August Hörmann founded Hörmann Garage Doors in 1935 in Steinhagen, Germany as a metal fabrication workshop. Four generations later, they are still a family business and are Europe’s largest door manufacturing company. Since so few businesses of such a large scale are family owned, Hörmann Garage Doors focuses more on quality and margins compared to volume. They conduct their own in-house quality control and take their time on product development.
Scale and What It Means in Practice
Hörmann manufactures multiple products including garage doors, front entrance doors, fire doors, frames, gates, and operators in multiple facilities scattered throughout Germany and the rest of Europe. For residential buyers in the UK, this scale and the Hörmann business model means components are made in-house. They do not outsource to third parties. Hörmann makes their own springs, operators, electronics, and door panels. The products made are part of the same manufacturing group, so if a Hörmann product fails at installation or at any other time, the replacement part is also efficient and easy to source. The same supply chain made the replacement part that will need to be integrated.
All of this is not necessarily true for the garage door industry. Other brands purchase third party components to assemble the doors which makes servicing the major components more complicated and creates quality variation.
The Door Range
Hörmann offers a wide selection of residential door types (sectional, roller, up and over, side-hinged, entrance) in the UK. Hörmann’s sectional garage doors stand out. The LPU (steel panel, polyurethane insulation) series offers options from standard to custom panel thicknesses and covers fully domestic and semi-commercial applications. The better-specified panels have some of the best U-values in the UK residential market.
Rollmatic roller doors use a single-skin aluminum slat profile. These doors also boast a wide color selection and many control options. The Rollmatic is a premium product, so buyers focused on value for money may want to consider alternative roller door offerings.
Hörmann’s up and over doors are available in a fully steel, timber, or GRP offering. The timber up and over doors are manufactured by Cedar Door, as Hörmann does not manufacture timber doors in Germany. Hörmann also does not manufacture timber doors in Germany as they subcontract to the best timber specialist in the British market.
BiSecur
All Hörmann products utilize the same automation system, BiSecur. BiSecur is a proprietary system with wireless communication that uses a protocol at 868 MHz with AES encryption and 128 bit. BiSecur cannot be cloned with the currently available remote capture devices that are rapidly becoming popular for use in relay attacks against rolling code systems. Therefore, if customers are concerned with security, BiSecur provides a level of security that cannot be achieved with other systems.
BiSecur makes integration with smart home systems possible. Using the HomeCom Pro app, along with supported modules, a user can remotely operate and view the status of several Hörmann doors on a single interface. The system is exclusive, as it only works with Hörmann operators.
ProMatic and SupraMatic
Hörmann’s operators, the ProMatic and SupraMatic, are the standard for automated sectional and up and over systems, respectively. Both incorporate obstacle detection and auto-reverse as standard. The SupraMatic, in particular, has a long and well-researched service history in the UK repair industry. Considering that a garage door motor with a 15 year life span is only as good as the system’s parts and the available skilled technicians, this is positive.
Garador
Around 2000, Hörmann purchased Garador, the manufacturer based in Yeovil. The two companies remain separate in their offerings, with Garador providing lower prices and British made products. Customers wanting a lower cost Hörmann product at a similar quality often purchase a Garador product, which is accurate in describing the two companies.
Who Should Choose Hörmann
Hörmann is not an expensive choice because of the brand name — there are competitive alternatives in the high end of the market. They are, however, a premium choice because in our experience their products offer a higher level of specification. Hörmann is a good choice for long-term buyers, those who are investing in the house to enjoy and not simply for resell, and buyers who will be using the garage door often. If you consider costs the most, you should look at Garador or GDO.