Glass News October 2020 by Christina Shaw

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NEW YOUGOV SURVEY CONFIRMS ENTERING INDUSTRY IS A DESIRABLE ALTERNATIVE TO FURTHER EDUCATION Glass News Earpiece.indd 1

Speaking about commissioning the YouGov survey CEO of GQA Qualifications Mick Clayton explained: “GQA has issued nearly 50,000 nationally recognised vocational qualifications within the fenestration sector alone, and we now operate in multiple areas, including the wider construction sector”. “What we wanted to convey to parents is that the Fenestration Industry is one of the most exciting industries to forge a career in – for those who are hands on and want to install windows, doors and glazing; those who want to manufacture the products; those who have a technical outlook and want to design and create the amazing products that go into structures like the

THE RIGHT PEOPLE READ GLASS NEWS Issue 115 | October 2020

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IS !! TH NTH MO

This was a question put to parents by the Fenestration Industry’s leading awarding body GQA Qualifications in a recent YouGov survey. The outcome was a massive thumbs to the idea of children entering industry, and for pursuing vocational career paths and qualifications.

IS !! TH NTH MO

Education is one of the hottest topics of the day. The recent issues surrounding the awarding of grades for GCSE’s and particularly A Levels followed swiftly on the tail of the Universities Minister Michelle Donelan stating that in her opinion the education system had for too long been geared to sending young people onto courses that did nothing to prepare them for life in the workplace.

05/08/2020 09:16

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Shard; those with a preference for customer service roles, sales or marketing”. “All these are skills that can be underpinned by formal, relevant qualifications to set people on the right career paths and with the opportunity to continue their development through CPD (Continuous Personal Development) programmes – learning for life”.

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EPWIN WINDOW SYSTEMS’ NEW COLOUR COLLECTION REFLECTS THE LATEST TRENDS IN COLOUR Epwin Window Systems’ new Colour Collection has been designed to help its customers lead the way in colour by offering the latest trends in colour today and the favourites of the future. Gerald Allen, Marketing Manager at Epwin Window Systems, said: “By reflecting the latest colour trends and direction, we can give our customers a clear point of difference.”

something that’s echoed in the popularity of Farrow & Ball colours, for example. Our new colours tap into this trend and take it one step further.”

The new Colour Collection includes an expanded number of popular heritage shades, including Sage, Claystone, Pebble Grey, Anthracite Grey Smooth and Cream on White. Gerald commented: “The new additions to the range reflect the latest market research and feedback from our customers. The trend is for understated, natural shades that recall times gone by – it’s

Gerald concluded: “Our prediction is that the Covid-19 pandemic will mean order values will continue to increase.

As well as introducing new shades, the new Colour Collection makes more colours available from stock. There are also 30 Made to Order colours that includes more of the popular contemporary greys and blacks along with new metallics to capitalise on the growing demand for aluminium alternatives. The new Colour Collection is the latest move in Epwin Window Systems’ investment in colour. The systems company invested in several new twin lines last year and is also using the world’s first Luna R automatic profile wrapping machine to ensure that colour quality is unsurpassed.

“Colour will be a vital part of that shift and our new Colour Collection perfectly places our customers to benefit from any growth.” Tel: 0845 340 3968 www.epwinwindowsystems.co.uk

Stocked in range of modern colours, Liniar’s most recent addition to its window suite delivers patented perfection. A UK first, with double co-extruded bubble gaskets and an external seal discreetly mounted out of sight, Resurgence looks as beautifully as it performs. For more information visit: http://www.liniar.co.uk/upvc-windows/resurgence/

LINIAR’S OUTDOOR RANGE Customers want more choice - and with Liniar’s outdoor range you can offer more than ever before! Liniar’s low maintenance PVCu decking and fencing ranges are designed, manufactured and stocked right here in the UK. Available in a range of styles, a variety of colours and a wide variety of accessories including foiled balustrades to match Liniar windows and doors, outdoor products are the idea opportunity to provide a fully matching finish with a single point of contact for guarantees.

As we progress through post-lockdown life, consumer enquiries for PVCu decking and fencing have skyrocketed – don’t miss out on the chance to provide homeowners with just what they want. Find out more: https://www.liniar.co.uk/outdoor-range/.

OCTOBER 2020

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

THE BLAME GAME

Who is to blame for the farce that is the constant u-turns, threats, warnings and promises of world beating vaccines, track-and trace apps and miracle cures that seem to be our current way of life? The answer? Michael Fish. What, you may say? Bit harsh isn’t it? He was the weather man that, back in the 1987 a few hours before the Great Storm broke on 15 October 1987, said during a forecast: "Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way. Well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't!".

Of course, the devastating storm, a violent extratropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds causing casualties in the United Kingdom, France and the Channel Islands raged over the 15th and 16th October as a severe depression in the Bay of Biscay moved northeast. Michael Fish will always be remembered for that faux pas and, ever since then, there seems to have been a culture of ‘blame avoidance’, although Mr Fish can hardly be blamed for a pandemic or for the current trend of sidestepping responsibility. But ‘risk assessment’ seems to date from around that time and has now become so much a part of our lives. Of course there has always been informal or unconscious risk assessments made throughout time but the requirement for risk assessment was first legally introduced in 1992 with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, even though the concept was contained within the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974. The current regulations are The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. What I’m really driving at is the way we, as a country, are tackling this pandemic. As I write this, Boris has just blustered

his way through another announcement, this time curtailing drinking hours in pubs and restaurants, no meeting friends or relatives in their homes and encouragement to work from home. At least that makes it easy for civil servants and local authority workers as few have deigned to return to their offices anyway! But getting back to side-stepping blame, you don’t have to look any further than the likes of Hancock and Williamson or those so-called experts Harding, Whitty and Vallance who, it seems, will do all they can to avoid doing a “Fish” and therefore ensure that the very worst spin is put on any of their proclamations and thus avoid any blame if things should go from bad to worse. The big snag in all this is: who do we believe any more? Is there anyone we can listen to who will tell us the honest truth and not have one eye on protecting their fat salary and cushy pension scheme? Mind you, however inept, have you noticed how no one loses their job? They get promoted or sent to the House of Lords. Despite a total lack of help and/or guidance from the government, our industry has done remarkably well. There is demand for our products and, despite issues throughout the supply chain, everyone is hard at work and seem to be sanguine about the difficulties. Indeed, it seems that everyone recognises the difficulties their suppliers face and are prepared to show patience and understanding. Hopefully we shall be able to continue as we are, given the measures companies have put in place to enable Covid resistance within the workplace, and not be subject to further restrictive rules and regulations. What we have all missed is face to face contact with customers and suppliers and it feels as if FIT 2021 may well be the first opportunity to redress the balance. It is very doubtful whether other trade get-togethers will happen and Glasstec, while scheduled for June 2021, is holding a virtual exhibition and conference in October this year and it will be interesting to see how successful that is. The GGF’s Members’ Day has become a three day virtual event and, with warnings from the government that the new tougher restrictions, with the possibility of going even further if the transmission rate fails to diminish, that this virtual world will be with us for some time. The good news? If this all goes on long enough there’s even a chance that this septuagenarian technophobe could get reasonably comfortable with technology.

Chris GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? Email Chris at: chris@glassnews.co.uk

September 2020 crossword solution:

CONTENTS 4

Front Cover Story

6 Doors 8

CONTACT DETAILS

Trade News

26 Women In Industry 30 Glass News Interview: FIT Show

Christina Shaw Managing Director / Advertising Enquiries M: 07805 051322 E: christina@glassnews.co.uk

31 Face To Face

‘TIME OUT’ WINNERS – SEPTEMBER!

34 Machinery 37 Glass 40 Awards

Sudoku: Mr D L Lloyd, Portsmouth

42 Windows

Eye Spy: Mrs P Bower, Penrith, Cumbria

50 Hardware

Spot the Difference: Sarah Wake, Sheffield, S.Yorks Crossword: Chris Woodland, Belfast Congratulations to all our winners! Good luck in this months Time Out pages!

Emma Champion Advertising Manager M: 07508 263262 E: emma@glassnews.co.uk

49 Cold Calling 52 National Home Security Month

Justin Lazenby Finance Director / Press Release Enquiries M: 07711 828710 E: justin@glassnews.co.uk

53 Letters 54 Expert Witness 55 Installer Focus 58 Software & IT

Chris Champion Editor / Editorial Enquiries M: 07850 267223 E: chris@glassnews.co.uk

60 BMBI 61 Careers & Qualifications in Fenestration 64 Time Out! 65 Find A Supplier

@GlassnewsMag

Christina Shaw

/GlassNews

Kate Carnall Graphic Design E: kate@glassnews.co.uk

glassnews™ is a registered Trademark. The views contained herein are not necessarily those of glassnews™ and whilst every effort is made to ensure information throughout is correct, glassnews™ does not accept liability for errors. The views expressed by contributors and the content of letters, are not necessarily those of glassnews™ and therefore cannot take responsibility.

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FRONT COVER STORY

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To what extent, if at all, were you aware that there are over 25 career paths in the fenestration industry in the UK, all with formal relevant Q6 Awareness of fenestration training qualifications and training?

To what extent, if at all, were you aware that there are over 25 career paths in the fenestration industry in the UK, all with formal relevant qualifications and training?

80%

RECENT YOUGOV SURVEY

70% 60% 50%

40% 30%

Continued from page 1... “As anyone who knows me will tell you, I am really passionate about developing people and I believe going down a vocational career path will give them more than going into further education unless they are in a specialist field. During August we commissioned a survey by YouGov to sense check our own thoughts on certain key issues such as this”.

20% 10% 0%

Very aware

Fairly aware

Not very aware

Not at all aware

YouGov asked parents with children under the age of 18 the following questions:

For decades we have been recruiting too many young people on to courses that do nothing to improve their life chances or help with their career goals” As a parent, to what extent do you agree or disagree with Q1 Statement agreement this statement?

For decades we have been recruiting too many young people on to university courses that do nothing to improve their life chances or help with their career goals" As a parent, to what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

45% 40% 35% 30%

25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

Strongly agree

Tend to agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Tend to disagree

Strongly disagree

There is increasing talk about vocational training and/ or vocational qualifications as alternative career paths for young people instead of university. To what extent do you agree or disagree that this approach Q2 Vocational approach beneficial to young people could be beneficial to young people?

That is something we all need to address, and is very much the focus of the Building Our Skills – Making Fenestration a Career of Choice campaign, which many of the major employers in the industry are behind, and which we all need to do more to support so that they can get the message out that our industry is here, and is a great place to forge a career. Tel: 0114 272 0033 www.gqaqualifications.com @gqaquals GQA Qualifications Limited, Unit 1, 12 O'clock Court, Attercliffe Road, Sheffield, S4 7WW

45% 40% 35% 30%

25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

For us the survey results confirmed what we thought – that there is frustration with the emphasis that the education sector places on pushing young people to university with not enough consideration as to what it might mean for them in the longer term; that there is an extremely positive attitude towards children entering industry, and taking vocational career paths and qualifications; but that, as we suspected, our industry has not done enough to communicate what it can offer to the wider public.

Strongly agree

Tend to agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Tend to disagree

Strongly disagree

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4677 adults, of which 1,011 were parents with children 18+ or younger. Fieldwork was undertaken between 5th - 7th August 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

Q5 Familiarity with the word fenestration

How familiar, if at all, would you say you are with the term ‘Fenestration’? How familiar, if at all, would you say you are with the term 'Fenestration'?

70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Very familiar

Fairly familiar

Not very familiar

Not at all familiar

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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DOORS

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EXPANDED RANGE FROM ODL EUROPE

ODL Europe has confirmed they are expanding their range of doors with the soon to be launched Deco and Moderne composite doors. Nathan Barr, Managing Director of the Bootle-based company, explains: “During lockdown we took the time to further strengthen our market position and expand our offer to put our customers on the front foot. Our two new door designs are a direct result of feedback from our customers and our new Deco and Moderne doors will give them valuable upsell opportunities and bring our current offer in line with the market”.

a choice of glazing cassettes too, including the popular Zeel™ contemporary frame which offers modern, sleek lines.

The new Deco door is a cottage door design that gives the sophisticated heritage styling that is so popular at the moment. The Deco door also has a new range of specially developed period glass options to finish it perfectly and it also suites with a choice of ODL Europe glazing cassettes too.

As with all of ODL Europe’s composite doors, the Moderne and Deco have a pedigree customers can trust and allows installers to fit with complete confidence too. The doors offer a wealth of features that give exceptional strength, an outstanding finish, PAS24:2016 security and come with a warranty of up to ten years. The company will also be unveiling their new technically advanced fire door too that has the capacity to revolutionise this sector. The new Guardsman FD Fire door is the result of a six-figure investment in research and development and a vital collaboration with Winkhaus, which is home to the FireFrame fire door. The initial results are extraordinary. Nathan concludes: “The lockdown has changed everything and we all know we are emerging into a new normal. I think we’re all waiting to see what it will look like, but we can already see that standing still will not be an option. Our new doors are a further example of how we continue to work with our customers to develop the products they need to help lead the way in the composite door market.”

The new Moderne door taps into the trend for contemporary door design and offers elegant modern detailing throughout. The door will be available in a range of colours on a new teak woodgrain effect skin that will give an additional designer edge. Furthermore, the company has developed a new range of exclusive contemporary glass designs to complement the Moderne door and it suites with

Both the Deco and Moderne doors will be available to order by the fourth quarter of 2020. Tel: 0151 933 0299

AUTOMATIC DOOR SUPPLIERS ASSOCIATION (ADSA) MEMBERS ‘TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE’ FOR NEW COVID-19 SAFETY MEASURES The on-going COVID-19 situation has fundamentally changed the way people work and live. Subsequently, organisations across the UK have modified their current thinking on how they operate, and the safety of their employees. Limiting the spread of the virus has been key in the construction industry, with the introduction of such measures as anti-COVID hardware and fully automated doors that enable access with no human contact. ADSA’s member companies have been extremely proactive in ensuring that automatic powered pedestrian

doors are operating correctly, ensuring that everyone using both internal and external doors in any given building, are safe. A number of clients have requested new functions, such as a ‘panic lock’ to protect members of staff. In particular, these have been popular in hospitals, medical centres and supermarkets, and as a result, ADSA have been successfully lobbying the government to confirm key worker status for the industry. Other such activities that ADSA’s member companies have undertaken include the addition of a traffic light system thereby counting pedestrians entering and exiting the building and controlling the COVID levels of safety; automating manual doors to reduce contact and therefore, potential contamination; replacing press buttons with automatic sensors, with doors opening via automatic activation; controlling the flow of pedestrians in the instance of two entrances, promoting a one way system; fitting sanitiser dispensers near powered door entrances, linking the dispenser to the activation so the door will not open unless the sanitiser has been used; and where automatic activation is not appropriate, fitting ‘non touch’ buttons activated by waving.

“Many of the above measures of control have been incorporated into our members’ current systems, and it is impressive how rapidly these companies have adapted their products to meet the new safety requirements,” says ADSA’s Managing Director, Ken Price. “This flexibility has been vital in responding to the current crisis. Furthermore, this situation serves to highlight the importance of using an ADSA member. At this time, engaging the skills of a qualified and highly trained individual and/or company, is essential.” Tamworth-based trade association, ADSA, has been widely praised for its visibility and positivity throughout the COVID-19 situation. Adopting a ‘business as usual’ policy gave the business a ‘sense of continuity’, and indeed, more than two thirds of its membership re-joined for a further 12 months during the lockdown period.

“At this time, engaging the skills of a qualified and highly trained individual and/or company, is essential.” October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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PROFINE CEO FLIES IN TO NEW UK MANUFACTURING FACILITY Dr Peter Mrosik, owner and CEO of profine Group GmbH, flew in to visit the new profine UK facility in Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire and with it see firsthand the scale of operations and the newly acquired brands and systems. Collectively, the new UK operation is one of the largest subsidiaries in the group, boasting the new brands of Evolve, Legend and Warmcore, alongside KOMMERLING.

During his visit Dr Mrosik saw several KÖMMERLING 70 tools running in the extrusion hall next to other profiles and accessories. It was also a similar story in the foil lamination facility, as the business looks to fulfill the considerable growth in post-lockdown demand over recent weeks and months. Dr Peter Mrosik, CEO and owner of profine Group commented: ‘I was delighted to be able to visit this fundamentally important facility for the group. After many years of consideration, we now have a UK extrusion facility that I am in no doubt will prove a platform for further growth. Credit should be given to the team in the way in which the deal was concluded and subsequently production commencing within 24 hours of the deal. Gareth Jones, managing director of profine UK concluded: ‘It was a privilege to have the owner of the group over, whilst at the same time observing safe working practices. He sees great potential for us in the UK and now it’s our job to help realise this through further investment and hard work.’

From left to right: Matt Jones, extrusions manager of profine UK with Dr Mrosik, owner and CEO of profine Group

For further information please visit www. profine-uk.com, e-mail enquiries@profineuk.com or phone 01623 579200. There’s also a dedicated site for KÖMMERLING at www.kommerling.co.uk. You can also follow them on social media platforms including Twitter @profineuk and @kommerling_uk.

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STRONGER SALES TEAM FOR PROFINE AND KOMMERLING profine UK have expanded their sales team following the purchase of the Evolve, Legend and Warmcore brands earlier this year and following on from an 18-month period of strong growth for the KÖMMERLING brand in the UK. The sales function of profine UK is led by Brian McDonald, sales director, who has been with the company for over five years and is supported by area managers, Gareth Parton, Ian Smith, Gary Tamburro and newly appointed Neil Coutts, who had been the customer service manager in both the previous businesses. Completing the team are Leigh Cooper as commercial manager, Jason Scrivens as national sales manager for fabricated products, along with an internal sales team under Paula Wilson, sales administration manager and Katie Wilson, sales integration manager.

Building on its successful UDC 65 façade system, aluminium specialist Schüco is introducing its new UDC 80 unitized façade system, designed to suit modern construction methods for medium and high rise residential or commercial buildings.

Name: Tel:

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He continued: ‘We’re sat on a considerable number of strong leads at present, yet our focus has been to get the new facility at Huthwaite up and running quickly and we’re already extruding 12 KÖMMERLING tools, with the remainder planned before the end of the year. Regardless of the Brexit negotiations, we are now in a great place as a business, with further investment planned in 2021.’ For further information please visit www.profine-uk.com, e-mail enquiries@profine-uk.com or phone 01623 443200. There’s also a dedicated site for KÖMMERLING at www.kommerling.co.uk. You can also follow them on social media platforms including Twitter @profineuk and @kommerling_uk.

SCHÜCO LAUNCHES ADVANCED UNITIZED FAÇADE SYSTEM

UDC 80 combines enhanced energy efficiency

Address:

Brian McDonald, sales director of profine UK commented: ‘Given the new nature of the business, we’ve carefully extended the sales function with new internal and external resources. It’s a great team and one that is busy supporting existing customers and notably, helping to drive new business opportunities.

with design versatility and proven weather resistant performance. The slim profile (80mm) gives an elegant external appearance with an attractive U-value of just 0.86 W/m2K. The system is designed to incorporate not just glazing but a range of materials including sheet metal panels, printed glass or

natural stone. These can be integrated flush into the façade, or face-filled to create deep offsets if required, giving a huge range of design possibilities. UDC 80 is designed to arrive on site as prefabricated modules and is available with two options to include concealed ventilation (UDC 80 CV) or to implement structural glazing (UDC 80 SG). With tried and trusted German engineering and robust performance testing, the UDC 80 demonstrates excellent watertightness, strength and airtightness, making it more than a match for the UK weather. For more information, visit www.schueco.com/uk

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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TUFFX DRIVES FORWARD WITH FLEET EXPANSION Leading safety glass specialist TuffX is looking to the road ahead, recently adding four vehicle upgrades to its fleet ready to offer customers its best-ever service with increased delivery capacity and flexibility.

complement the existing fleet and ensure TuffX can continue to be relied on to deliver products economically on a large scale, along with rural deliveries on routes with potentially restricted access.

