20 minute read
Letters
GLASSTEC VIRTUAL - THE NEW ONLINE FORMAT CONNECTS THE SECTOR AND ENABLES VIRTUAL NETWORKING
The alternative dates for glasstec have already been established. From 15 to 18 June 2021 the global No. 1 trade fair will again become the innovation and information platform for the entire glass industry. The exhibitors who have already registered can use an entirely new digital service for glasstec in autumn this year. glasstec VIRTUAL connects the sector and offers many new features for both exhibitors and visitors.
By launching glasstec VIRTUAL from 20 to 22 October as a leading digital event, Messe Düsseldorf extends its portfolio of services. The new format consists of the three segments Exhibition Space, Networking Plaza and Conference Area. This allows exhibitors to maintain and extend their business relations on the market. Additional tools such as virtual product presentations and new interactive options make it possible to address target groups in an optimised way and generate potential leads. “Save the October dates in your agenda for glasstec VIRTUAL and use this opportunity to stay connected with the international glass industry,” says Birgit Horn, Director glasstec.
The Exhibitor Showroom offers many additional new features to attract potential customers’ attention as early as eight months before glasstec. Effective immediately, product videos can be uploaded and web sessions offered. You can make contact with the participants either interactively via the chat option during the event or after the event directly and conveniently using the Matchmaking Tool. Furthermore, the exhibitor receives the contact details of all registered participants. After the event the exhibitors’ presentations will be made available to the glasstec community for further reference. The Showroom also brings the option of continued exposure with other advertising and communication materials alongside product information and data entries.
Networking Plaza
The new Matchmaking Tool allows you to establish direct contact with potentially interested parties by requesting special fields of interest and extensive filter functions. After making an appointment, personal conversations can be held via audio or video calls in a virtual room.
Conference Area
Accompanying the event from 20 to 22 October glasstec VIRTUAL will offer free expert lectures from the glasstec conference with a reference to globally trending themes. Participants will be able to interact with speakers and follow the talks from all over the world. The detailed programme and information for participation will be published in September. In addition, the trade journal Glass Worldwide will organise two panel discussions. The sessions will address the current, global market situation in the flat and container glass industries. More information about the conference programme can be found here: virtual.glasstec.de/trendtopics Access to these extra ranges of glasstec VIRTUAL is automatically available to all exhibitors registered for the trade fair next year. For visitors, participation in glasstec VIRTUAL is free of charge. For more information on the event go to: virtual.glasstec-online.com
LETTERS YOUR
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?
Feel free to get in touch with your views on the industry, legislation, government, or even the newspaper.
Contact Chris:
chris@glassnews.co.uk
GREEN HOMES GRANT – UPDATE
Dear Editor,
The latest news in the Green Homes Grant (GHG) is that there is little change for replacement windows, as we predicted openly in our members forum on social media. We were 99 percent sure this would be the outcome, as the indications in conversations we had been having with Government was looking like grant money would only be available for single glazed windows.
There is still an opportunity with energy efficient entrance doors, but this too could be slim pickings as it is a secondary measure, and proof of insulation is likely to be required before this will be eligible. However, there is no reason to be negative about this. We now have our knees under the table at these meetings, and it’s likely that the next tranches of grant money will be more favourable to the glazing sector if we continue to position ourselves correctly. For many years, the industry has not been represented in cross trade talks. That is because previous contact with Government had removed glazing from involvement with bodies such as the Construction Leadership Council on the basis that glazing was not part of construction. This may have saved some large glazing businesses from paying into CITB levy, but it has left us somewhat isolated and away from many funded skills initiatives. Of course, this meant every battle had to be fought against the other trades, rather than as a construction collective. Since I have been at Certass Trade Association, I have spent a lot of my energy building the relationships with other heads of trade organisations to get us seen as part of the construction group by Government. These were long term measures, and we can see that they are starting to take effect. We were included by Government in discussions around COVID-19 and GHG, and this looks like it will bring us closer into future conversations and consultations. Less than 3 percent of homes in England gain from the GHG, and that leaves 97 percent of homes available for the next initiative. Discussions are already happening, and we are part of those. Nothing concrete has been decided, but the fact we are part of the discussion is a big step forward. At Certass TA, we knew through early stages of coronavirus that any knee jerk reactions would cause members more hardship and extra cost, at a time they when they could ill afford it. Government changes were coming thick and fast, so when we interpreted Government guidance, we aimed to give it a measured and thoughtful response. Where we needed further clarification, we sought it out directly with Government ministers and civil servants to ensure the information given to members was the best it could be. It worked, in hindsight our predictions have been shown to be correct and our members given the right advice at the right time. Certass TA is backing the industry, we see that being part of conversations will mean bigger benefits to everyone in glazing, and while GHG has been an unnecessary distraction for many companies, collectively we are likely to reap bigger and better rewards in the future. Yours sincerely,
Jon Vanstone
Chairman Certass Trade Association
Dear Editor,
It’s fantastic to see more and more fabricators and installers beginning to promote their Smart offering as they realise its potential as our industry’s next big opportunity. But in light of some recent trademark confusion, which I am not going to go into, I’m writing with a word of warning, but more importantly, with some advice. Just because a product name sounds good or a logo looks good, or you think it helps sell your product better, it doesn’t mean you can just use it.
