A good extrusion partnership starts with the right conversation

From customer challenge to the right extrusion route.

For customers looking for custom aluminium extrusions, the first conversation can reveal far more than price or lead time. It helps determine whether a supplier understands the application, the market pressures and the commercial priorities behind the enquiry.

For customers buying custom aluminium extrusions, the first question is not always whether a profile can be made. The better question is whether the supplier understands what the profile needs to achieve. That is where the commercial conversation begins.

Understanding before advising

Craig Heyes, Regional Business Manager at BOAL Extrusion UK, covers the North of the UK and is often the first point of contact for existing and prospective customers. His role takes him out on the road, meeting customers, discussing products, profiles, requirements and the practical details behind a successful extrusion partnership.

But Craig is clear that the role is not simply about selling aluminium. “Selling is about pushing a product,” says Craig. “Advising is about improving the customer’s outcome. That could mean discussing the alloy, the profile dimensions, the manufacturing route or the wider priorities behind the enquiry. To give the right advice, you first need to understand what the customer is trying to achieve.” That matters in a UK market where customers are balancing cost, availability, lead times, supply risk and increasing sustainability requirements.

For many businesses, aluminium extrusion is not an isolated purchase. It is part of a production process, a construction programme, a product launch or a customer commitment. They are not simply looking for someone who can produce a profile. They are looking for a supplier who can understand their market, respond quickly, plan properly and support longer-term commercial and operational goals.

“Customers want to know that you understand their world,” Craig explains. “Is lead time the priority? Is it metal availability, quality, UK manufacture, sustainability or price? Often, it is a combination. The conversation has to start with what matters most to them.”

The right fit from the start

BOAL is best placed where customers need more than a commodity extrusion: custom aluminium profiles, practical extrusion expertise and support from design through to finish. That may include low-carbon or high-recycled aluminium options, forward-planned deliveries, UK-based manufacturing or early input on profile development.

A good commercial conversation also means being clear about fit from the start. Some enquiries may sit outside BOAL’s press capability or standard alloy range, while others may be driven purely by short-term price comparison rather than long-term value. For Craig, that honesty is not about turning opportunities away. It is about making sure the relationship starts in the right place.

“We do not want to be a one-off or a quick fix,” he says. “The aim is to build relationships that grow over time and create value for both the customer and BOAL. The first order is crucial, because that is where we prove we can do what we say we will do.”

Since joining BOAL three years ago, Craig says what has stood out most is the way the business stays close to its customers, not only at the start of a relationship, but as requirements develop.

“There is a real willingness at BOAL to understand customers properly and keep the conversation open,” says Craig. “If a customer needs input from design, production, planning or the wider commercial team, we bring that knowledge in. That is how you move from a sales conversation to a trusted partnership.”

For companies considering a UK aluminium extrusion partner, the first step is straightforward: start the conversation. Share the profile, the application, the challenge, the timescale and the commercial priorities behind the enquiry. Because a good extrusion partnership does not start with a purchase order. It starts with understanding what the customer needs to achieve.