The new vehicles include a sprinter van, a 7.5-tonne truck, a 10-tonne truck and a 13-tonne truck – a range of sizes that

The improved vehicle fleet means TuffX’s customers are now served better than ever when it comes to fulfilling orders

on its popular conservatory glass and processed glass products, such as balcony and balustrade glass. TuffX also recently reported a surge in orders for its flat and walk-on Infinity rooflights, revealing lockdown has not affected customer demand for its popular, high-end contemporary range. Before lockdown, TuffX began the year by increasing its Merseyside manufacturing facility to make room for a new Glaston RC Series furnace, an investment that came hot on the heels of an expansion that had already seen the same facility grow by almost 50%. The latest additions to the vehicle fleet continues TuffX’s commitment to invest and grow, despite the challenges 2020 has brought. “With our ongoing investment we're continuing to look to the future, ensuring we remain the first choice for those looking for the best in toughened safety glass,” said TuffX’s Managing Director Graham Price. “Our increased fleet capacity means installers and builders can have complete confidence we’re ready to deliver orders on our products, including our increasingly popular Infinity rooflight range.” www.tuffxglass.co.uk

ODL EUROPE CONFIRMS PRESENCE AT FIT SHOW 2021 ODL Europe has announced it will be exhibiting at the FIT Show 2021, which will be held 25-27 May 2021 at the NEC Birmingham. Nathan Barr, Managing Director of ODL Europe, said: “I’m delighted to be announcing we’ll have a presence at FIT 2021. The strapline for the show is ‘Get ready to reconnect with the industry’, and

that’s exactly what it feels like after the unprecedented events of 2020.” FIT Show 2021 is the UK’s only dedicated event for the window, door, glass and components market. It attracts systems houses, fabricators, installers, architects and specifiers and offers exceptional networking opportunities too. Nathan commented: “We think it’s essential to show our support

for the industry and the biggest event in its calendar. We intend to showcase a comprehensive range of our leading products along with some new gamechanging product innovations too.” ODL Europe is part of the global ODL corporate business and builds value into building products with the its highquality range that give powerful upselling opportunities. It is the exclusive UK partner of Capstone Engineering Ltd, one of the world’s leading suppliers of composite doors, with the credentials to match. It also offers a door prep service that provides as much or as little preparation as is needed to slot composite doors into any production setup. Its glazing cassette systems include the industry leading TriSYS™ glazing cassette and the trail-blazing Zeel™ cassette while its decorative glass range includes several ODL-exclusive designs. The portfolio is completed with Blink® Blinds + Glass blinds, the leading name in the encapsulated blind sector. Nathan concluded: “In times like these, it’s vital to partner with proactive suppliers who are as committed to your success as you are. We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to our stand and showcasing the latest in composite door innovation.” Tel: 0151 933 0299 www.odl.com/europe.htm

ENDURANCE ANNOUNCED AS LAUNCH PARTNER FOR FENEX Endurance Doors have announced that they will be a launch partner for Fenex, which is the UK fenestration sector’s first ever virtual exhibition and it’s aimed at the entire supply chain, along with the general public. While global exhibitions have being going online for the last six months, including the likes of the Homebuilding & Renovating Show with their Autumn Show, this is the first foray for the fenestration sector. Given the increase in COVID-19 cases throughout Europe forcing the cancellation of the Fensterbau Fair earlier this year, this new digital platform looks set to become a riskfree environment for the exhibitors, visitors and for all those other businesses involved in the event. The main event of Fenex 2021 will be held on Wednesday 21st April to Saturday 24th April, as the industry looks to present themselves in a new and engaging online platform for exhibitions. There will also be four Mini Expos held for various industry sectors from November 2020, right through to July 2021. Scott Foster, Head of Group Sales and Marketing for Endurance Doors commented: ‘Virtual exhibitions aren’t necessarily new, but it will be for this industry and I wholeheartedly believe it’s a great opportunity for us and the sector as a whole. We continue to be faced with business challenges daily, yet as a proactive business we must look to the future and so we hope everyone helps make this event something special in 2021.’ For further information on the Endurance Solid and Secure composite door range and a free marketing pack, please call the sales office on 01652 659259, visit the new website at https://endurancedoors.co.uk, or e-mail marketing@endurancedoors.co.uk. You can also add to the Twitter following @EnduranceDoors. For further information on Fenex visit fenex.co.uk.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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FREEFOAM SUPPORT INSTALLERS WITH DIGITAL TOOL KIT Freefoam Building Products has released guidelines for PVC installers on how to get ahead with all things digital. As a consequence of the recent pandemic homeowners are spending more time at home and inevitably more time online, so having a visible online presence has never been more important. Freefoam have produced an Installer Digital Toolkit document with five easy ways for all home improvement companies to improve their digital footprint.

Created with busy installers in mind the document covers a wide range of quick and easy social media and online tips. It explains how to set up a business Facebook page, an essential and not to be confused with a personal Facebook page. It also covers how to create and use photo albums in Facebook to showcase work, explains the benefits of posting Instagram stories and ideas of what to post, and how to harness the power of Google to set up a Google Business Page. Finally the guide highlights how cladding is becoming a very popular search term online and encourages

installation companies to promote cladding and cladding products on their own websites to capitalise on this interest. The document will be emailed directly to all

installers, be included in newsletters and available to download from freefoam. com. Freefoam will also be posting a series of short informative animations on social media over the next

few months to illustrate all parts of the guide. Louise Sanderson, UK Marketing Manager explained “We want to make sure our Registered Installers have all the help they need, and giving them practical, easy to follow tools like this new document means they can feel confident about making the most of their social media accounts and website.” The Registered Installer Scheme is part of Freefoam’s comprehensive support package for all home improvement companies. Support on offer goes

Freefoam Installer Digital Toolkit

beyond great products and guarantees to help customers grow, with a comprehensive range of marketing packages, Point of Sale, consumer focused brochures and samples to help installers sell more and build their own brand. Freefoam registered installers also benefit from consumer-facing websites myfascia.co.uk and mycladding.com which generate quality pre-qualified leads sent direct to registered installers. View Installer Digital Toolkit here: https://bit.ly/2Rtm9rP

GGF ANNUAL REPORT REFLECTS ON TOUGH BUT STEADY YEAR The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) has released its Annual Report 2020 reporting on the activity and performance of the Federation for the year ending 31st December 2019. The report reflects on difficult but steady year that saw the GGF gain 42 new members

during 12 months of uncertainty, anticipation and preparation for the UK’s pending exit from the European Union. The report also highlights a year of outstanding background work by the GGF technical team and the ongoing political activity the Federation carried

out on behalf of Members. From the Report, the GGF External Affairs and Marketing team delivered a best ever year in terms of brand awareness with over 133 million opportunities to see the GGF brand in the trade, consumer and political media. In addition, the GGF’s high quality content

saw 300k unique users visit the GGF websites – GGF.org. uk and MyGlazing. com in 2019. The accounts yet again showed the organisation’s formidable financial strength and stability whilst also continuing high productivity. In the Report, Mark Austin,

GGF President commented, “Despite the many challenges, the GGF continued to operate and deliver the level of services and benefits that our Members no doubt expect from the industry’s leading trade organisation.” John Agnew, GGF Managing Director added, “The Annual Report and accounts

clearly show the GGF is in a strong position to help members cope with the challenges ahead, during these extraordinary times.” The GGF Annual Report 2020 is available to view on the GGF website: https://bit.ly/2FKUa4k

QUICKSLIDE’S DISPATCH CENTRE IS READY ON SCHEDULE Quickslide’s Brighousebased production facility has recently benefitted from the fabricator’s ongoing series of investments, this time with the completion of improvements to its dispatch centre. Over the past 18 months, Quickslide has committed to fulfilling its £2m programme of growth, with the most recent phase being work on the new dispatch centre, which was completed in July by Cleckheaton Construction despite the challenges of lockdown. The improved dispatch centre has been designed so that Quickslide has one

dedicated facility that all finished goods from its multiple factories filter in to. This means handling of goods is kept to a minimum, delivery vehicles can be loaded more quickly

and safely, ultimately enabling Quickslide to service its customers faster and more effectively. The finished dispatch centre has not only improved

the loading processes, its reorganisation has created an optimised layout and freed up valuable space, which can now be used in the manufacturing process rather than to simply house

finished products. There is also now a designated space for training in the new unit, illustrating Quickslide’s commitment to future growth. The improvements to the dispatch centre complement numerous other investments in efficiency made at the factory, including the installation of a state-ofthe-art Schirmer CNC machine, two corner cleaners and two quad welders, plus an expanded vehicle fleet. Recent changes in shift patterns have also increased productivity, meaning more goods, which can now be better moved out through

the newly streamlined dispatch centre. “The whole new set-up provides us with an extra 30% capacity on one shift or 100% if we run to split shifts,” said Ben Weber, Quickslide’s Managing Director. “This flexibility ensures we needn’t endure this irritating ‘yo-yo’ of delivery times and can help our partners out at times of urgency. It also allows more intelligent batching, better optimisation and more efficient logistics, passing on some savings to ensure better margins can continue to be achieved by our installer partners.” www.quickslide.co.uk

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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BDC ALUMINIUM ADDS STELLAR VEKA RECYCLING’S LATEST INVESTMENT FROM EPWIN WINDOW SYSTEMS INTRODUCES REFINEMENT TO AN OTHERWISE VIOLENT AND NOISY PROCESS TO ITS ALUMINIUM OFFER Experienced aluminium fabricator BDC Aluminium has recently added Stellar from Epwin Window Systems to its portfolio. David Green, Managing Director of BDC Aluminium, said: “Stellar is a technically ground-breaking aluminium window and door system. It has superb flush aesthetics and is quick to install. Quite simply, it’s the first aluminium system that fits like PVC-U.” He continues: “My background is in retail sales so I understand first-hand the advantages of products that are quick and easy to fit. Stellar is 30-40% quicker to install than anything else I’ve seen in aluminium and it makes an astonishing difference to installers.” The quick-fit properties of the award-winning Stellar system are thanks to its patent-pending knock-in beads which have the added advantage of leaving a neat

and clean gasket line. The installation process is the same as fitting PVC-U windows which is proving popular with installers.

been extremely positive so far and I’m not surprised. It represents a massive opportunity for our customers.”

ark Austin, Sales Director (Aluminium) at Epwin Window Systems, says: “BDC Aluminium are an established and wellrespected aluminium fabricator renowned for delivering a superior quality product and pride themselves on working with innovative product partners. We are delighted they have chosen Stellar and look forward to developing the relationship.”

As well as expanding its portfolio to include Stellar, BDC Aluminium has also undertaken a programme of investment in its manufacturing operations. It invested in the UK’s first 4-head Ever Theta frame crimping machine from FOM last year and has opened a new 11,000 sq ft manufacturing unit. The new unit will be dedicated to manufacturing Stellar for its domestic, commercial and trade customers, including Epwin Group companies. David says: “We believe in continuous investment in our operations to maintain exceptional quality and competitive turnaround times.”

BDC Aluminium has seen year-on-year growth for their comprehensive range of aluminium products with a sharp increase in demand over the last few months following lockdown. David reported that Stellar will help his customers capitalise on this growth. He comments: “Feedback about Stellar has

Based in Essex, BDC Aluminium has 15 years’ experience in manufacturing aluminium windows and doors. Stellar is the latest addition to the Epwin Window Systems’ portfolio and was designed to deliver a step-change in aluminium systems. And with experienced aluminium fabricators such as BDC Aluminium adding the system to their portfolios, it’s delivering exactly what the market needs.

David Green – BDC Aluminium and Sally Cowen – BDC Aluminium

Tel: 0845 300 9356 www.stellaraluminium.co.uk

VEKA Recycling Ltd is entering the third phase of the development plan for its new, state-of-theart Wellingborough UK Headquarters, during which sophisticated refinement processes will be introduced towards the goal of making the UK operation completely self-sufficient. This latest chapter in the construction and installation process will be completed during August with the installation of the world’s finest equipment of its type, part of an additional investment of more than £2 million. When fully completed later in 2020, the plant will be the most advanced of its type in Europe.

In a series of integrated processes that reduce postconsumer and virgin offcut PVC-U frames and profiles into high quality polymer compounds and other reusable materials, the latest equipment to be installed separates, refines, cleans and washes the various component materials. Of the machinery installed in this latest phase, the standout equipment is the Spaleck Recycling Screens that quite literally vibrate and sieve the crushed frames; and Magnapower high performance Eddy Current Separators. The separators sort ferrous and non-ferrous metals from the shredded UPVC window frames to produce cleaner, metal-free PVC plastics for re-processing

and metals including steel and aluminium, that are resold. Since occupying the site in January 2018, the ground-up construction project has continued with only minimal delays caused by the pandemic closures. After seamlessly transferring operations from the company’s former location in Kent, the Wellingborough site has continued to receive tonnes of PVC-U post-consumer and virgin offcut frames for initial shredding, with further stages progressively introduced to bring more of the complex processes in-house. VEKA Recycling’s Managing Director Simon Scholes says that this latest investment is a crucial stage in the operation of the site: “From the initial stages that involve the overtly violent and noisy shredding of the still intact frames and profiles that are bulk lifted on to the conveyors at the beginning of the process, these latest additions introduce refinement that

results in the end product becoming more discernible as the materials that are our primary purpose. “Our commitment to producing only the finest PVC-U compounds for re-manufacture into new window frames and other high-quality products, without reliance upon our sister plants, is brought a stage closer with the completion of this latest phase,” added Simon. The Wellingborough plant will be the third such facility to be built by VEKA Umwelttechnik GmbH, the specialist recycling subsidiary of the VEKA AG Group, of which VEKA Recycling Ltd is a wholly owned division. The company has pioneered PVC-U recycling in Europe with its first plant opening in Behringen, Germany as long ago as 1993. A further facility was opened in France in 2006. The combined capacity of the three VEKA plants will exceed 100,000 tonnes of PVC-U windows a year.

VICTORIAN SLIDERS STEPS UP A GEAR WITH £600,000 VEHICLE INVESTMENT Specialist PVCu sash window manufacturer Victorian Sliders shows no sign of stopping despite the uncertainties of 2020, having just invested over half a million pounds in dramatically expanding its delivery fleet. The fast-growing firm has acquired twelve new Mercedes Sprinter vans and

two 38-tonne Mercedes lorries to transport its enormously popular ECOSlide windows from its Ammanford HQ to depots all around the UK.

“Constant investment is how Victorian Sliders has grown to become one of the biggest and most successful fenestration businesses in the UK.

It comes as just the latest in a long line of purchases made by the South Wales firm, as Group Managing Director Andy Jones explains:

“We’ve spent in excess of £12m on state-of-the-art machinery in just the past five years, which has resulted in one of the most advanced and impressive

manufacturing facilities UK fenestration has to offer. Like every company in the sector, we were seriously disrupted by coronavirus and the several months spent in lockdown, but we’ve returned to extremely high demand. “Now, our newly expanded fleet of delivery vehicles will allow us to bring

outstanding sash windows to thousands of installers around the country. If you’d like to learn more about how ECOSlide can help your business grow, don’t hesitate to call Victorian Sliders today.” For more information visit www.victoriansliders.co.uk or call 01269 846200.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

THE AWARD WINNING The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

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HOW VICTORIAN SLIDERS PUTS THE ‘ECO’ IN ECOSLIDE future, as that technology improves, this is likely to increase. Also, one thing that’s often not appreciated is that sash windows tend to offer better energy efficiency than casements simply because of how they operate.

Demand for green products is higher than ever – and in the years to come, that’s only going to increase. Not that long ago, the environment was still seen as a niche in glass and glazing – manufacturers would promote products based on their thermal efficiency, but framed it more as a way of homeowners cutting their energy bills rather than protecting the environment. Now, that’s totally changed. Driven by high-profile protests, increasingly alarming

predictions from climate scientists, and hugely influential TV shows like David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II, millions of British people are looking for cleaner, greener ways to live – and that’s impacting every industry, ours very much included. Research commissioned by Getty found that 84% of UK consumers now say sustainability is important to them. A study from consultancy Britain Thinks found 56% of homeowners now consider sustainability when it comes to selecting products, and a fifth of British shoppers are more likely to buy ones that clearly display their green credentials on the packaging according to Unilever. Environmental awareness is even higher among certain age groups – 73% of millennials are willing to pay more for ecofriendly products, according to a study by global data analytics firm Nielsen. Millennials are often mistakenly assumed to all be very young - but the oldest ones are now 39, and increasingly moving into the age bracket where they’re more likely to be homeowners. Meanwhile, research conducted by Forbes found that 62% of Generation Z, the homeowners of the future, prefer to buy from sustainable brands – meaning the need to offer green products is only going to grow in the years ahead.

TO SUCCEED IN THE 2020s, YOU NEED TO GO GREEN Coronavirus might’ve overtaken it as the world’s number one priority, but climate

change still poses a much bigger long term threat to the way we live and work. In the coming years, we’re bound to see the negative impacts of climate change become more obvious, and the government accelerate its attempts to reach its extremely ambitious 2050 net zero target. Together, that’s likely to cause public concern about the environment to increase even further – and mean that, if installers want to succeed in the decade to come, they’ll have to offer products with very strong green credentials.

HELPING OUR INSTALLERS THRIVE IN AN ECO-CONSCIOUS AGE At Victorian Sliders, that’s what drives our ongoing attempts to make the greenest PVCu sash windows possible. In part, we just want to do our bit to help reduce Britain’s carbon footprint – but we also want to give our more than three thousand installer customers everything they need to thrive and grow in this evermore eco-conscious age. From the very start, we intended for ECOSlide to be a cost-effective and sustainable PVCu sash window. We designed ECOSlide to be A-rated as standard, with the option for an A+ rating with units filled with Argon gas – increasing home insulation, and reducing fuel usage and costs. What’s more, every component of the ECOSlide window can be recycled up to 10 times with current technology – and in

When you open both sashes, it dramatically increases the airflow in a room – the cool air that comes in pushes warm air out, meaning there’s less need for air conditioning and electric fans.

GREEN INVESTMENT We’ve also invested extensively to create a market-leading PVCu recycling facility at our Ammanford HQ. That allows us to take old plastic window frames and turn them into PVCu thermal inserts, that play a critical part in delivering ECOSlide’s excellent energy-efficiency performance. For a business of our size, we also have a relatively low carbon footprint - we carry out the whole manufacturing process in-house, thanks to our long-standing commitment to supplying the best quality PVCu sash windows. Almost every component we use, we manufacture ourselves here in South Wales – therefore limiting the transportation of goods between suppliers, which make a major contributor to a company’s carbon footprint. Earlier this year, we also took the decision to stop using plastic bubble wrap packaging and replace it with recyclable cardboard corner protectors instead. There’s still a lot more we want to do. Later this year, we’re planning to make investments to expand our recycling facilities even further. But in 2020, we think you’ll struggle to find a greener PVCu sash window product than ECOSlide. If you’d like to learn more, don’t hesitate to get in touch. For more information visit www.victoriansliders.co.uk or call 01269 846200.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE! Selecta Systems Marketing Manager, Mark Walker, talks about how on-line sales and social media engagement have soared in recent months and it’s become more apparent that having a marketing plan for on-line presence should form a vital part of every businesses marketing strategy – especially social media. Recent events have seen the way we live change considerably with almost every person having to adjust and adapt to the new living conditions. The same can also be said of how we have all had to do business. Those that have and do adapt will be the ones who will have the best chance of retaining and picking up new business. Movement restrictions have seen a boom in on-line sales and social media engagement and so, can any business afford not to have these form part of their current marketing strategy and plans? Let’s start with one simple fact: your business needs a social media presence! A bold statement I agree, but social media is a very cost-effective form of advertisement that allows you to directly engage with customers, promote your brand and demonstrate your excellence and expertise within your field. It doesn’t matter if you run a small local fabricator / installation business or a big national company, social media should be an essential piece of your business marketing strategy. Social media platforms help you connect with your customers, increase awareness about your brand and boost your sales leads and sales. With more than three billion people around the world now using social media, it’s no passing trend with Facebook, YouTube and Instagram leading the way for users. What you might not know is that you’re ready to get your company’s social media off the ground right now. You don’t need to know every intimidating buzzword or have the magic number of followers. In fact, you can get started immediately and even enjoy yourself in the process! If people don’t know about your business, they can’t become your customers. Social media boosts your visibility among potential customers, letting you reach a wide audience and it’s free to create a business profile on all major social media platforms. With customers becoming increasingly savvier and more discerning about businesses they support, customers are now more likely to do a quick search to browse

your website and social media platforms before making a decision. It’s at this point where your have that opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, services and brand to the shrewd customer. There are a host of social media platforms out there and each one has its own unique way of engagement. Showing your latest projects and transformations, quirky videos of products or simple hints and tips, demonstrate knowledge, skills and services and encourage engagement through your posts. You can get a lot of value for your money with social media as most are free. You can pay for demographic and geographic advertising to target a particular audience, but there are plenty of

opportunities for you to grow your social media presence organically by posting engaging content and offering incentives to share, like or follow.

utilised the platform as a way of increasing awareness of their products, services and skills and more importantly that they were operating in some capacity.

I recently had a conversation with one of our local customers and they were saying that their engagement on their Facebook page had increased by over 1000% over the last couple of months and that a host of leads and eventual sales were coming in on the back of just a few simple posts demonstrating ‘before and after’ shots of recently completed installations. This was a customer who had previously not really engaged with or used social media as a form of advertising prior to the lockdown, but with the restrictions in place they

Since I had that initial conversation it has been a similar story with many customers and so, on the back of this, I started on creating and introducing a brand new 16 page Marketing Support brochure, which incidentally has 4 pages dedicated to having a social media presence. Enclosed is a guide on promoting your business on social media and a series of do’s and don’ts for social media management and how Selecta can assist those who are unsure where to start.

“With more than three billion people around the world now using social media, it’s no passing trend with Facebook, YouTube and Instagram leading the way for users.”

The new Marketing Support brochure also provides you with a comprehensive insight into our range of marketing support materials and services, from brochures and point of sale materials to our free to use graphic design service. We pride ourselves on providing a personal and unrivalled service and support package and the brochure endorses this. As for social media, it’s a great source of marketing and customer engagement if done right. It’s a chance to show your personality too, so don’t be afraid to add humour, but make sure it’s in good taste. Social media can be your company voice, just as your website is your shop window. Let people hear and see what you can do. Show off your products, services and skills. Develop your reputation as a responsive, caring brand by offering support through social channels. Reach out to your customers. There are plenty of customers out there waiting to hear from you.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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SELECTA CONTINUE TO GROW AS SALES SOAR!

