Central Window Systems continues to celebrate its important milestone this year – four decades of quality products, reliable service and outstanding customer care. It’s not every day that a business turns 40. For a business that’s grown from being a small PVC-U fabricator to a company with an annual turnover of over £13m, it’s not just a milestone but quite an achievement too.
Among other notable events, 1982 welcomed the Queen’s Pearl Jubilee and the birth of Prince William, as well as the introduction of the first 20p coin into circulation. While Duran Duran, The Cure and Roxy Music topped the UK charts, a small fabricator that would become Central Window Systems was being founded in the Midlands. “Central Window Systems has a long and rich history, and to reach 40 years is an incredible milestone for the company and everyone that’s been involved throughout that time,” said Gary Morton, Central’s CEO.
Long history
Marking the beginning of a successful journey, the company started off as Reliant Products Limited (RPL), a small but growing fabricator. Since then, it has certainly come a long way.
Back in 2015, Gary started up a West Midlands fenestration manufacturing group, the Boing Boing Group, with a plan to build one of the UK’s best fabricators. One of the first acts of the Boing Boing Group was to buy RPL.
“For many years, PVC-U has been a very basic, functional product,” he said, “but it has since come on leaps and bounds. We were starting to see more of a demand for premium quality PVC-U windows and doors, and so, through Central RPL, we wanted to help installers make the most of these products,” Gary explained.
The company put a lot of time and effort into streamlining processes, talking to customers and focusing on exactly what they wanted to see from a fabricator. Not long after, Gary saw a similar gap in the aluminium market: installers were looking for high-end products and aluminium fabricators were in short supply. As a result, in early 2017, Central ASL was born, focusing exclusively on quality aluminium products, from bi-folds and patio doors, to casement and sash windows.
Just four years later, in early 2021, RPL and ASL merged into Central Window Systems, giving customers access to the best of both worlds. “RPL and ASL were both excellent businesses offering a wide range of market-leading products, but we found that many of our customers who bought PVC-U products from us struggled to make the connection to our aluminium offering and vice versa,” Garry added. “Merging the two just made sense, and really allowed us to provide a better, more streamlined service, helping installers benefit from the full extent of an entire product range.”
Looking to the future
Central Window Systems has gone from strength to strength, and now has decades of experience, including navigating through two years of a pandemic – the most challenging period that the industry has ever seen. Today, Central looks to the future.
In the past year, as part of its overall growth strategy, the company expanded its aluminium service into the domestic market, growing both its product portfolio and customer base. This investment came after a factory expansion to 52,000ft², allowing for capacity to manufacture up to 1,500 frames per week as well as for additional storage space in which to keep more stock. This ensured that lead times were kept to a minimum.
The past few months saw Central invest over £400,000 in new machinery in order to meet growing demand and improve its manufacturing capability. In addition, the company has introduced a new warehouse and logistics manager, a commercial estimator and has expanded both its senior management and customer service teams.
Gary concluded: “Since 1982, we’ve seen it all: recessions, economic booms, regulatory changes, Brexit and a global pandemic. Through a steadfast commitment to delivering high-quality products and services, we’ve thrived over the past 40 years, something we would not have achieved without the support of our valued customers, suppliers and colleagues.
“We are incredibly proud to have reached this milestone. It’s a testament to our hard work and dedication, and a poignant time for Central, marking not only the company’s rich past but the start of what I believe will be a very bright future ahead.”
