly entrenched in the digital age and these last couple of years has undoubtedly transformed buying habits. Enhanced websites, interactive product designers and ordering systems, lead generation tools, customer support portals and social media presence are now more of a must, than just fancy like-to-have luxuries. Digital marketing and on-line solutions should undeniably form part of any forward-thinking businesses marketing plans. There is now a more distinct prerequisite to focus on the whole customer experience and support mechanisms, to be able to fully ‘connect’ with a customers journey.

A key digital marketing strategy and plan is currently underway to take Selecta marketing and customer support to a whole new level. Firstly, a new revamped and fresh Selecta Systems website is on its way, being responsive, informative and easy to navigate. This will be supported by a completely new homeowners website, full of consumer based information and a Find a Fabricator / Installer function, a simple and effective lead generation tool for our customers.

On average 20-25 homeowner leads per week are currently captured on our existing Selecta website, of which are passed on to customers. The new websites lead generation capture and reporting functions will provide a far more slicker and sleeker platform for consumers, whilst the planned homeowner inspired digital marketing campaigns will push further traffic to the website. There are also arrangements for further website and on-line add-ons to enhance the homeowner experience and support our customers further, with the intention of generating additional sales leads.

There are also plans in place to ‘stay connected’ with the Selecta customer base, with our on-line customer support portal, Connect, which is accessible through our website undergoing a major upgrade with a host of new features that will further support, expand and improve the customer experience. At Selecta, our focus has always been on providing a personal and extensive customer service and support package, whilst being able to go above and beyond competitors capabilities. By being independently and family owned, the Selecta structure has always allowed for greater flexibility than the majority of other systems companies. Combining this with the advancements in digital technology and on-line support, we are confident of providing the perfect mix to support and enhance the whole customer journey.

In a series of ‘behind the scenes’ features we explore the inner workings of PVCu window and door systems company, Selecta Systems. In our first feature, Extrusion Manager, Kevin Smith, provides us with an engaging insight into the extrusion process, starting with material mixing through to the extrusion process, inspection and testing.

To some it’s just a window or a door. To a few it’s just a piece of plastic. To Selecta Systems it’s a precision engineered product! A product that undergoes a cycle of meticulous processes, a sequence of inspections, a series of rigorous internal and external tests to ensure it complies with a comprehensive range of standards and regulations – this is where the window and door journey starts.

From Powder to Plastic

So, what is PVCu or uPVC as it is often referred to? PVCu is Poly Vinyl Chloride, which is a lightweight and yet robust type of plastic used in consumer goods. The “u” stands for un-plasticised, meaning that the plastic isn’t softened in the manufacturing process, thus ensuring its strength is maintained. So how do we go from a raw material powder to a fully formed and robust window or door profile?

Bulk tanker deliveries of lead-free raw materials arrive on site on a daily basis in the form of resins, stabilisers, impact modifiers etc. and are pumped into large storage silos and holding stations, where material is accurately weighed to Selectas formulation. Each raw material delivery is QC checked and tested to ensure that it is to our material specification, before acceptance.

The PVCu “ingredients” and ratios used in the extrusion of the Selecta window and door products are specific to a tried and tested Selecta formula and colour. The precise proportions of resin, stabilisers and modifiers are transferred in to what is effectively a large “mixing bowl”, a high speed mixer. The computerised system allocates the volumes and blends the various raw material ingredients to the Selecta formula. QC checks are carried out every two hours and automated monitoring ensures the consistency of the Selecta formulation. The blended mix is assigned to a silo and recorded for traceability purposes, with all the production processes controlled and managed via the ISO 9001 quality management system.

A window or door profile section tool consists of a main die and a sequence of tooling calibrators, whilst the extrusion machine is split in to sections, the die head, calibrator and cooling section, haul off, saw centre and tilt table, with each carrying out a particular process during the extrusion of profile. The start up of a new profile section run begins with the extrusion machine set to the specification of the master setting sheet for that specific profile section. Dependant on the extrusion machine there are approximately thirteen temperature zones within the head of the machine and die zone, each are set to a specific temperature to aid the gelation of the dry blend. Each profile section has specific settings for screw speeds, line speeds, pressure, vacuums etc. within the set up of a new run.

