Article Prepared for Window Industries June Feature: Foiling

Published: 12th May 2011

Fabricators up and down the country are placing an increasing number of orders for foiled profiles. With an eight fold rise in sales for the Spectrum range – which includes in excess of 50 different colours of foils – supplied by Spectus Window Systems this year alone, Spectus Product Manager Chris Ross believes foiling is really coming into its own. The latest foiling technology is here Fabricators and installers have responsibilities that extend beyond aesthetics; performance and price matter too, perhaps more so now than ever before. Spectus foils use Renolit’s Solar Shield Technology, which keeps profiles up to 11&degC cooler and reduces the temperature of a profile on a sustained basis. Using the technology in our Spectrum range of foils means dark coloured profiles will only heat up slightly more than profiles coated in light foils. In turn this means the window retains its tight fit, its thermal benefits and it has a positive effect on the lifespan of a frame too. Fabricators offering windows with this new foiling technology really have a competitive advantage – it opens the door to a host of new shades and colours that also meet building regulation requirements. With Spectus offering the biggest colour range in the industry, it ultimately gives homeowners and other specifiers more choice, which installers and fabricators can use to their advantage. The technology offers a breakthrough for architects too, increasing the scope of application for these products and ensuring the latest window energy ratings can be achieved with PVC-U profiles just as the aesthetics of a building can be enhanced too. Colour trends in 2011 Currently foils in grey, cream and white remain the shades that are most in demand, however as word spreads about the ease of application of the darker foils I anticipate that these trends will change. The stand out product for me has to be the Irish Oak foil, particularly when used on a Vertical Slider on a tan base. With the right accessories this is a classy top-of-the-range product that will suit any home. Interestingly we’ve seen a big upsurge in demand for two colour profiles too – where one foil colour is applied for the exterior and a different colour for the interior. Spectus supplies many of its fabricators with this product and as orders increase for the two coloured profiles we’ll be able to satisfy them. Rapid turnaround times Choice is not the only deciding factor for homeowners and other specifiers – we all know the importance of speed of delivery. We recently turned around an order for trims for a fabricator in just a week, which involved 4,000m on a cream base with one foil shade on the outside and a different foil on the inside. This had a massive impact on the fabricator’s business; he was able to secure the order and deliver to the installer who was equally delighted. Typically we work to a 21 day delivery time frame to fabricators. Spectus will always support its fabricators and where we can, we will be as flexible as possible. In fact, we recently made significant investments, and in addition shifted resources in the production team, to accommodate the upsurge in demand for foils, trims and ancillary products. Colours across the whole Spectrum The Spectrum range of 50 colours available from Spectus comes with no surcharges, minimum pack sizes and no extended lead time. There’s no standard pricing chart attached to the order as the Spectrum range is the same price as standard products. Complete with accessories from the new Spectus catalogue, there’s more choice for fabricators and installers than ever before. For more information please contact your Spectus Regional Sales Manager, call 0800 328 5273 or email contacting@spectus.co.uk.