January 2024
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Contract Fabricator Talk in Focus<br />
CUSTOMERS AT THE HEART<br />
Jay Patel, Director at G23 Fabricator of the Year, Everglade Windows, discusses winning<br />
awards, challenges and opportunities for the sector and striving to deliver for customers.<br />
Congratulations on your recent G23 Award<br />
wins! Why do you think the G23 judges chose<br />
you as Fabricator of the Year?<br />
We’ve been recognised as finalists in the<br />
Fabricator of the Year category for three years<br />
running, and while we never took home the<br />
trophy on those occasions, we continued to strive<br />
for greater innovation and evolution within the<br />
company – from our customer-centric mentality<br />
and our new trends-led products – and I think our<br />
efforts and how we help customers grow year-inyear-out<br />
shone through to the judges.<br />
Over the past three years, we have dedicated our<br />
time and resources to developing new cuttingedge<br />
products that are unlike our competitors,<br />
providing our customers with the very best<br />
service, and re-investing in ourselves to help our<br />
customers grow along with us.<br />
You also scooped the Customer Care Initiative<br />
award – how do you go the extra mile for your<br />
customers?<br />
Our entire ethos is centred around looking<br />
after our customers, and it has been that way<br />
for the past 43 years. Whether it’s our annual<br />
Trade Customer Conference, quarterly TECHtalk<br />
sessions, or our dedication to investing our time<br />
and resources into new product development, it’s<br />
apparent that our customers are the purpose of<br />
everything we do.<br />
If we look at Evolve23 – last year’s Conference<br />
– we not only used the event to launch our eight<br />
new products, but we also prioritised the day to<br />
give customers greater insight into the market<br />
and suggest ways in which they can get ahead of<br />
their competitors. On top of that, we gave away<br />
more than £12,500 worth of prizes to customers,<br />
and raised £5,600 for our local charity, St. Luke’s<br />
Hospice. We go the extra mile to not only provide<br />
them with valuable products and services, but we<br />
show them we care too.<br />
Jay Patel<br />
“Our entire ethos is<br />
centred around looking<br />
after our customers”<br />
What do the recent award wins mean for you –<br />
and your customers?<br />
Above anything, we see it as a testament to the<br />
relentless hard work our entire team puts into<br />
delivering certainty and outstanding products<br />
for our customers. We also hope that it is a<br />
reassurance to our customers that they are<br />
at the forefront of our minds when it comes<br />
to innovation and evolution, and that they are<br />
working alongside the best fabricator in the<br />
country.<br />
You’ve previously spoken about the pitfalls<br />
of competing on price. Can you elaborate<br />
please?<br />
We know that installers need to be able to buy<br />
products at a price that will still enable them<br />
to make a profit, and so for many it is a major<br />
factor. Competing on price at a surface level<br />
though is very easy, but when you take into<br />
consideration the difference in specification,<br />
customer and technical support available and<br />
the ease in delivery and installation, that’s when<br />
price becomes redundant.<br />
For us, we are very aware that we are not the<br />
cheapest option on the market, but what we offer<br />
in terms of quality is worth so much more and<br />
it will make an installer’s job so much easier.<br />
We have a network of like-minded customers<br />
who understand the quality of the products they<br />
are paying for, and are aligned with our way of<br />
thinking.<br />
How do you make sure you stand out against<br />
the competition, if price is out of the equation?<br />
When you take a closer look at the technical<br />
specifications of our products, you’ll find that they<br />
go way beyond many of the alternatives available.<br />
We know that price can be the determining factor<br />
for installers, but when you can deliver a product<br />
that is so technically enhanced, it often becomes<br />
a secondary consideration.<br />
If you take our aïr 180XLS Lift & Slide Door as an<br />
example, we are able to offer U-values from 0.8<br />
W/m 2 K, compared to 1.4 – 1.6 W/m 2 K, that you’ll<br />
find from a typical competitor. Plus, with ultra<br />
slim sightlines of 50mm, compared to the usual<br />
90-120mm, and panel sizes of 3m x 3.6m –<br />
compared to a typical competitor’s 2.4m x 2.4m<br />
– our performance is way beyond what other<br />
fabricators can offer installers.<br />
You’ve made some significant machinery<br />
investments in recent years. How are these<br />
investments benefitting your customers?<br />
Over the years, we have invested millions of<br />
pounds into our machinery, and we’re still making<br />
those investments today. Our latest addition, the<br />
Emmegi Quadra L2, which was installed in our<br />
manufacturing facility over the Christmas break<br />
has offered us a far more automated system.<br />
This means that on top of its ability to mill, drill<br />
and cut aluminium profiles up to 7.5m in length,<br />
it is also helping us meet the demand of our<br />
award-winning aluminium products, and deliver<br />
unique design specifications to our customers.<br />
It is also alleviating some of the pressure on<br />
our team, who are now able to spend more time<br />
ensuring that every window and door that leaves<br />
our factory is of the highest possible quality.<br />
26 T I JANUARY <strong>2024</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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