There have been many positive and negative, happy and sad articles and reports over the last 6 months or so as the whole world got to grips with the devasting effects of a global pandemic. Selecta Systems Sales Director, Andy Green, speaks about how Selecta have coped during this time as they become one of the industries success stories of this extraordinary year as they see exceptional demand for products soar to record levels.

What a strange year 2020 has been! We started the year with optimism and confidence on the back of an excellent 2019, where 46 new fabricators were converted to or started fabricating our Advance 70 System. In January we saw a 25% increase on 2019 figures, with February and March producing similar increases in sales on the previous year. We were then to shut down for a total of 6 weeks, as the majority of our industry did too, at the end of March before a phased return to work began on the 11th May.

Whilst handling that initial demand was logistically tough, as it pushed production, supply and transport to its limits, it did however allow ourselves to bring forward and fast-track our planned programme for growth. Plans were already in place for expansion and investment with another 27 small, medium and large fabricators already converting to our Advance 70 System so far during 2020.

The sales surge from existing customers and the recent influx of new customers joining Selecta, saw sales increase by almost 50% in June, 42% in July and 36% in August, compared with the same periods for 2019. At the time of writing, September is showing no sign of slowing down either! We are currently forecasting a sales increase of between 40 and 45% for September compared with 2019 figures. To

I duly believe that there’s not a single person in our industry who could have predicted, planned for or been able to forecast events prior to or post lockdown. Demand from an increased number of at home on-line shoppers certainly caught everyone within our industry by surprise as the home improvement market boomed. With orders stacking up, Selecta returned to work with demand for our products at a level never seen before. Within a couple of weeks everyone was safely inducted back to work from furlough and working at full speed.

“Demand from an increased number of at home on-line shoppers certainly caught everyone within our industry by surprise as the home improvement market boomed.” 20

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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keep up with this demand and increase our capacity further, we have added extra shifts to our warehouse, distribution and profile foiling departments. Coloured profiles are now contributing to approximately 50% of all profile sales and continue to grow. We have also increased the delivery capabilities and capacity of our fleet of HGV delivery vehicles to ensure that transportation of our goods remains efficient and effective. A recruitment drive has also seen our staffing levels increase by 9.5%, with further plans to increase resources within other areas of the business over the coming few months. Lead times across the industry supply chain have primarily been affected by the home improvement boom, where there has been a lot of talk regarding this circulating within the industry press. Selecta have experienced similar issues to many others across the window and door supply chain. In fact, we’ve just been informed that raw material supplies and coloured profile foil

www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

may be affected by the recent high demand, with no ‘extra’ deliveries outside of any arranged purchases and possible outages of Anthracite Grey foil stock widely predicted. These are issues that are going to affect the whole supply chain as the suppliers of these materials are commonly used by the majority of the industry supply chain. Being up front and honest in explaining these potential issues is of major importance at the moment, to help each other plan and move forward together. We have continued to be transparent and up-front with our customer base with longer lead times for certain products than previous, hence the growth plan investments being brought forward backed up by the tremendous hard work and dedication of the Selecta team. However, there are times where the best laid out plans cannot alleviate conditions outside of our own control.

“We have continued to be transparent and up-front with our customer base with longer lead times for certain products than previous, hence the growth plan investments being brought forward backed up by the tremendous hard work and dedication of the Selecta team.” Personally, I would like to thank all our customers for their patience, understanding and co-operation during these times of exponential growth. Their response to the current situation has been endearing and they have shown a tremendous amount of compassion and support. Similar thanks go to our team here at Selecta, with many going above and beyond to ensure that we continue to build and maintain excellent relationships with new and existing customers. We are in a very fortunate position to be experiencing the higher volumes than expected, but that also has a lot to do with the quality of our products and the conscientious, meticulous and hardworking nature of the team here at Selecta. We were experiencing excellent growth prior to the lockdown and the home improvement boom and so to hit the levels we are currently at is exceptionally pleasing,

at a time, where we hear so much negativity from the mainstream media. Moving forward we have further exciting expansion and growth plans afoot to build upon and extend our production and storage capacity and capabilities. I’m sure we are not the only one who’s, as the saying goes, ‘making hay whilst the sun shines’, but we all still need to be cautious as we move in to 2021. I’m confident that whatever 2021 throws at our industry, that Selecta have a business model and structure that provides long-term stability and continuity, mostly owing to independent ownership and a business model that ensures that. We are looking beyond what is looking like being an exceptional and unpredicted 2020, whilst prudently having one eye on how the industry will develop.

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"The UK will either be out of the EU with a deal or without a deal after this date and the panel discussed the various options and potential outcomes. Dave Dalton (CEO British Glass), Jeff May, (Director of Government Relations CPA) and John Agnew, GGF MD and Chair of GGF Political Strategy Committee were scheduled to join the discussion."

GGF MEMBERS’ DAY GOES VIRTUAL IN A WEEK OF INFORMATIVE SESSIONS Covid-19 has much to answer for and the traditional GGF Members’ Day, incorporating the Annual General Meeting (AGM), was one of the casualties. However, in its place the GGF organised Members’ Week which incorporated a number of digital events for the members.

Brexit 2021 – the end of the transition period, had a panel of political advisers, a GK Strategy host and a former cabinet minister David Laws, and looked at the potential scenarios of how we can best prepare for the ending of the transition period on 31st December 2020. The UK will either be out of the EU with a deal or without a deal after this date and the panel discussed the various options and potential outcomes. Dave Dalton (CEO British Glass), Jeff May, (Director of Government Relations CPA) and John Agnew, GGF MD and Chair of GGF Political Strategy Committee were scheduled to join the discussion.

Taking place from Tuesday 29th September and running until 1st October, the three-day event included 14 guest speakers and expert panellists who took part in 10 presentations/webinars and online forums covering topics such as; the economic overview, political landscape, health and safety, technical, marketing, training and the environment.

Rewarding R&D with Tax Credits. This session was presented by Jamie Watts, Commercial Director at Amplifi Solutions. He looked at how HMRC’s R &D tax credit scheme could benefit business and he illustrated that showing what type of industry activities and costs could qualify. Innovations can help drive businesses forward and reward them with an additional tax reduction of up to 24.7p for every qualifying pound spent on R&D.

THE SESSIONS WERE SPREAD OVER THE THREE DAYS AND INCLUDED: The Economic Landscape. Professor Noble Francis, Economics Director, Construction Products Association (CPA), provided an overview of the economy presentation in the first talking about the drivers, the key factors, the political backdrop and the future scenarios on how things may develop in 2021, particularly in view of COVID lockdowns and Brexit with or without a deal.

The GGF Technical Forum was hosted by David Borland and Ben Wallace (GGF Senior Technical Officers) with guest speaker Mark Barsby of BSI Group. They covered issues involving UKCA mark / CE marking and CPR plus Product Substitutions and a Fire Safety update. A session on the NEW GGF Digital Marketing Toolkit was the opportunity for digital marketing experts SLX, with Marketing Director Graham Hansell, to launch the new GGF Digital Marketing Toolkit to show companies many

of the best ways to gain customers using online technology. This webinar explained search engine marketing and showed the best way to plan and execute a social media marketing plan and much more. In August, the GGF partnered with Total Support Training to provide more training courses to help train the industry. In a special forum for Members’ Week, entitled GGF Training – Open Forum, the senior team from Total Support Training, headed up by Sharon Alderton, took questions on all elements of training. A new and very different norm. Thursday saw James MacPherson, GGF, Health, Safety and Environment Manager and a panel of experts from health and safety consultancy Citation and from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discuss why Health and Safety have never been more important for successful companies Then, Sanmukh Bawa, Technical Director at G-SMATT Europe discussed the emerging glass media technology, from Smart Glass media facades to the beautiful video displays and interactivity innovations in a session entitled Media Glass Technology. Finishing the day and the week’s sessions, a session headlined as Our World, Our Future was led by James MacPherson, GGF Health, Safety and Environment Manager. This centred on the environment and how companies in the glass and glazing industry have a role to play in making our future better and safer for all.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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STELLAR’S AESTHETICS ATTRACT CONSUMER APPEAL Retail installer Walkers Windows in Huddersfield has been selling Stellar, the double award-winning aluminium system from Epwin Window Systems to his growing retail customers for several months. The verdict on the system from Brent Walker, owner of Walkers Windows, is simple: “It’s the best on the market and it gives us clear points of differentiation.” Stellar windows are on display at Walkers Windows’ two retail showrooms, one in Huddersfield and a newly-opened one in Ossett, Wakefield. Brent says: “I call Stellar a ‘showroom product’. When customers see it on display, they are immediately drawn to it as it has real consumer appeal. It is visually different from other aluminium windows on the market and it’s contemporary, highend aesthetics make it a very easy sell.” He continues: “Most aluminium windows in the market are very ‘me-too’ but the Stellar window is different. It’s a good-looking window and customers notice this. The

flush detail is impressive, but the standout feature for me is the equal sightlines for opening and non-opening panes without the need to add a dummy sash, which you’d typically find on other aluminium windows.”

SMART INTELLIGENT FAÇADES FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM’S ADVANCED MANUFACTURING BUILDING

As Brent highlights, Stellar is the only aluminium system on the market to offer a fully flush casement window and is also at least 30% slimmer than competitor systems, maximising the light available to the end user. He concludes: “I have been selling and fitting aluminium windows for many years and most other systems are flat, not flush and heavier in design. Stellar looks better and sells itself.” Walkers Windows is a family run business that has been installing windows throughout Yorkshire since 1980. It has a comprehensive team of highly skilled tradesmen who deliver exceptional work from the smallest installation through to the most challenging building projects. Stellar was designed by Epwin Window Systems to set a new standard for the growing retail aluminium sector. And as comments from experienced industry professionals such as Brent at Walkers Windows show, it’s more than succeeded in its aim. Tel: 0845 300 9356 www.stellaraluminium.co.uk

The University of Nottingham’s Advanced Manufacturing Building used TECHNAL GEODE MX 52 Visible Grid Curtain Walling, SOLEAL FY 65 Windows and PY 55 Doors. Selected by architects Bond Bryan, the TECHNAL aluminium systems offered a cost-effective, thermally efficient solution that was backed by outstanding technical support both prior and during construction. The state-of-the-art training and research facility, located at the entrance to the Jubilee Campus, has enhanced the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Engineering. The building features teaching facilities, laboratories and workshops, and houses the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre in Manufacturing Technology. Costing £23 million, the 9000m2 facility, built by contractor GF Tomlinson, plays host to pioneering research that could shape the future of UK manufacturing. Since its completion, the structure has been awarded a RIBA East Midlands Award in recognition of its architectural excellence. The building was designed by further education sector specialists Bond Bryan Architects, in a form that would work around the site constraints of the River Leen and the campus entrance road. Design inspiration was also taken from the adjacent, Elizabethan Revival style, Lenton Lodge, with the anodised cladding panel system selected to resonate with the colour and tone of the lodge. On the glazing aspect of the design, a representative of Bond Bryan commented, “The masonry plinth at ground level combined with high-level glazing were designed to give the impression that the upper storeys are floating. Extensive internal glazing and the use of open walkways also allow visitors a sweeping view through and out of the building. This design visually links the activities within the faculty whilst also creating a dramatic and exciting work environment.”

www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

It was down to TECHNAL’s project consultant to interpret the glazing requirements set out by Bond Bryan and recommend products that would meet the required thermal efficiency and safety standards of a university building, whilst also providing the desired aesthetic effects sought by Bond Bryan. When combined with the highest performance glazing, the GEODE MX 52 range curtain walling and its integrated thermal break enables Ucw coefficients as low as 1.1 W/m2K to be achieved. The curtain walling is also easily integrated with the thermally broken FY 65 windows and PY 55 doors, both of which offer outstanding thermal performance. In terms of security, both the FY 65 windows and PY 55 doors, have been tested in accordance with BS EN1627, achieving RC2 and up to RC3, respectively and PAS 24. With regards to the assistance received from TECHNAL, Bond Bryan Architects added, “We work with TECHNAL regularly because its solutions are cost effective and the team offers great design and technical support throughout the process.” Tim Hubner, Project Manager for GF Tomlinson commented: “We are very pleased with the final outcome of the building. It is a credit to all the contractors and suppliers involved.” TECHNAL is part of the Hydro Group, a world leader in aluminium solutions that also encompasses sister brand WICONA. Through its globally renowned Hydro Technology Hubs, the group is shaping a sustainable future, with innovative products that satisfy and surpass customer expectations, in line with demands of CSR and increasing environmental regulations. For more information, please visit www.technal.com/en/uk/.

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WITH PASSION COMES HOPE

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A VIRTUAL 360 WORLD FOR THE RESIDENCE COLLECTION The Residence Collection have created a virtual 360-degree environment for their showroom, so that installation and manufacturing partners and even consumers can navigate and explore the product range, which includes R2, R7 and R9 luxury windows and doors. Developed in conjunction with Adverto Media, this new development has been created with cutting edge software and a 3D camera, so not only can you navigate through all the product displays, but at each point on the tour there is further information, links to videos and even Pinterest pins for each system.

Emplas has stepped in to support a grass roots football team with a unique approach to youth development. Rising Hope FC which turns out senior, ladies, junior and veterans’ teams in the Northants Combination and Weetabix Youth Leagues, was named in memory of Lacey-Mae Hope Carley. The daughter of the club’s chairman, Graham, Lacey-Mae was born with a heart defect, and despite the best efforts of specialists, died aged only two-weeks old. The club is committed to working for the benefit of the wider community with a focus on not only the footballing ability of its junior members but also their broader development, struggled to find a sponsor for its under-10 team, Emplas stepping into the breach in the summer. Graham, who is also a member of the Emplas team, said: “It’s been very difficult to attract sponsors this year. Companies have been less willing to agree sponsorships because of COVID-19. “We even thought about asking parents to contribute but not everyone can just dip their hand into their pocket for a £30 shirt. “So Emplas’ support this year has been an absolute lifeline for the club and we’re hugely grateful to Ryan and the team for their support.” The deal means T&K Home Improvements, Emplas’ retail business, has become kit sponsor for the under 10s team for the 2020/21 season. Ryan Johnson, Managing Director, Emplas said: “Graham and the officials put a massive amount of time into the club, with a real focus on developing the life skills of its players, not only those on the pitch. “We’re delighted to be able to support them in some small way and wish the under-10s the very best of luck for the 2020/21 season on and off the pitch!”

With the demands now increasing for remote selling, this new development allows for a complete product demonstration from the comfort of everyone’s home on mobile, tablet and desktop and is part of the safer working practices that the industry is now being faced with. Sarah Hitchings, sales and marketing director of The Residence Collection commented: ‘People quite rightly see us as one of the most influential brands in the sector and the introduction of this new virtual 360 degree showroom technology will support all of our customer partners, as they look to find better ways to engage with potential customers remotely. She continued: ‘We’re very much in the digital era now for the way in which our brands engage with consumers, as our impressive social media footprint shows across Facebook, Houzz, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. We have to find alternative ways of working and new technologies are certainly at the forefront of our minds, as is the welfare of everyone associated with The Residence Collection.’ To enjoy this 360-degree virtual tour please visit https://bit.ly/2ZM1WSE. For other information please visit www. residencecollection.co.uk and www. residencecollectiontrade.co.uk. You can request a free brochure pack including the stylish and inspirational My Residence Magazine via e-mail at journey@ residencecollection.co.uk or by calling 01452 348650. You can also add to their following on Twitter @residence9 and engage with them on other social media platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and Houzz.

GARNALEX STATEMENT ON THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S PROPOSAL TO IMPOSE ANTIDUMPING DUTIES ON IMPORTED ALUMINIUM FROM CHINA On Tuesday 22nd September the European Commission announced plans to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on aluminium extrusions from China. This includes imports of aluminium bars, rods, profiles, tubes and pipes, either unassembled or prepared for use. The proposed duties will be as high as 48%, ranging from 30.4 – 38.2% for some companies; 34.9% for companies that cooperated in the European Commission’s anti-dumping investigation; and 48% for those companies who did not cooperate with the investigation. The duties will be in addition to the EU’s standard 7.5% import duty. Aluminium producers have until today, Friday 25th September to respond to the individual calculations before the Commission publishes a detailed report on the calculations and the regulation comes into force on 15th October. The European Commission’s ongoing anti-dumping investigation is expected to be finalised in April 2021, with the import duties likely to remain in place for a further five years. Like other aluminium producers, Garnalex welcomes this announcement as an important measure to protect the European aluminium sector and ensure its long-term sustainability. Some reports

"The European Commission’s ongoing anti-dumping investigation is expected to be finalised in April 2021, with the import duties likely to remain in place for a further five years."

suggest Chinese imports of semifabricated aluminium products had more than doubled between 2014 and 2019. According to European Aluminium: “The destructive impact of dumped imports has led to a decrease in production and a loss of market share for European producers across the entire value chain, which forced several companies to restructure or close plants with significant job losses as a result.” The measures announced this week will have an impact on many aluminium companies across Europe. The UK alone consumes around 190,000 tonnes of aluminium, but only extrudes around 110,000 tonnes. So about 80,000 tonnes is imported. There are only three or four extruders in the UK, one of which is Garnalex, and 80-90 aluminium systems companies, who buy in profiles from extruding companies here and in China. Aluminium stockists buy in too. Systems companies who outsource like to keep their suppliers’ identities to themselves, but prices will inevitably go up significantly for those buying from China. We can’t say for certain what the UK will do, but one of the importers is assuming the UK will take similar action to European Commission and has put its prices up to reflect the changes. When we set up Garnalex in 2018 we invested in a vertically integrated supply chain and source our raw aluminium logs from Wales so we have maximum control over it to mimimise the effect on customers. These anti-dumping measures and the resulting price rises will soon start to bite. Coming on top of the expected turmoil in ports and surrounding travel networks in Kent and potentially other area from January, users of imported profile can expect significant disruption. Garnalex makes all Sheerline window and door components in-house with profile also painted on our Derbyshire site. That saves time, unnecessary carbon road miles and reduces the uncertainty of supply and quality. We’re proud to be Made in Britain, but it’s becoming clearer that it’s also prudent to make in Britain too.

For more information on Emplas visit www.emplas.co.uk , email info@emplas. co.uk or call 01933 674880.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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NON-DELIVERIES COSTING INSTALLERS – BUSINESS PILOT Time lost to chasing orders and non-deliveries is costing installers thousands, as supply chain disruption continues to hit window and door retail.

once and then automatically update all of the other data channels that it impacts.

The warning comes from Business Pilot, the cloud-based business management tool for installers, which has been designed to support installers in running each and every aspect of their business from lead generation and order placement, to installation scheduling, finance and after care.

Accessible across all devices, from desktop to phone, Business Pilot supports installers in running their businesses more profitably, integrating with lead generation tools, supplier ordering systems and accountancy software to bring data into one place and put it at the fingertips of installers.

Managing Director, Elton Boocock, warned delayed and non-deliveries were causing installers an ‘administrative nightmare’, as they struggled to manage multiple systems.

This includes tracking orders against delivery and scheduled installation dates, from the moment that orders are placed, allowing retailers to spot potential problems before they impact on their day-to-day operations.

He said: “Incredible demand combined with disruption to the supply chain is having a massive impact on installers’ ability to manage their businesses effectively - and critically, the expectations of their customers. “If you have an effective business management tool and CRM, it may not take all of those headaches away, but it will certainly take the edge off them, because rather than having to make multiple changes, it allows you to make a change

“In the case of Business Pilot, we can also help you upward manage your supply chain, giving you visibility of what’s ready and when ahead of time, rather than finding, hardware or trims are missing and you can’t complete the install.”

CASE STUDY HARVEY’S WINDOWS, LEICESTER This, according to Sally Roberts, Harveys Windows, Leicester, has been important during not only lockdown but the period of exceptionally high demand that has followed it, supporting Leicestershire retail business in not only managing its own jobs and scheduling workloads - but staying on top of its supply chain.

“One of the things that we have come to rely on is whether things have been delivered or not”, says Sally. “We use Business Pilot exclusively to place and generate purchase orders. As these are assigned to specific jobs, we can see what we need and when and then check against them that products have been delivered and are in stores when they’re meant to be there”, explains Sally. “We print out a list every day that our storeman goes through and checks off that product has been delivered or if we’ve received stuff that wasn’t scheduled for that day, why and which job it should be assigned to.” Watch the interview here: https://bit.ly/33kDzgN

BUSINESS PILOT AT A GLANCE • Cloud-based - access it on your desktop, laptop, or phone • Access powerful management information – understand employee performance, costs of installation, and your profitability on each and every job • Web-to-lead integration/lead management • Sales appointment setting • Link documents to jobs including drawings, site surveys, video and photos

• Step-by-step lead-to-contract management, including follow-ups and user and system notes • Link purchase orders to deliveries and schedule boards. Guaranteeing that product is always in for the start of the job • Log guarantees and manage service calls • Financial reporting with export to multiple platforms To find out more please visit www.businesspilot.co.uk, email info@businesspilot.co.uk or call 0333 050 7560.

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AT WORK, REST AND PLAY THIS MONTH: Karen Clough Head of Marketing, Conservatory Outlet

This series in Glass News highlights the hopes and aspirations of women in the windows, doors, glass, roofs and hardware industry and will hopefully inspire more to make this their career.

AT WORK...

Can you give a brief resume of jobs up to your current position?

AT PLAY...

How did you get into this industry?