Once fine-tuned and set-up, the dry blend of PVCu material is pumped in to the head of the extrusion machine from the silo, which in turn via the heat in the machine head and die zones, softens the material in to a PVCu gel. This softened PVCu gel is then forced through the tooling die to form the profile shape. The warm and soft PVCu profile section then goes through a series of calibration dies to maintain the profile shape, whilst chilled water is sprayed over the profile during the cooling process.

An underground water chamber holding thousands of gallons of water, pumps water to the extrusion machines via large chillers, which ensures that the water is preserved to a set temperature. The water is regularly checked for bacterial growth and an automated system douses chemicals in to the water chamber to maintain a safe closed loop water system.

Once cooled inside the seven-metre-long calibrator and cooling chambers, the profile sections rubber gasket is co-extruded in to the gasket channel and the profile section is printed upon, every one metre, with the company name, reference to standard EN 12608-1, our climatic zone classification, our resistance to impact by falling mass classification, wall thickness classification, product code, date and shift identification. This aids traceability of the profile section throughout it’s journey.

The next stage is the haul off, which is reminiscent of two large tank tracks, that pulls the profile along the extrusion machine before the protective tape is applied and the computerised saw cuts the section at six metres before hitting the tilt table for packing.

During the profile sections journey along the thirty-metre-long extrusion machine, on-line dimensional, operational and visual QC checks are carried out and recorded every couple of lengths. QC lab checks are carried out every two hours of extrusion, with full dimensional, colour and operational checks with associated profiles, reinforcements, accessories and ancillaries.

Upon the start-up and then every two days of a profile sections production run, physical property tests are carried out within the QC lab. This consists of a series of tests that simulate adverse climatic effects to ensure that the profile section continues to perform to a high standard when subject to these extremities.

To simulate extreme cold conditions, cold impact testing consists of ten profile section samples cut to 300mm and conditioned to -10ᵒc for a minimum of 1hr. Selecta, condition sections above the requirements with the freezer set to -13ᵒc and for a minimum of 2 hrs. Each one of the ten samples is taken out the freezer, once conditioned, and placed in a jig where a 1kg weight is dropped on the profile section from 1.5m in height. If the sample breaks, it fails and if the weight ‘bounces’ off, it passes. This is done for the ten samples and recorded. The test simulates a cold winters night / day and the consequence of an object making contact with the profile section.

Two further QC lab tests are carried out, one for determination of appearance (heat ageing) after exposure at 150ᵒc and determination of heat reversion. The latter determines the deterioration of a profile section after three 250mm section samples are placed in a conditioned oven at 100ᵒc for a minimum of one hour. The reversion, or deterioration, is measured as a percentage change of the final length relative to the initial length.

If a failure is identified, stock is quarantined and an investigation is carried out in to the root cause of the failure, corrective and preventive actions applied to ensure the issue doesn’t happen again. Passed profile is packed within stillages and transferred to the storage warehouse, ready for order picking.

All of the extrusion processes and QC testing is carried out in accordance with our product Kitemark licence, standard BS EN 12608-1:2016 and our ISO 9001 Quality Management System requirements. Company processes, procedures and testing are externally audited by British Standards Institute (BSi) every 6 months, with further audit test sampling carried out at BSi UKAS accredited labs based on the same criteria. There’s so much more to the whole extrusion process, going from that initial powdered raw material to PVCu window or door profile section. This behind-the-scenes feature will give those of you who are unfamiliar with the process, a quick overview and insight in to the methods and practices involved. It’s not just a window or door or a piece of plastic to Selecta. It is that precision engineered product that we envisaged from the start.

The Selecta success story continues to go from strength-to-strength with record numbers across all areas of the business. Sales Director, Andy Green, talks about the ‘winning formula’ at Selecta and the huge opportunities of being part of the UK’s only independent, family owned and award winning PVCu systems company.

As newly crowned winners of PVC Company 2021 at the National Fenestration Awards, we are extremely proud to be recognised by our industry peers for our achievements, especially after what has been a demanding 18 months for everyone in the industry. It’s our third win at the much-coveted awards ceremony, after picking up Systems Company in 2017 and PVC Company in 2018.

This is even more gratifying when you consider it was a year fraught by supply chain issues and rising costs with 2021 certainly being a challenging, yet prosperous year for many involved in our industry. With consumer demand at levels not seen for many years, it has pushed many of a business to their limits and beyond.

