We talk to Deceuninck Aluminium’s Sales Manager, Alex Holbrook, about how the Decalu range meets fabricators’ needs for efficiency and ease of manufacture.
Window fabricators have been encouraged to continue expanding their aluminium offering in the years following Covid, thanks to increased demand for higher-value products as homeowners pursue a modern aesthetic.
Since this shift to aluminium doesn’t replace the PVC-U market, managing stock and processes can become burdensome and expensive for fabricators. Deceuninck Aluminium’s Sales Manager Alex Holbrook believes.
“When window fabricators introduce a new profile material. The investment extends way beyond the initial outlay for machinery,” Alex says. “There is the added stock, added ancillaries, added hardware, and added processes – all of which can eat into the projected profitability that that fabricator was looking for. It is vital these are factored into the manufacturing process early in the project.”
Alex acknowledges that PVC-U window fabricators were responsible for broadening the reach of aluminium, and making it more accessible to more retail window companies and homeowners over the last 15-20 years, thanks to greater investment in automation, and a determination to bring down lead times.
“It has been something of a renaissance,” Alex concedes. “But as ranges expand, and fitters expect easy-to-install products, there is a greater focus on manufacturers to develop solutions. But these can create added costs that may reduce profitability.”
Deceuninck Aluminium Decalu range is modular, requiring just three components rather than up to eight or more with other systems. This is achieved by a single outer frame and sash with identical middle section and slim sightline profiles, fully integrated thermal insulation and the use of a co-extruded, pre-inserted gasket.
This modular approach allows for a significant reduction in stock holding, and means that Decalu is up to 40% quicker to manufacture than some competitor systems.
For the installer, the pre-inserted gasket allows them to glaze a sash in just a matter of minutes. Combined with two, 7mm fully adjustable jams that allow for 14mm of tolerance for out-of-square openings, it makes a huge difference in the amount of time it takes to complete an install.
“Decalu also comes in a marine grade finish, with dual colours, as standard,” Alex says. “Perfect for those sought-after exposed locations, or those near the coast. This is an initial win during the pitching process, and allows companies to build in extra margin.”
Decalu is also supplied in 16 specialist finishes designed to match colour ranges offered by Deceuninck through its PVC-U business, creating further opportunities for installers.
This has also been a big win for fabricators whose aluminium journey began by introducing the Decalu88 Bi-folding Door to their offer.
“It’s an 88mm front-to-back system, so it’s got a bigger thermal break than a lot of the other systems on the market, and it can take up to a 60mm triple-glazed sealed unit,” Alex says. “So, it’s a real winner when it comes to U-values.
“And the other reason installers like it is because it’s a slimmer sightline – 10mm slimmer than some other bi-folds on the market. Yet, it is still a heavy-duty door, so you can do much bigger, much wider and much taller panes.”
A common bifold size is 3.6m wide, which means many projects would require a four-pane door with most bifold systems. And the downside with a four-pane door is that you can’t have all the doors stacking the same way with a master door.
“And because a four-pane door costs more than a three-pane door, the beauty with the Decalu88, you can comfortably achieve 3.6m with a three-pane door, which is cheaper,” Alex says. “And you’ve not got the problem of having one door going one way and three doors going to the other.”
Many of these advantages rest on the heavy-duty roller system. So, you achieve a U-value of 1.0W/m2K with a 60mm triple glazed unit without worrying about the door dropping.
“And fabricators, once they were comfortable with the Decalu88 Bi-folding door, found they could easily expand their offering to include the Decalu163 Lift-and-Slide, and a complete range of casement, tilt-and-turn, fully reversible, steel-type heritage windows.”
This includes the new Decalu88 Flush Casement, which can achieve U-values as low as 0.8W/m2k – a Passivhaus equivalent level of performance – with a triple glazed unit. But it can also achieve U-values as low as 1.2W/m2k with a standard unit, which means it meets current new build regs without the uplift in cost or complexity of going to triple-glazing, and future-proofs the system in home improvement and retro-fit markets.
“Decalu was designed from the ground up, so thermal performance was built in,” Alex says. “Other profile suppliers are having to rethink their offering, while working with fundamentally outdated systems.
“This is another reason to choose Deceuninck Aluminium, because our designed-in efficiencies cascade down to easy, cost-effective manufacture, and a profitable install – which is key when targeting new markets.
For more information call 01249 816 969, email info@deceuninck.co.uk or visit www.deceuninckaluminium.co.uk
