“We’re focused on the Caribbean climate and what goes with it,” says Terry Ortt, CEO of Domus Windows, describing the company’s core design principles. “A lot of humidity, high salt content air, hurricanes, security, energy savings.Those are really at the core.” Operating in the window, door, and outdoor products space, Domus has built its niche around UPVC—a material the company believes offers the resilience required for Caribbean conditions. But beyond material selection, Domus differentiates itself through breadth of product range, manufacturing sophistication, and an uncommon capacity for mass customization at scale. A BUSINESS MODEL BUILT FOR ISLAND LOGISTICS The Caribbean presents a unique economic challenge: small island markets with fragmented demand can make shipping and supply chain economics difficult. Domus addresses that reality with a wide product range designed to serve multiple customer needs, enabling consistent shipment volume and creating the scale required to operate efficiently. “When we’re dealing with smaller islands, we need to be able to have enough breadth of customer base in order to make shipping economic,” Ortt explains. That range, however, is not limited to standard “off-the-shelf” solutions. Domus is structured for customization—down to the elemental level— something that becomes a true competitive advantage in a region where projects can vary dramatically by island, building style, and exposure conditions. “We’re geared up for mass customization,” Ortt says. “We have 1,000 different configurations. Each component element of each configuration can be custom sized. For example, we have up to 150 glass options.” THE ORIGIN STORY: FRUSTRATION THAT BECAME OPPORTUNITY Domus wasn’t born out of a business plan; it was sparked by a real market failure. Before moving to the Caribbean, Ortt’s background was firmly rooted in large-scale corporate leadership, including serving as CEO of UniHost Corporation and Chairman of Choice Hotels Canada while overseeing a major integrated hotel operation serving 2.5 million guests per annum. But after relocating, he encountered a painful truth as a homeowner renovating a property in Jolly Harbour, Antigua. 31 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 13, ISSUE 01 DOMUS WINDOWS
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