The one thing that adds great curb appeal to any house is a good looking front door and great looking windows. Thanks to Saint Lu Metals and the recently opened Saint Lu UPVC, in Frequente Industrial Park, more and more homes in Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique can now boast of looking mighty fine.
Having recently built a new and separate 2700 sq ft facility that specializes in the production and storage of UPVC doors and windows, the companies expansion with the launch of “Saint Lu UPVC” is poised to position them as the clear market leaders.
Speaking with General Manager Andy Hosten, who has worked with the company since 2010, he explains:
“As a company we still produce Aluminum Doors and windows which will always be popular, but we are now seeing that UPVC is the new high end standard”
As an example an Aluminum push up window at 3’x4’ costs $285 but in UPVC that would cost $450 so thats the difference. Also Customers now have the option to buy with hurricane glass which is an added extra” But obviously a serious consideration for most new installations.”
St Lu basically makes 4 types of window & doors that include:
1. Push Up or Sash …otherwise known as Single Hung Windows
2. Sliders or Gliders
3. Projected Windows, otherwise known as Awning Windows that push out
4. Casement Windows that open like a door
Hosten continues “We cover all 4 types of windows on both sides in Aluminum and UPVC, however the beauty of UPVC is that we can cover all 4 styles in one design … that cannot be done in Aluminum”
Speaking honestly Hosten admits “We did not expect sales in UPVC windows and doors to take off so rapidly as they have. They are proving to be very popular in the market and right now if you place an order it will probably take us 2 weeks before its ready such is the demand and back log.”
“The quality is very good as all the seams are welded and milled and all the fittings are stainless so the windows are an excellent choice for the tropics exposed to Seaspray and with laminate glass it makes them strong enough to withstand hurricane force winds.”
The other company that manufacturers windows here no longer make UPVC products so we are pretty much on our own in the market.
We have our own moulds so our profiles are unique we import our extrusions which are unique to us.
Our UPVC products come from Canadian company called West Tech which employs over 8,000 employees so they are a major manufacturer of world standards.
Our Aluminum products come from Japan and our glass is sourced
“We are finding that UPVC windows and doors are the product of choice, for new builds.
However even though sales are excellent Andy Hosten does not ever see UPVC overtaking Aluminum windows, given that Grenada has approx 40,000 houses for its 110,000 people, Aluminum remains more popular in terms of what is already existing and the price point is more attractive, so Aluminum still remains the more popular choice.
At Saint Lu, all Aluminum doors and windows are designed for the weather side. They do not make any interior doors. The company also does a lot of custom built commercial installations for Banks and for shop fronts etc, and are the only local company that makes customized framelesss glass shower enclosures meaning that the door mounts directly on the wall without a frame. They also carry 1/2 inch laminated impact glass that is classed for a category 2 hurricane. This glass may break but it will not allow a projectile to go through it.
COMPETITION
We do not consider our competitors to be a major threat as we have a much wider range of products than they do. Some suppliers really on importing their ready made windows and or doors but as we are manufacturers we can produce any custom size the client requires usually within a two week period of lead time.
The other company that manufacturers windows here no longer make UPVC products so we are pretty much on our own in the market.
We have our own moulds so our profiles are unique we import our extrusions which are unique to us.
Our UPVC products come from Canadian company called West Tech which employs over 8,000 employees so they are a major manufacturer of world standards.
Our Aluminum products come from Japan and our glass is sourced
from various countries.
Currently our UPVC windows are still cheaper than Trinidad so thats quite an achievement, given the size of our facility and the costs associated with manufacturing in a small country like Grenada.
THE FUTURE
“The problem we have here is space. We are restricted as to what we can produce due to the size of our facility. We work to our production capacity so if in the future we are looking at expansion it would probably be in terms of introducing double glazing etc which keeps the heat out and the cool inside. “As market leaders in the manufacturing of Windows & Doors in Grenada, we are happy with our market share and we hope that prospective clients look at our products as a world class product built to AMA and ISO approved standards (Which is both American and Canadian approved standards) so why would anyone look to import their windows and doors, when they can get a great product right here in Grenada.
CHALLENGES
“Challenges we face are mostly labor related. We tend to employ young people and that requires that we have to do a lot of groundwork in terms of training and the levels of maturity in young people may differ from person to person. Training starts from the bottom up and they may start cleaning windows and glass and then move to other departments. The most critical job here is about measurements and taking accurate measures of glass and frames.
“We do carry a small amount of stock but if someone comes in for 20 windows etc we will build to order. We tend to work on a first come first served basis.
“We export to Barbados, Tobago & Trinidad & however shipping is a logistical problem to Barbados whereas Trinidad has a regular weekly service.
“We can currently produce up to 500 standard sized windows per week however Custom sizes do take more time.
WASTAGE
Every manufacturing process has a level wastage or a by-product from the process, however Saint Lu’s GM states:
“Our process is very precise in that we order optimum sizes to produce our standard sizes for both frames and glass. So its all calculated so we have a minimum of waste materials because as you know wastage can kill a company. That’s why custom sizes are always more expensive because we will not get the same amount of pieces from a length.
“We are a very “Green” operation as all our machinery runs on “Compressed Air” which makes us very efficient and we do not have to be running raw current all day long, or produce much pollution.
WORKING WITH THE GIDC
“We work with the GIDC and obviously get the concessions we are entitled to as manufacturers and of course they are also our landlords so we pay them their rent. They did build us our new factory space for the UPVC production and that area represents approx 2700 sq feet.
PROUDLY BUILT IN GRENADA
“What makes me proud as the General Manager here at St Lu Metals and St Lu UPVC windows and doors is that our products are built by Grenadians and we would like to show people that we can make a product every bit as good as a product that has been imported from the USA or Canada.
From our sales and market share Grenadians obviously agree with us as the reception from the people has been immense.