Homeowners want more choice in colour and finish than ever before. For fabricators, delivering that choice efficiently can be the difference between winning profitable work and walking away from it. That’s why Deceuninck’s single bar length supply model is proving such a powerful advantage.
From flush sash heritage installations to contemporary smooth matt finishes, foiled products have given fabricators and installers a platform to sell at a premium, increase margins and give homeowners greater freedom of choice.
It’s defined the market, with Deceuninck’s own homeowner research consistently reinforcing the importance of aesthetics in residential sales, with 75% of homeowners saying colour influences their purchasing decisions for windows and doors.
The challenge for fabricators has traditionally been balancing that demand for choice against the operational realities of stocking foiled profile.
Ordering specialist colours often meant committing to full pack quantities, sometimes 36m or 72m per profile depending on the foil. That tied up cash, consumed warehouse space and created pressure to recover costs on relatively small orders.
“We don’t believe in forcing the hand of our customers or holding a gun against their head so that they have to buy complete packs.
“We want to offer them access to as flexible a service as possible - including offering them single bar length options.
“No one wants unused packs tying up their cash. Especially in the current climate.
“Supplying single bar length gives our customers complete flexibility and keeps their cash working for them”, says Darren Woodcock, General Manager, Deceuninck.
Instead of committing to bulk stockholding, Deceuninck’s offer allows fabricators to order exactly what they need for a specific project, including specialist colours and premium finishes, all on rapid lead times.
“We know that the market is tough. Lead times are really important in retail in helping installers get orders across the line”, continues Darren. “That in turn is putting pressure on fabricators to turn round product quickly.
“The flexibility to order product with no minimum order quantities is important in getting those jobs won, without having to commit to hold large volumes of product in your yard and with it, cash.”
A Broader Colour Offer, Without The Risk
Deceuninck currently offers more than 30 colourways from stock, with additional colours available on fast turnaround times.
Its growing premium range now also includes the Continental Conti Mattex collection, featuring finishes including Beige Grey, Shine Beige, Shine Dark Graphite, Green Grey and Turner Malt Oak.
The ultra-matt appearance of Conti Mattex closely replicates powder-coated aluminium, creating opportunities for fabricators to offer more architectural and design-led products while retaining the fabrication advantages of PVC-U.
Critically, fabricators can access those finishes without minimum order quantities. That means they can confidently offer a much broader palette of colours, including niche and specialist finishes, without carrying excess stock or building unnecessary complexity into their operation.
Case In Point: Rapid Windows
Rapid Windows is one company already seeing the benefits of the model in practice.
It switched to Deceuninck after finding traditional bulk ordering on foiled profile restrictive and commercially frustrating.
“We’ve always been stung with having to order between 36m and 72m pack quantities, depending on the foil,” explained Sam Hewitt, Operations Director at Rapid Windows.
“Someone might want just one door and a window in a particular colour, but we would have to order 36m of each individual profile, meaning we’ve then got a load of stock sitting on the shelves.”
By moving to Deceuninck’s single bar length supply, Rapid transformed how it approached colour sales.
“It’s enabled us to cost-effectively manufacture the more obscure window and door colours that we’ve never been able to before,” adds Sam.
Supporting A More Agile Fabrication Model
Ordering profile specifically against confirmed contracts improves stock control, reduces waste and allows fabricators to operate more efficiently. Warehouse space can be used more effectively, while purchasing becomes more closely aligned to live production requirements.
That operational agility is especially valuable in a market where homeowner tastes continue to evolve quickly.
“We’re already seeing growing demand for softer greys, creams, heritage-inspired finishes and smooth matt foils as homeowners move away from more traditional colour choices”, continues Darren.
“That colour moves through our warehouse because we get the volume. For fabricators it could sit on their shelves indefinitely.
“If you throw in ancillaries, the loss of cash from your business in dead stock, can be staggering.”
Investment Paying Off
In addition to operating one of the UK’s most advanced extrusion and foiling operations, Deceuninck has made significant investment in stockholding to hold more than 4,000 product lines in stock. This includes profiles, trims and ancillaries across 140,000ft² of warehousing space.
A fully integrated online ordering platform gives fabricators live visibility of stock levels, lead times and order status in real time, with orders digitally picked and scanned on and off vehicles, helping to improve accuracy and traceability.
This investment in stockholding, manufacturing capability and digital infrastructure has also helped Deceuninck maintain an exceptionally strong OTIF sitting consistently above 98%.
“We want to give fabricators the confidence that we’ll get what they need to them when they need it. That’s fundamental to our wider offer.
“Our customers are in control of what they order and when, including individual lengths of foil. We won’t ever dictate what they have to buy.”
For more information call 01249 816 969, email
