25 years of custom aluminium window solutions
Innovative Vision Statements proudly celebrates 25 years of creating custom aluminium window solutions for Australian luxury homes
As founding partner, Spiro Douvitsas, says, “The past 25 years have been a lot of things: challenging, exciting, an immense learning experience – I’m still learning. But overall it’s been interesting.”
We sat down with Spiro to find out more.
WHY DID YOU START THE BUSINESS?
Prior to starting Innovative Vision Statements I’d worked as an estimator at two other companies. However, I’m a very hands-on person and at every opportunity I’d be out in the factory, getting my hands dirty making windows. I was always a tinkerer and wanted to do things with my hands rather be stuck behind a desk in an office.
Both the companies I worked at were aluminium fabricators that were mainly involved in commercial and industrial projects – factories, office buildings, schools, etc. When I decided to go out on my own, I started with doing residential products like security doors, shower screens and wardrobe doors. That’s what got me in to the residential market and because I had window experience, I began to do aluminium windows in homes, there wasn’t a master plan to go out and do windows in houses, I just fell into it.
Did you plan to run your own business?
I’d always wanted to be my own boss, to be able to control what and when, so yes, I knew one day I would go out on my own.
I got bored where I was. Although we did work for a lot of different builders, it was all the same type of work and it became very repetitive. My love of design and detailing meant
I had a lot of ideas in my head but it just wasn’t the right place for me to implement my creative ideas. An opportunity arose to set up a small showroom and start my own business. I had a lot of contacts with suppliers and architects developed over the years, and I still keep in contact with some of them from the early days.
Gradually, I began to build up the volume of residential work I did with architects. I loved working with architects, sitting in meetings sketching and coming up with concepts, and I understood what they were trying to achieve. Architects come up with some great concepts and ideas, but unless you understand what they’re trying to do and the reason why they want to go with a particular look and feel, it makes it really difficult to create something that will work for them.
Who was designing the systems in the early days?
It was me on my own initially and then when I couldn’t handle the workload, I put on someone else and we grew from there. It wasn’t a massive growth back then. When I started the business it was just after the recession and the property market crash of the late eighties. Interest rates were over 20%. People said it was the worse time to start a business and I was mad. I thought I’m starting from scratch, so as long as I can get growth every year, it’s not as if I can go backwards! It was really interesting times.
Was there a market for premium custom solutions?
There was a market and we recognised that although we didn’t have access to the right products. The local system suppliers were years behind from what was available in Europe. We’re catching up now although 15 years ago we had to work with the limited local systems or develop our own.
The turning point for me was back in 2002/03. I had the opportunity to attend a trade show in Nuremberg, Germany – there was over 1400 exhibitors. The amount of information and products that were available was impressive. It was at this point that I realised some of the ideas I had were either a reality or could be done with the right system supplier. So when an architect said, “this is what we’re trying to achieve” I knew it could be done because I’d seen it done, and although at time we might not have had access to the systems, we could custom solution. And that’s where it all started, the custom aluminium windows solution, it was out of necessity more than any other reason.
OBVIOUSLY TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED ON THE PRODUCTION SIDE OF THINGS, HOW DO YOU KEEP ON TOP OF THE CHANGES?
When we started working in the custom projects field, we worked with architects that were cutting edge, they wanted sliding doors that looked like a frameless fixed glass panel when in a closed position. A lot of work goes into achieving that type of window system, there’s a lot of machining and customising to get it to look right and more importantly, work correctly. Initially, we would machine by hand most of the profiles and components, which took a long time, so we decided to invest in the purchase of a CNC machine. It was a huge investment for us at the time but it allowed us to be even more innovative, more accurate and to complete the work faster. It also gave us scope to take on more complex projects than what we had been doing, and in turn, we were able to achieve the architect’s design brief more economically with shorter lead times.Would you say that you’re more tooled up and more advanced than your competitors or are you all on a level playing field?
We don’t have competitors as such. We don’t compete with other fabricators.Is that because they don’t do custom work?
Innovative has always been known for doing the work that other fabricators can’t and won’t to do. Whether that’s because they don’t understand it or it’s because it’s too difficult – we’ve never shied away from anything that’s difficult, that’s what sets us apart from everyone else. If you want something done properly, if you want something customised, we’re known for doing great work.You’re still working with some suppliers and architects you worked with at the very beginning, how important are these relationships?
Very important. We have developed close relationships with architects and suppliers which we value and respect. Without such good relationships, we would not have been able to complete the work that we have and at the level of quality that we’re known for.
OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR MILESTONES THAT STAND OUT, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’RE REALLY PROUD OF?
We’ve done some fantastic work over the years and worked on some amazing projects, but I wouldn’t say major milestones as such. It’s just been an evolution of… emotions!
WHERE DO YOU SEE THE BUSINESS GOING OVER THE NEXT 25 YEARS?
I haven’t thought that far ahead! 15-20 years ago I didn’t expect to be doing what I’m doing now, we’ve just evolved. I love what I do, I still have a lot of ideas and I want to take the next step. To me the most important thing about Innovative Vision Statements is our reputation. I want to be known as being able to do work that no one else can do and I want the company to have the capacity and the ability to take on any project.
LOOKING BACK, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU MIGHT HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?
No. I don’t regret my mistakes – and we’ve made a few over the years. I’m a firm believer that as long as we learn from those mistakes then it’s okay to make them. Something good always comes out of something bad, that’s my philosophy.
