Unlocking the future of Architectural Ironmongery

Things were better back in the day! Or were they?

Remember the good old days. Red phone boxes, proper music, affordable houses, free university education and no social media nonsense! Things were much better then, or were they?

Now we have safer roads, advanced health treatments, access to more information and entertainment than we could imagine and we can shop for literally anything in seconds using just a phone.

The fact is, some things in the past were better and some things are better now. Take good old fashioned customer service for example. It can be a nightmare getting hold of someone helpful and knowledgeable these days. Press 1 for this, 2 for that, hold for 45 minutes, start again! However, thanks to the internet, often a helpful answer can be found in seconds in a YouTube video or a company website. 

Times change

Recently, we took the decision to step away from our long-established traditional name, Spiller Architectural Ironmongery to trade solely under our newer online brand, Door Controls Direct.

Spiller was founded in 1918, and whenever we spoke to customers they would tell us how much they valued our knowledge, expertise, customer support and specification services.

But times have also changed. In recent years our online brand Door Controls Direct has grown rapidly as more and more people buy online. Inevitably, we reached a point where we had to choose one identity for our company, so we asked ourselves, do we cling to the past or go with what’s happening now? 

Going with Door Controls Direct hasn’t been an easy decision. There is a lot of history behind the name Spiller, which goes back over 100 years. However, we understand it’s far easier for customers to deal with a single identity, whether offline or online.

Best of both worlds

The good news is, even though the Spiller name has now been assigned to history, the traditional aspects that our customers value are not going away at all. In fact, they’re only getting better. 

Our fantastic team of real people, the ones with all the know-how, are still here and are still available over the phone and in our showrooms. And we’re now making all of this easier to access online too. We’ve recently doubled the number of products available at doorcontrolsdirect.co.uk and customers can access explainer videos, expert guidance and installation advice on their computers, tablets and phones. 

Door Controls Direct means we can deliver a more traditional and thoughtful way of doing things in a fast, modern and convenient way. So, all the good stuff from the past, with the best things from right now and in the future.

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Gary Hewitt

Managing Director