Every business needs to be aware of exactly what they’re promoting. It is part of a company’s responsibility to do their research, to become commercially knowledgeable about those that they share the same market with and understand what trademarks are already out there. By not performing the trademark due diligence step, companies not only risk confusing their own customers and undermining their brand, they also may risk hugely expensive, drawn out legal battles that could amount to financial ruin. The time, effort and money it takes to get a brand right, to ensure that it connects with consumers and consistently delivers on its promise, can never be underestimated. More often than not, a lot of creativity, flair, work and a huge amount of money has gone into making the name and logo what it is. When a brand is created, the holy grail of any outcome is for your brand’s trademarked name to become a noun or verb: Google, Hoover, Sellotape, Post It, CashPoint, Band Aid, Super Glue to name a few. Each one of these products started out as a trademark and brand of an individual product, but most people now use the term to refer to an explanation of what the product does and this is regardless of the actual brand people are looking at. These sorts of brands come when there is no doubt or confusion, - and this comes from standing firm and protecting the brand, particularly in the early years, through the legal system on trademarking. We’re already starting to see this happen across the industry with
"The time, effort and money it takes to get a brand right, to ensure that it connects with consumers and consistently delivers on its promise, can never be underestimated. More often than not, a lot of creativity, flair, work and a huge amount of money has gone into making the name and logo what it is." "I know no one can own a word, but someone can legally own a word that means something different to the consumer when thinking of that word or combined words. There are many elements that go into forming a brand and the service it sells, and words are an integral part of that. Using another company’s words that are trademarked to describe in context your own product that can be similar in nature, can amount to trademark infringement."
the Smart Ready® service, and I’m deeply proud of our achievement. To avoid trademark infringement, it is not enough to swap words around, say I wasn’t aware, or simply use the excuse of ‘words just being words’ - you don’t own words. Of course I know no one can own a word, but someone can legally own a word that means something different to the consumer when thinking of that word or combined words. There are many elements that go into forming a brand and the service it sells, and words are an integral part of that. Using another company’s words that are trademarked to describe in context your own product that can be similar in nature, can amount to trademark infringement. I have invested an enormous amount of time, money and energy in the developing Smart Ready® and the service around it. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise for the reader to hear that I will protect the brand before I will think to blink. But it’s broader than just me and my businesses. As an industry, we learn to be prouder to protect what we’ve created, and take branding and trademarks more seriously, especially now that Smart is emerging for windows and doors. I think the window and door industry as a whole should be more understanding and resolute in that defence. Let’s face it – we’re all hoping for that coveted Noun/Verb status, and you can only get this if brands and their trademarks are respected. My advice? Sit down with a specialised lawyer and do your research before you create a brand, logo, or even settle on your company name and above all, if a name or logo looks good and fits well with selling your product, it doesn’t mean you can use it without consequence. Yours sincerely Giovanni Laporta, inventor and innovator of Smart Ready®
Dear Editor,
COVID-19 has changed the way we live and work on many levels. This includes highlighting and reinforcing, something which has long underpinned our own working culture - the importance of transparency.
