In 2010, Mila Hardware celebrates its 30th anniversary. It is a time of course for celebration – and I hope there will be much of that during the year – but also for a degree of reflection as to what we have achieved since 1980 and what we still want to achieve in the future.
I am proud of our OTIF figures (On Time In Full deliveries) which have risen dramatically in recent years to become the best in class and our reputation for going the extra mile for customers, but when I talk to customers about what they like most about Mila, they invariably say our products.
Mila is a distributor for many of the industry’s leading hardware brands including Siegenia-Aubi, Paddock, KFV and Cotswold, but we also have an in-house product design team developing and producing Mila branded products in three tiers – value, mid-tier and premium to meet the needs of every customer in every market sector.
We recently conducted an extensive customer survey asking for feedback on what we do well and how we can improve. Early analysis of the findings shows that customers really do love the quality of our products and are delighted by our ongoing product development programme because it helps them to create new sales opportunities.
Despite the recession, we launched seven major new products during 2009 – more we believe than any of our competitors and we are planning to launch a further 10 this year. In the first quarter alone, this will include: an Evolution butt hinge for composite doors, new Prolinea Style door handles with three lever designs, new Prolinea Style Espag handles, plated finishes for the Ideal Flag hinge and new Prolinea letterplates.
Our focus though is not just on new products but also on the continual improvement of products across our entire range. Popular products are constantly being reviewed by our designers looking for ways to make them easier to fit, easier to sell or quicker and cheaper to manufacture and thus more competitive.
For example, our most popular hinge in recent years is the Evolution high security door hinge which was launched in 2003 and has already sold nearly 2.5 million units.
It is a high quality zinc alloy product with a steel hinge pin which combines the adjustment and strength of a flag hinge with the anti-lift properties and subtle sight lines of a butt hinge.
In just three pieces – frame part, sash part and sash cover, it is quick to fit and very easy to adjust. Without the need for additional hinge protectors, it consistently meets both PAS23 and PAS24 standards and has been tested to twice the 50,000 required cycle limit at Mila’s UKAS accredited Test Centre.
It is suitable for sash over-rebate sizes from 14mm to 25mm and, because the frame part of the hinge is the same width as a standard butt hinge, no fiddly or costly frame add-ons are required.
Instead of sitting back and allowing our competitors to catch up with this product though, we have continued to innovate with new finishes for 2010 including smokey chrome and satin chrome and a new offset hinge pin which now allows for compression as well as lateral and vertical adjustment once fitted.
A bespoke packaging solution also allows the frame part to be packed separately from the sash part to suit specific fabrication requirements.
We carried out a similar exercise recently with our Prolinea Shootbolt Espag which was an enhancement of our hugely popular 8-series.
The new improved shootbolt is 25% stronger than the original with a smoother and more robust design. It features a new slide tag to make it quicker and easier to fit and it is now available in a single size which can accommodate both standard and reduced depth eurogrooves.
Both these products typify our approach to the market which is to invest in the innovation which will pay dividends for our customers – whether that is in new or existing product ranges.
When Mila Hardware was acquired by our new parent company Arran Isle Ltd in October 2009, we announced £6m of new investment for the UK businesses.
A significant portion of this will be spent at Mila Hardware on the design, development, prototyping, manufacturing and stock holding which is necessary to bring our product innovations to market so customers can expect to see a continuation of our programme throughout 2010.
It is a real achievement to still be around in this industry after 30 years but at Mila, we are determined to look forward and not back.