High-end suited hardware for the UK
The Claymore range of window and door hardware from Vita has been positioned as a high-end product at a competitive price
The style of windows and doors in the UK is often determined by the design and aesthetics of the hardware furniture. Consumers are frequently drawn to the look and feel of the human interaction point of a window or door. For this very simple reason, window retailers and installers crave for differentiation when it comes to the handles they can offer on their products. Ergonomics is vital to the whole process and one that has been given great emphasis in the creation of the new Claymore range of window and door hardware from Vita Hardware.
Under the guidance of Managing Director Graham Pearce, the company has focused on delivering the key messages associated with the benefits of the Claymore range. Graham is delighted with the early response: “The new range of suited hardware products has been designed specifically for the British market. Positioned as a high-end product at a competitive price, the Claymore range has been targeted at a number of the UK’s largest window and door producers. There is a huge demand for high quality and design-focused hardware, but fabricators have found prices spiralling upwards for this type of product. However, we have been able to benefit from a low-cost manufacturing base in Taiwan and China to guarantee our products remain extremely competitive.”
With a number of significant fabricators now incorporating the Claymore range into their products, Graham is confident that more will follow as the company looks to secure its position as a leading supplier of quality hardware in the UK. Pivotal to this process is the availability of stock in the UK. The UK warehouse has a holding of 3 months availability, while Graham is able to call on a further month's supply direct from Taiwan and China. For larger customer companies, Vita has been operating a consignment stock arrangement whereby items are shipped directly from its manufacturing facility to the fabricator's premises. Graham is enthusiastic about this arrangement and likens it to a fabricator having its very own ‘low-cost far-eastern manufacturing base with a UK-based technical support function'.
It’s this proposition that is helping Vita to secure business with a number of high-profile manufacturing operations. Graham believes the shape of Vita Hardware is changing considerably to when the company first entered the UK market: “Traditionally, we used to deal with smaller companies that would spend on average between £500 and £1,000 a month with us. Now we can service accounts that are spending up to £25,000 a month, and much of this is down to the availability and merits of the Claymore range.”
As well as supplying direct to larger fabricators, Vita is also supplying to a number of hardware distributors and this has kick-started the introduction of the new range. Graham is keen to capitalise on the launch and has already put in place a team of five sales people who cover the whole of the UK. He points out: “We have a unique opportunity at present as the Claymore is new to market. It’s different and is not currently used by any national window retailers, so it represents an excellent chance for installers and regional retailers to differentiate their offering to homeowners. All important for fabricators is that the range is also available at a reasonable price, so their installer base can benefit from new innovative hardware without a price hike.”
To support the launch in the UK of the Claymore range, a new and dedicated brochure has been introduced. Displaying the UK range in all its glory, the publication highlights all the benefits of the range and in stunning imagery enables fabricators to grasp the impact of the range. For Graham, it was important to encourage potential customers to be able to visualise the full extent of the range, and this marketing tool is a massive step in the right direction: “The time is now right for us to accelerate our drive for new customers. Having secured a number of major players we are seeing our product in the supply chain. We now need to capitalise on this early growth and make it available to a wider audience. The brochure is key to this process as it enables our sales force to target prospective customers and drum up interest for the Claymore range,” explains Graham.
Fabricators interested in learning more about the Claymore range, or who would like to receive their own personal copy of the new brochure should contact the company on the details below.
Tel: 01422 371384
E.uk.sales@vitahardware.com
