Fire Doors; Right First Time, On Time, Every Time
There is no one working in the social housing sector today who does not recognise the crucial importance of working with a fire safety door supplier who can get the right results, first time. Having confidence in your supplier and their processes is critical, and following the 23rd January 2023 changes, it is more important than ever to ensure your supply chain is performing as required by the new legislation. So, what do you need to look for in a supplier to ensure you can establish a solid foundation of confidence that your doorsets will protect tenants’ lives? Are they consistent and reliable? Do they hold the right certification and quality standards?
At Sentry Doors, we believe it is about choosing the right doorset at the highest standards of safety whilst ensuring the customer is informed at every stage of the procurement process. Here are four questions you should be asking fire door manufacturers regarding processes.
Do they have consistent, timely lead times?
As well as ensuring the highest standards of safety throughout the procurement process, we also aim to maintain the most exacting lead times in the business at 6-8 weeks, making regular contact with our customers to ensure they are aware of the manufacturing and delivery status of their doorsets. Our lead times statistic is at the cornerstone of our philosophy and is something we have maintained, even since doubling in size by making continuous investment to support production methods.
Do they have a consistent, certified process?
Receiving a doorset from a manufacturer that you know is tested to the extreme and that has been third party certified by a UKAS accredited body such as BM TRADA should be the most important thing to you as it offers reassurance that a manufacturer meets the most exacting requirements. We are one of the few companies nationally to have achieved dual certification Q-Mark Fire Door Manufacture and Q-Mark Enhanced Security for both our FD30s and FD60s flat entrance door sets. To provide the highest standards of safety and security, all our doorsets are tested and approved in accordance with PAS 24:2016 and Secured by Design (SBD), whilst complying to ISO 9001 to ensure we are consistent in how we do this.
Our doorsets also undergo primary testing to ensure they can withstand real world environments and outperform minimum requirements. Carrying out maintenance against the original specification provides peace of mind that our doorsets are continuously tested and can withstand the environments they are situated in. For more information, visit our website and discover our certification portfolio.
Do they invest in their manufacturing processes?
Getting the right door at the right time that meets your schedule and is delivered in a timely and promptly manner is essential. With more than 30 years’ experience with contractors and the social housing sector, Sentry understand that timing is important and as we grow, we are continually making efforts to strengthen our production line by investing in our processes. Most recently, we have recently invested in areas such as new CNC machines, paint lines, and expanding our factory floor space which has increased productivity and ensures we can maintain our 6–8-week lead times. To see for yourself, we encourage our customers to visit our factory and take a tour. If you cannot make it, take a look at our online virtual tour to see the factory in action.
Are you informed at each key stage?
Ensuring the customer is informed at every stage of the manufacturing and delivery process is important and something we strive to do to ensure customers are clearly communicated with. To guarantee this, our customers deal with the same account manager who is always available to provide assurance at every stage of the manufacturing process. Our ongoing commitment to a 6-8-week lead time means we will communicate the planned delivery date at least five weeks’ ahead. We reinforce that at two weeks to ensure all components are in place for an easy and reliable delivery process. Our transport team will contact customers a week in advance to make sure you know everything is on track – confirming it all again the day before planned delivery.
At Sentry Doors, we strive to be a trusted supplier you can rely on, matching our processes to your key customer requirements – that’s what makes us the supplier of choice. For more information on our processes and product offering, view our brochure on our website.
