AluK has officially opened a new 350,000ft2 South Wales headquarters incorporating its hugely impressive new Design Studio, Academy and R&D facility.
The company has now completed what has been a multi-million pound investment in the purchase and transformation of the site of the former wind turbine tower factory in Chepstow, and created the ideal platform for its ambitious expansion plans in the UK.
Following on from record breaking growth over the past three years, AluK now has the capacity to produce 12,000 tonnes of aluminium profile per annum at Chepstow. With more thermal break assembly lines, more stockholding, and a brand new state of the art polyester powder coat vertical line paint line, which is reportedly a first by any systems company globally, encompassing an online pre-anodising system, it is equipped to provide market leading service alongside its innovative, precision quality product range.
Speaking at the press opening of the facility, managing director, Russell Yates, said: “The investment here in Chepstow represents a giant leap for the company in the UK – we’re immensely proud of the new facility and now want to welcome as many customers as possible to see the size and scale of our commitment to the region and to the market.”
Alongside the new factory, AluK revealed its new, dedicated training Academy providing a range of design, installation and software courses for customers and specifiers. Fully equipped with the latest aluminium machinery from Emmegi (UK), the Academy enables customers to get practical training on every aspect of fabrication as well as product installation.
Technical director, Nick Cooper, who is responsible for the Academy, said: “We believe this is the most advanced facility of its kind in the UK for fabricators and installers of aluminium fenestration products. Whether customers are new to aluminium or are experienced manufacturers wanting to learn about any of our new products, we have a range of very worthwhile courses on offer – and all free of charge of course.”
AluK has also invested in its second UK Design Studio at Chepstow. This is an impressive 300m² space showcasing its complete range of products, with many full-size installations in place, and providing a venue for presentations and events.
AluK’s first Design Studio, opened last year and situated in London’s Worship Street, is said to have proved so popular that the company has repeated the formula in Chepstow, creating a venue suitable for use by customers, clients and architects.
Coinciding with the official opening, AluK set out its product strategy for the trade and residential market, creating three clearly defined tiers to enable customers to identify the right products for their target sectors and to differentiate their offerings.
AluK’s mainstream products are now all being marketed under the Optio brand, its premium products are branded Luminia and its high end retail products are Infinium. It has already appointed select partners for the Infinium range and will be announcing details of a similar select partner scheme for Luminia shortly.
The company previewed a whole raft of exciting new product innovations in each of those tiers at the FIT Show in May, and has already released both the innovative Luminia Veranda system and the stunning Infinium panoramic sliding door to customers.
Marketing director, Sioned Webb, announced at the factory opening that the Luminia F82 bi-fold, which AluK says will set a new benchmark in the bi-fold sector, will be officially launched to customers in October, with the ‘show stopping Luminia SC156 sliding door following shortly.
Sioned said: “Our priority is to enable customers to use these products to target the premium sector of the market where we know there is still very robust demand. We want to partner with them to ensure that they get the sales and marketing support they need to promote the products effectively and to create strong and sustainable margins for themselves.”
AluK will announce details of its new paint facility in 2018 and is busy developing a strategy to increase awareness of its brand in the consumer market.
MD, Russell Yates, added: “AluK is on a very exciting journey here in the UK. We have a fantastic facility, an exciting new product range, and an experienced and highly motivated team geared and ready to take us forward. We know that there is still huge potential in the aluminium sector and we have shown that we have the confidence and, most importantly, the resources to be able to make the most of that.”
There are full details on the AluK Academy and the courses available to book at: www.alukacademy.co.uk
