23 minute read
Machinery
Leading machinery experts Haffner has announced an exclusive supply partnership with Italian-machine innovators, Graf Synergy. The new partnership will give Haffner the largest and most comprehensive machine portfolio in the industry and further consolidate Graf Synergy’s presence in the UK fenestration market.
Speaking on the new exclusive partnership, Dave Thomas, Haffner’s Managing Director, said: “Graf Synergy offers state-of-the-art automated machinery at every level. By working with Graf Synergy, we’ll be able to offer even more choice to fabricators and further cement our position as the go-to machinery experts.” Graf Synergy has an outstanding product offering and delivers a range of machines for both aluminium and PVC-U fabrication. It is well-known for its world class seamless welding technology and patented welding techniques, increasing both fabrication efficiencies and delivering superior product quality. Dave commented: “The scale of Graf Synergy and the technical innovation behind all their machines complements our comprehensive machine offer perfectly and will help us drive the next level in cutting-edge machine technology for our customers.”
Award-winning Haffner already offers an impressive machinery line up. The company is the sole UK agent of Haffner Machinery, which designs innovative and high-quality engineered products at competitive industry prices. It also supplies a range of aluminium fabrication machines from worldwide machine-giants, Fom Industries. Italy’s Fom Industrie is part of the worldwide FomGroup and has an outstanding product range offering the widest choice of quality machines with competitive lead times. Haffner is renowned as the company with the expertise and experience fabricators turn to when they want to increase efficiency and output. The company has a team of ten service engineers to help support their customer base and has recently commissioned several large-scale investments, including doubling the size of their Staffordshire headquarters, adding a new 1,990 sqm showroom extension and opening a new 37,000 sqm purpose-built factory in Istanbul, Turkey as part of its impressive growth strategy. Haffner’s success in offering a comprehensive range of machines that make a tangible difference to fabricators is something that is reflected in their rapidlygrowing business. Dave commented: “The new partnership with Graf Synergy along with our level of expansion is a clear indication of our continued success. The new exclusive collaboration will blend the innovative expertise of the two businesses and provide a transformative approach to machine technology to deliver the best in fabrication machinery.” The Graf Synergy machines will accompany a large-scale range of machinery on Haffner’s 405 sqm stand at FIT 2021. Tel: 01785 222421 www.haffnermurat.com
BIG RESPONSE TO FIRST FUSION QUAD WELDER INSTALLED BY EMMEGI
The video of Emmegi’s striking new Fusion 4H PVC-U Quad Welder being installed at O’Grady UPVC’s factory in Kiltormer, Galway has already been viewed almost 5000 times on LinkedIn, demonstrating the level of interest which exists right across the market in this innovative, automatically adjustable, fully digital CNC machine.
This is the first installation carried out in Ireland of a machine which made its debut at the FIT Show in 2019. What is generating the biggest response is the quality of the finish that the machine is producing, with reduced cycle times and a weld restriction adjustable from 0.2 to 2mm depending on the top and bottom profile colour. The team at O’Grady UPVC had seen the horizontal welding machine at the FIT Show and felt that the quality of the weld and the flexibility and speed it offered would enhance their operation. The Fusion offers manual loading and automatic unloading and a fully programmable, variable cycle to carry out the heating and welding automatically. Built-in bright green LEDs on the welder heads show the status of the machine at any given moment and cycle to alert the operator of any actions required. There is full digital control of the axis and exceptional precision in the welding head movements. This allows for incremental adjustment of the counterblocks to deliver weld restrictions down to 0.2mm, simplifying and shortening the subsequent machining cycle. Alan O’Grady of O’Grady UPVC is confident that he will see a quick return on this investment. He said: “We used a vertical quad welder previously which we were relatively happy with, but the horizontal Fusion is already giving us a better finish on the frames, a quicker production time and absolutely no compromise on the weld strength. It will definitely give us faster throughput and improved efficiency.” The installation of the Fusion was carried out by Emmegi’s own specialist engineers in Ireland and ran smoothly and safely in line with the Covid restrictions which are still in place in Ireland. Looking ahead, O’Grady UPVC will continue to promote the quality of its NSAI WEP accredited windows and doors to trade and domestic customers throughout the west of Ireland.