From Family Hampers, I joined YFM Group which is where my career in marketing (and manufacturing) began. My contracts included Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), GROW:Offshore Wind and Fit For Nuclear amongst others – delivering events, conferences, marketing campaigns, PR and lead generation. After 10 years and two rounds of tupe to GLE Group and then Pera Consulting, I took the leap into pure manufacturing and joined Saint-Gobain.

All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl! True or false and why?

I’d always worked in the manufacturing sector supporting a range of companies through Government backed supply chain contracts but made my first step into the industry five years ago when I joined Saint-Gobain Glass to work on the Planitherm campaign.

What was your first job after school or college? My first proper job out of uni was at FHSC (Family Hampers) as a Business Support Executive – basically a “bit of everything” – marketing, account management, admin, buying, customer service, accounts and invoicing for a business they’d just acquired called the Voucher Shop. It taught me an awful lot about how a business is run.

Do you believe your speciality is transferable to any industry? 100%. Marketing is all about being able to see a challenge objectively and using creativity (and data!) to tackle it. Energy, drive and a passion for what you do always helps too, whatever the business or industry.

Have you a career path mapped out or is it more about opportunism? I throw myself 100% into my work, but there’s a balance to be had too. With a young family at home it’s always a bit of a juggling act! I’m really settled at Conservatory Outlet and like to think I’ll have a long and prosperous career here.

Looking ahead where would you like to be in 5 years and 10 years? Gosh that’s a leap ahead! I’d love to think I’d still be at Conservatory Outlet and we’d continued to grow the business at the rate we’ve achieved in the past four years or so. The bond between our team and our network of customers is something special and it really would be tough to give that up.

“Marketing is all about being able to see a challenge objectively and using creativity (and data!) to tackle it. Energy, drive and a passion for what you do always helps too, whatever the business or industry.”

Proud Sponsors of Women In Industry 26

AT REST... Away from work, what is your focus? Like most people, family. My lads are 9 and 7 and they dominate a lot of my spare time, driving them round all over the place. They have a better social life than me! I also love seeing friends and getting out & about, I’m not very good at being idle.

What activities help you switch off? I really enjoy running – just for fun not competitively. I just stick in my earphones and switch off to the world for a bit of downtime.

Totally depends on the person. Whatever works for you, but for me – I have to make time for friends, family, exercise and the odd drink! I love making weekend plans. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Do you achieve the work/life balance you would like to? Most of the time. There’s always occasions where one encroaches on the other, but mostly it works just fine. The COVID lockdown certainly tested us all to the limits all being stuck at home on top of each other!

With money and leisure time no object, what would you really like to do for yourself and your family? Buy a massive yacht and sail the world? I’d need to learn how to sail first as well though!

www.conservatoryoutlet.co.uk October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION

DEKKO STRIVE FOR MORE GENDER EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE The construction industry is a notoriously male-dominated sector. The latest figures show that in 2019, only 13% of construction roles were filled by women.

The UK construction industry is a huge and important part of the national economy. It generates over £110 billion every year, accounting for 7% of GDP. Around 3 million people work in construction, equating to 10% of all UK employment.

The lack of female representation is equally low in the glazing industry – and the women we do have in fenestration tend to occupy office-based admin roles, with very few in senior management and even fewer working as window installers and fabricators.

Across the construction industry, however, there is a huge skills shortage. Massive technological advancements are shaping the sector, including new ways of designing, building and becoming more environmentally aware.

CHANGING INDUSTRY PERCEPTIONS But one company that’s bucking this trend is trailblazing trade fabricator Dekko Window Systems. The company employs a large female workforce, with two female members of its six-strong senior management team, and has a strong culture of providing equal opportunities.

DIVERSIFYING THE WORKFORCE TO MEET THE SKILLS SHORTAGE

At a time where innovation in construction is at a high, the industry is struggling to retain skilled staff who are willing to embrace new developments in building and engineering.

Again, Kurt sees women in construction as the perfect solution to the industry’s current problematic situation: “With fewer people coming into the industry with the necessary skills to keep it growing, one of the biggest challenges we face to keep the industry driving forward is a skills shortage, so attracting new talent is vital and a female workforce can help close that gap.”

A POSITIVE FUTURE FOR THE GLAZING INDUSTRY Dekko are certainly setting a great example, and as a more traditional set of senior industry leaders start to retire, the newer generation are embracing this forwardthinking attitude. Although figures from March 2019 show that men in construction were paid 20% more than women for doing the same job, this figure is significantly lower than the previous year’s 36% discrepancy.

This gender pay gap is predicted to continue falling in the coming years, so now could be the perfect time for women to consider a career in construction. Although the situation is far from perfect, for women looking to work in construction, the rewards are excellent. On average, female construction workers earn a 30% higher annual salary than those in other historically female-dominated industries such as textile manufacturing. With gender quality and diversity now an integral part of employment regulations, the 2020s look set to be the decade when construction (including glazing) fully embrace an equal male-female workforce. For more information contact Dekko on 0161 406 0055 or visit www.dekkowindows.com.

“When we started Dekko back in 2008, we knew from the start we wanted to make it a very different kind of fabricator,” comments Sales Director Kurt Greatrex. “Our aim was excellence - we wanted to help installers capitalise on huge demand for high-end home improvements, with expertly-fabricated doors and windows, backed by exceptional service. And if you’re striving to be the best, you need to make use of all the talent there is out there – not just half of it.” Kurt has high expectations of his workforce, but is also clearly proud of what they’ve achieved. “Female workers have made a big impact on every aspect of our business at Dekko. Female fabricators have delivered the outstanding product quality that’s made our name. “Female administration staff have shaped our culture of customer service excellence – and female managers have shaped the strategy that, in little more than a decade, has seen us become one of the most successful fenestration businesses in Britain. “A diverse workforce allows the best talent to rise to the top, regardless of gender - and that’s the way it should be.”

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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GLASS NEWS INTERVIEW: FIT SHOW

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IT’S EVERYONE’S SHOW.

NICKIE WEST GIVES AN INSIGHT INTO THE PLANNING FOR THE FIT SHOW 2021 The FIT Show’s Nickie West talks to Glass News’ Editor, Chris Champion, about FIT 2021. Has the government’s recent announcements on restrictions and local lockdowns changed any of the plans for next year’s show? It may well be the first opportunity for our industry to meet, face to face, for over a year, so how important is it both for exhibitors and visitors? Will the timing in May 2021 prove to be ideal as opposed to it being now, when everyone in the industry is busy with the business and economic recovery? Perhaps the timing will mean that installers and other buyers will have the time to visit the show - and what will they find? More exhibitors? More products? Find out Nickie’s thoughts on whether size really matters!

There was interest from overseas at FIT 2019 with new exhibitors from a number of countries. Is that likely to happen again or, indeed, has that interest from overseas increased for the 2021 Show and is Brexit having an influence? Is the UK viewed as an opportunity? Nickie has strong beliefs about what FIT 2021 should be to the industry and it is worth listening to her thoughts on why installers will find the exhibition more important than ever. Perhaps it is less about the products themselves and more about which suppliers are both financially and logistically able to do business. The vast number of new products that have materialised over the past year have had little opportunity to be showcased and FIT promises to give installers and buyers, generally, a huge range to choose from. What better way than to see the full range of the industry’s wares, in one day, as opposed to taking an age in trawling the internet for that information! From its origins as a window and door exhibition FIT has become so much more. Visit Glass is an innovation that will be warmly welcomed with its accent on the all-important glass processing. And with more and more working from home, the focus on outdoor living, home offices, decking,

roofline products and more widens the potential of products that installers can offer to their customers – those who are making even more use of the homes and gardens in these troubled times. And what happens if we’re still in the clutches of Covid next year? What happens to FIT? You need to hear how Nickie and her team are working towards making FIT 2021 different yet even more effective than ever before. And that’s effective for the whole supply chain. I couldn’t resist asking if going ‘virtual’ was a fall back solution for FIT, and you really need to listen to Nickie’s take on virtual shows! Nickie West’s interview is illuminating and honest and her team’s efforts promise to make FIT 2021 a must for our whole industry.

“You need to hear how Nickie and her team are working towards making FIT 2021 different yet even more effective than ever before. And that’s effective for the whole supply chain.”

VIDEO LINK

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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FACE TO FACE

THIS MONTH: Jennie James, Key Accounts Representative, Mila 2020 might be Mila’s 40th anniversary in the UK, but for Key Accounts Representative Jennie James, there’s a more personal reason to celebrate. It’s 10 years since she joined the business and one husband, two children and three job roles later, she’s as committed to Mila and its customers as ever.

IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU...

are actually very similar with meticulous attention to detail and impeccable customer service at the heart of both. I started at Mila in internal sales looking after customers in the South and then in Greater London and moved into the Key Accounts Team after my son Barney was born six years ago.

Where were you born, and which part of the country do you currently live?

The job you do in 25 words…

I was born in Rugby and that’s where I still live. I left briefly to go to uni in Leicester, but I was very happy to come back.

I help to make sure that all of Mila’s biggest customers and those who need something a bit different from us get the kind of service which makes them smile every day.

Your education and the subject or activity in which you excelled…

Your greatest achievement…

I studied for a degree in Business and Management at De Montfort University and learnt the art of multi-tasking very early successfully combining my studies with a part-time job.

I’m extremely well organised and with the kind of methodical mindset which means that, even when I’m handling up to 250 product lines a day, I manage to keep everything on track for customers. I’m famous in the office for recording month and after month of zero order errors and that’s something I’m particularly proud of.

Your favourite sports or interests… At school, I was a competitive swimmer, representing Warwickshire in butterfly. 5am training and long weekends at swimming galas are a distant memory now though! Like almost everyone else in the country it seems, I did take up running again in lockdown and successfully completed my Couch to 5K.

AND YOUR FUTURE... What you would like to do if you weren’t in this industry…

Your biggest regret in life… I always wanted to be a Flight Attendant and I think I probably regret not trying out for that when I left school and seeing a bit more of the world before I settled down.

I’d probably follow that dream of being a Flight Attendant – it’s nice to think about a world where we can all travel freely again after Covid.

Someone or something that inspires you…

A particular ambition…

It would have to be my lovely Mum. She went through some really tough times when she was younger but went on to give us all a really happy family life. She’s a massive part of my life still and a really willing babysitter, which is great.

The temptation you can’t resist… It’s that glass of wine or Prosecco on a Friday evening when my children are in bed…

YOUR CAREER...

My husband Chris and I swam with dolphins on our honeymoon in Mexico, and I’d love to take Barney and our 18 month old daughter Penny there one day to have that once in a lifetime experience too.

When and how you joined this industry…

The way you want to be remembered…

I started my career in finance with Lloyds Banking Group but joined Mila in 2010. The industries might be different, but the roles

As someone who got the balance just about right – doing a great job at work but also being a great wife and Mum too.

If you would like to appear in ‘Face to Face’, or would like to nominate someone else to be featured, simply email chris@glassnews.co.uk. www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

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Now, more than ever, homeowners are looking at how to improve their homes. With holidays off the agenda for the foreseeable, consumers are more than likely to spend their cash elsewhere and as consumer research trends suggest, this will be on extra living space, gardens, home offices and home improvements.

Look out for us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, LindedIn and email! Email or call for forthcoming features, opportunities and information.

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MACHINERY

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CRYSTAL CLEAR GROUP SET TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY WITH SUPERCUT 6

Established in 1988, the Crystal Clear Group has always had a focus on providing commercial and trade customers with top of the line, high-quality PVCu fenestration products. In August 2020, in the midst of months of unprecedented demand in the industry following lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic, Crystal Clear’s CEO Martin Randall decided it was time to upgrade his fabrication machinery. He was looking for something which would not only enhance his operational efficiency but also provide consistent quality across all products. His choice: the Supercut 6 Cutting and Machining Centre from Avantek Machinery.

GETTING THE BALL ROLLING Having scoured the marketplace to assess what was available, Martin knew he didn’t want to wait. Avantek Machinery’s reputation for investing in stock of machinery meant the team could supply Crystal Clear Group with a brand new Supercut within days, giving his business the production capability it needed. Within 24 hours of the decision, three Avantek team members made their way to Hertfordshire to visit Crystal Clear Group to meet with the team and to prepare the factory for the arrival of the 23-metre-long Supercut 6. Crystal Clear’s Operations Director Tim Goldspink commented, “The planning

process was key. Two automated saws had to be moved out of production whilst installing the Supercut around the factory’s existing layout – and with such a large machine, we had to make sure it was installed safely. Dave Fox, Avantek’s Supercut Manager, delivered a CAD drawing of our facility and showed us the most efficient way to set up the factory, which was superb.”

“With the Supercut 6, profiles are cut and machined in one motion, all with only one machine. It also moves all off-cuts into the waste basket for ease in recycling – which is paramount to our operations. The fact we could have all this within a few short weeks was what really swung it for me – and the Avantek team have been so easy to deal with.”

WHY THE SUPERCUT 6?

The Supercut 6 was delivered two weeks after Martin’s initial telephone call to Avantek and will take just four weeks to set up from start to finish – including working with software companies and training staff to run it.

Martin Randall says, “We’ve been using separate machines for cutting and machining for decades. With the need to increase production also came the need to increase efficiency without sacrificing quality – and the Supercut delivers both.

INITIAL OBSERVATIONS

Martin continues: “The Supercut replaces almost a dozen smaller, less efficient machines in our facility. It delivers the consistently excellent results that we expect and are known for. It will also allow us to streamline our operations, and further increase our productivity by up to 1300 frames per week. “We’re excited about the future and the move to invest in the Supercut 6 now will help us to manage the unprecedented demand we’ve consistently seen over the last few months.” For more information about Crystal Clear Group visit http://crystal-direct.co.uk/. Learn more about Avantek Machinery’s Supercut 6 Cutting and Machining Centre by visiting www.avantekmachinery.co.uk/supercut/.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

AL-220/70 Aluminium Machining Centre –

AUTOMATION AT ITS BEST

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Key Features: • Stacking of 10 profiles (max 6.5m length) • Automatic cutting in all angles between 30° and 150° • High speed precision thanks to 7 axis controlled by servo motors • Ability to open drain slot routing, drilling and milling at variable angles

• Operates with data from various window production software ensuring minimum wastage • Safe production facility via three-dimensional collision and error control system • Finance options available*

Computer controlled technology

Tel 01785 222421 www.haffnermurat.com The Accolade Building, Common Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST16 3EQ

* Subject to status. Terms and conditions apply.

MACHINERY

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WEATHERBREAK WINDOWS INVESTS IN SECOND KOMBIMATEC MACHINING CENTRE Luton based fabricator, WeatherBreak Windows, has responded to a marked increase in demand for its high-quality aluminium product range, with the addition of a new AMC308 machining centre from Kombimatec. Installed at the end of August, WeatherBreak’s new AMC308 machining centre is the second machine of its type to be ordered from Kombimatec and has been introduced to bolster the aluminium window and door line at the manufacturer’s state of the art 30,000ft2 facility. Featuring CNC control with a colour touch screen display, WeatherBreak opted for the 3m version of the 3-axis AMC308, which is suitable for both aluminium and PVC profile. Integrating an auto rotating work bench and an automatic multi-tool change cabinet, the AMC308 also combines a 5HP motor spindle, a quick change ISO30 tool system, electronic variable speed control, pneumatic rotating of the work piece through 90-0-90 degrees with adjustment for intermediate angles – plus a host additional of features that result in a highly capable, cost effective and easy to use machine. Peter Hedges, WeatherBreak’s managing director, commented: “We manufacture a full range of Smarts aluminium products, from Alitherm casements – including

Alitherm Heritage – to the Visofold sliding/ folding and bi-fold doors and curtain walling offering. “We’ve experienced a significant uptake in demand across our aluminium range, and the Kombimatec AMC308 has proven to be a real asset to our production facility. It’s really easy to operate, it’s reliable and it does everything we want it to do, but without the excessive cost of other machines on the market. “Kombimatec is based just 5-miles from us”, continued Peter. “The quality of service we’ve received from David Parsons and his team has been excellent, and we’ve been extremely happy with the investment we’ve made in both our AMC308 machining centres,” he concluded. “For the future, we are expecting demand for aluminium to continue to rise. I would have no hesitation in purchasing more machinery from Kombimatec to ensure that our production facility is properly equipped to continue to deliver the high level of quality and service that our customers have come to expect.” Founded in 1982, WeatherBreak Windows has been manufacturing aluminium products alongside its market leading PVC-U offering for over 15-years and has built a reputation within the trade for exceptional service that has been developed on continual investment in product, people and equipment. For more information contact the Kombimatec sales team at sales@kombimatec.com or call 01582562218.

LINIAR STAYS AHEAD OF FOIL DEMAND WITH INVESTMENT IN LAMINATION TECHNOLOGY Innovative PVCu systems company Liniar is ramping up its capacity for foiled profiles, with the purchase of one of the most technically advanced lamination machines on the market. The £750k investment in the Luna R Automatic Profile Wrapping Machine from Italy has been specifically designed for Liniar and will help the extrusion company speed up the production of foiled profiles, thanks to major time savings on set up time and increased output. Liniar already offers one of the best foil ranges in the UK today, with 36 foils across 5 substrates – giving a possible 3,330 colour combinations. Its in-house, purposebuilt lamination department has seen unprecedented demand over recent years and in particular recent months. The decision to purchase this machine was made during 2019 as part of Liniar’s long term strategic plan to offer unrivalled service of foiled products – for example, increasing its range of stock items and offering shorter, market leading lead times on made-to-order products. The new machine will be fully operational by November and will offer the capacity of two standard lamination machines, thanks to high automation and productivity – effectively halving overall energy consumption – in line with Liniar’s focus on manufacturing efficiency and environmental standards. Production Director Eddy Webb explains why the new addition is important for Liniar and its customers: “We’ve all seen the huge increase in demand for foiled products as consumers become more aware of what’s available. Liniar has always been at the forefront of introducing

new colour ranges to the market, and our plans for 2020 included looking at ways to increase the range even more towards the end of the year. “The demand spikes following the COVID-19 lockdown have had the effect of accelerating our plans and we’re delighted to receive the machine earlier than planned. “It’s our aim for the Luna to run the work of two existing lamination machines – allowing the team greater flexibility to focus on special orders. This will result in huge benefits for Liniar customers in the coming months.” The investment is the second large purchase Liniar has announced during the pandemic, following the introduction of several million pounds’ worth of additional extrusion machinery in June. It will be teamed with another 2 extruders, which are also due for delivery in October. This continued focus on investment cements Liniar’s position as one of the most well invested, stable and reliable partners in the industry. Get in touch with Liniar at sales@liniar.co.uk.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

MACHINERY

KALL KWIK

– THE WINDOW MACHINERY EXPERTS THAT ARE MAKING THE DIFFERENCE While most window machinery companies concentrate on making sales, Kall Kwik are more interested in making a difference. With the introduction of a new face, a new brand and a new mission, the window machinery experts are providing customers with an unprecedented level of support through every stage of the production process. Spearheading this new approach and philosophy is Chris Bailey. With almost 20 years at Business Micros, the industry’s best-known machinery software company, Chris has been enlisted as Kall Kwik’s UK and Ireland Business Development Manager, enabling customers to benefit from his extensive industry experience. “At Kall Kwik, we are doing things differently,” says Chris. “It’s such a fastchanging market, particularly after the effects of COVID-19 and the lockdown. It’s no longer good enough to just make a sale, install the equipment and then move on to the next potential customer. Fabricators need much greater support and service. “The expertise offered by Kall Kwik sets us apart from other window machinery companies. We don’t just ensure that our customers get better equipment, we strive to make sure that they are better equipped to manage their whole manufacturing process. “Understanding the end to end demands for a fabrication business, from supplier through to customer, is crucial to making the right choices in machinery and that’s where my expertise comes into play. We can identify the efficiencies and links that need to be in place to maximise efficiency for the long term, not just as a short-term fix. “Kall Kwik are dedicated to building partnerships with our customers. If you want to find out more about how exactly we can work with you to improve your operations, feel free to give me a call on 0161 486 1911 to discuss this in more detail.” Tel: 0161 486 1911 - www.kallkwik.uk.com

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VISIOSUN PRIVACY GLASS

Saint-Gobain Glass has announced the launch of a new textured glass for the residential and commercial glazing markets, that provides high levels of privacy without sacrificing natural light.

Visiosun features parallel lines that create a reeded glass effect. It offers high transparency, allowing large amounts of natural light to flood into a room, combined with high privacy levels. Jenni Young, Market Manager - Premium Residential and Design & Deco at SaintGobain Glass said: “Visiosun is easy to process, cut and handle and is available in a wide range of thicknesses and dimensions. It features a directional pattern which can be used in both vertical and horizontal orientation for vast creative scope. It also offers a highly neutral appearance due to the extra clear substrate used in its production, allowing for light and privacy to go hand in hand while also personalising any space.” The privacy glass is an ideal product for interior design projects such as doors and partitions, showers and bath screens, display cases, shelves, tabletops and countertops, as well as external architecture including canopies, parapets and facades. Jenni added: “This really is a versatile and stylish privacy glass product that will help to create dynamic interior spaces and architecturally interesting buildings. It is a welcome addition to our existing range of high-quality textured glass designs.” Download a brochure and order glass samples here https://uk.saint-gobainbuilding-glass.com/en-gb/visiosun.