We have written to our customers to explain some of the challenges that we face within our supply chain. I believe that some of those points are worth wider, public discussion. We’re seeing a boom. That’s the good part. Our supply chain is, however, creaking under exponential growth in demand. This isn’t unique to Emplas. Every major systems company, hardware and glass manufacturer is struggling to meet supply. As a consequence, so are fabricators. We have capacity, we have capability - but the availability of glass, foiled product and some hardware is forcing us to push out lead times. There is no point in trying to pretend that our supply chain, or as a consequence those of our customers, are unaffected by this. From the conversations I am having daily with fabricators nationwide, the delays on foils are a universal problem. That is supply not only of one or two profiles. Foil lead times on all leading systems have been extended. There’s volatility in glass supply (with an inhouse IGU capability we and our customers are to an extent, insulated from the worst of this). There are also significant shortages of hardware. So, what are we doing about it? Well, I believe everything we can. We have redirected resource from our own retail businesses, here in the UK and in Australia, to prioritize the supply of product to our trade customers. We have taken some very difficult decisions about who we supply. Focussing on the customers who have committed to work in partnership with us and whose loyalty we are doing everything within our power to return. Similarly, we are working closely with our suppliers, sharing forecasts with them on a daily basis to support them in managing demand. We are bringing forward manufacture of standard non-foiled product to build additional capacity within our systems, so that as soon as those foils that are currently thin on the ground come back into stock at volume, we can double our efforts to turn orders around. If, however, our systems provider cannot deliver foils to us for six weeks because their supply chain is also struggling with demand; or hinges are not available because they are not in the country; or because certain laminates or coatings aren’t available to manufacture IGUs - then our ability to deliver to our own customers within ‘normal’ lead times is also impacted. It’s no easy task to switch a large business ‘back on’ after lockdown. We started early and that’s allowed us to build in-line with demand so that we have had full capacity reinstated for past month or more. Systems companies needed greater volume to justify turning production back on again. As a consequence, they have had to go from a standing start to exponential growth in demand and 150% of capacity, in only a few weeks. This is why I am asking for understanding, from our customers and the window and door supply chain at large. There is no way for me to ‘sugar-coat the pill’ but for the next month or two at most, we need to engage and explain to the end-user that lead times for new windows and doors are going to be extended. That’s not on every product, we continue to be able to supply for example the AluK F82 bi-fold on lead times of only 15-days; standard product is also available on more or less normal lead times. On some products, people are, however, going to have to wait. We believe our customers will understand that this is not about our capacity or our will to deliver - but the availability of product to manufacture. We have great partnerships, we have purchasing power and are mobilising both to put our customers at the front of the queue. To a point, however, we all have to wait a little in line. Homeowners will generally be prepared to do this for good tradespeople and the right product. With regret, we’re going to have to ask the same from our customers on certain products. This is, however, short term. And we expect to be able to reinstate normal lead times as soon as we can. Up until then, we need approach business with a new openness, connecting the supply chain from systems companies to installers and ultimately to the end-user, in order to manage expectation. We are all in this together, so we all may as well pull in the same direction. Yours faithfully,
Ryan Johnson
TIME TO DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND
Dear Editor,
Following yet another controversial glazing industry pre-pack administration, Gary Morton of the Boing Boing Group gives his take on the practise, and how the industry should respond.
Once, there was a real stigma attached to going bankrupt – and as a society, it’s good we’ve become a little more compassionate. Sometimes, businesses fail through no direct fault of the people that own and run them, and those people deserve our understanding and support, if appropriate. But it is also feasible for companies to take advantage of our collective generosity and goodwill. This, unfortunately, is what we have seen with the recent collapse of the Customade Group. In June, the company was placed into administration, owing huge sums of money to its suppliers, crown debt and worst of all, a fair number of its employees. However, within minutes it had been bought by Dutch private equity firm Nimbus, as part of a ‘pre-pack administration’, and resurrected as a new company – unbelievably, headed by the exact same management team. Incidentally, the new companies were set up in early February, way before Covid-19 struck. In certain situations, pre-packs are a good thing – they can rescue struggling businesses in a way that saves jobs, which, in the longer term, helps the suppliers, employees and customers who rely on them. But as cases like these demonstrate, in practise they are often used for all the wrong reasons. When executive mismanagement takes thriving, well-regarded businesses and destroys them, they can let the people responsible walk away without any repercussions – and leave suppliers and former employees to pick up the pieces.
No consequences, no responsibility
More or less, three hundred people lost their jobs as part of the Customade ‘prepack’ deal – most of them by text message. Hannah Bardell, MP for Livingston, where a lot of those jobs have been cut, said she was ‘disgusted’. She’s not the only one. I’ve received dozens of messages from suppliers and employees left hanging. But the thing I find most appalling of all is that the company’s management have not taken a shred of responsibility for what has happened. The arrogance of it is breathtaking. The industry rumour mill is awash with tales of strong-arm tactics to enforce continued supply, customers forced to pay the debts of Oldco, and Newco not standing by their product warranties. When you run a business, you get highly paid, but the buck stops with you – that is the trade-off. Be humble, admit errors, adapt your attitude to fit the occasion, but no… not these guys. It seems they aren’t willing to accept any responsibility whatsoever, blaming IT viruses, Covid-19, bad debts and more. During pre-packs, administrators are required to submit a report on the conduct of a company’s directors. Let’s just say I think this one would make for very interesting reading – if it’s produced correctly!