More details at: https://www.emmegi. com/en/alphabetic-product/fusion-4h and https://www.ogradyupvc.com/
AVANTEK MACHINERY ANNOUNCES MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR EVER
2020 was a year most of us will never forget, no matter how much we’d like to. The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges that most businesses were unprepared for.
Industry-leading fenestration machinery company Avantek Machinery was able to adapt to the changing industry environment, with the result of making the last 12 months its most successful ever!
Avantek’s Sales Director Jamie Munday discusses how the team achieved this remarkable result, supporting customers through times of great uncertainty and helping them implement automated processes to aid social distancing and increase productivity. Jamie says, "A Peter Drucker quote I once read states, ‘The greatest danger in times of turbulence isn't the turbulence - it is to act with yesterday's logic.’ "The pandemic ensured that the whole industry could no longer continue to operate the way we always had. We didn’t have months or even weeks to learn to adapt to this new way of life… the way we operated had to change in the blink of an eye, with a national lockdown announced and our facilities closing within a few days of this. “I’m proud to be part of the Avantek team – we quickly got to grips with the technology we needed and reassessed our strategy.
AUTOMATION TO AID SOCIAL DISTANCING
"We needed to make sure we could keep our own teams safe when our facilities reopened, so we worked closely with our sister company Liniar to implement the social distancing measures required, and began operating in a more digital world with video meetings instead of our typical face-to-face interactions with employees and customers.
“Upon reopening after six weeks, we all had to learn to adapt to social distancing. Customers realised that automating more of their fabrication processes by investing in machinery could help with this, leading to an unprecedented demand for Avantek’s advice and expertise when it came to replanning factory layouts. “There’s certainly been a lot of change – but it proved we could still continue to offer a valuable service, which was appreciated by customers,” comments Jamie.
AVANTEK'S BIGGEST YEAR EVER
The free advice offered by Avantek, combined with the company’s fast availability of machinery from stock saw a huge increase in sales. Where specialised fabrication machinery was formerly seen as a way to increase efficiency, it now gave fabricators an additional opportunity to produce their products with less manpower - allowing businesses to continue to operate safely and to spread out shift patterns in this new environment.
"In particular, the demand for Avantek’s own Supercut cutting and machining centre was incredible!” explains Jamie. “The Supercut removes many laborious tasks and enables staff to focus on more value-add activities such as quality control. "When we look back at 2020 (excluding April and May, when we were closed for the initial lockdown) Avantek sales are up a whopping 188% year on year. We've passed many milestones during that time too, including selling our 50th Supercut and the first-ever Wegoma six-head welder. “Additionally, we've had several customers who've had their second, third and even fifth Supercut installed this year!"
Jamie Munday
ENHANCING THE TEAM
The rapid surge in demand brought its own unique challenges which were further compounded by import delays at ports caused by COVID and Brexit. Fortunately, Avantek Machinery was well stocked with machinery prior to the pandemic and was able to plan ahead for future orders. Additionally, to help with the increase in installation requests, Avantek was able to add to its team during the pandemic. It recruited two new team members who specialise in machinery installation - allowing the company to provide even more comprehensive services to its customers. "Avantek had formerly run one nationwide installation team to cover all customers - but we were now able to run two installation teams in 2020," Jamie says. "Recruiting new team members provided us the ability to install two Supercuts per month instead of only one - and even then, we’re still booked up for months in advance." “We’re also about to enhance the team even more in 2021 to provide an even faster service.”
2021 AND THE FUTURE
“As 2021 began, the whole industry wondered if we'd see a dip in the phenomenal demand that had continued to increase since May 2020. Now almost six months into 2021, demand continues to soar.
“For Avantek this equates to double-digit increases year on year in Q1 2021, with installations booked well into 2022.
