Door Industry Journal - Winter 2014

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk industry news UK DEALERS AMONG THE FIRST TO VISIT HÖRMANN’S FLAGSHIP FACTORY During September 2014, some forty individuals from Hörmann UK’s key performing domestic dealers were flown to Germany to visit the manufacturer’s landmark factory in Ichtershausen. Since Hörmann KG Ichtershausen’s construction in 1999, no one from Hörmann’s UK staff or customer-base had stepped foot inside the facility until the two overseas trips. Fast becoming known as its ‘jewel in the crown’ among those in the know, the domestic factory is Hormann’s largest, which holds an impressive 26,000 sectional doors at any one time. The dealers were therefore very impressed by the sheer scale of the factory, and were quick to find out that in excess of 470,000 doors had been manufactured in 2014. Keen to reinvest in its product offering, Hörmann has added its largest number of production lines across its 16 distribution warehouse locations over the last three years. Trips were also arranged to the Brandis factory, near Leipzig, where Hörmann manufactures both industrial and domestic steel-skinned hinge doors, including its highly insulated ThermoPro range and multi-purpose doors. Both one day tours consisted of viewing the warehousing facilities, door showrooms, and production lines, followed by Q&A sessions. Questions focused on areas of particular interest to the visiting dealers, namely the factory’s high level of automation, lead times and upcoming range developments. In addition, both parties enjoyed the heritage of Erfurt’s medieval city, and the scenic countryside surrounding Würzberg, over the two weekends. Leading the excursions was Hörmann’s European regional sales manager, Susanne Barthel, accompanied by UK managing director David Newcombe, and eight key Hörmann UK representatives, split across the two trips. Due to its success, overseas factory visits will become more prominent in Hörmann’s calendar, with plans to organise future trips every few years.