Ireland ahead with aluminium
Irish window fabricators are almost three times as likely to use aluminium as their UK counterparts, according to Windowbase. The prospect data supplier launched the comprehensive database of Irish window companies in August, and also analysed material usage.
Windowbase general manager Neil Parsonson gave further details: “The number of Irish fabricators using aluminium has dropped from 21% in 2005 to 15% in 2009 but this is still higher than in the UK, where only 6% of firms make aluminium windows. Around the same proportion of firms work with (ie either fabricate or install) aluminium in both our UK and Irish databases: 34% in Ireland and 35% in the UK.”
Earlier this year, Windowbase’s research showed that the number of companies fabricating aluminium windows in the UK has grown by 16% over the last five years. The figure is all the more significant as the total number of window fabricators has fallen by 9.8% over the same period – driven by consolidation within the PVC-U market and companies deciding to stop fabricating and buy-in.
Neil added: “Windowbase has been researching the window market for over 15 years and its database provides a unique record of how the window industry is evolving, including the trends in aluminium system brand usage.”
Windowbase’s new database of 1,100 window, door and conservatory firms for the whole of Ireland – north and south – is available from £599 +VAT for a set of labels to £1,999 +VAT for unlimited use.