Jamie concludes: “What the future holds is still in question for everyone in the industry, but currently shows no signs of slowing. COVID continues to impact businesses around the globe and the need for automation remains a priority for window fabricators.
“For Avantek, with its commitment to superb customer service, product excellence and investment in machinery, the future looks bright.” For more information about Avantek Machinery, visit www.avantekmachinery.co.uk.
ONSITE 7 JOB MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE PROVING ITS WORTH WITH INSTALLERS
Onsite 7, the job management software designed for the trade by the trade has been gaining plaudits with installers due to the numerous benefits it can deliver to businesses.
Justin Grafton-Holt, Managing Director of B&P Windows in Wakefield recently signed up to Onsite 7 and says: “I would urge any busy installer to take a look at Onsite 7.” He explains: “We had been looking for software that would allow us to track appointments at the point of being made, all the way to service calls and every stage in between. Onsite 7 did this and more, all whilst remaining incredibly simple to use.” Justin is also impressed with the peace of mind that Onsite 7 brings: “The features that allow installers and surveyors to take pictures and get customers to sign off at final survey and installation stage gives the installer that protection and peace of mind just in case they come across a rogue customer.”
Rhys Hoddinott, CEO at Onsite 7, said: “The management team at Onsite 7 are all experienced industry professionals and we designed the software knowing the realities of the job and what was required. We’re delighted to be seeing so many installation companies benefitting from it.”
ONSITE 7 ADDS VALUE AT EVERY STAGE OF A JOB
At the sales stage, installers can record their entire sales process from scheduling appointments to attaching quotes. At the survey stage, information can be added quickly and easily onsite, so no details get missed off the customer record. And at the installation stage, teams can capture photos, videos and notes about the job, as well as obtaining customer ratings and legally binding signatures. At the service or maintenance stage, teams can capture photos, videos, evidence and signatures proving that the service call was completed for total transparency. The software can also be used as a Customer Relationship Management system, allowing all customer information, documents, notes and job information to be stored in a single place. Onsite 7 costs £20 + VAT per month per licence and provides impressive return on investment. It’s a simple but incredibly powerful system that is fast gaining a reputation for being the best job management system on the market today. Onsite 7 will be at FENEX in September where installers can discover the benefits of using the software during the event. https://fenex.co.uk/attend/ Tel: 0800 0029748 – www.onsite7.co.uk
EXCEEDING CUSTOMERS’ EXPECTATIONS WITH BM SOFTWARE
The declared Modplan ‘Mission’ is ‘to continually exceed customers’ expectations’, so, when the Gwent based trade fabricator invested in a complete Business Micros’ Evolution and EvoNET software package, its aim was to deliver an even better and more streamlined service to its network of trade installers.
Modplan’s IT Manager Andrew Evans says the software has helped it achieve that, and more. The benefits to installers are being seen in terms of a new, fast and efficient online quoting and ordering system and for Modplan itself, there are improvements in production efficiency and access to better business information.
Andrew estimates that on efficiency alone, Modplan achieved payback on its software investment within months. He explains: “The software is now embedded across all of our five separate manufacturing sites, linking them in a way that we never could before. We have barcode and document scanning in place throughout which means we can track every component and every element of every order, regardless of where it is being manufactured. We have complete real time visibility of all our factories and can interrogate the EvoNET system at will to review everything from output to quality performance making it a really powerful management tool. We have also been able to make significant improvements in batching and production planning. “Unlike previously, where orders for windows, doors, bi-folds and conservatory roofs had to be split according to which factory they were being made in, they can now all be processed and tracked in one, which has massively reduced our paperwork and means just one simple invoice for the customer.” to Evolution and EvoNET. Upwards of 100 Modplan customers receive a licence and can log in to quote and order any of the Modplan products – from Veka, Halo and Liniar PVC frames to Leka conservatory roofs and bi-folds and flush sashes, as well as glass. Customers get instant updates on stock availability and the EvoNET system ensures that any Just In Time components on any order are immediately visible within the software.