VICTORIAN SLIDERS ANNOUNCED AS FINALISTS IN THREE NFA 2020 CATEGORIES Victorian Sliders are proud to announce that they have been named as finalists in three categories at this year’s National Fenestration Awards. Once again, the company has been nominated for Vertical Sliding Window Company, PVC Company, and Fabricator/ Manufacturer. The National Fenestration Awards are the industry’s fastest-growing, independent awards event. Launched in 2013, and now into its eighth campaign, the NFA’s aim to be the fairest, most inclusive fenestration event, rewarding the very best the sector has to offer. Winners are decided by the votes of thousands of installers, fabricators, and others throughout the sector, meaning winning an award is a much sought-after achievement.

“We are extremely happy to have been shortlisted in three great categories at the NFA’s. Victorian Sliders’ Group Managing Director Andy Jones comments: “We are extremely happy to have been shortlisted in three great categories at the NFA’s. “Victorian Sliders has come so far in the past 15 years, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of our loyal customers. “It was fantastic to win the NFA for Vertical Sliding Window Company last year and being a finalist again is a great acknowledgement of just how much the Victorian Sliders team have achieved. “We would like to encourage all our customers, and anyone who works in the fenestration sector, to vote for us again in 2020. It would be an honour to win, and we wish all the other finalists the best of luck.”

To place your vote, visit www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/nfa2020. Voting closes on Tuesday 24th November at 10pm. Based in South Wales, Victorian Sliders started up in 2005 and is now Europe’s largest specialist manufacturers of PVC-u vertical sliding sash windows. For more information visit www.victoriansliders.co.uk or call 01269 846200.

MACHINERY

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

H&H ADDS AN EMMEGI ACE CARD TO ITS DECK H&H Architectural Systems in Rowley Regis has become the first fabricator in the UK to have a brand new Emmegi Comet X6HP machining centre installed.

A BESPOKE SOLUTION

FROM HAFFNER MURAT Leading machinery specialists, Haffner Murat have reported a significant upturn in enquiries from PVC-U and aluminium fabricators interested in using automation in the new normal. Dave Thomas, Managing Director at Haffner Murat, said: ”We are a reliable and experienced machinery partner for businesses interested in automation. We have a wide range of CNC machining centres and we work closely with our customers to ensure they get the solutions their business needs. This even extends to developing bespoke machine solutions if required.” Haffner Murat offers an impressive range of 25 CNC machining centres, covering both PVC-U and aluminium fabrication and with options for businesses of all sizes. As well as off-the-shelf machines, the company also offers bespoke solutions, which can be designed and built within 12 to 16

weeks depending on the complexity of the machine. Dave comments: “We always put our customers first by providing free, impartial consultancy as standard practice. We listen closely to their requirements and use our engineering expertise to recommend the solution that will give them what they need, whether that’s a standard or a bespoke machine option. Our high level of repeat business is evidence that people trust and value our input.” Haffner Murat is the sole UK agent of Haffner and Murat Machinery, which designs innovative and high-quality engineered products at some of the most competitive industry prices. It is also the agents for FOM and Italmac aluminium fabrication machinery, which both have international reputations for quality machinery that combines the latest technology with skilled engineering protocols. Dave concludes: “Automation is an excellent solution for operating in the ‘new normal’. It gives fabricators the ability to do more with less because one machine can do the work of several people. It provides a solution for having the minimum number of people needed on site – while still being able to operate productively and profitably and allows production to scale up or down depending on production levels. And by working with us, you’ll get the machine you need to take your business forward so you can survive and thrive.” Tel: 01785 222421 www.haffnermurat.com

The new model variant features a single work area for machining bars up to 7m long without having to move the profile and a pendular mode which allows for two independent work areas if required. It is a large scale 4-axis CNC machine designed to maximise volumes and optimise efficiency. The two work areas and two supplementary axes to position the vices and reference stops mean that fabricators can potentially work on four separate pieces at the same time, while the 7m makes it ideal for fabricators producing curtain walling. H&H, which designs, manufactures and installs bespoke aluminium features and fabrications for commercial clients across the UK, chose the Comet X6HP to replace a much smaller, less capable machine from a different manufacturer as it prepares for the next stage in an ambitious expansion programme. Managing Director Alan Hilsdon explained: “We were looking for a machine which would allow us to increase output in line with our planned growth, without increasing our manpower. We liked the fact that the Comet X6HP was a brand-new model with all the features we wanted and at a price which we knew we would give us a quantifiable payback.” “We’re really delighted to be the first fabricator in the UK to have this superb machine installed in our factory – it’s nice to have another ace card in our deck!” H&H had never bought from Emmegi before and the team had no preconceived expectations, beyond the fact that the machine design and quality would be good. However, what has particularly impressed H&H has been the customer experience from Emmegi, which Alan was keen to point out has been outstanding throughout. He added: “The entire buying journey was excellent – from the first contact right through to the commissioning. “The Emmegi team took the time to understand exactly what we needed from

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

“H&H is the first fabricator to have the X6HP installed but we are already seeing further enquiries from other companies looking to upgrade to the very latest model.” our machine in terms of features and output before recommending the X6HP model as the ideal solution. They kept us informed throughout and the installation and commissioning were smooth and straightforward. We cannot fault the service and professionalism.” Ian Latimer, Emmegi’s Managing Director says that the launch of the X6HP is typical of Emmegi’s approach to customisation – continually improving its core product range to add useful new features. He says: “The Comet range is already hugely popular but Emmegi never rests on its laurels and is always looking to push further advancements and be first with the latest innovations. “H&H is the first fabricator to have the X6HP installed but we are already seeing further enquiries from other companies looking to upgrade to the very latest model.” More details at: www.emmegi.com and http://www.warleyholdings.co.uk/

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8 NFA AWARD NOMINATIONS FOR LINIAR

MACHINERY AWARD NOMINATION FOR AVANTEK

FOR CARL F GROUPCO Hardware distributor Carl F Groupco has been successfully shortlisted as a finalist in the National Fenestration Awards’ Hardware Company 2020 category. Paying tribute to the loyal workforce at both its Peterborough and Cumbernauld distribution centres, Carl F Groupco’s Managing Director John Crittenden asks customers and suppliers to take a few moments to cast their vote as testament to the continued efforts of the company’s hardworking staff. Commenting on the significance of Carl F Groupco being recognised by the industry in the National Fenestration Awards, John Crittenden said: “The fact that we have been shortlisted for this award in such a challenging year is tribute to our staff who have worked tirelessly to support our customers. The organisation’s strong commitment to service has never wavered and achieving the accolade of hardware company of the year would be a fitting tribute to the efforts made by our teams to sustain our service charter.” Carl F Groupco is one of the last remaining privately owned hardware distributors – the company reports that this is another key feature that supports its service focus as it is able to adapt and pre-empt demands, responding quickly to changing requirements. To vote, visit: www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/nfa2020/ Carl F Groupco: www.carlfgroupco.co.uk Follow Carl F Groupco on Twitter using the handles @Carl_F_Groupco and @_SmartSecure

2020 has been a year short on good news, but the recent announcements from this year’s National Fenestration Awards give many finalists a reason to smile this autumn. Leading systems company Liniar has been nominated as a finalist in a staggering eight categories at this year’s NFAs. Sister companies Avantek Machinery and Edgetech have also been selected as finalists in their categories, making it an exciting time for the UK businesses within the Quanex Building Products group. The National Fenestration Awards cover a wide range of categories across the fenestration industry, and unlike other awards, companies are nominated by anyone working in the industry. Its open voting structure allows for everyone to have their voice heard and vote for the companies they believe most deserve to win an award. “We’re delighted to be announced as finalists in so many categories at the NFAs this year,” comments Group Marketing Director Sue Davenport, “especially in new categories for us, such as Colour Specialist and Digital Marketing Campaign. It’s pleasing to know our investment in foiling capability and marketing support for customers is recognised and appreciated out there in the marketplace. “The main award for Liniar is Systems Company of the Year, and we know the competition for this is fierce – but it would be good to think our continued communication and continuation of stock deliveries throughout the last few extraordinary months, despite facing the same challenges as others, may swing votes in our favour. “Our teams work incredibly hard to achieve the levels of customer service we strive for, and to ensure that we do the right thing by our employees, customers and suppliers alike. We’d like to thank everyone who nominated us – it means a lot to the entire team here at Liniar. “We’re pleased our sister companies are nominated in their categories too, and urge everyone to place their votes wisely. It’s an honour to be selected and we’d like to congratulate all who’ve been named as finalists and wish them the best of luck! “Voting for the 2020 NFAs is now open - we hope that everyone finds a few minutes to cast their votes across the full range of categories.”

Warehouse staff at Carl F Groupco celebrate the company being shortlisted as a finalist in the NFA Awards

The voting process for the 2020 National Fenestration Awards closes on Tuesday, 24th November. To cast your vote visit www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/nfa2020/.

Excellent news for Midlands-based Avantek Machinery! The 2020 National Fenestration Awards’ finalists were recently announced and Avantek has been named among the contenders for the 2020 Machinery Company of the Year. Sales Director Jamie Munday explains why this nomination is such good news for Avantek: “No one can argue that this year has been one for the record books. It’s been the most challenging year for the industry for quite some time. As we watched the Twitter feed for the National Fenestration Awards in early September, it was refreshing to see all the positive tweets – especially when Avantek was announced as a finalist! “Avantek Machinery has had an outstanding year so far, even amongst the challenges of the pandemic. We were delighted to be confirmed as an official distributor for Graf Synergy machinery, our own Supercut cutting and machining centre is the best-selling machine of its kind – and we’ve also grown our team by two members in order to further support our customers. “I believe the speed of our response, backed up by our investment in machinery, thanks to parent company Quanex, and spares held in the UK, has helped Avantek to gain recognition in our industry, during the most challenging time for fabricators. “The NFA nomination for Machinery Company of the Year is a testament to all the hard work our team continues to put in – and we’d like to thank all of our customers, past and present, who nominated Avantek Machinery. “We also want to congratulate our sister company, Liniar, who’s been nominated in a whopping eight categories.” Voting for the 2020 National Fenestration Awards opened on Friday 18 September and runs through to Tuesday 24 November. To take part, cast your vote at www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/nfa2020/. Jamie continues, “We’re delighted to be recognised, and just need people to vote for Avantek now! Win or lose, it’s an honour to be listed, and I’d like to wish all the finalists the best of luck!” For more press information about Avantek Machinery go to: http://www.avantekmachinery.co.uk/about/

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

GLASS NEWS INTERVIEW: ROSEVIEW WINDOWS

MIKE BYGRAVE TALKS ABOUT THE INDUSTRY AND HOW ROSEVIEW WINDOWS HAS FARED FOLLOWING THE LOCKDOWN Having spoken with Roseview Windows’ Mike Bygrave back in June, Glass News’ Editor, Chris Champion, catches up with him on how the industry has coped with the effects of the pandemic and the return to full time working. How is the supply chain? Companies have been soaking up stock while working through both back orders and the current demand for products but is the supply chain replenishing those stocks? Are there longer waiting times for materials such that it translates into longer lead times for customers receiving their products? And how are the suppliers doing when it comes to keeping the manufacturers informed of delays in the supply chain? Mike talks about the delivery issues with profile but points out that the real problem is the ancillary products, the infills and other components required to complete a window. Is there pressure from the homeowner as lead times lengthen or is the larger effect on fabricators and installers? It is clear that everyone is working through the back orders and are coping with current demand but can that demand continue? With furlough coming to an end will that effect demand through redundancies? Indeed, are the inevitable

redundancies within our industry’s target markets or is our market the retired with savings and will therefore not be a cause for concern? Mike has clear views on the market that Roseview targets, and continues their marketing programme as normal – and the business keeps climbing. Getting information is not easy. Have the trade bodies been helpful or do you paddle your own canoe? Mike talks about the trade bodies and their efforts but has sympathy for the fact that they can only pass on information issued by the government, and the message from the source is, at best confused! If demand continues can further automation be employed to increase efficiency? In the case of high-end sash windows, can automation help or is the handcrafted element something that is a requirement? At what point does automation give way to hand tools and people on the

“In the case of high-end sash windows, can automation help or is the handcrafted element something that is a requirement? At what point does automation give way to hand tools and people on the shopfloor? How do you expand to cope with the added business?”

shopfloor? How do you expand to cope with the added business? Mike gives us Roseview’s answer to the problem. With 2021 bringing the FIT Show, what can that do for the industry? Roseview Windows values the FIT Show and uses it for much more than a lead generator, in fact, for them, lead generation is low on the list. The big value is getting face to face with the industry. And have virtual shows been of any help during this time of social distancing? Having taken part in one, it’s interesting to hear what Mike has to say about them! The future? Opportunities? Do high end products fare better in these turbulent economic times? Is Roseview optimistic and should the rest of the industry be optimistic, too? What will the market look like, one year hence? And what will happen to prices….within the supply chain, to the homeowner and end user? Do we all agree that windows are too cheap and this is an opportunity to end the race to the bottom or is it that it takes one company reducing prices to start a chain reaction but an awful lot of people to raise prices to have any effect? Mike says that windows, while being too cheap, also give better warranties than you get on a luxury car and I’m not sure anyone would argue with that! It’s well worth listening to Mike Bygrave’s take on the industry, the future and its problems and opportunities. As ever, he’s an entertaining interviewee who talks a lot of good sense.

VIDEO LINK

www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

WINDOWS

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

SPECTUS ELITE 70 WINDOWS SPECIFIED FOR EXCEPTIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING SCHEME 483 Spectus Elite 70 windows were specified and installed in the development of 47 affordable homes built into the fabric of Edinburgh's historic Edmonstone walled garden. The historic Edmonstone walled garden is the site of an ambitious £5 million housing development, which includes 47 affordable homes. The development project has 16 cottage flats and 31 houses made up of one, two and three-bedroom properties. The design respects the existing wall and has seen the historic structure become an integral part of the fabric of the new homes. With such a sensitive and renowned structure, the choice of contractors was critical. The window contractor selected for the project was Spectus Approved Window Contractor Walker Profiles Ltd, a leading manufacturer, supplier and installer based in Motherwell. The 483 windows were manufacture from the Elite 70 system from Spectus Window Systems. As a complete product system, Elite 70 had all the credentials required, not least because it could

deliver the reversible, tilt and turn and casement windows the project required and maintain a streamlined, seamless appearance throughout. The windows were manufactured in Anthracite Grey on White, to create an aluminium-like appearance on the exterior with an understated neutral interior. Elite 70 is a formidable 70mm five chamber system for fully enclosed aluminium and/or steel reinforcement and it meets the requirements of BS EN 12608. In addition, it meets security requirements to PAS24:2016, which was critical because the development was designed to meet the Secured by Design accreditation. The national police initiative encourages developers to create housing projects with security in mind, using landscaping that promotes natural surveillance, as well as high-performance windows and doors to help prevent break-ins.

building contractor to ensure the existing wall apertures were cut to fit the windows precisely. The new development has secured the future of the historic wall and it will remain for years to come as a nod towards the site’s rich history. The quality of the development has already attracted attention because it

won Police Scotland’s Secured by Design Gold Award. David MacGregor, Business Development Manager at Walker Profiles, comments: “This was a superb project to be involved in and we enjoyed being part of a sympathetic restoration of such a historic property.” Tel: 0808 178 3370 - www.spectus.co.uk

As with every heritage project, there were additional complications to factor in. The key challenge was to ensure the windows fitted perfectly into the historic wall structure. To achieve this, the Walker Profiles’ team worked closely with the

SPECTUS FLUSH CASEMENT WINDOWS REVAMP A 16TH CENTURY BUILDING Spectus flush casement windows have been used in a 16th century building near Chelmsford, Essex. The Pig and Whistle has a long history as a public house but got converted in 2013 to a popular local restaurant. The replacement windows were undertaken by local domestic installation company, Chignal Windows Ltd who are based near Chelmsford. Kevin Lovett, Managing Director of Chignal Windows, said: “The Spectus flush casement windows were chosen to replace the property’s ageing timber frames. The heritage importance of this building was fundamental and the windows needed to sympathetically reflect the style and aesthetics of the originals. I knew the Spectus flush casement was the perfect choice for this high-profile job as the windows would enhance the character of the building and offer modern day thermal efficiency too.” All windows at the front of The Pig and Whistle needed to be replaced and where fitted with white flush casements with Georgian bar

detailing and monkey-tail handles. Due to the build of the original window aperture, the windows had to be fitted from the outside. Kevin explains: “The original windows had

been screw-fixed into large timber fronts within the aperture. As such, we needed to reverse the lugs on the windows and fit from the outside to ensure a perfect, clean fit was achieved.”

The flush casement windows were manufactured by Chignal Windows’ fabrication partner and longstanding Spectus fabricator, Universal Trade Frames. Universal Trade Frames manufactured the flush casement windows using specially designed hardware that gives the added benefit of a night vent facility and the option of a French casement opening. Karla Greenhalgh, Area Sales Manager at Universal Trade Frames, said: “The flush casement window is a popular window choice and enhances both heritage and new build properties. We were delighted to have worked with Chignal Windows on this heritage project and the finished result is superb.” Chignal Windows is a domestic business formed in 2019 by Kevin Lovett. Kevin has been fitting Spectus windows since 1984 into the commercial sector via his installation business, Seaxe Contract Services Ltd. In setting up his new retail business Kevin’s objective was to offer a range of high-quality products with an exacting service promise and no pushy hard sell. And in delivering a stunning heritage project like The Pig and Whistle, Kevin has achieved exactly what he set out to do. Tel: 0808 178 3370 www.spectus.co.uk

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

CHOICE SERVICE SUPPORT QUALITY RESPONSE FLEXIBLE When you partner with Roseview you’re not just buying industry-leading sash windows, you’re getting a lot more. You’re getting what 40 years experience has taught us—that installers want products, service and support they can rely on. That’s why partnering with Roseview for sash windows is the smart choice.

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WINDOWS

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

TIMBER REPLICA WINDOWS MORE POPULAR THAN EVER BEFORE The United Kingdom's landscape is awash with properties from a variety of periods and with a variety of styles. From the ultra-modern abodes of the suburbs to heritage properties full of character and until recently, there wasn't one window that could fit all these unique homes.

days are behind us. The main reason the popularity of timber windows has dropped is that they've become more bespoke and relatively expensive," commented one Liniar fabricator.

With the introduction of a new, groundbreaking PVCu flush sash window system from Liniar in 2019, homeowners can now benefit from not only the personalisation they want but the exceptional thermal performance they need.

In 2018, Liniar reported on the rise in PVCu windows that were being foiled to replicate the look of timber - especially in properties that would traditionally feature timber windows. Things haven't changed much since then in terms of what customers wanted from their windows in 2018 except for ever-increasing demand for more energy efficiency and non-traditional foil colours which speak to their own unique style.

"In the last three decades, the market has changed drastically. Once, most homes were fitted with cheap timber windows, but those

"PVCu windows have surpassed the energy efficiency and security that timber windows can provide. The maintenance of these windows is also a huge consideration for homeowners. Timber windows require a lot of ongoing maintenance, and if you have a lot of windows, this becomes a massive undertaking. In contrast, PVCu windows need practically no maintenance, simply wash them down with soapy water occasionally to keep them looking their best."

A NEW KIND OF PVCU WINDOW Flush sash windows have been around for decades - and they haven't changed much in all that time. With the launch of Liniar's revolutionary Resurgence window, the UK's first PVCu double-rebated flush sash window, in 2019, the industry-leading systems company filled a gap in the market and demand is on the rise. Resurgence brought to market the look of traditional flush sash timber windows, but with the superb energy efficiency, that Liniar window systems are known for. This top of the line PVCu window features patented Liniar components such as its coextruded bubble gasket, and with its doublerebated weather seal, those telltale brush piles in the shadow gap of timber windows are nowhere in sight. A first in the industry! For modern properties, the Resurgence window is more than an alternative for timber. With sashes and frames foiled two different yet complementary colours, it gives an entirely fresh style for fenestration.

With clean lines and in popular shades such as Agate Grey or Gale Grey Finesse, the Resurgence window is right at home in contemporary designs as well as character properties. Perfect for homeowners looking to lower their property's carbon footprint the Resurgence window can achieve as low as 0.9 W/m²K U-values and comes with PAS24 and Secured by Design accreditations as standard, even in its fully mechanically jointed fabrication.

