Roto sliding hardware for comfort and security
British hardware dealer Carl F Groupco (CFG) is a long-standing partner of Roto. From its warehouses in Peterborough (England) and Cumbernauld (Scotland), the company supplies fabricators throughout the British Isles with window and door hardware from all over the world. Managing Director John Crittenden reports about customer feedback on Roto sliding hardware.
Sliding doors and windows are very popular in the United Kingdom nowadays. The country boasts around 1200 building element manufacturers who can produce sliding elements made from PVC, timber or aluminium. Within this group, some specialists who sell complete sliding elements to others have now truly made their mark. John Crittenden is sure that “whether a manufacturer or a seller, it is equally important for both that they meet customers’ expectations when it comes to functionality, style and reliability.
Intelligent design
Modern sliding systems are very in demand, especially for access to an outdoor patio, and the industry expert understands why. “The unpredictable British climate means that patio doors here are closed far more often than they are open. The large leaves and the impressive ratio of a large glass surface to minimal frame area meet Britons’ need for light and transparency. Lastly, there are no vertical profiles to spoil the view.” Regardless of the frame material – sliding elements are an in-demand solution for saving space. They are now more and more frequently offered in small formats or used to divide rooms. This is why John Crittenden states:
“Modern sliding systems are hugely versatile.”
Patio Inowa on the up
And which type of hardware is especially in demand? “As one of the industry’s largest dealers of Roto hardware, we are seeing a sharp increase in the demand for Patio Inowa,” reports the CFG Managing Director. “I think this hardware impresses our customers and end users in particular due to its outstanding sealing and the fact that it is remarkably easy to use. The option to significantly increase burglary protection is a welcome extra benefit.” Demand is continuously growing because Patio Inowa is available for sliding elements made from aluminium or PVC and, for example, is used in the smart-slide system from aluplast that is popular in the UK. Stringent requirements for thermal insulation, accessibility and burglary protection are easy to fulfil using components from Roto: “A sliding door with the tightly sealed Patio Inowa hardware can pass the rain and air permeability test in accordance with EN 13126-17 without any issues. The same is true of the British security test PAS 24. This makes this hardware one of the best solutions when a high level of air- or water-tightness or extra burglary protection is required.”
Corrosion-resistant
Like all Roto hardware, Patio Inowa even meets the most stringent requirements for corrosion resistance in accordance with class 5 as standard. As a result, this smart sliding hardware is ideal for elements that are installed in some of the many coastal regions across the British Isles. John Crittenden explains that the tightly sealed system has already proven successful in high-rise buildings where sliding doors offer access to an exposed balcony.
Smart sliding
CFG customers have described how end users specifically praise the operating convenience of the Inowa sliding system. “Our customers can produce large elements with a sash weight of up to 400 kg and benefit from the certainty of knowing that the sliding door is effortless for users to operate thanks to the Soft functions.” The integrated mechanism gently brakes the leaf shortly before it comes to a stop in the open or closed end position. “It goes without saying that this ensures very convenient yet safe handling and provides a little bit extra luxury, if you want to put it that way.” John Crittenden explains that the intelligent sliding hardware is a “real hit” with window manufacturers thanks to its incredibly simple installation too.
Roto Patio Alversa
Patio Alversa is another Roto sliding system that is popular among CFG customers. This universal hardware for Parallel Sliding and Tilt&Slide elements is also available for all profile materials. “Tilting the leaf helps to subtly ventilate the interior – a feature that remains important to many end users.” John Crittenden offers the following praise for the hardware technology: the comfort tilt mode ensures that the leaf is pleasingly easy and reliable to control using the handle. “Another benefit of this hardware is that Patio Alversa complies with security standard PAS 24 when using night ventilation. Just like Patio Inowa, Patio Alversa is also simple and very efficient to install.” John Crittenden summarises:
“Our customers can produce flexibly according to customer requirements with Inowa and Alversa.”
The central lockings that are used for Patio Alversa are the same ones that can be combined with Tilt&Turn hardware from Roto. Fabricators of NX only have to add a minimal number of additional parts from the Patio Alversa system to their inventory. However, CFG customers obviously wouldn’t have to build up high stock levels anyway. They receive the parts they need quickly and based on their requirements from the state-of-the-art CFG distribution centre in Peterborough. CFG provides all-encompassing technical support for the hardware product ranges together with Roto.
This article was published in Roto Inside 52.