Indeed, Selecta have been caught up in the torment of supply chain issues. However, I believe we have come out of this far more quickly and respectfully than the majority in the industry, in-turn making us stronger, more focused and determined to continue to provide not just a quality range of products, but also a first-class service and personal support package to our customers.

Quality, reliability and trustworthiness have and continue to be of paramount importance to ourselves, just as they are to our customers, when we talk about the products, services and support of which we provide. It’s definitely a winning formula and one we have honed and personally developed with our customers over a number of years. It is often said we go above and beyond on what other systems companies do, but it is what we do and again that is down to the flexibility, knowledge and longstanding experience within the business.

During our record-breaking year, we have grasped the opportunity with both hands to bring forward our expansion and growth plans with new silo’s, extrusion machines, lamination machine and delivery vehicles, coupled with a staff recruitment drive. These investments demonstrate our ongoing commitment to our customers and employees, or Selecta family as they are fondly referred to. These kind of expansion and growth plans are a big statement to the industry as a whole and clearly shows our intent to support and grow with our customers.

From a marketing support perspective, 2021 saw Selecta broaden our focus on furthering our personal customer and marketing support package. Our flexible and engaging approach to providing a personalised marketing support package has been greeted with great positivity, with more customers than ever taking advantage of our free graphic design service for re-branding, logos, flyers and vehicle graphics.

To support this even further, we have some very exciting plans well underway to stay ‘connected’ with our customers in 2022 and we are confident of taking our service and support package to a completely new level. For us, winning PVC Company 2021 at the National Fenestration Awards has certainly put the icing on the cake, as we look back on a record year at Selecta. We’re certainly looking forward to a positive 2022, where we will be celebrating 40 years of helping fabricators build and grow their businesses!

It seems that many companies are adopting ‘new’ strap lines and hashtags around new-found sets of values and a fresh company ethos in light of the current pandemic and industry plight. Selecta Systems Sales Director, Andy Green, talks about the strong and longstanding values and ethos of the family-owned business, that has become characteristic of Selecta and have really shone during recent events whilst also standing the test of time.

Over the last 12 months or so we have seen the way we live change considerably, with almost every person having to adjust and become accustomed to the new living conditions. The same can also be said of how many have had to do business and communicate. It does, however, seem that it has taken a pandemic and an industry boom, during which the industry has suffered material and product shortages, for a number of companies to react and actually realise that customer care, complete customer support and the whole customer experience are just as important as the product and services of which they provide.

When we opened up and shared our #bepartofthefamily company ethos at the beginning of 2016 it was both bold and unique as a systems company, especially as we were within an industry where large investors and investment groups had taken control of system houses. We were and continue to be the only UK based, independently and family owned PVCu profile systems company, something we are extremely proud of, especially when you consider how many systems companies have fallen by the wayside over the last twenty years.

This valuable and focused message has allowed us to lift the lid on the Selecta ethos and company values, connecting with the industry as the friendly, approachable and caring company who are more flexible and accommodating than the competition. The clear message being that customers become ‘part of the family’ and not just another number on the books. This whole family ethos is ingrained within the business, with longstanding, knowledgeable and experienced staff looking after those that choose to be part of the journey and more importantly the family.

Providing a personal and unrivalled customer care and support package has always been an integral part of Selecta’s culture with the approachable and flexible nature of the business being fundamental in our recent success, especially over the last 12 months or so. Sales records have continued to be broken, with March recording our strongest sales ever and new customer numbers exceeding all expectations.

It is often said we go above and beyond on what other systems companies do, but it is what we do and again that is down to the flexibility, knowledge and vast experience within the business. You deal with the ‘doers’ on a daily basis and decisions can be made quickly without a large board of directors and shareholders breathing down your neck. All-in-all, what I am trying to say is that Selecta have always been customer care driven, approachable and supportive to our customer base, one big family and the recent events haven’t changed that stance. With some now adding the ‘family’ hashtag into their communications, we haven’t had to change our family ethos and values during these challenging times for all. It is like we got it right, right from the start. In fact, here we are some five and a half years on from sharing our #bepartofthefamily ethos and values with the industry and it is a message that now seems even more stronger and pertinent than ever before.

The developments in door design, over the last few years, have truly whet the appetite of the homeowner as they seek to improve the versatility and kerb appeal of their home. Selecta Systems Marketing Manager, Mark Walker, describes how the advancement in doors has led to them becoming more of a lifestyle choice and design statement.