RESURGENCE RIVALS OTHER TIMBER REPLICA SYSTEMS WITH EASE Demand comes not only from homeowners but also from fabricators. The Resurgence flush sash window has been designed to meet the specifications homeowners want from modern PVCu windows, but also to be a versatile product for fabricators when manufacturing. This was achieved by consulting a group of Liniar fabricators throughout the design process to ensure their needs were met. The result? Resurgence can be fabricated using four manufacturing methods, including Timberweld®. This fabrication process gives Resurgence a more authentic appearance and provides the ultimate timber replica option for homeowners. Liniar's PVCu windows and doors can be ordered in a wide variety of woodgrain effect finishes - including three recent additions to the range - Sheffield Oak Concrete, Sheffield Oak Alpine and Turner Oak. Read the 2018 case study about the rise in timber replica window popularity by visiting www.liniar.co.uk/case-studies/thestyle-of-timber-without-the-hassle/. With many Resurgence installation projects in the pipeline, 2021 looks to be an exciting year! For more information about Liniar's 80mm Resurgence Flush Sash Window, visit www.liniar.co.uk/Resurgence/.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

TRADE NEWS

WINDOWS

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

SPECTUS ELITE 70 SPECIFIED FOR HIGH PROFILE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT 150 Spectus Elite 70 flush tilt and turn windows were specified in the development of 26 two bed flats for social rent, including 10 amenity homes on an urban site in the heart of Paisley, Renfrewshire. The new development replaces the former Arnotts department store in the town's new Abbey Quarter. The project was secured by Spectus Approved Window Contractor Walker Profiles Ltd, a leading manufacturer, supplier and installer based in Motherwell. The high-profile city centre location of the flats meant the aesthetics of the windows were paramount. The flats had a streamlined design aesthetic with a carefully selected materials palette and well-planned interior spaces offering generous daylight from the windows. The 150 windows were manufactured from Elite 70 flush tilt and turn system from Spectus Window Systems which is suitable for both medium-rise and high-rise buildings. The system has been designed so the framework doesn’t overlap, giving a

‘flush’ appearance that means it delivers the aesthetics of an aluminium window. In this project, the windows were manufactured in smooth anthracite grey on white to build on the aluminium aesthetics required. The window has been tested to PAS 24: 2016 up to a maximum size of 1450 x 2400 and has a weather performance of 2400 pa and can achieve a Window Energy Rating of A++ too. The windows had Secure by Design certification as required, which is a police-backed initiative that recognises only the most secure windows and brings an extra level of security for the occupants. The city centre location opposite the town’s bus station meant this was a project that required careful planning and collaborative project management. Due to the hightraffic location, noise reduction was a critical element to the project and acoustic glazing was used throughout to provide the calm, quiet interiors needed. As an experienced contractor, Walker Profiles had a clear understanding of all the demanding requirements and found installation smooth and straightforward. The flats support Renfrewshire’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2020/21, which aims to deliver 1,000 affordable homes by 2021. Walker Profiles’ David MacGregor commented: “We were delighted to work on this project. We have helped to create a striking building that delivers much-needed affordable housing in this area.” Tel: 0808 178 3370 - www.spectus.co.uk

QUICKSLIDE INTRODUCES SEAMLESS CORNERS ON CASEMENTS AND ETL JOINTS ON ITS FLUSH SASH RANGE Leading fabricator Quickslide is introducing seamless corner joints to its casement window range from Autumn 2020, as well as announcing External Timber Look (ETL) joints as a new option on its flush sash range of windows. Available on both classic casements and flush casements, seamless joints are created using a revolutionary Graf seamless welder, a state-of-the-art piece of machinery which eliminates the welding seam seen on standard 45° mitre-jointed PVCu windows. Unlike these standard window joints, where the window is welded together creating a molten plastic ‘sprue’ that is cleaned off to leave a slight groove, Graf-welded windows reverse the process – so the sprue is pushed back into the frame, resulting in not only a stronger weld but also creating a seamless join and high-quality finish. The finished seamless corner is perfect for Quickslide’s textured wood-effect windows that look just like traditional timber. Quickslide, in partnership with Deceuninck, offers 22 woodgrain colourways from stock as well as the option of bespoke wood-effect windows. In addition, External Timber Look (ETL) joints will soon be available on Quickslide’s flush sash range, for customers looking for sympathetic period detailing with all the benefits of energy efficient and low maintenance PVC-u windows. ETL externally utilises the appearance of 90° butt corner joins to replicate traditional joiner-made timber windows; underneath, however, is still a 45 degree cut. This design is crafted using a series of dedicated

machines with various milling processes to turn out a strongly welded joint internally and a beautiful mechanical joint externally. Coupled with realistic wood grain effects and the flush frame finish, these windows offer a true modern alternative to timber windows. “We’re delighted to be expanding our range of offerings,” said Ben Weber, Quickslide’s Managing Director. “Since Quickslide first entered the market over 15 years ago, our focus has been on replicating the period look with all the benefits of PVCu. “During that time our products have constantly evolved, and we continue to push the boundaries, leading the way in heritage windows. Quickslide is firmly committed to continually improving our acclaimed window and door range, keeping us at the forefront of the industry.” Quickslide’s latest product expansion is part of an 18-month, £2m investment programme, a commitment to ensure it continues to provide trade partners with award-winning, high quality products. “We also pride ourselves on offering our customers products that others don’t,” Ben continued. “For example, we’ve recently managed to get our new fully mechanically jointed Legacy VS through PAS 24 security certification. We’ve succeeded in producing the only mechanically jointed version of this window – based on the Spectus VS – on the market, which is something we know our customers value and that we can offer them uniquely. “ www.quickslide.co.uk

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

TRADE NEWS

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

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www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

WINDOWS

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

POWER OF THREE AS WINDOWS FIRM TARGETS GROWTH

A leading aluminium windows manufacturer has created a new business development team as it targets rapid growth in the private and public property sectors. Joe Blythe-Richards, Charlie Skipp and Josh Dewstow have been appointed by Performance Window Fabrications (PWF) to help deliver its vision for future expansion, which will include the creation of further jobs at the Birmingham-based manufacturer. The three recruits have been appointed in business development roles by the fenestration group, which recently launched two new divisions – Fire Windows Direct and Glass Roof Direct. Business development manager Joe joins from Wren Kitchens where he was a salesman and kitchen designer. Charlie, also appointed business development manager, worked for four years at WHS Plastics where he was a sales leader. Sales and estimation manager Josh has extensive experience in the fenestration sector. Alex Sutherland, managing director of PWF, said: “As lockdown lifted we were determined to hit the ground running and we are excited at the potential for rapid growth across the aluminium windows sector.

“We are delighted to welcome Joe, Charlie and Josh. It’s a relatively young team but they all have valuable experience, combined with the energy and enthusiasm to drive the business forward on a regional and national basis.” He added: “These are exciting times for the Performance Window Farbrications group of companies and we have a clear vision for our future growth. Our strategy is to become the supplier of choice for aluminium doors, windows and curtain walling in the whole of the UK. Our growth will involve further investment in the latest fenestration technology and in our highly experienced team.” Based in Aston, Birmingham, PWF comes under the umbrella of Six-Twenty Group. It recently launched Fire Windows Direct, targeting the fire rated windows and doors sector, and Glass Roof Direct. Glass Roof Direct supplies thermal flat rooflight windows. It has a range of three top quality products – fixed, ventilation and access - all manufactured to the highest industry standards at its Birmingham factory. Visit www.glassroofdirect.co.uk. Fire Windows Direct is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of aluminium fire rated windows, doors and curtain walling. In partnership with a range of customers, from architects and construction contractors, to property developers and fabricators, we have delivered tailor-made glazing solutions for all market sectors. Visit www.firewindowsdirect.co.uk.

GLAZING CONTRACTORS NEEDED FOR £490M SOCIAL HOUSING REPAIRS AND VOIDS DPS Procurement for Housing (PfH) is searching for SME glazing contractors across the UK to deliver responsive repairs and voids works to social landlords such as fixing windows and doors, replacing single and double glazing, wired glass, impact resistant (Part K) glazing and curtain walling in communal blocks. Glazing contractors are needed for an initial term of five years and will deliver the work through a new dynamic purchasing system (DPS). Procurement services provider, PfH which has over 900 members, including housing associations and local authorities, has designed the DPS to help housing providers clear their backlog of routine repairs (estimated to be 2.6 million jobs) and procure repairs flexibly in the future. New glazing contractors can join the DPS at any time, unlike a framework. The total value of the reactive repairs and voids work to be procured via the DPS is estimated at £490million. Other categories of the DPS include electrical, heating and plumbing, fullservice delivery of responsive repairs and voids, general repairs and specialist works such as roofing. For each category, contractors will be required to either supplement a social landlord’s inhouse direct labour organisation or to fully manage an outsourced repairs and voids service, which may include call handling, repairs diagnostics and work scheduling. The DPS helps small, local contractors by streamlining the tender process. Once suppliers have passed the DPS selection procedure, they can quickly bid for any opportunities by submitting a tender. There is no need for them to go through the selection stage again and again for each contract opportunity. Steve Malone, managing director at Procurement for Housing said: “Social landlords are dealing with an unprecedented backlog of routine repairs jobs plus the pressure of social distancing on maintenance jobs. We hope this DPS will help the sector to overcome some of these problems whilst also supporting SME contractors who can quickly register and bid without having to go through a time-consuming tender process.”

New recruits in the frame at Performance Window Fabrications (from left) Charlie Skipp, Joe Blythe-Richards and Josh Dewstow

PfH’s DPS for Responsive Works & Voids will run for five years with the option to extend for another five years. To apply for inclusion visit: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/ procurementforhousing/aspx/Home

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

COLD CALLING

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

THE ROOFLIGHT COMPANY IS WEST OXFORDSHIRE’S EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR

DANNY WILLIAMS

‘COLD CALLING’

The Rooflight Company is again crowned Employer of the Year at the West Oxfordshire Business Awards (WOBAs). 2020 marks the second year The Rooflight Company, the Employee Owned high spec rooflight manufacturer, has been named West Oxfordshire’s best employer, having previously won in 2016. This award brings the company’s overall WOBA count to three, having also received the Marketing Excellence Award in 2017. Steve Webber, Managing Director at The Rooflight Company, says, “I can’t say how proud we are to be recognised as one of the best places to work in the county. When our founders, Peter and Val King, stepped down in 2019, they chose to entrust the company, its culture and its legacy, to its team. “Since that moment we have worked incredibly hard to build on the fantastic foundations of innovation, culture and sustainability that they put in place. Our whole employee team worked together to define the values, guiding principles and behaviour statements that act as the cornerstones of the organisation, and which have been reflected in this award win. “We take great pride in the breadth of different employees we have working here and constantly strive to be and deliver the best. We take nothing for granted and always seek to improve, be it through knowledge transfer partnerships or working with Innovate UK, all of which makes it a stimulating and engaging place to work. I’ve been here for 27 years so I’ve always known The Rooflight Company is a great place to work - it’s fantastic to have this view officially validated!” The Rooflight Company, renowned for its sleek, sophisticated designs and manufactured in the UK, impressed the judges who said that: “In a very strong category of West Oxfordshire employers, The Rooflight Company stood out with a staff wide commitment and focus on the business; not only due to the employee ownership but also the approach to so many members of the team engaging and presenting to the judges. The openness of challenge and support for each individual, irrelevant of their role, and the obvious enjoyment of work is a beacon for modern business environments.” To find out more about The Rooflight Company, it’s amazing range of beautiful rooflights, and career opportunities within the business, visit www.therooflightcompany.co.uk.

Each month our special correspondent Danny Williams* replies to a reader’s letter... “We like to attend as many trade exhibitions and events as possible to keep up to date with the latest machinery, products and technology. The German show Glasstec would have been staged around this time but it’s been cancelled due to Covid-19 of course. What is the future of exhibitions and what do you think of ‘virtual’ events?” (Name withheld by request) I also make a point of attending exhibitions, managing to get to the FIT Show when it has taken place each year so far. And I visit the German Fensterbau when that takes place, another one that bit the dust due to this bloody disease that’s causing havoc in the world currently…and some way into the future too, by the looks of it. I would like to say that I attend these events ‘because of the invaluable information that I gain by visiting hundreds of potential and actual suppliers to my business, which allows me to make the majority of my procurement decisions quickly and efficiently’. And also that ‘visiting events such as FIT Show and Fensterbau allows networking and the development of key relationships going forward that are crucial to the wellbeing and future prosperity of my company and its employees…’. Well, OK, yeah….but the truth is I like nothing better than being Billy Big Balls because I’ve received VIP invitations from my suppliers and even better, from lots of others that want to get into Danny’s pants (so to speak). And when I am at the show, I love sneaking up on people before they can hide, knowing that I can talk a glass eye to sleep; and there is nothing better than being someone’s guest at the spiffy official awards

dinners, with the biggest thrill of them all, the challenge of getting Kush Patel to put his hand in his pocket to get a round in….

a more appropriate tag than ‘virtual’ might be ‘porn’….it just serves to emphasise that there is nothing better than the real thing….

A day is never enough and wouldn’t be even if I was gagged. And despite appearances and occasionally, somewhat boisterous behaviour, I always have a clear plan of what and who I want to see. You need to be very selective in what can be mindboggling events if you want to make them worthwhile.

Surely a ‘virtual’ exhibition is a contradiction in terms: not only do they deny me the ability to talk someone into submission, neither can I twiddle knobs and buttons, actually look at something from every angle, see for myself the quality of the components….touch them, operate them…. feel the way that a handle engages…. the weight of a door…the texture of a woodgrain…and even the way something smells. Including sometimes the people that are selling the stuff.

I would not have attended Glasstec this year even if it did take place…I do buy glass processing kit for our small but very busy IGU maker Tudor, but there has been so much used kit in excellent condition coming out of the many processors that have turned their toes up over the past couple of years, including a number on our doorstep in Essex, that we don’t need to look at brand new; and there is likely to be a ready supply for our needs, for the foreseeable future too. Like everyone else of course, ‘normal’ life is gradually becoming a fading memory as we approach lockdown again, albeit in stages this time round…and this has wiped out every type of live event this year. Frankly I am devastated, the opportunities to freeload having been complete wiped out and for the foreseeable future too. And the new ‘virtual’ events don’t do anything to ease this pain either. One such effort has been toted around recently, due to take place, coincidentally I am sure, just ahead of next year’s FIT Show. This is obviously something borne during lockdown and too many hours living life through PlayStation….circumstances that might lead to a suspension of reality. Surely

I reckon that I am a pretty good judge of character too. And just like everyone else, my senses are heightened and at their most perceptive when I am able to look someone directly in the eye, shake their hand (limp eurgh!) and chat with them – OK, talk at them - in a relaxed setting where we all share similar interests. Which leaves us with the FIT Show due to take place in May 2021: if ever something represented the hopes and dreams and aspirations of a whole industry, it is this. For me – and for many I believe – the event itself is as representative of life returning to some sort of normality as much as what it promises commercially. This bloody disease continues to tear the world apart and whilst things are going belly up again as I write, we must not lose hope that it will be overcome, and we will return to normal. And when the FIT Show finally does arrive, I will have had a whole year of freeloading, inappropriate stories, comments and jokes and general bad behaviour saved up: I look forward to behaving badly with you there!

* Danny Williams is managing director of Chelmsford based Pioneer Trading and has been involved with all aspects of the windows and doors industry for 35 years. His activities include manufacturing a full range of windows and doors in PVC-U and aluminium, an IGU facility, retailing and commercial contracting.

www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

HARDWARE

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

WORTHY OF PRAISE

The flexibility offered in Bohle’s highly adjustable Bilbao Premium swinging shower door hinges proved critical in a high-end shower enclosure installation in a former Victorian church.

This included the installation of a new shower enclosure in the master bedroom on the newly created first floor, bringing the top of the shower screen up to and around the eaves of the Victorian church.

An estimated 20,000 disused churches and chapels have been sold for conversion into homes across the UK in the last 30 years.

Paul Groves, Contracts Manager, PGS Glass, explained: “It looks straight forward but it was a very tricky fit because we went right up to the eaves. The back wall also wasn’t straight, which again made things more complicated.”

Combining period character including stained glass windows, gothic arches and timber eaves with contemporary living creates challenges. This includes preserving the character of the building, while making it ‘liveable’. Architects have turned to glass installations as a way of dividing and defining living space while retaining the defining openness of the original space, making church conversions potentially rich picking grounds for glass fit-out specialists. This includes the installation of balustrading, walls, showers and doors. Their age, their layout and often listed building status, however, can make conversions complex, requiring a high degree of adaptability from those running their renovation and not least the hardware systems they use. PGS Glass recently completed a series of installations as part of the conversion of All Saints Church, a converted former Anglican chapel in Horsmoden, Tunbridge Wells. Designed by the architect Robert Wheeler in the English gothic style, it was built over two years from 1869 to 1870 with Grade II Listing.

“The guys doing the fit-out work love them because you get a lot of adjustment and that gets you over those little issues that could otherwise swallow up a lot of time on site”, he concludes.

For more about Bohle’s product and service offer visit www.bohle.com email info@bohle.ltd.uk or call the customer services team free on 0800 616151.

PGS created the enclosure using 20mm X 15mm U-channel from Bohle which it set into the floor, the back wall and one of the eaves of the church. It combined this with Bohle’s Bilbao Premium swinging shower door hinges, which accommodate weights of up 36kg or 50kg per pair and 8mm, 10mm, and 12mm glass. This means that they can be used with doors of 1000X2000mm. Available in a choice of chrome or stainlesssteel finishes and with a contemporary design, they offer an infinitely adjustable zero position, a plus or minus 15 degrees return motion and use concealed fixings. “On a job like this you’ve got to be able to get over problems”, Paul said. “We’d spent a lot of time surveying but even then, there are little things that you encounter. The glass may be slightly bowed, the walls won’t be straight. “The Bilbao hinges are heavy duty enough to allow you to pull in the glass and then adjust them to accommodate other small imperfections so that every lines-up perfectly.

A BRANDED 3-STAR CYLINDER FROM ENDURANCE As the solid and secure Endurance Doors brand becomes synonymous with outstanding design, performance and security, they have further added to their credibility with the launch of their own branded ABS 3-Star cylinder as a standard offering.

Ian commented: ‘We have a product development programme in place to improve all aspects of the door as an on-going process and we were keen to source a cylinder that reflects the ethos of the Endurance brand, representing outstanding product design and specification.

It’s another important product launch from Endurance and they have partnered with ABS to develop this new improved specification branded, 3-Star, Sold Secure Diamond and Kitemarked high security cylinder. It’s a new cylinder with outstanding security and quality credentials and for the Preferred Installer network, they can promote this new development with complete confidence.

For further information on the Endurance Solid and Secure composite door range and a free marketing pack, please call the sales office on 01652 659259, visit the new website at https://endurancedoors.co.uk, or e-mail marketing@endurancedoors.co.uk. You can also add to the Twitter following @EnduranceDoors.

He continued: ‘We have a thirst for product innovation and in the coming weeks we have further new launches planned, as we set our stall out to become the trade’s solid and secure composite door brand of choice.’

Not only is the key branded, but the ABS dimple key is believed to be an industry first and together with the cylinder, there’s a £1,000 security guarantee as standard. Another important feature is the fact that the key itself can be cut at hundreds of outlets across the UK, without having to go back to the cylinder supplier. The cylinders are manufactured on cutting-edge, automated production lines outside of China and have completed an extended cycle test as a means of performance guarantee. Similarly, the precision-engineered key is designed to last a lifetime. The product’s introduction has been a joint affair between Scott Foster, Head of Group Sales and Marketing and Ian Murgett, Continuous Improvement Manager.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

TRADE NEWS

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

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For further technical information or a quotation get in touch today For further technical information or a quotation get in touch today t. 01733 393330or a quotation e. sales@carlfgroupco.co.uk ForPeterborough: further technical information get in touch today t. Cumbernauld: 01236 721557 w. www.carlfgroupco.co.uk t. Peterborough: 01733 393330 e. sales@carlfgroupco.co.uk t. e. www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020 01733 393330 t. Peterborough: Cumbernauld: 01236 721557 w. sales@carlfgroupco.co.uk www.carlfgroupco.co.uk t. Cumbernauld: 01236 721557 w. www.carlfgroupco.co.uk

NATIONAL HOME SECURITY MONTH

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

PARTNER WITH ENDURANCE DOORS

The Avocet Hardware Group are delighted to announce a new and exciting partnership with Endurance Doors as our award-winning ABS cylinder will now be fitted as standard to all Endurance composite doors.

Avocet marketing director, Daniel Shaw remarked, “Endurance Doors have an unrivalled name in the composite door market and to combine our ABS 3* security cylinder with such a high-quality product, is an opportunity we’re very excited by.”

Endurance customers will be delighted to know that, so confident are ABS and Endurance on the security combination of the door and cylinder, a £1000 security

“Endurance Doors have an unrivalled name in the composite door market and to combine our ABS 3* security cylinder with such a high-quality product, is an opportunity we’re very excited by.”

guarantee comes as standard on all Endurance composite doors.

