‘After a really tough 2020, 2021 has brought with it huge challenges. Sales growth has been far greater than predicted and we attracted more than 100 new customers. The supply chain has been fraught with difficulty. We have seen a reduction in the available distribution labour, huge price increases and a general lack of availability of some products. Luckily, a sensible purchasing policy along with buying on the futures market, has enabled us to maintain supply throughout the year.
But we have not been complacent. A team of three in our purchasing department have tried to keep ahead of the market, predicting trends and ordering higher levels of stock than normal.
In the end we have survived, and our customer care, QC, transport and distribution and production have been shining lights in a most difficult marketplace. Our staff have worked tirelessly, with over 30 full weekends worked since January.
We enter 2022 with a new aluminium patio range, enhanced glass supply, new composite door styles and an improved PVC patio offering. However, we are under no illusions that the marketplace is very fragile, and things can change rapidly. The new COVID regulations, whilst manageable at this moment, may well have to be strengthened to protect our 120 employees. Their health is our priority and we have worked alongside medical experts ensuring that we offer maximum protection to all.
This will also be my final Christmas as Managing Director of Sliders-UK. I will retire in 2022 and a robust succession plan is in place to on-board my successor.
I can only thank all our customers for their support and understanding in 2021. We have tried hard to keep price rises in check, and unfortunately, it looks like some hefty price rises from suppliers will hit us in early 2022. As ever, we will absorb as much as we can, but increases in prices will be considered during January to take effect in February.
We close on 23rd December 2021, and Administration will be back in work on Tuesday 4th January 2022, with distribution re-commencing on 6th January 2022 and full production from Monday 10th January 2022.
Stay safe, have an enjoyable Christmas, and all at Sliders-UK wish you Happy and Prosperous New Year.’
Alex Murphy
Managing Director
A festive tradition
Every member of our Sliders-UK team receives a Christmas hamper filled with goodies.
‘Well…another unprecedented year, with all sorts of obstacles to overcome; the effects of the global pandemic, the blockage in the Suez Canal or the consequences of Brexit, to name but a few. Notwithstanding these issues, Sliders has achieved a record year, in terms of sales and profit. This can only be down to the hard work and dedication of our greatest asset – our employees.
The success of the company, this year, has dictated the requirement for an additional shift to be introduced, to accommodate the increased demand for our products. One particular area, deserving of special recognition, is Composite Doors, where we have significantly improved productivity and as a result, increased production output.
I would like to offer my personal thanks to both our Composite Door Managers, Rick Jones and Stu Hunter for their continued efforts in achieving our shared objectives, despite the numerous difficulties they have faced.
Their determination has allowed us to become one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of composite doors and our success in this field can largely be attributed to their perseverance.
Aluminium Bi-folds have continued to deliver, both in terms of a quality product and volume of output. The success of this area has warranted a new aluminium product launch for 2022 –
an aluminium patio. I have no doubt that the quality of this additional product will match the current high standards, set by the Aluminium Team.
Congratulations to Mick Kirk, who will begin his new role as Production Director in January. Good luck…you’ll need it!
All in all, another massively successful year for Sliders UK, which wouldn’t have been possible without the constant efforts of all our employees. Thank you so much for your passion and commitment during 2021. I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and enjoy a well-earned festive holiday.’
Dan Ridings
Operations Director
To assist the increased composite door demand, Sliders UK has invested in an additional 3025 sq ft unit to house its stores department. This in turn releases the previous storage area to accommodate an additional two containers of door slabs per month. That’s an extra 1300 of the most popular Ultimate Collection Composite Door styles to our general orders! This forward thinking will contribute to Sliders UK’s ability in providing consistent and reliable lead times in 2022 and beyond.
‘After what has been for us all an inconceivable 18 months, we dust ourselves down and ask the question what does next year hold in store for the industry?
At this time of year, the sales team sets out to visit many of our existing customers to thank them for their continued business and gauge their thoughts for the future.
Overall, the outlook is positive. Order books are healthy through the first quarter and the hard-pressed ‘builder market’, which has seen the largest extension of lead times, is showing many businesses to be booked up well into 2022! This flow appears absent of cancellations or drop in demand and the general opinion is that the retail market will hold, especially as holidays continue to be difficult.
At Sliders we don’t stop still, it is just the demand of time and product in this period that has seen us not have the time to launch a new product that we have been working on for the last 18 months.
The Ultimate Evoslide Aluminium Patio Door will launch in early 2022. We see it as not only the best Patio on the market but will act as a complement to our Ultimate Evolution Bi fold and offering customers the choice of aluminium sliding products.
More information will be released post-Christmas.’
Steve Mines
Sales Director