“A great job, well done by all” was the verdict from Solar Calibre Doors managing director, Gareth Jones, on FIT Show 2022. This is the first time the recently formed business attended FIT Show, a decision that has reaped dividends.
“Our appearance has helped boost recognition of our emerging Solar Calibre brand, as well as showcasing our extensive range of door solutions. It was really good to be able to meet face to face with many of the customers whom we’ve welcomed on board since our new business launched in May 2020,” said Gareth.
“We all enjoyed being back at a live event on this scale and meeting up with people again, some for the first time in over two years and were delighted, but not surprised, by the high visitor numbers. The industry was obviously very ready for a live event and a lot of people were keen to exchange experiences and expectations, after the challenges of the last few years, and undoubtedly looking ahead, with more to come.”
With the industry generally expecting a downturn in the market, Solar Calibre received a lot of interest in its higher end products that offer significant margin potential, notably the Craftsman timber door. Many visitors were pleasantly surprised to see that the Craftsman brand is the resurrection of the former Masterdor, that was so popular in the market several years ago.
And, with a growing demand for high performing, energy efficient products, the focus was on the new Portium range, which Solar Calibre showcased to the industry at FIT. Similarly, the new Passivhaus solution was a head-turner.
“We were keen to hear what visitors to FIT had to say about our new Portium range including our Passivhaus door,” said Gareth.
“This was something of a test bed for us, and the response endorsed our own confidence in these specialist products which we will now look to roll out in the coming months.”
An important feature of the company’s specialist door solutions is its fire door range. Thanks to its partnership with sister company Fire Doors by Solar, Solar Calibre Doors is able to offer both GRP and timber fire rated doors, either supply only or supply and fit, acknowledging the specialist installation required. “This was well-received by visitors to the stand and we are confident we will pick up significant new business on the back of the FIT Show, in what should prove a growing market for years to come. We also found that a number of visitors came to FIT Show with a purpose, many looking for an alternative composite supplier, mentioning issues they’d had with supply, quality and delivery.
“Overall, we were really pleased with the visitor numbers to our stand, which was good not just for our business, but is great to support the Ukrainian Humanitarian Aid Fund, as we are donating to this based on stand visits. We were also delighted to announce the winner of the golf day at Celtic Manor Resort, which we ran both for visitors to our website and to our FIT Show stand” concluded Gareth Jones.