“We’re delighted that Endurance have chosen us as their security partner and we’re looking forward to a very long and prosperous relationship,” commented Daniel. “When you’re thinking 3* security, think ABS and Endurance.” For more information please email marketing@avocet-hardware.co.uk www.avocet-hardware.co.uk

The ABS 3* cylinder, offers the end user the very best in home security with its unique patented Snap Secure Technology whereby the Active Cam system locks the cylinder after a snap attack to keep intruders out. The cylinder also boasts the anti-snap, pick, drill & bump resistant properties you would demand from a 3* security cylinder. When asked why Endurance had opted to partner with Avocet, Endurance head of sales and marketing Scott Foster said, “We are very proud of the craftsmanship and effort we put into each and every door we produce. We didn’t want to compromise the security features so adding the ABS 3* cylinder put the cherry on the icing on the cake”.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

VBH’S Q-SECURE HOMEOWNER GUARANTEE JUST GOT BETTER! Leading hardware company VBH has recently made some changes to its Q-secure homeowner guarantee. Q-secure guarantees finished windows, doors and patio doors, including aluminium bi-fold and lift/slide elements, against break in for 10 years after installation. If an intrusion occurs as a result of hardware failure, VBH will pay the customer up to £8000 direct. Fabricators can become Q-secure Approved Manufacturers by committing to gear their Q-secure products with hardware from VBH’s basket of approved products. Crucially, the basket contains hardware from a number of top brands, including greenteQ, Yale, AGB, Roto, Maco and Securistyle. Companies installing Q-secure windows and doors are Q-secure Approved Installers. All Approved Partners are listed on the newly updated website. Consumers looking for window and door companies can easily find a selection via the post code search button. VBH are driving consumers to the website to generate leads for the network. Marketing Manager Gary Gleeson says “There’s a glut of business out there just waiting to be had. Everyone is concerned about security, whatever the economic climate. By offering a free 10 year security guarantee as part of their sales pitch, Q-secure Partners have the edge over competitors who sell on price alone. After all, prospects can see that the Q-secure network must be supremely confident in the performance of our products if we’re promising to pay up to £8000 if they fail. That peace of mind is priceless.” All the hardware on the approved list has been tested to relevant UK and/or European standards, and the range has recently been refreshed by the addition of new products including greenteQ ClearLIFT lift/slide door hardware and the ArTech tilt and turn system from respected Italian manufacturer AGB. Gary adds ”A big attraction to fabricators who sign up as Q-secure Manufacturers is that they are not pinned down to one single hardware brand. For example, they can currently choose window locks from 3 top makers. This means that they can tailor their windows and doors to their own preference. Q-secure covers everything so there are no nasty surprises if someone does make a claim.” For more information on how to join the Q-secure network visit qsecure.co.uk, Tweet @vbhgb or @vbhgreenteQ, or call 01634 263300.

YALE SPONSORS NATIONAL HOME SECURITY MONTH TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR BRITISH HOMEOWNERS Yale is proud to announce that it will be sponsoring National Home Security Month (NHSM) for its eighth consecutive year. The annual campaign, which this year is themed ‘You call it home, we keep it secure’, aims to raise awareness around the importance of home security. Offering advice, breaking down technical jargon, and debunking myths for homeowners across the UK, NHSM helps to drive demand for security products and installation services nationwide. Paul Atkinson, Sales and Commercial Director for Yale commented: “At Yale, NHSM has become a highlight of our calendar each year because of the good it does for homeowners and for the industry. It’s truly a great initiative to be involved with. Taking place in October, the campaign coincides with the onset of the clocks going back and darker winter evenings – which is a pivotal period for security sales and a time when many people consider upgrading their doors and windows. NHSM gives us the perfect platform to talk directly to homeowners about what they actually need to make their home secure, and while doing so are able to boost awareness for our fabricator and installer partners.” Week one of the campaign in particular presents a prime opportunity for door fabricators and installers, as it takes a deep dive into door locks. Dubbed ‘You call it home, we keep it locked’, security experts will be providing insight into the best standards, products and practices of a variety of door locks on the market. This provides an ideal opportunity to up-sell British Standard security solutions, such as the TS007 compliant Yale Platinum 3 Star cylinder and TS008 compliant letterplate. However, the opportunities don’t end there. Week five’s ‘You call it home, we keep it protected’ aims to shine a light on dark nights and how burglar activity can change with the shorter days. Arming homeowners with the stats and knowledge they need to make the changes required to keep their homes secure. While other weeks include a focus on smart security, safes, and CCTV and alarm systems. Visit www.homesecuritymonth.com or email info@homesecuritymonth.com. For the latest updates about Yale DWS, visit www.yaledws.co.uk or call 01902 366800. For product information and updates, follow @YaleDWS on Twitter. *The Telegraph

www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

LETTERS

YOUR LETTERS

NATIONAL HOME SECURITY MONTH

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

LEAD TIMES

Dear Editor,

I may be a lone voice, but, having spent so many years building Euroglaze into one of the most efficient fabricators in the UK, I’m struggling to understand why there seems to be a growing consensus around the idea that the market now needs to be reeducated to accept longer lead times. I accept there are supply issues at the moment, on glass, hardware and particularly on coloured profile, which are obviously impacting on many people’s ability to get orders out the door. However, these are just temporary and shouldn’t, in my opinion, be used to justify any kind of inefficiency moving forward. I’ve read comments in the press and online over recent weeks that it would be better for the market if installers, who generally have a few weeks’ work booked in, accepted lead times of 7-14 days. This, it is argued, would give fabricators more time to ramp up volumes, eliminate mistakes and get their quality consistently right which, in the long run, would benefit their customers. Frankly, I just don’t see any justification for that position. Why should installers have to adapt their business model to accommodate the deficiencies of their supplier? At Euroglaze, we are still offering our standard Rehau white windows on a 3 and a half day lead time, with almost zero errors. As long as we have the components in stock, there’s a maximum 90 minutes of operator interaction required to make that window. Using Kanban lean production methods, we know exactly how many windows we can

make in a day and we can set a daily cap based on that capacity, without any work in progress backlog. Post lockdown, and in response to the surge in demand, we’ve restructured our entire operation onto a continental shift pattern which has doubled our capacity with just a 25% increase in manpower. We tell customers as soon as they place an order whether any items are out of stock so that there are no nasty surprises when they get their delivery and we give them a guaranteed lead time. We’re not the cheapest in the market obviously, and nor we would want to be if that meant compromising on either quality or efficiency. We do save our customers’ money though, because they know that their orders will be right first time and they won’t have to struggle with missing items, rejects or remedials. The pandemic will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on this industry, but it doesn’t have to be entirely negative. If it forces manufacturers to become more efficient and puts an end to the race to the bottom on price, then it will be installers, who are the lifeblood of this industry, who will ultimately benefit. Yours sincerely Martin Nettleton, Managing Director, Euroglaze

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

EXPERT

! RT PE EX

EXPERT WITNESS

Lee Galley is Senior Assessor at RISA. Lee tells us why their Expert Witness service is proving more important than ever and why Installers need to take note. RISA provide Expert Witness services within the domestic window and door installation market. RISA’s team of assessors have over 500 years’ experience between them and as industry leaders they undertake thousands of inspections every year for FENSA and the Federation of Master Builders. WHAT IS AN EXPERT WITNESS? The role of an Expert Witness is quite often dramatized on TV in court battles with their opinion being the conclusive piece of evidence required to seal a conviction. In reality however, the role of an expert witness is to assist the court or tribunal to understand issues in disputes. The Expert Witness is called upon as an independent and objective party to provide their expert opinion/report on the matter in hand. The main responsibilities are to evaluate potential problems, defects, deficiencies, or errors when able to fully understand the reason for the dispute. In any court proceedings, the role of an Expert Witness is slightly different from that of any other witness called forward as an expert is the only type of witness who can give opinion based evidence.

IS THE DEMAND FOR AN EXPERT WITNESS INCREASING? We have seen a sharp rise in homeowners taking legal action to resolve a complaint which obligates the installer to defend that action, often at considerable cost to themselves. A lot of the work we undertake is prelegal action and helps to keep costs down by providing a report on the issues and possible solution. Because of our independence that report is trusted by both homeowners and installers.

WHEN WOULD YOU NEED TO USE US? When a dispute between an installation company and a homeowner cannot be settled, specialist expert advice and reporting can be the best way forward. Our RICS accredited experts can help. We can act as a single joint expert or as a party appointed expert and produce a high quality report in line with the Civil Procedure Rules for Expert Witnesses. It’s important for you to know we specialise in domestic door and window installations.

WHO DO WE PROVIDE REPORTS FOR? Installation companies, homeowners and solicitors. The process usually involves an initial assessment and site investigation, a review of all relevant documentation and the production of a court accepted report. What you should know is if your solicitor requests a report directly from us this will be a privileged document to which they and you would have exclusive access. Whereby any other less formal routes will result in a report being produced that anyone can access and potentially use against you.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF REPORT?

WHAT WILL EXPERT WITNESSES NOT DO?

CPR 35 – This is a report written to assist the court. CPR is the legal framework for Expert Witnesses. If legal action is underway, any report must be produced by an expert qualified and experienced in writing CPR35 reports. In essence our duty is to the court rather than the party instructing us.

An Expert Witness is duty bound to not exaggerate, inflate or spin an issue in one party’s favour.

Expert Report – It may sound similar but our expert report is done with the intention that its findings will help to avoid litigation. Quite frequently they are written for a party in the early stages of a dispute to ensure it goes no further as a pre-emptive measure to halt any court proceedings.

The Expert Witness has to declare in any reports that they have had no dealings with any party that results in a conflict of interest or know the homeowner as an individual.

DOES IT EVER GO TO COURT? In some cases the report produced by an Expert Witness does mean the end to any potential court proceedings. In other cases it gives a framework for further negotiations.

They are not allowed to work outside the area of their expertise and are not allowed to take a case on where there may be a conflict of interest.

If you have any further questions about our Expert Witness service then please do not hesitate to contact us on expertwitness@risaltd.co.uk or call us on 0800 085 3032. We will be happy to help and discuss your case in more detail at your convenience.

Often a court will instruct parties and their experts to come together to discuss and agree the differences in their positions before the case goes to court. However, occasionally cases do go to court and we are prepared and willing to be at your side during the whole process.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

INSTALLER FOCUS

FIRESIDE CHAT NO. 1:

COLOUR AND INNOVATION

Freefoam Building Products are pleased to announce the launch of a new informative and interesting video focussing on colour roofline and product innovation. As part of a series of informal and topical video discussions we are calling ‘Fireside Chats’, Freefoam Commercial Director Colin St John explains in this first video the trend for colour fascia, soffit and rainwater products, Freefoam’s

approach to product innovation and how both aspects give Freefoam customers more choice and more opportunities. Colin has worked at Freefoam for around 20 years and been in the pvc building products industry for 32 years so his expertise and knowledge gives a great insight into the changes and developments taking place and their implications for the future.

This video will be the first of several to be released this Autumn. Other topics covered will include the Freefoam approach to supply of housebuilders, the supply chain and challenges it faces and Freefoam’s approach to supporting and helping customers grow. View video about colour and innovation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSZd7-fPllo

“Colin has worked at Freefoam for around 20 years and been in the pvc building products industry for 32 years so his expertise and knowledge gives a great insight into the changes and developments taking place and their implications for the future.”

VIDEO LINK

www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

INSTALLER FOCUS

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

A DIFFERENT KIND OF CRISIS

With demand outstripping supply, companies are feeling the heat. Here, Purplex MD Andrew Scott discusses how installers can turn consumer demand into more profitable business – and how now is the ideal time to re-evaluate.

Right now, chances are you have a strong lead flow, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to cut your marketing spend. In fact, it’s the time to prioritise your marketing activity.

Demand is what we all crave when it comes to running a business in any industry. So, it appears strange to be talking of rising demand as a crisis in the glass and glazing industry – but that’s what’s happening.

For example, if installation is the biggest headache right now, prioritise marketing to focus on products that are high value but quick-fits – such as replacement conservatory roofs or bi-fold doors. That way, you maximise profitability on a per-fitting team basis.

extended warranty as an optional extra? And if you did change your warranties what impact would it have in five-10-years’ time? This is obviously a longer-term play, but it is an issue the industry should have addressed years ago.

PRIORITISE MARKETING SPEND

The industry could be forgiven for thinking it’s just bouncing from one crisis to the next. Having seen sales and margins impacted by the referendum, Brexit and a general election, doors had to then close completely for three-four months due to Covid-19.

Or why not use this opportunity to build your order pipeline? Given that most of your competitors are also busy, extending lead times now will give you a safety net when demand starts to slow. Indeed, there is an argument for maximising your marketing activity right now, capturing maximum business and deferring installation.

Now it appears we are dealing with a different kind of crisis, with demand outstripping supply. Companies large and small are feeling the pressure as lead-times are extended, service levels drop and prices going up.

BE PROACTIVE NOW While the market continues to be strong, with consumer spending and the property market remaining robust, I suspect it will soon be time to ‘pay the ferryman’. The financial cost of Covid-19 and the lockdown leaves an eye-watering deficit that must be addressed.

Nobody could have predicted the current situation and manufacturers and suppliers across the industry are working hard to increase capacity and stock levels to meet customer demands. I had an interesting conversation with one of our long-term installer customers recently, which has grown rapidly over the last five years. The owner is stressed, as they are inundated with leads and orders, struggling with reliable suppliers, and having to deal with customers who are all demanding urgent fitting. As a sales-driven industry, we want the deal – to get the order or land the customer and figure out what to do afterwards. However, in the long-run, it means business owners are often on a treadmill that is difficult to step off. Given the individual circumstance of this installer, there are several strategies that would maximise profitability and sanity,

both short-term and in the longer-term. Now is the ideal time to take a step back and re-evaluate your business from the ‘ground up’.

• If the customer chooses not to go ahead with you, it means your team are freed up to manage the larger and more profitable orders in your pipeline.

MINIMUM ORDER VALUE

• MOV’s can be adjusted up or down depending on your current lead flow and order pipelines.

Filling your order pipeline with single windows and doors at a time when your resources are stretched is uneconomical. Perhaps now is the time to apply a minimum order value (MOV), and here’s why: • They encourage customers to increase their orders to meet the minimal value (say from 2 windows to 4 windows). • If the customer doesn’t want to increase products and accepts the minimum order value it improves your profitability and ensures the job is more viable.

REVIEW YOUR CONTRACT AND WARRANTIES

At the time of writing, the Chancellor was reviewing £30bn in post-Covid tax hikes, and Corporation Tax rates and Entrepreneurs Relief (Business Asset Disposal Relief) are on the agenda. So, taking the right steps now to review your business and marketing strategy will help prepare your business for an uncertain future.

Our industry’s approach to long-term guarantees adds huge costs further down the line and sucks up precision fitting/ labour time. Now is the time to review your customer contracts, including guarantees.

Andrew Scott is a leading industry consultant who has acquired, built, and sold several successful companies in the industry, including manufacturers, distributors, and retail businesses. He is the founder and MD of Purplex Marketing and Insight Data.

How many orders would you lose today if you offered a three-year warranty, and an

For more information visit www.purplexmarketing.com.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

INSTALLER FOCUS

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

INSTALLERS:

FILLING THE GAP POST COVID-19 Andy Swift, sales & operations manager - UK & ROI at ISO Chemie, considers how foam sealants can help installers and home improvement specialists secure the perfect finish for doors and windows. It’s likely that homeowners, who have been thinking about their properties during the current crisis, will take the opportunity to invest in their properties, which will include moves to improve exterior appearances, as lockdown measures continue to ease in the coming months. This will carve out increased opportunity for foam tapes as alternatives to silicone sealants for the effective sealing of joints around the windows and doors, where widths can vary in size and installers can never be certain what they will face when they arrive on site. While there have been advances in glass and window frame technology in recent years, it could also be argued that too many applications - and customers - are being let down by poor installations. Indeed, it could be added that in the light of product innovation, that it’s perhaps ‘criminal’ that a

“There’s no question companies in the fenestration sector can still do more to improve overall energy efficiency and sealing tapes are one effective way that this can be achieved. These multipurpose tapes enable installers and home improvement specialists to quickly and easily seal windows from inside the building during construction, avoiding the need for expensive access systems and delivering cost savings that can be passed on to consumers along with high quality installations.” www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

lamentable number of installations remain unchecked or unregulated; leaving behind a legacy of problems that could last for years and cost thousands of pounds to rectify in the long run. Heat will always find the fastest exit as it comes up against the ‘A’ or ‘A+’ rated window and this is invariably the 10mm or so expansion gap left around the window when it was originally fitted. This is normally left empty, but some uncontrolled volume of spray foam can be injected to fill the void before a silicone trim is applied for a smart looking finish. Unfortunately, as expedient as this might be, none of these solutions create a measurable, long term, high performance thermal, acoustic or airtight barrier: The U-Value of the installed window is simply reduced, which leads to heat escape and ultimately, financial loss.

If building regulations remain lenient, we will continue to see window and door developments that only just meet minimum standards. But installers deserve better insulating products to improve energy efficiency and save money for their endusers, and the latest generation of high performance foam sealing tapes, which use ‘smart’ foams impregnated with different substances to create a measurable U-Value as low as 0.6w/m2k, offer superb thermal insulation and acoustic sound reduction by 44dB. As these installation tapes are completely weather resistant against driving rain, even to Violent Storm Force 11 wind speeds, installers can quickly apply them around the frame during initial fitting. This provides the assurance that they have completed a comprehensive ‘A’ rated installation rather than just supplying an ‘A’ rated window. This is a benefit that can be sold on to deliver enhanced energy efficiency advantages for customers and property owners. There’s no question companies in the fenestration sector can still do more to improve overall energy efficiency and sealing tapes are one effective way

that this can be achieved. These multipurpose tapes enable installers and home improvement specialists to quickly and easily seal windows from inside the building during construction, avoiding the need for expensive access systems and delivering cost savings that can be passed on to consumers along with high quality installations. Moreover, because the foam sealant can be used in the wet, window installations can be undertaken regardless of external weather conditions, avoiding time consuming and costly delays. While it’s clear that the coming months will be challenging, window and door installers can look ahead with much optimism. Markets will inevitably return, creating strong competition for business. Armed with good quality products such as sealant tapes, installers will be able to add value, protect margins and assure customers that energy efficiency is at least as good as the window. This way, installers can be seen to earnestly and genuinely improve the way they safeguard customers and the industry’s reputation. More at www.iso-chemie.co.uk

SOFTWARE & IT

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

BUILDING BETTER CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS WITH TECHNOLOGY Insight Data Operations Director, Jade Greenhow highlights the role of technology in customer relations and explains how to use digital tools to encourage closer business relationships. When it comes to customers it’s all about the personal touch. We all like to feel valued. Demonstrating that you appreciate your customers is a sure-fire way to develop relationships that will benefit your business. This is now fact in all industries – whether it’s B2C or B2B. Why is it important to show your customers that you care about them? It’s simple. Customer relations play a key role in the success or failure of a business. Strong relationships build brand loyalty and encourage repeat business, while poor customer service can push potential buyers to your competitors. If you want to get better, high quality leads for your business use technology to nurture strong business relationships. Technological innovations have made it much easier for businesses to interact with customers. This is particularly relevant for smaller businesses that may not have big marketing and advertising budgets to burn through.

HERE ARE 4 WAYS TO USE TECH TO BUILD BETTER CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS KEEP CUSTOMERS CLOSE WITH EFFECTIVE EMAIL CAMPAIGNS Build better customer relationships with emails. Email campaigns allow a business to keep in touch with their customers. Think about how you maintain close relationships with friends and family. The strength of those relationships comes from close communication. If you never talk to them, you may drift apart. It’s the same with your customers. Email campaigns, e-shots and even text messages allow you to maintain and nurture better business to customer relationships. Get your email strategy right and your customers will feel valued by your brand. Use your emails to communicate new deals, broadcast breaking news, answer FAQs and much more.

ANSWER QUESTIONS AND GET VALUABLE FEEDBACK WITH SOCIAL MEDIA The fact that most of your customers will have social media accounts should not be ignored. Why? A Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other SM platforms allows consumers to reach a company at a time that’s convenient for them, not just during business hours. Messaging your company on twitter or through Facebook is normally the way consumers interact with brands - whether they are reviewing a customer experience with you or asking a question. Engage in that two-way conversation with timely responses that help the customer. Providing value is a great way to build trust. This, in-turn will start to cement your relationship with them. These free to use platforms allow businesses with limited budgets to reach further and at a deeper level into better customer relations without major investment.

DELIVER PERSONAL EXPERIENCES USING CUSTOMER DATA In a crisis, companies normally cut costs. How do they do that? Remove human

Jade Greenhow Operations Director, Insight Data

workers and replace them with automation. A huge problem with self-service checkouts and automated phone lines is that they treat customers like numbers. They’re also notorious for being unreliable too – not great for building trust. Nobody wants to feel like a statistic. Although automation is designed to simplify processes, the connection between customers and brand can suffer. However, that doesn’t mean that technology is the enemy of great customer experiences. Technology can be harnessed to support customer relations rather than get in the way. If you want to really get to know your customers use their behavioural data to personalise your brand experience for them. What do they want? What do they need? How can your product or service help them to be successful? All of those insights and much more can be learnt from studying behavioural data that can be found on a variety of analytics websites. Using this data, companies can be better equipped to deliver products and services that consumers want and market them more effectively.

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT Customer relationship management software programs enable businesses to keep a record of valuable customer details. This information can range from basic contact details to more sophisticated marketing campaign information. The best CRM systems overlay marketing information on to segmented lists of customers so that companies can keep track of where a customer is in their purchasing journey with the brand. Some CRM’s can also send smart reminders when it’s time to contact your customers. Very helpful! Insight Data are experts at helping businesses to nurture long lasting and fruitful relationships with their customers. We offer digital data solutions that improve customer connections and add value to our client’s businesses. We’d love to talk to you now! Hello@insightdata.co.uk

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

SOFTWARE & IT

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

WORKING WONDERS FOR WINDOW WIDGETS Two years after it created the original Superhero website for Window Widgets, The Consultancy has worked wonders once again with the addition of a new Trade Counter search tool. Visitors to the site can now just type in their postcode to see a full list of all their nearest stockists of Window Widget products, complete with contact details and opening hours. It’s all part of the ancillary specialist’s mission to make its www.windowwidgets.co.uk website as useful and user-friendly as possible.

