Background
We pride ouselves on our reputation for going the extra mile for our customers - and that helped us to win a contract at the University of Strathclyde where timber pivot windows in student accommodation blocks required repair and refurbishment.
The Mila Maintenance team had carried out window and door maintenance in other parts of the University in Glasgow and had demonstrated the value of our highly specialised service to the team of surveyors responsible for the various buildings around the city.
The Problem
Timber pivot windows in four student accommodation blocks, which house 300 students in four to six person flats, were failing. The University’s surveyors were faced with the challenge of repairing or replacing the defective frames in order to maintain the necessary safety and security levels for its students.
Mila Maintenance Solution
Firstly, we advised against expensive repair and instead to recommended a much more cost effective programme of window refurbishment which also involved sourcing a manufacturer to produce replacement pivot hinges since the original versions had been discontinued.
As part of the Mila Hardware Group, Mila Maintenance has access to profile and hardware drawings going back 29 years and can utilise the services of an in-house product design and development team. This team helped us to source a bespoke manufacturer who could produce replacement pivot hinges to match the originals and our installation engineers were able to fit these in a number of windows throughout the four blocks.
Benefits to Client
We estimated that the cost of replacing the failing windows could have been as much as £300,000. Our solution cost closer to £35,000, delivering valuable savings for the university.
Additional benefits included minimal disruption experienced by students as each window was refurbished in just 2 hours by our team of NVQ qualified maintenance engineers who are trained to provide a polite and friendly service to residents and tenants.
A Senior Building Surveyor at the University of Strathclyde, said Mila Maintenance delivered a service which exceeded his expectations. He said: “By sourcing and delivering the bespoke hinges, Mila Maintenance enabled us to retain the windows which were already in place and to deliver a cheaper but nonetheless high quality solution for our students.
“The life of the windows has also been considerably extended which saves valuable resources and of course reduces waste.”