i Q LOCKS

iQ works with Kubu to link windows and doors to smart home networks

BENEFITS INCLUDE:

Instant status updates

SureSecure Geofence alerts

Scheduled notifications/reminders

Family & Friends Sharing function

Locked/Unlocked, & Open/Closed/Vent status reports to your phone for doors and windows

Built-in tamper/attack detection with alerts info@vbhgb.com www.qsecure.co.uk

Smart air, weather and pollen alerts

Kubu works with most major tech brands iQ locks are Kubu-ready

All iQ locks are tested to PAS24

Link to other smart products (heating, lighting etc)

Q-secure approved

@vbhgb

Dan Powell, Head of Brand at VBH, has issued an update on how the year is developing for the hardware manufacturer. This is what Dan has to say:

“2022 was always going to be a tough act to follow. Having had such a successful year, our bar was set high for 2023. We are very happy to advise that at the time of writing in June, everything is going according to plan.

Market and Customers Health Update

In terms of the top line, sales, we are meeting our increased targets. Business is tougher than it was for all of us a couple of years ago, but we have been very successful in seeking out additional sales to new and existing customers. From our perspective, the section of the market that we deal with remains in good health, despite the spectre of a downturn hanging over us all. New Appointments to

Strengthen Departments

We have made changes to our processes and made new appointments to help secure this new business and to ensure that we continue to offer our customers the top-level customer service that they all expect. We have reduced the responsibilities of the Customer Service team to give them more time to process their customers’ orders and deal with incoming queries quickly and efficiently. We have done this by strengthening our internal sales department with the addition of Gareth Dix, who moved internally from a field sales role. This takes away the ‘sales’ function’ from Customer Services. We also encourage customers to use our VBH24 online shop. Orders received through VBH24 need minimal handling by our team, so hit the warehouse almost immediately.

We have further strengthened both our Technical and Marketing teams with the additions of Callum Norris and Ben Shephard. These new appointments allow us to provide even better pre and aftersale support to our customers. In April, we bolstered our external sales team with the recruitment of Nick Taylor in the role of Regional Manager for the midlands. Nick is vastly experienced, and is very customer focused.

New Product Development

We have added a number of new products in the first half of 2023 to keep our customers at the forefront of hardware development. Our new greenteQ Velocity door hinge is super-quick to fit and is tested to PAS24. This is the perfect hinge to fit on the opposite side of the door to our new greenteQ Q-Bolt door lock, which is also PAS24 tested and boasts the biggest hooks on the market.

The enthusiasm with which the market has greeted the greenteQ iQ range of window and door locks has surprised even us! These locks can be linked to a smart home network via a Kubu home hub. The user can then set up various alerts including checks on the open/ closed/locked/vent status of their windows and doors, or even create weather and pollen level alerts. They can link to other items in the network, too. So for example, they could set the heating so that it switches off if a window is opened. There are many more benefits and our customers have been quick to see them.

Perhaps this open-minded approach to new product innovation and services is one of the reasons why VBH customers continue to prosper in an uncertain market.