John Fredericks Plastics agrees sole supply deal with Reynaers
John Fredericks Plastics has agreed a partnership deal with Reynaers Aluminium to become its sole supplier of aluminium windows and doors, following an increase in demand from its customers for high quality engineered aluminium doors systems.
The partnership comes after a year of discussions between the two companies and substantial investment by John Fredericks in a new factory and recruitment of staff dedicated to manufacturing its new aluminium products. The new site is a stone’s throw from the existing Huddersfield site which manufactures a range of PVC-U window and door products.
Mark Dicconson, Managing Director of John Fredericks Plastics, said: “We’ve been around for 52 years and, although we did historically manufacture aluminium, we switched to PVC-U. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen our customers’ interest in aluminium grow substantially, partly as a result of the many ‘Grand Design’ type TV programmes that highlight the use of it in residential projects.
“When we spoke to our customers, they were quite specific that they wanted something more unique, that was of superior quality and offered excellent value for money. Reynaers has a well-respected brand reputation in the industry and the products that we were specifically interested in – bi-fold and patio door systems – provide a contemporary finish that also has great thermal and energy efficiency rating,. whilst offering the end user a high-quality product at an affordable price. Over the past year, we found a second factory site about a mile from our PVC-U factory, and recruited staff with a background in aluminium manufacturing, and invested in top quality state of the art machinery. We’ve also installed the ReynaPro software so we’re able to start production straight away.
“Initially we will be fabricating two of Reynaers’ most popular patio doors – the Concept Patio 130 Lift and Slide system and Concept Folding 68 Bifold Door. We will expand the range of aluminium products to include windows soon, so customers can enjoy a wide choice of high-quality, performance products. My plan is that our aluminium will grow to represent around a third of our PVC-U business.”
Terry Ledwith, head of trade and retail sales at Reynaers, has been coordinating the partnership discussions and supporting John Fredericks throughout the onboarding process. He said: “The cost and availability of resin is having a significant impact on the price of PVC-U and closing the price-gap between PVC-U and aluminium. If you experience the look and feel of aluminium and the way that Reynaers’ systems operate, you will soon appreciate why aluminium is rapidly becoming the material of choice for discerning homeowners. John Fredericks is a well-established supplier and has an excellent reputation for supplying high- quality products through a national network of installers with a strong commitment to customer service. We’re delighted to have them as a new customer and Reynaers be their sole supplier of aluminium products.”
