Made In Scotland

Made For Trade Glasgow

Glasgow’s Made For Trade Windows, only started making their own windows in September 2021 having previously bought frames in and sold them on. Now the firm is blossoming on the back of Deceuninck’s colour and systems options.

Made For Trade Windows originally started out as a trade counter in east Kilbride in 2017 selling to installers. Owner James O’Hara appointed operations Director Mark Owens in January 2021. The pair then spearheaded the move into fabrication at a brand new facility in Baillieston, a suburb of Glasgow.

 

 “Fabrication came naturally to us. It was always our long-term ambition to be a manufacturer as we could see there was great potential in providing a direct manufacturing service to trade desks and installers.”

– James O’Hara 

Owner, Made For Trade Windows

 

“Not only that, the ability to offer a broader product range and shorter lead time were also key aspirationsrdquo; continues O’Hara. “We chose to partner with Deceuninck primarily because of their broad product range – products like the flush casement and the sliding patio door give us access to a potentially larger customer base.

“Most fabricators can’t offer a wide range of colour options on a standard lead time, so they don’t push colour out to their customers,” adds O’Hara. “The fact that we have access to 30 colourways from stock now definitely gives us an edge over our competitors.”

 

Patio doors

O’Hara says that Made For Trade is one of the few fabricators in Scotland to make sliding patio doors. “When we were buying frames in, we had to buy sliding patio doors in from England, in some cases having to buy through other suppliers rather than the original fabricators. So, making them ourselves is a big thing because it allows us to control cost and quality to a far greater degree than we could previously.

“Manufacturing sliding patio doors allows us to offer customers a more complete package of products, at competitive rates, which they can’t necessarily purchase elsewhere.”

 

Flush sash

Similarly, Deceuninck’s heritage flush sash is providing Made For Trade Windows with a supply opportunity. “There still aren’t many fabricators in Scotland offering flush sash casement windows,” says O’Hara. “However, given its increasing popularity in England we decided it was a good time to introduce something new to our core product range. With its similarities to traditional timber windows, particularly in wood effect foils, demand for the product is constantly growing and again this allows us to offer something our competitors don’t.”

Picture: Colour and specialist products have driven growth for Made For Trade Windows - Mark Owens (l) and James O'Hara.

www.deceuninck.co.uk

www.mftwindows.co.uk

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
25th March 2022

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