What we should remember, first and foremost, is that an entrance door to any home has to serve three main purposes; to act as a welcome to the homeowner, family and friends, to keep unwanted visitors out and also to protect the property from inclement weather. However, homeowners are now looking for more from their doors, with greater expectations on styles and colours, as they look to not only enhance kerb appeal, improve the space and light in their home, but they also need to fit in with the homeowners lifestyle.

The events of the last 18 months or so has certainly demonstrated this, as the home and garden improvement boom gripped the nation. With restrictions on movement and more time spent within the home, people have been paying more attention to their property, spending more time in their gardens and it has generally changed the way they live. There is certainly more of an appreciation of the home and garden as homeowners look to add that ‘wow’ factor to their home or garden improvement project.

One of the greatest appeals of modern doors, on top of improved security and thermal performance, is colour choice. This has now given homeowners the opportunity to create a bespoke entrance to their home or garden that sits comfortably into the style, period and location of their property. So, whether it’s a classic Chartwell Green, Cream or wood grained effect or a modern Anthracite Grey, Black or smooth effect, there’s a comprehensive colour palette now available to blend into their home and make a style or design statement.

Homeowners have also a newfound desire to create a glass wall and panoramic view they are proud of and comfortable to live with – almost becoming a lifestyle choice. The opportunity to open up their living space and create large glazed walls is appealing, particularly when extending properties or when looking to open up the home to the outdoors.

The popularity of garden rooms, garden offices, summer houses and the proverbial man-cave have increased during these times as homeowners make use of their garden space, whether for work, relaxation or entertaining purposes. The style, colour and design of doors chosen during these projects vary in how the space is used and depending on its purpose and style. Speaking from a personal level, I’ve also caught the home and garden improvement bug! I’ve added my own man-cave / pub shed to my garden, where I installed our Advance 70 Anthracite Grey French doors to my build, providing me with a secure, thermally efficient and elegant entrance to my project.

So, whether it’s standard single leaf and French doors, sliding panoramic patio, bi-fold or Selecta’s EASi-FOLD doors, it now means that the type of door you choose can now be an integral part of your everyday life, be a design statement and add that elusive ‘wow’ factor to your home or garden build. With all these latest developments in doors, they are no longer seen as just an entrance to your property or build. They’ve become more than just a door. A chic choice to fit in with your newfound lifestyle, a security option to protect their family and home and an astute decision to improve energy performance and reduce energy bills. Modern doors are now a product that the fashion and technical conscious consumer is ready to invest in, open up their living space and create that grand entrance to their home or garden build.

Selecta Systems Marketing Manager, Mark Walker, talks about how on-line interaction, sales and social media engagement have soared in recent months and the necessity to adapt marketing and communication strategies and plans to suit the current climate.

Over the last 12 months or so we have seen the way we live change considerably with almost every person having to adjust and become accustomed to the new living conditions. The same can also be said of how we have all had to do business and communicate. Those that have and do adapt are the ones who seem to have had the best chance of retaining and picking up new business in the future. Movement restrictions have seen a boom in on-line interaction, video and social media engagement and so, can any business afford not to have these form part of their current marketing strategy and plans?

With our industry experiencing a boom, some may proclaim to be ‘too busy’ to market their business, communicate and build their online and social media presence, but surely now is the ideal time to market yourselves and not sit back. Why not demonstrate your success via social media and grow your future potential audience and customer base? And improve your communication and support channels with your existing customer base? It’s certainly far tougher and more costly to market your business and brand, to generate new and maintain existing business, in bad times than it is in good times. Building your reputation and putting in solid foundations during those good times will prove vital when and if bad times hit.

For me, it’s very easy to fall into the trap, when business is good, to think you don’t need to invest in marketing, when in fact it’s the ideal time to invest for the future good of the business. Think of all those businesses over the last 12 months that have been extremely successful throughout the pandemic. Have the likes of Amazon and your large supermarket chains reduced their marketing presence and yet they have been seen as essential and used by millions on a daily basis. They’ve continued to communicate and have a marketing presence to their customer base.

At Selecta, we have worked tirelessly behind the scenes and adapted our sales, marketing and communication strategies and plans, to both existing and potential customers. Regular communication updates have been sent to existing customers regarding coronavirus restrictions, business updates and industry news to ensure that every customer is fully up to date with the latest information. These have been communicated through email, post and Connect, our on-line support centre, which has been an invaluable source of information. Social media platforms and our website have continued to be important routes of communicating with everyone outside of the business.

