Sash Window Industry

Mike Derham, Managing Director of Mighton Products, a sash window hardware specialist supplying and developing solutions for the window industry, looks at the trends and markets for timber windows in the UK. There is a positive mood in the timber window market, with recent research from the British Woodworking Federation (BWF)*1 showing that 71% of timber window manufacturers surveyed predict a 10% sales increase year on year to March 2006. The timber frame trade is certainly more buoyant than its PVC-U counterpart, as the market for plastic casement replacements approaches saturation. Some in the industry believe that timber manufacturers will experience the same downturn as PVC-U companies, with replacements being adversely affected overall. Some say that a 10% increase in sales between September 2004 - March 2005 and this year, is of little consolation when last year’s baseline was disappointingly low. But, others predict a timber window renaissance, with customers opting for an authentic appearance and functionality over low cost and property journalists, architects and an increasingly proactive green lobby promoting ‘wood for good’. Meet the demand With increased customer choice and awareness, many homeowners are now more discerning – and more demanding – about their purchases providing the ideal opportunity for high quality timber windows. Replacing windows twenty or thirty years ago was about getting value for money and achieving the best available practical solution. Twenty first century replacements are more often about style, quality and added value. But, after 30 years of property inflation, complementing the character of a building is now higher up the priority list than getting the back windows done for the same price as the front. Customers’ economic considerations go further than short-term promotions; put in the wrong window and the property value is reduced. Once that message sank in homeowners took note. Meeting customers’ expectations today means meeting new building regulations on energy efficiency, security and noise pollution and proving sustainable wood sources. Sourcing and selling windows has never been so complex. Increased choices may result in a more difficult buying decision, but it also creates new opportunities. The more people want, the more we have to make available. If customers can find exactly what they want, the happier they are to pay for it. Of course price is important. With PVC-U discounted to the point of deflation, the timber market with relatively higher costs has to compete at a different level. But there’s nothing wrong in being a premium brand if it is justified with high quality products and services. For the customer, a slightly higher cost in product can be set against the potential uplift in property values. Alternative remedy Timber windows, like their plastic counterparts have come a long way since the seventies when the replacement market first took off. Now with a new generation of replacements, there’s the opportunity to step in and offer a natural product alternative.

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