The Consultancy designed, created and launched the tool within just a couple of weeks of receiving the request from Window Widgets, demonstrating once again just how quickly it can deliver client projects. Sarah Hitchings, Sales and Marketing Director at Window Widgets, was impressed: “No sooner had I come up with the idea and discussed it with the team at The Consultancy, than it was designed, created and live on the website. It’s a great addition to the site and supports not only our customers but our stockists as well.” The Consultancy began working with Window Widgets in 2018 and have impressed them throughout with their technical and design expertise and vast amounts of industry knowledge and experience.

Sarah Hitchings added: “What’s good about working with The Consultancy is that they know exactly what works for this market and how best to engage our audience online. They created our cloud based online ordering function last year as well, which has transformed the way we generate and process orders, and continues to get positive feedback from customers based on all the clever features which have been built in.”

Richie Thornton, Director at The Consultancy, added: “By partnering with us and constantly improving and updating the website, Window Widgets are getting the very best value from their online investment. We are already looking at ways to develop the e-commerce function on the site even further and keep the website at the very forefront of the market.” More details at: www.theconsultancy.co.uk and www.windowwidgets.co.uk.

BUSINESS MICROS STRENGTHENS SYSTEMS COMPANY PARTNERSHIPS As the software sector becomes just a little more crowded than it used to be, Business Micros is reminding the market that it remains the industry’s favourite provider – by far. Not only does Business Micros work with 78% of the UK’s PVC-U fabricators, it continues to win praise from many of the leading systems companies as well for the quality of the service it provides.

When Business Micros helped Profine set up a new customer with its Evolution software recently, Technical Manager Steve Holloway was so impressed that he left this review: “Great customer service. BM offer a professional service and are always available to assist.” And that followed this review from Carl Buckley in Liniar’s Technical Support department who said previously: “I

always find Business Micros so helpful and professional; they are only at the end of the phone if we require any additional support.” Business Micros’ Business Development Manager Nick Bailey says: “These comments are typical of the feedback we get from all the leading systems companies. “For most of them, we’ve been by their side throughout their journeys in the UK and we continue to be a valued and trusted partner after three or even four decades. “Our installations and support teams work directly with the systems companies to set up software for fabricators who are starting up or switching over, and routinely install new software modules and options as fabricators add new products to their ranges. “Kommerling, Liniar and all the big names trust us to do a good job for their customers on their behalf and of course rely on us to help their own teams with

www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

any advice they need on any aspect of our software.” Business Micros holds what it says is the most comprehensive set of product databases for all the leading systems companies and has a dedicated team based in Penpont, Dumfriesshire which ensures that these are kept continually up to date. Nick Bailey adds: “We are never complacent about our position in the market and continue to commit significant resources to supporting systems companies directly and via their customers.” Business Micros is preparing to launch its brand-new TOUCH software platform shortly. This, it says, will deliver even more benefits to systems companies, with a complete end to end, integrated solution from consumer enquiry all the way through to quoting, ordering, manufacturing and delivery. More details are at: www.bm-touch.co.uk.

BMBI

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BUILDERS MERCHANT BUILDING INDEX

BUILDERS’ MERCHANT’S SALES ALMOST BACK ON TRACK IN JULY YEAR-ON-YEAR The strong post-Covid-19 recovery seen in May and June continued in July, with total Builders Merchants value sales only 1.3% below July 2019. Landscaping (+25.4%) did best, with Workwear & Safetywear (+21.3%) close behind. Timber & Joinery Products was up 1.5%. Other categories all sold less, with ‘inside’ trades particularly affected, including Decorating (-8.9%), Kitchens & Bathrooms (-13.6%) and Plumbing Heating & Electrical (-15.8%).

MONTH-ON-MONTH Total Merchants sales in July were 8.7% higher than in June, helped by one more trading day this month. Workwear & Safetywear (+34.1%) was the top performer. Although behind year-on-year, sales of Kitchens & Bathrooms (+27.3%) and Plumbing Heating & Electrical (+22.1%) grew strongly compared with June. Largest category Heavy Building Materials was up 8.0% compared with a strong surge in June. Landscaping (-6.9%) was the only category that sold less. Average sales a day, which takes trading day differences into account, were 4.0% higher in July than in June.

OTHER PERIODS The last three months (May to July) were down 13.4% overall compared with the same three months in 2019. Eleven of the twelve categories sold less, with Kitchens & Bathrooms (-32.4%), Plumbing Heating & Electrical (-31.8%) and Tools (-29.6%) the hardest hit. Landscaping (+19.5%) was the only category to sell more. However, sales grew strongly in the last three months (May to July) compared with the previous three

months (February to April). Total Builders Merchants surged +38.9% as branches re-opened following the Covid-19 lockdown. Eight of the categories sold more, with Landscaping (+130.4%) the top performer. Timber & Joinery Products was up 44.3%. Plumbing Heating & Electrical (-6.0%) was one of four categories to sell less. With two more trading days in May to July, average sales a day were 34.6% higher. In the first seven months of 2020, total sales were down 20.4% compared with January to July 2019. Workwear & Safetywear (+1.2%) was the only category that sold more. Tools (-32.0%, Kitchens & Bathrooms (-28.6%) and Plumbing Heating & Electrical (-27.3%) were weakest. Average sales a day in the period were down 20.9%, with one more trading day this year.

INDEX July’s BMBI index was 131.9, helped by two more trading days. Seasonal category Landscaping (208.2) was strongest. For the full report, including comments from the BMBI’s panel of leading industry Experts, please visit www.bmbi.co.uk.

“Total Builders Merchants surged +38.9% as branches re-opened following the Covid-19 lockdown. Eight of the categories sold more, with Landscaping (+130.4%) the top performer. Timber & Joinery Products was up 44.3%.”

GfK’s Builders Merchant Panel GfK’s Merchant Panel includes national, multi-regional and regional merchants such as Buildbase, Jewson, Travis Perkins, EH Smith, Gibbs & Dandy, MKM, and Bradfords. GfK’s Builders’ Merchant Point of Sale Tracking Data represents more than 80% of the value of the builders’ merchant market. GfK insights can trace product group performance and track relevant features. GfK can also produce robust like-for-like market comparability, tailored to the requirements of an individual business. The Builders Merchant Building Index Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) appears every month, in print and online. A full quarterly report is published every three months. The BMBI is a brand of the Builders Merchant Federation. Launched and produced by MRA Marketing, it uses sales-out data from GfK’s Builders Merchant Panel. BMBI includes a panel of leading industry Experts, who speak exclusively for their markets.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

CAREERS & QUALIFICATIONS IN FENESTRATION

SPONSORED BY GQA AND BUILDING OUR SKILLS GQA Qualifications is the only issuer of CSCS cards for the Glass and Fenestration industries. Building Our Skills is a strategic campaign designed to help bridge the growing skills gap in the Fenestration Industry

NEW APPOINTMENTS

MERCURY APPOINTS PAUL COWLEY AS SALES OFFICE AND LOGISTICS MANAGER Specialist fabricator Mercury Glazing Supplies has appointed well-known industry face Paul Cowley as Sales Office and Logistics Manager. Steve Cross, Director at Mercury Glazing, said: “We are delighted to welcome Paul to Mercury. His knowledge, experience and professionalism are a great asset to Mercury and we have already witnessed the positive impact he has had on the business and the customer journey since he started in September.” Paul, joins Mercury having spent 25-years working at the Customade Group. He added: “It’s great to be part of a dynamic, honest business and I’m looking forward to working with the talented Mercury team to achieve our plans for growth.” Paul’s appointment is the second in as many months for Mercury, which reflects the continuing success of its strategic growth strategy. It has also recently opened a second manufacturing unit in Gloucester to keep pace with demand for its products and made considerable investment in automation machinery. The company, which manufactures an extensive range of PVC-U and aluminium windows and doors direct to the trade and commercial markets,

www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

has doubled its turnover since lockdown and remains well on track to continue to meet its ambitions growth targets. Steve concluded: “We are more determined than ever to grow our business and we’re attracting high calibre individuals who will help us in our mission. These are exciting times for the business and I believe it bodes well for the resilience of the industry as a whole.” Tel: 01452 383 344 www.mercuryglazing.co.uk

VACANCY: Processing / Quotation

Connaught Conservatory Roofs ltd, are a long established company specializing in roof fabrication based in South Yorkshire supplying bespoke Roofing and Lantern solutions to Architects, General builders, House builders, Roof replacement companies and the Double Glazing industry. We are one of the leading conservatory roof fabricators of the Ultraframe and Guardian roof systems in the UK. Due to ever increasing demand for our products we are looking to strengthen our team by recruiting a number of professional extra staff in the Processing/Quotation department.

Ideally we are looking for candidates with a good knowledge of our industry with particular expertise in the production, estimating and processing of conservatory roofs. The successful candidate will have: • Good level of product knowledge of Conservatory Roof market. • Strong communication and computer skills. • Strong organisation skills and the ability to multi task and plan. • Good man-management skills and a continuous improvement mentality.

Apply in the first instance by Email to David Gallagher on david@connaughtconservatories.co.uk including an up to date CV.

CAREERS & QUALIFICATIONS IN FENESTRATION NEW APPOINTMENTS

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NEW APPOINTMENTS

A BIG ANNIVERSARY YEAR AT MILA When it comes to anniversary years, they don’t come much bigger than 2020 for Mila. Not only is the company celebrating 40 years in the UK, a raft of key people from right across the business are celebrating milestone anniversaries as well. For Technical Director Strafford Cooke, 2020 is his 30th anniversary, for Marketing Director Sarah Gyde, it’s her 20th anniversary and for Jennie James from Mila’s Sales Office team, it is her 10th anniversary. Unsurprisingly, Mila is a company which values its team, and works hard to engender a feeling of family and togetherness – even in these socially distanced days. As a result, a third of the staff have been with the business for more than a decade and 10 for more than 30 years. Managing Director Richard Gyde, himself a 39-year veteran, says that the reason why people stay at Mila is not because they are comfortable or complacent but because it’s an exciting and dynamic business where people have the opportunity to build exciting and rewarding careers. “We know that our team are our biggest asset, so we’ve created a culture where hard work and loyalty are rewarded. Right across the business, our team have accumulated vast amounts of knowledge and experience and of course that’s ultimately what makes Mila a great company to do business with.” Strafford Cooke, who spends much of his time providing technical support and advice to customers, as well as sitting on various industry committees representing the views and interests of the hardware sector, adds: “The Coronavirus pandemic has shone a light on corporate cultures like nothing

before, and the way that everyone in Team Mila has responded and been supported throughout has confirmed to me exactly why I’m still here after 30 years. Mila cares about its staff and its customers and that really matters to me. I’m proud to have spent so much of my career here and I’m already excited about what we will all do next.” Similarly, Sarah Gyde comments: “Mila strives to be the best hardware business in the UK, and I think our marketing has always reflected that. Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked hard to help build a brand with real integrity which promotes quality and service above all else. Certainly, we differentiate ourselves via our products but, more importantly, we differentiate ourselves via our team and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

STERNFENSTER APPOINTS 30 NEW STAFF IN LESS THAN THREE-MONTHS

After 40 years, Mila is almost unrecognisable from the business set up by Ray Gyde in Daventry back in 1980, as the UK arm of the Mila operation founded in Denmark in 1971. Now part of Arran Isle Group, it has grown into a highly efficient global operation with an advanced supply chain manufacturing more than 70% of its own products and achieving line OTIF, even in the midst of a Pandemic, of around 90%.

Sternfenster has appointed 30 new members to its manufacturing team in less than three months as part of a strategy to rapidly build capacity in response to the exponential growth in demand seen for windows and doors this summer.

However, it still retains the ‘can do’ spirit which saw it go from two employees in 1980 to 60 by 1986 and double its turnover between 1986 and 1988 from £12m to £24m.

Accompanied by continuing investment in plant and machinery, the new posts give the trade specialist immediate new flexibility within its operation, plus support its strategy for long term growth.

Richard Gyde adds: “As everyone who was in the window industry in the 80s will remember, those were pretty crazy times and I’m not sure any of us would want to go there again. However, I’m incredibly proud of the fact that Mila is still a company which sets itself ambitious targets and is prepared to work incredibly hard to achieve them. We’ve grown and evolved over the years into a market leading business which is still setting the benchmark for others, and so much of that is down to the contribution of the many long-standing members of the team.”

Mike Parczuk, Managing Director, Sternfenster, “Our focus has been to invest and bring a high degree of automation to our manufacturing capability. This gives us the flexibility to switch-on increased capacity as we need it.

More info at: www.mila.co.uk.

“The limiting factor on that capacity is people. There are jobs that can’t be done without them – however, advanced your operation is. “With our team fully back from furlough in June, it became clear that we were going to need to recruit to meet demand, which we’ve been able to do successfully and importantly, inline with our plans for longer term growth.” This and its partnership with Deceuninck, Mike said, had meant that Sternfenster had in large, been able to maintain lead times on foiled products. Manufacturing Deceuninck’s 2500 Heritage chamfered and 2800 sculptured systems, plus it’s Heritage Flush Casement, these are available in 30 colour options, plus from Sternfenster, in a StyleLine Graf seamlesswelded finish. “I’m not going to tell you that we came through completely unscathed, because we were”, Mike continued, “but our profile supply chain for the most part held up and with the capacity gains that our recruitment strategy has given us, we were able to

maintain supply on foils within what I believe were pretty reasonable time frames.” While building its headcount, Sternfenster has also continued to invest in machinery. This includes the a six-figure investment in a new Schirmer ALU BAZ Composite Orbit-C machining and cutting centre and a FOM Ever Theta Crimping Machine. “We’re investing in people but also machinery” Mike explained. “We don’t want to use them for cutting prepping, crimping because people – because they are people, and not machines – don’t give you the consistent product quality that we’re looking for. The Schirmer brings exceptional quality right to the start of our aluminium manufacturing process. The Ever Theta Crimper, which will come in later this autumn, gives us the same consistent quality, while further expanding our aluminium capacity. Sternfenster committed to a £3.6m investment in a dedicated aluminium manufacturing facility in 2017. With a 30,000 sq ft shop-floor footprint, plus 10,000 sq ft of office space, this includes its own powder coating line. This and its recruitment strategy, meant that it was also able to maintain lead times on its Smarts bi-fold and inline sliding door offers. “We don’t expect demand to stay where it is – but we do expect growth overall, to continue into next year, and we have a strategy in place for that, which includes investment in machinery but also people. “We remain a family owned and run business, and the people who work here define who we are. You can have the best machinery or products in the world but if you don’t underpin that with the right service, you aren’t going to get very far.” For more information visit www.sternfenster.com email sales@sternfenster.co.uk or call 01522 512525.

October 2020 | www.glassnews.co.uk

The UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper

NEW APPOINTMENTS

CAREERS

GROWTH PROMPTS A FURTHER NEW APPOINTMENT AT MERCURY Specialist fabricator Mercury Glazing has announced a further new appointment to support its ambitious growth strategy. Kevin Edmond has joined the Gloucesterbased fabricator in the position of Order Processor. Steve Cross, Director at Mercury, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kevin to Mercury. Kevin’s appointment further strengthens our internal sales processing team. He is well respected in the industry, and his extensive knowledge and experience will be of benefit to our growing customer base.” As Steve points out, Kevin is well-known in the industry having spent nine years working for the Customade Group and building a close relationship with many installers and builders throughout the UK. In his role, Kevin will be responsible for managing the internal ordering function for the business, including order input, customer services, liaising with the shop floor and following the customer journey through to dispatch. Commenting on his new role, Kevin said: “Mercury are a close-knit business which is very refreshing. Everyone from the Directors, the internal sales teams, factory staff, dispatch teams and drivers all work together and are all focussed on the goal of building this business. I have joined Mercury at a very exciting time in the business’ history and I’m delighted to be part of the team.” Kevin’s appointment is the third in as many months as Mercury look to gain further market share for their extensive range of quality PVC-U and aluminium products.

CAREERS & QUALIFICATIONS IN FENESTRATION

Their growth strategy has seen the business double its turnover during 2020 and they have no intention of slowing down. Steve said: “While 2020 has not been without its challenges, we intended to push for growth as demand for our product range has increased year on year. We have already commissioned a new aluminium factory and made a considerable six-figure investment in additional automation machinery to allow us to scale up quickly. We have also attracted various high-profile appointments and our future is currently looking very bright. Kevin will be another great asset to the business and has already fitted in well with our 50-strong team.” Mercury was founded in 2002 and manufactures a comprehensive range of high-quality window and doors products suitable for trade, retail, newbuild and commercial projects. Their specialist range includes PVC-U vertical sliders, a full range of aluminium products, casement windows, PVC-U flush sash windows and a full range of residential, bi-folding, and designer aluminium doors.

SONIA TRAVIS PROMOTED TO HEAD OF COMMERCIAL SALES AT EPWIN WINDOW SYSTEMS Sonia Travis has been announced as the new Head of Commercial Sales at Epwin Window Systems. Commenting on her new appointment, she said: “I am delighted to be taking up the post of Head of Commercial Sales. Epwin Window Systems is unique when it comes to supporting the commercial sector because we can provide a complete service including design, technical, product selection and compliance. I am incredibly proud to be leading a team that has such an outstanding offering.” Clare O’Hara, Managing Director of Epwin Window Systems, said: “Sonia is an experienced member of the Epwin Window Systems team with an excellent track record in delivering over and beyond for our commercial customers. I know she will be an exceptional Head of Commercial Sales.”

changing. We’re fortunate to have a team of people here who are passionate about our systems and having up-to-date knowledge of contracts and building regulations. It means we are able to provide unrivalled technical and specification support that keeps us ahead of the game and delivering for our commercial customers.” She continued: “I’m looking forward to developing new relationships and expanding our network of approved manufacturers and installers so we can continue to deliver a high- quality endto-end service on even more commercial contracts.”

Kevin took up his position in September, 2020.

Sonia has been with Epwin Window Systems for seven years, most recently in the role of Specification Manager, which means she already has an in-depth understanding of Epwin Window Systems’ products and the commercial landscape.

With Spectus, Profile 22 and Stellar Aluminium Systems in its specification portfolio, Epwin Window Systems is a go-to name for the commercial sector. In appointing Sonia Travis to Head of Commercial Sales, it is appointing an experienced professional committed to cementing and expanding that reputation.

Tel: 01452 383 344 www.mercuryglazing.co.uk

She commented: “Education in our industry is key because the landscape is constantly

Tel: 0845 340 3968 www.epwinwindowsystems.co.uk

NEW APPOINTMENTS

TWO MORE MEMBERS FOR THE ‘A TEAM’ With business booming, record-breaking growth and the announcement of Avantek Machinery being named as an official UK distributor of world-class Graf Synergy window fabrication machinery, the Avantek team is delighted to announce two new customer-focused additions as Field Service Engineers. Andy Weir joined the Avantek team in July and is already adding value to customers. Andy relocated from Scotland, where he’d worked for many years as an engineer with Window Supply Company, to start a new life in the Midlands with his partner. Andy has comprehensive knowledge across the Supercut, Urban and Wegoma machinery ranges.

www.glassnews.co.uk | October 2020

“Andy didn’t waste any time jumping straight in. On his second day he joined the team to help install a Supercut at a customer’s factory,” comments Avantek Machinery Sales Director Jamie Munday. Michal Poletko joined the ‘A’ team on Monday 14 September and will be focusing on setting up customers with the market-leading Graf Synergy range as well as adding support to the whole team. Michael has extensive industry knowledge of PVCu fabrication machinery and years of experience in working with Graf Synergy’s cutting-edge machinery. The two latest additions to the team bring the count of Avantek’s full-time engineers

to eight, servicing customers all across the UK and Ireland. They join a team of experts including Supercut Technical Manager Dave Fox, Field Engineers Paul Brewer, Andy Clarke, Tony Cowlishaw and Mick Batley, and Service and Parts Co-ordinator Kieran Heywood. “The demand this year has been phenomenal, and it was essential for us to further invest in people to ensure that Avantek continues to provide the exceptional service and support that we are known for. I love it when a plan comes together!” comments Jamie. “To say that none of us knew what was likely to happen just a few short months ago when

the pandemic began, we feel incredibly privileged to be able to strengthen our team even further - something our parent company Quanex Building Products fully supports.” To see the full range offered by Avantek Machinery and to stay up to date with news and offers visit www.avantekmachinery.co.uk.

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USEFUL NUMBERS

British Plastics Federation (BPF) Tel: 0207 457 5000

Glass & Glazing Federation (GGF) Tel: 0207 939 9101

British Standards Institution (BSI) – Standards & Publications Tel: 0208 996 9001

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BSI – Product Certification & Testing Tel: 08450 765600 BBSA (British Blind & Shutter Association) Tel: 01449 780444 Building Research Establishment (BRE) Tel: 01923 664000 Council for Aluminium in Building (CAB) Tel: 01453 828851 Dekura Tel: 01952 201631 Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) Tel: 01827 52337 Double Glazing & Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme (DGCOS) Tel: 0845 053 8975

Proskills – Head Office Tel: 01235 833844 Proskills – Glass & Related Industries Neil Robinson Tel: 07917 015 322 Recovinyl (via Axion Consulting) Tel: 0161 355 7618 The Glazing Ombudsman (TGO) Tel: 020 7397 7200 UK Green Building Council Tel: 0207 580 0623 Veka Recycling Tel: 01322 38721

Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme (FENSA) Tel: 0207 645 3700

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Glass News October 2020

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