With our Business Development Managers and Technical Engineers working remotely for the majority of the last 12 months, extended support has come from the internal team to offer alternative support and service solutions. For me, nothing beats traditional face-to-face interaction, but the extended use of phone, video and email communication with existing and potential customers, have been the perfect solution to combat the enforced restrictions of which we have all faced. Taking advantage of the technology that we have at our fingertips has been essential and smartphones have been an invaluable piece of armoury during these times.

Continued support has been offered through our marketing team, to assist our customer base, with social media and website support, branding and promotions with our free to use graphic design service proving very popular. We have also introduced a brand-new Marketing Support brochure for our customers, which includes a guide on promoting your business on social media and a series of do’s and don’ts for social media management and how Selecta can assist those who are unsure where to start.

The new Marketing Support brochure also provides customers with a comprehensive insight into our range of marketing support materials and services, from brochures and point of sale materials to our free to use graphic design service.

Increased market presence and communication have certainly been very important to both ourselves and our customers in this period of crisis, albeit abnormally a successful crisis. Our marketing and communication strategies, over the last 12 months, have certainly seen ourselves evolve and grow stronger as a business, continue that close bond with our customer base, whilst still being able to remain true to our roots. We continue to pride ourselves on being able to provide a personal and unrivalled service and support package, for whoever chooses to #bepartofthefamily, through both the good and bad times.

The number of PVCu window and door fabricators operating within the UK has seen a steady decline over the last few years and with it the emergence of the ‘super’ fabricator. Nevertheless, the number of window and door installation businesses has increased, with a surge in small installation businesses. However, Selecta Systems Sales Director, Andy Green, has seen a change in this pattern emerge over the last couple of years or so, as he explains.

We’ve all had to adapt in some way within our personal and business lives over the last 12 months, as we were all confronted with the damaging and heart-breaking effects of a global pandemic. From our industry point of view, we have prospered heavily with a newfound boom in the home improvement market. This in turn has generated its own issues, with our industries supply chain coming under severe pressure, owing to the increase in demand and the knock-on effects of the pandemic and Brexit.

Although recent times have been good, from a business perspective, there have been some high-profile casualties within our industry over the course of the last 12 months. There have been large trade fabricators and profile systems suppliers whose business models were insufficient to see them through these times. Casualties like these have increased the pressure on the supply chain as the home improvement boom continues.

What is interesting is that Selecta have seen an increase in both installers and new businesses moving into fabrication, with the clear reasoning from installers being, to ‘take back control’ of their business, whilst others have seen it as an opportunity to benefit from the increased interest in consumer demand.

The rationale behind this ‘taking back control’ spate has been clear and concise. Installers have recognised that ‘buying in’ manufactured products removes control over the fabrication, quality and service provided by the trade supplier and any vendor failings can significantly affect their installation businesses reputation. Being almost at the end of the supply chain has had its issues and so taking out the ‘middleman’ has been seen as a positive step forward for some.

We appreciate that in these times there has been increased pressures on delivery timescales, but these time and resource pressures can also extend to poorly and incorrectly fabricated products causing installation headaches of which they have no control over. These have damaging knock on effects to their installation business, not only their reputation, but also on the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations.

There’s nothing worse for installers than booking in a job, their customer having time off work and then having issues where the product hasn’t arrived or damaged during transit or when there are mechanical and fabrication problems, when fitting on site. There are certainly issues that may not be able to be resolved by the installation company, whereas it is seen that if they were fabricating, they have the opportunity to apply their own corrective actions. More importantly they see having greater control over what goes out the door and when as a key factor in moving in to fabrication. As for manufacturing and delivery timescales, the philosophy seems to be why wait when you can fabricate?

I’m not saying this is the case everywhere for trade fabrication companies, as there are a lot of quality fabricators businesses providing a first-class service, but we have certainly seen an increase in installers wanting to be in control of their own destiny. We have also seen an increase in other construction-based businesses looking at diversifying their businesses and start fabricating. Selecta have a strong and successful history of setting up fabricators and fabrication facilities from scratch and assisting in all aspects of the process from layout and floor plan design to full blown training, with your own personal technician making the transition as smooth as possible.

