SECURITY DOORS AND WINDOWS
new business can build on the Crittall presence in the US, where it operates predominantly in the ‘the high net worth’ residential and educational sectors. We will need to undertake extensive research on both the similarities and differences between the regulations and product requirements in the UK and US mental health sectors.”
JB: “In the mental healthcare sector, where patient safety is a top priority, those specifying security windows etc presumably cannot ‘value engineer’ too much. How much pressure is put on you, for example, by main contractors, and by healthcare provider customers, to keep prices low, and how do you deal with such pressures?” GE: “This scenario has always existed. Clients often know what they want, but pressures on budgets often push the contractors to consider alternatives to the specified product, and in some cases, reduce steel windows to aluminium, and aluminium to plastic. Often NHS Trusts or private healthcare providers don’t fully understand or appreciate the implications for security and performance of such an approach, or have sufficient funds to spend in this area. Looking ahead, post the General Election, the level of Government funding for healthcare will either encourage or reduce value engineering as budgetary considerations impact.”
Crittall Fendor insists on supplying and installing using our own trained installation staff, and regular long-term sub-contractors, who are all trained by us to exacting standards
JB: “How important are having a reputation for both managing installations really efficiently, and providing a good post- installation service, to Crittall Fendor?” GE: “In sectors that utilise high- specification windows and doors etc (mental health, security, fire etc.), it is critical that the products are installed correctly. If they aren’t, it can lead to failure of the product. Crittall Fendor insists on supplying and installing using our own trained installation staff, and regular long-term sub-contractors, who are all trained by us to exacting standards.”
JB: “How much impact is the greater emphasis now being put on mental healthcare across the UK by Government having on both the construction of new facilities, and refurbishment of existing ones, and is any growth in the number of such projects noticeably benefiting Crittall Fendor commercially?”
GE: “A lot of the current political input and focus is around dementia care, which is at the lower end of the security scale, and where there are many more variants available. It is not an area within which we are particularly seeing major demand for our products.”
JB: “Is the growth in the use of Internet of Things technology, and increasing ‘linking’ of automated components, including windows, with elements such as building management systems, impacting on Crittall Fendor’s design of windows for the healthcare sector?” GE: “We continue to react to clients’ requirements, but only on the biggest projects do the most-forward-thinking healthcare providers really consider the potential of these advanced systems, and of course where they are specified, they need to be easy to use, for both end-users and clinical staff.”
JB: “Finally, how competitive are you finding the current UK mental healthcare sector in terms of your supply of specialist windows to it?” GE: “The current uncertainty in the general economy means construction activity is under pressure, an inevitable consequence being some pressure on prices. Currently, however, with our specialist products we are able to command commercially acceptable margins.”
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THE NETWORK | JANUARY 2020
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