Time to draw a line in the sand
It isn’t the first time pre-packs have allowed devious management and directors to cause huge damage to our industry, and leave the businesses who depended on them struggling to make ends meet. But as a sector, we’ve got the power to make this type of pre-pack socially unacceptable. For the sake of our industry and all the great people in it, I think we have a moral responsibility to stand up to companies like these – to tell them that if you treat your suppliers, your customers and your employees with such disdain, we won’t work with you. When incidents like these have happened in the past, I’m sorry to say, many of us have been shown to have very short memories. We’ll get angry about it for a bit, but soon slip back into the familiar routine, and start giving them our money again. This time, we have to do better than that. It’s extremely encouraging to see some of the industry’s most respected suppliers and the media refusing to deal with Customade’s latest incarnation - Glass Times, the FIT Show, VBH and Veka to name a few. Hats off to them for taking this stance. My hope is that many other businesses will follow suit.
Doing the right thing
Doing the right thing is rarely easy. Especially in times as uncertain as these, we’re all under pressure to take every bit of business that comes our way. But if we just roll over and let those responsible get away with it, we will only have ourselves to blame when the same thing happens again, as it inevitably will. For more information visit www.centralrpl.co.uk or call 0121 500 0505.
Dear Editor,
There’s been a lot of talk in the press over the last week about lead times and the supply chain and I have to agree that we are all creaking at the seams in this post-lockdown boom. Let’s not bury our heads in the sand and pretend that any one of us is delivering on time, in full – no matter what investment has been made into systems, machinery, facilities, etc. But, what I think is a fair point to make is that the majority of us in the supply chain are doing their very best to deliver and agree that the most important thing is to be transparent with your customers.
DOORCO is one of those companies that has invested, across the board. We place a huge emphasis on stock and came out of lockdown with bolstered levels. We are also in the unique position that we are independent in both the UK and Korea, so we can react quicker than most. But it’s still not enough. We saw 1000’s more doors than usual come through our prepping lines in July, a 34% increase, plus a 10% increase in distribution slab sales. There has also been a massive shift in demand, with consumers making bolder choices in style and colour – this adds even more pressure to suppliers because we move into supplying the “added value” services like painting. As we came out of lockdown, we were just thankful to be opening up and unfurloughing some of our staff. We certainly didn’t predict this boom. We are doing all we can to keep on top of this with double shifts in Korea to get the slabs to the UK, and in the UK to make the doors and support our customers. We are in constant communication with our suppliers and customers, sharing stats and predictions, and ordering as much as we can but we are up against widespread stock outages higher up the supply chain. I appreciate the patience and understanding the customers are showing right now. We will improve and we will improve quickly, and we all hope for the continuation of the good problem to have - higher volumes than expected. Yours sincerely Dan Sullivan, MD, DOORCO
SETBACK FOR CONSTRUCTION RECOVERY CAN BE FIXED WITH SUCCESSFUL GREEN HOMES GRANTS SCHEME, SAYS FMB
Dear Editor,
Government must release the breaks on sluggish construction sector activity by stepping up its support for builders who want to get accredited for the Green Homes Grants scheme, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). This is in response to Construction PMI data, published today, which shows that growth slowed in August, with respondents citing a lack of new work to replace completed contracts and a ‘wait and see’ attitude among clients.
Jessica Levy, Director of Communications of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), said: “The slowdown in growth reported in today’s Construction PMI report points to the need for policies which sustain much-needed jobs and activity, and give consumers confidence to invest. The Green Homes Grants scheme has the potential to do this, but just weeks away from its roll out, the Government needs to step up support for builders to gain recognition for their competence and high quality workmanship and register for the scheme. Rightly, the focus is on competency, but the mechanisms proposed are complex, especially within the Government’s ambitious timescales. "The time and costs involved in accreditation risk putting off quality builders who otherwise are committed to doing their bit to achieve Net Zero.” Levy concluded: “We know that the Green Homes Grants will be put under the microscope before more public investment in energy efficiency is brought forward. "The FMB is campaigning for the Government to commit to a long-term, ambitious plan for green homes at the Budget, that will lead to sustainable jobs and organic growth in the energy efficiency market. This will increase business confidence to step up and make the Green Homes Grants a success.” Jessica Levy, Director of Communications, FMB