Window and Door Fabricators

Whether you’re a fabricator or installer, our aim at Selecta is always to provide a service and support package that suits everyone, from sales to delivery, technical to marketing. We have an extensive range of retail and trade-based marketing brochures, literature and sales videos, whilst providing a free to use graphic design service for all your branding and marketing material requirements.

There is further back up from our four strong team of technical engineers, whom have a wealth of industry fabrication and installation experience and provide a personal and first-rate technical support service for you and your business.

With the Advance 70 System now firmly recognised as one of the leading and most versatile window and door profile systems, whether you are fabricating, installing or both, you can be sure of a quality and comprehensive range of window and door solutions at your disposal. It is vitally important whether you’re a fabricator, installer or both that you have, not only the right window and door profile system, but also the right supplier that can service and support you and your business during the good and bad times. This I believe is essential in building a successful business partnership. That’s why fabricators are choosing our Advance 70 System and Selecta, as they become #partofthefamily

Selecta Systems Marketing Manager, Mark Walker, talks about how on-line sales and social media engagement have soared in recent months and it’s become more apparent that having a marketing plan for on-line presence should form a vital part of every businesses marketing strategy – especially social media.

Recent events have seen the way we live change considerably with almost every person having to adjust and adapt to the new living conditions. The same can also be said of how we have all had to do business. Those that have and do adapt will be the ones who will have the best chance of retaining and picking up new business. Movement restrictions have seen a boom in on-line sales and social media engagement and so, can any business afford not to have these form part of their current marketing strategy and plans?

Let’s start with one simple fact: your business needs a social media presence! A bold statement I agree, but social media is a very cost-effective form of advertisement that allows you to directly engage with customers, promote your brand and demonstrate your excellence and expertise within your field. It doesn’t matter if you run a small local fabricator / installation business or a big national company, social media should be an essential piece of your business marketing strategy.

Social media platforms help you connect with your customers, increase awareness about your brand and boost your sales leads and sales. With more than three billion people around the world now using social media, it’s no passing trend with Facebook, YouTube and Instagram leading the way for users.

What you might not know is that you’re ready to get your company’s social media off the ground right now. You don’t need to know every intimidating buzzword or have the magic number of followers. In fact, you can get started immediately and even enjoy yourself in the process! If people don’t know about your business, they can’t become your customers. Social media boosts your visibility among potential customers, letting you reach a wide audience and it’s free to create a business profile on all major social media platforms.

With customers becoming increasingly savvier and more discerning about businesses they support, customers are now more likely to do a quick search to browse your website and social media platforms before making a decision. It’s at this point where your have that opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, services and brand to the shrewd customer.

There are a host of social media platforms out there and each one has its own unique way of engagement. Showing your latest projects and transformations, quirky videos of products or simple hints and tips, demonstrate knowledge, skills and services and encourage engagement through your posts. You can get a lot of value for your money with social media as most are free. You can pay for demographic and geographic advertising to target a particular audience, but there are plenty of opportunities for you to grow your social media presence organically by posting engaging content and offering incentives to share, like or follow.

I recently had a conversation with one of our local customers and they were saying that their engagement on their Facebook page had increased by over 1000% over the last couple of months and that a host of leads and eventual sales were coming in on the back of just a few simple posts demonstrating ‘before and after’ shots of recently completed installations. This was a customer who had previously not really engaged with or used social media as a form of advertising prior to the lockdown, but with the restrictions in place they utilised the platform as a way of increasing awareness of their products, services and skills and more importantly that they were operating in some capacity.

Since I had that initial conversation it has been a similar story with many customers and so, on the back of this, I started on creating and introducing a brand new 16 page Marketing Support brochure, which incidentally has 4 pages dedicated to having a social media presence. Enclosed is a guide on promoting your business on social media and a series of do’s and don’ts for social media management and how Selecta can assist those who are unsure where to start.

The new Marketing Support brochure also provides you with a comprehensive insight into our range of marketing support materials and services, from brochures and point of sale materials to our free to use graphic design service. We pride ourselves on providing a personal and unrivalled service and support package and the brochure endorses this.

As for social media, it’s a great source of marketing and customer engagement if done right. It’s a chance to show your personality too, so don’t be afraid to add humour, but make sure it’s in good taste. Social media can be your company voice, just as your website is your shop window. Let people hear and see what you can do. Show off your products, services and skills. Develop your reputation as a responsive, caring brand by offering support through social channels. Reach out to your customers. There are plenty of customers out there waiting to hear from you.