Origin Global’s Ben Brocklesby sheds light on the powerful impact of data on manufacturing excellence
On recognizing a gap in the UK market for high quality bi-folding doors back in 2002, cousins Neil Ginger and Victoria Brocklesby established Origin Global (Origin). The company, now the UK’s leading specialist manufacturer of bespoke aluminum bi-folding, sliding and patio as well as all types of windows, was founded with the purpose to fill that gap and provide uncompromising levels of service. “Celebrating its 23rd anniversary this year, Origin is a privately owned family business. When my wife, Victoria, and her cousin Neil founded the company, they specialized in one core product that made a significant impact on the marketplace: bi-fold doors. Since then, Origin has expanded and evolved to become one of the main, if not the largest, high-end aluminum door and window designers and manufacturers in the UK,” comments Ben Brocklesby, Sales and Marketing Director.
Following its already promising beginnings, Origin has advanced to reach new heights by taking customer feedback on board and broadening its product portfolio accordingly. “From our initial focus on bi-fold doors, we grew to establish a brilliant national footprint. A significant milestone occurred when our customers and partners encouraged us to develop a range of windows that matched the quality of our bi-fold doors. To address this demand, we developed our first window, the OW-80, thereby establishing a precedent for innovation and progression. Every time we launched a new product, our partners would suggest additional ideas for us to design and manufacture. Over time, we refined our focus to specialize in the residential sector, crafting products that suit the preferences of most discerning homeowners, including bi-fold doors, patio doors, sliding doors, front doors, and all types of windows. In the last year, we have curated and introduced exclusive collections to the market, such as the Soho and contemporary collections. The Soho collection, named after the Soho district in New York, known for its warehouses, exudes an artisanal charm with a steel warehouse aesthetic entirely made from aluminum. This range offers the best performing bi-fold doors in the market and has enjoyed significant success with our partners. On the other hand, the contemporary collection offers a more expansive view with its abundant use of glass,” Ben describes.
In November 2023, Origin secured an asset finance loan from Lloyds Bank (Lloyds) to support its growth plans. Ben explains how this loan will benefit the business and ultimately, its customers. “Three years ago, to ensure we delivered our products to the highest standard, we introduced a brand-new team dedicated to analyzing all our data. Even though doors and windows are fairly traditional offerings, we leverage data insights to identify areas where we need to improve, such as instances where orders were not fulfilled and delivered by the promised date. Upon analyzing our data, we discovered that one of the largest areas for improvement, which accounted for approximately 30 percent of our non-conformance issues, was powder coating. At that stage, we did not undertake powder coating ourselves, relying on a powder coating partner instead. In collaboration with them, we started working to overcome some of the quality concerns that were highlighted by our data analysis team.
“Eventually, we reached a point where there was no more our partner could do on their end, and powder coating still posed a problem for us. After exploring our options, we came to the conclusion that we should bring powder coating operations in-house. However, this transition involved a two-year project and substantial investments to essentially launch a new facet of our business. Given that we have always banked with Lloyds as a business, we presented our project to them, outlining how much it would cost us to buy the facility and state-of-the-art machinery. Appreciating our accomplishments and the growth we had created over the past 23 years, Lloyds’ response was positive, and they offered us financial support for our project. Hence, in the last year and a half, we have acquired the necessary site and machinery, enabling us to conduct our own powder coating operations and produce a range of unique colors in-house,” he enthuses. 
The next step for Origin is to complete its targeted expansion in the Middle East and the US. Ben reveals what these markets have to offer. “As a relatively young board of owners and directors, we are all excited about taking Origin to international markets. Ten years ago, my wife, other leadership members, and I visited the Middle East and recognized a significant opportunity for our high-end aluminum doors and windows in the region. The Middle Eastern market seems to appreciate the quality of British engineering and manufacturing, along with the associated costs, attributes that we believe can be leveraged effectively in this market. For nearly 15 years, we have focused on refining our manufacturing process to increase efficiency, ensuring that we consistently maintain a buffer within our factories so that all our products are ready for immediate delivery. To enter the Middle Eastern market, we did not need to set up manufacturing plants locally. Instead, we decided to export directly from the UK to the Middle East, which still achieves faster lead times than locally. Indeed, most bespoke doors and windows are manufactured on a four-to-eight week lead time, while we manufacture ours on a 24-hour lead time. This means that we could establish sales offices and showrooms in the Middle East through partner networks and promptly deliver orders the next day, week, or month, positioning us as a quicker-to-market option compared to local manufacturers.
“On the other hand, the US represents a slightly different and larger market for us. We have established a manufacturing footprint there with a factory in Florida and another in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Nonetheless, we export our extrusions by utilizing the bar lengths we have in the UK, sending them to the US, and then fabricating the products specifically for the American market. I find the US market to be a particularly interesting opportunity as there is a common perception that the US is ahead of Europe in various aspects, but the reality is that the UK and Europe are ten years ahead of what the American market expects in terms of doors and windows. This has positioned us as a significant disruptive force in the US market. While the Middle East and the US are focal points for our growth strategy, Europe represents more of an organic growth trajectory for us. We do receive interest in our products in Europe but as there are other brilliant companies offering similar products in that market, our growth in Europe is more organic in nature,” he concludes.
From humble beginnings in bi-fold doors to a diversified product portfolio available internationally, Origin has established itself as an industry leader renowned for its data-driven innovation and dedication to British craftsmanship.