Posted by s.shabbir · August 23rd 2024
Rockdoor was founded in 1996 with a mission not just to create stylish doors, but to make them exceptionally secure.
Rockdoor gained a reputation for its range of elegant and unique door designs, each underpinned by a product manufactured to withstand forced entry through the door and offer ultimate safety for families.
When we started manufacturing Rockdoors in 1997, composite doors were barely present in the entrance door market, as the industry was dominated by door panels. The parent brand of Rockdoor, GAP Ltd, was producing nearly 2,500 panels a week to meet the market’s high demand.
It was a significant challenge to convince customers to choose Rockdoors over uPVC infill doors, especially when homeowners’ primary concern was not security but the thermal performance of the doors to keep their homes warmer. As a result, customers were more inclined to install double-glazed windows, which also meant replacing old, drafty, and deteriorating timber doors during the peak of the double-glazing era.
In 2004, an event occurred that put Rockdoor’s name in the spotlight and demonstrated the strength and security of our doors.
The local community depended on newspapers to hear the local news as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook were still in their infancy. So, on the morning of Tuesday, August 24, 2004, the front page headline in the Lancashire Telegraph, stating ‘Door that Beat the Bobbies,’ left the entire Rockdoor team shocked.
Lancashire Police were attempting to gain forced access to a property using their steel battering rams. Upon their arrival at the scene, they might have expected a door made with an infill panel or a timber door. Both types would have been relatively easy for the police constables to break down, with the infill panel potentially ‘popping out’ or the timber door ‘snapping’ or easily breaking the lock.
The police realised it would be a daunting task to force entry through Rockdoor—a composite door that has been manufactured using uPVC and reinforced with steel and aluminium.
The Police had no choice but to find another way into the property since their battering rams were ineffective against the Rockdoor. This prompted the headline ‘Door that Beat the Bobbies.’ The uPVC material absorbed the impact of the battering rams, and the steel hooks prevented the door from being forced open.
It’s been twenty years since this iconic article was published, and it’s still a cherished memory for everyone involved. While competitors have moved from inexpensive uPVC door panels to GRP composite doors, it’s reassuring to see that Rockdoor’s core principles have remained consistent over the years: manufacturing stylish doors that are also secure.
