For any business to be viable and ultimately successful it needs to business plan, and it needs to be sure those they rely on are doing the same. For installers, this means having a fabricator you know has the future of fenestration covered. Are the products compliant? Efficient? Will they appeal to your customers to buy, as well as live up to the high standards expected of them?
But how can you be sure your fabricator has it all covered, not just right now but looking to the future too?
“Since the changes to building regs this year we’ve honed our commitment to our installers,” says Quickslide’s Managing Director Ben Weber. “And it is simply this: compliance without compromise.
“This means hitting the same high standards, every single time, across our range of windows and doors. Key to this has been our investment in streamlining Quality Control to ensure our entire offering, including our market-leading Heritage sash windows, continue to meet all the demands and efficiencies of modern living.”
Vent solutions
All Quickslide’s vertical sliders over 775mm in width are now ‘A’ energy rated, 1.4kW/m2k u-value as standard and comply with the new requirement to achieve 8000 EA airflow in a single window, thanks to a new trickle vent that is exclusive to Quickslide and now included as standard.
“It’s also available in a range of options including colour-matched woodgrain to ensure it doesn’t compromise the window’s all important aesthetic,” says Ben. “We believe every installer should be asking their sash window fabricator if they can say the same?”
Quickslide see it as part of their job to help installers with new requirements like these. “That’s why we provide not only vent solutions but also the consumer messages that will help homeowners understand the changes and overcome reservations they may have about them,” Ben says. “We’ve also invested in a new digital tool to help our Trade Partners stipulate the specification required to comply.”
Driving excellence through Quality Control
As compliance without compromise means hitting the same high standard every single time, Quality Control is closely monitored at Quickslide, including individuals passing or failing the products at every station throughout production.
“We have Quality Control at every station, and we ensure it is never the same individual on the station,” says Ben. “QC is monitored and broken down by ‘Product’, ‘QC’d by’, ‘Caused by’ and ‘Reason’. This helps us identify quality failures, which in turn helps us identify training requirements. It also means every single fault is tracked back to a reason, so we can analyse trends and implement solutions.”
Quickslide are also committed to making sure these principles are shared across the whole business. So, for example, Quickslide’s Service Engineers spend 35% of their time on the factory floor, sharing the knowledge they gain from training sessions and site visits back into the production process.
Investing in the future
Absolutely key to meeting this high standard of quality has been Quickslide’s investments in automation and its £2.7m digital investment plan to future proof the business and drive up excellence.
A new heavily automated one-of-a-kind cutting centre for vertical sliders has been introduced to achieve a sustained and repeatable standard of quality, as well as improve efficiencies and production capacity.
In fact, Quickslide’s entire VS production line has been completely redesigned, to give the business greater visibility and control and to drive lean manufacturing. “As a result,” Ben explains, “we’ve seen a dramatic drop in post-delivery remedials. We have always been proud of our quality and our emphasis on ‘right first time’, but we never rest on our laurels and will always strive for perfection.”
A new bespoke monitoring system has also been put in place to make sure there are no oversights, says Ben. “We used to rely on paper based records that were missed and not filled in properly. Now our new performance monitoring system provides 100% traceability.
“From offering exclusive game-changing new products to continuously tweaking our daily performance, we’re always looking for ways to increase efficiencies, quality and sales. By choosing a fabricator that has it all covered in their business, like we do, it means that you can focus on yours.”
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