Guy Hubble, Joint MD at RegaLead, discusses his frustration with imitation, and explains why, despite the common phrase, it’s not the sincerest form of flattery – it’s just theft.
The Limitations of imitations
In our industry, there is a history of copying and imitation. It’s happened on all products from profiles to hardware and everything in between. Previously, we have taken legal action against ex-competitors who were copying products from our core range of lead, films and bevels ranges in order to protect our designs and copyright.
More recently, we’ve noticed an increase in the number of companies and products that are coming to the market with ‘dumbed down’ versions of our decorative glass designs. They are cutting corners – simplifying designs, and removing aesthetic design details to be able to produce poor imitations at a lower-cost.
Decorative Glass Imitations
Decorative glass design is an artistic work and a truly creative process, which is an area that is clearly protected under copyright laws. We certainly aren’t the first or last creatives to have our work poorly imitated for someone else’s financial gain. Legal action, of course, should always be a last resort.
We do welcome healthy competition. That is what drives the market forward, pushes innovation and adds value. But copycatting intellectual property does nothing positive for the market.
For the last 35 years, we have built our business on the creativity, innovation, ideas and artistry of our people. Back in the ‘90s, we were the first company to bring glass bevels to the UK and transform the decorative glass market. We also developed the coloured films which are now treated as the industry standard. We have never been afraid to innovate and take risks with new ideas. Some products have been instant successes, others were developed and changed over time to deliver what the market needed.
For our decorative glass range, we create unique designs to give customers more choice and upselling opportunities, as we all know decorative glass is a major contributor to selling a door and making a good profit. We are firm believers that the design and attention to detail is of utmost importance to the design process and that £1,000+ doors, and the customers who buy them, deserve well-designed, quality glass products.
We have always maintained pricing structures that give us a fair margin, but more importantly, allow our customers to remain competitive whilst attaining good margins themselves.
However, as with many things in life, there will always be someone who can ‘do it cheaper’, but at what cost? The ‘dumbing down’ of a glass design not only reduces the aesthetic value and in many cases its performance too.
We have invested time, technical development and significant money into our decorative glass designs to make them look fantastic and perform well, so that the glass unit is not the weak link in the door.
Five Reasons to Choose Decorative Glass from RegaLead
1. Document Q Compliance for Security
ALL of our glass is available with the option of P1A certified laminated glass to the outer face, which is a requirement for new build installations under the Security in Dwellings: Approved Document Q building regulations.
2. Document L Compliance for Energy Efficiency
ALL of our Signature decorative glass units feature low ‘E’ glass and argon filling as standard to deliver the best thermal performance. This means that ALL composite door options, including three-quarter glazed options, will meet the stringent requirements of Conservation of Fuel and Power: Approved Document L building regulations, and achieves a minimum of a ‘B’ Window Energy Rating (WER).
3. Consistency of Design
With our UK manufacturing base, we are the only company able to create completely matching sidelights and toplights that perfectly suite with our decorative door glass and ensure the same glass manufacturing techniques are used across the whole door system, for complete design consistency.
4. CE Mark with Confidence
We always maintain testing to EN1279, including part 3, for gas retention across all insulated glass manufacturing systems, both in our UK plants and our overseas manufacturing partners. We are independently audited by CEN Solutions which allows us to carry their coveted CEN Mark. More importantly, it means that our customers can CE mark products with complete confidence, safe in the knowledge that there is full documentary evidence available.
5. Shapes and Sizes
For all of our decorative glass ranges, we produce a full range of sizes that cover all the most popular composite door cassette sizes and we produce units in multiple thicknesses, meaning our ranges are suitable for manufacturers offering all composite door brands.
Is it Worth Your Warranty?
Crucially, installers and fabricators need to remember that a composite door warranty is only as valid as the weakest component in your door. Don’t assume that because the glass looks similar that it will perform the same.
Performance is ensured through the quality processes and testing procedures that are invested in it. At RegaLead we are committed to delivering the highest performing decorative IGUs that maintain composite door warranties for the end-users, through extensive testing and our ISO:9001 quality systems.
So, remember, when you are buying decorative glass – you’re not just buying the aesthetics that help you sell it. You are buying the performance, the testing, the compliance, the certainty, and the confidence that the glass you are fitting isn’t the weak link in your composite door.
