PRODUCT FEATURE Shower Screen & Enclosures

FIT AND FORGET

With the shower market experiencing tremendous growth in recent years, The Installer magazine investigates how screen and enclosure designs have changed and just how important installers are to manufacturers.

The British bathroom was once considered a purely functional room and showering solutions reflected this by lacking design inspiration, but things have changed dramatically as it has become a haven for relaxing and pampering, as well as for daily tasks like shaving, applying make up and of course, bathing. Heavily influenced by the continental market, UK consumers have embraced contemporary and minimalist design and have become far more demanding with regard to product build, quality, functionality and durability.

As Alex Cooper, Director at theshowerlab™ explains: “Designs of shower enclosures have evolved immeasurably with the most

theshowerlab™ Terbium 08 Corner Enclosure popular products stripped back to an absolute minimum. However, the public are very discerning, so we feel there can be no compromise in terms of quality and therefore all of our products are not only well designed but beautifully engineered.” Jayne Barnes, Managing Director of Aqata agrees: “The popularity of the walk-in, wet room look has led to an increase in sales of contemporary frameless shower enclosures and screens.”

When considering how installers have been affected by these developments, manufacturers feel that trends have led to changes which have generally had a positive effect. Aqata’s Jayne Barnes notes that installers are having to work with an increasing number of different products and embrace new trends and technology, but believes that they are better off as a result. She explains: “Technological advances in glass manufacture and waterproof bonding have allowed frameless shower screens and enclosures to be developed which are superbly designed and of an extremely high quality, whilst still being practical to transport and install.”

Manufacturers also emphasize that when designing new products, ease of installation is something which is as important as form and function is for the end-user, so no concessions are made during the process. David Osborne, Managing Director of Roman explains: “Our own installers form part of our product development process. The end-user drives the look of the product, but they also have to be installed easily. We do not compromise installation for style; we ensure that the products can be both stylish and installed easily.” “We are happy to work alongside installers to find the best solutions for any showering space and can offer a templating and site installation service if required.” Jayne Barnes, Managing Director of Aqata

“In order to minimise problems during installation, we have a dedicated in-house measuring and installation department and as an added benefit, on the day of installation our installers bring the screens with them to guarantee there are no issues with regards to storing, damage or even theft.” Alex Cooper, Director at theshowerlab™

... cont Alex Cooper adds: “We have made a considerable investment by employing the services of a respected engineering practice to help us create a set of installation instructions that render clear and accurate imagery for installers along with ‘fail safe’ step-by-step instructions. These instructions are included with every product and can also be downloaded from our website thus allowing an installer the opportunity to read and understand the process before starting the installation. On a more physical side, we also, wherever possible, supply aluminium profiles and translucent seals pre-cut and notched meaning that the installer should only need to trim to length as required.”

Jayne Barnes also comments: “All Aqata products combine functional and practical elements with beautiful styling to create a cohesive design however, the ease of installation is equally imperative. Every enclosure leaving our Leicestershire factory also has easy to follow, step-by-step instructions that clearly identify whether an enclosure requires a one or two man lift and our Spectra

Roman DXLI Corner Shower Enclosure

frameless range utilises the latest advances in waterproof bonding, which allows panels to join easily together. This keeps logistical problems on site to a minimum and products are quicker to install which saves valuable time for the installer.”

So how do manufacturers stay ahead of the game and keep up to date with what the installers need and want? Jayne Barnes explains: “We value any feedback we receive from installers when they contact us for advice and our regional sales team is also on the road speaking to retailers on a daily basis. In response to some recent feedback, a video can now be viewed online showing step-by-step assembly instructions for one of our popular

“Our own installers form part of our product development process. The enduser drives the look of the product, but they also have to be installed easily. We do not compromise installation for style; we ensure that the products can be both stylish and installed easily.”

David Osborne, Managing Director of Roman

David Osborne says, “Our own installation team is heavily involved in our design process. We ensure that we get feedback on the ease of installation, the time taken to install the products and how useful our instruction manuals are.”

Manufacturers are also in complete agreement of the importance of providing a good aftersales service explaining that they work hard to support installers in order to minimise installation problems.

Alex Cooper points out: “In order to minimise problems during installation, we have a dedicated in-house measuring and installation department and as an added benefit, on the day of installation our installers bring the screens with them to guarantee there are no issues with regards to storing, damage or even theft.”

And Jayne Barnes agrees: “Keeping our customers happy and building and maintaining good long term relationships is vital for our business. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service and have a dedicated team of skilled installation engineers which offer advice and support to installers. We are happy to work alongside installers to find the best solutions for any showering space and can offer a templating and site installation service if required. We are also able to produce quotations from installer’s drawings and specifications for made to measure, bespoke solutions. We have found that clear and concise instructions and advice and support from a professional team of experts generally keep installation problems to a minimum.”

David Osborne also believes in the importance of providing after sales support: “After sales service is critical. Our customer service team have all worked in installation or production so they know the product intimately and what common issues arise when installing products and the time pressure that fitters face.”

theshowerlab™ www.theshowerlab.com Aqata www.aqata.co.uk Roman www.roman-showers.com

Aqata Spectra SP450 Walk-in Shower Enclosure