Andrew Evans worked closely with Business Micros’ Installation Manager Dave Stockwell to integrate Evolution and EvoNET at Modplan. Modplan built their own data so that they could remain self-sufficient, while Business Micros programmed the software to ensure that it could work effectively across multiple sites. Modplan was impressed with the service from Business Micros. Andrew adds: “During the installation phase, Dave was like one of the team here and ensured that the transition from our old software to Evolution and EvoNET was pretty much seamless We had great back up as well from everyone in the installation department at Business Micros’ Newton le Willows office and now from the support department in the Penpont office who are always so helpful and responsive. “Changing software can seem like an unquantifiable risk for a busy fabricator but our experience with Business Micros is that it was relatively straightforward and, in terms of where it now positions us as a business, was worth every penny of our investment.
“It certainly means that we’ll have no hesitation in adding the Business Micros TOUCH software products to our operation as soon as they become widely available.” More details are at: www.businessmicros.co.uk and www.modplan.co.uk.
VIRTUAL HOME BRINGS TOUCH VENDOR DESIGNS TO LIFE
The TOUCH Vendor lead generation and quoting software from the Business Micros Group has just got even better. The development team has added a brand-new interactive visualiser tool, which makes it easy for homeowners to see exactly how the windows and doors they have chosen will look in their property.
Branded Virtual Home, it does what most other visualisers on the market don’t do and allows users to see their window and door choices on every façade of the property and view them from the inside as well as out.
It works just as well in quote and survey mode, when installers are using TOUCH Vendor to sell either remotely or face to face, as it does in lead generation mode, when homeowners are creating their own designs via the lead generation tool on the installer’s website.
It obviously adds an exciting new dimension to the TOUCH Vendor software, edging customers closer towards making an enquiry or placing an order, with a realistic picture of how their finished home could actually look. Doors and windows processed using the TOUCH Vendor design tool can be superimposed onto any house image and manually positioned to get a really accurate result. Users can change the style and colour as many times as they like and try out different looks before they buy. The Virtual Home feature pops up automatically as soon as the Vendor user has added their chosen windows and doors to their virtual basket. They can upload as many images of the property as they like and see how the products will look from the kerbside or the garden or even from the inside looking out. In quote and survey mode, the Virtual Home feature automatically adds a PDF of the finished design to the quote, alongside the product details and price ready to send to the customer. In lead generation mode, it adds the PDF to the enquiry acknowledgement that the customer receives and to the enquiry notification sent to the installer. All the installer has to do then is check the product choices and provide a price. Paul Callaghan, Director of Business Micros Group company The Consultancy, which created Virtual Home in partnership with the Business Micros software development team, said: “We looked at the limitations of other visualisers on the market and used our experience and expertise to do something better. TOUCH Vendor users can view their property from front and back and from inside and out and chop and change their design choices to see exactly what works best from different angles. “We’re confident that it will really help customers to complete more sales, with a really slick, efficient and professional looking offering – all the way from enquiry to order.”
All the details including a demo of Virtual Home are at: https://store.bm-touch.co.uk/
THE CONSULTANCY SHOWS ITS STRENGTH WITH CONNECT PROJECT FOR EPWIN
The Consultancy has strengthened its claim to be the industry’s number one online specialist by delivering the mammoth Connect integrated digital resource centre for Epwin Window Systems.
The Hartlepool-based business, which is part of the Business Micros Group, mapped and developed what is arguably now the industry’s biggest online portal to give Epwin fabricators and installers access to a vast range of support tools as well as a lead generation mechanism. It is the company’s most ambitious individual web development project to date and took six months to develop and deliver. Richie Thornton, Director at The Consultancy, says the sheer scale of the project would have overwhelmed many smaller, less experienced providers: “With 6 separate window systems in both PVC-U and aluminium and around 400 fabricators as well as installers to target, it required a vast amount of in-house technical resource.
“It is a bespoke solution for Epwin, but obviously draws on all our experience over the last 10 years of creating online customer support portals for some of the leading names on the industry, albeit this is on a potentially much bigger scale. “As you’d expect, registered users get access via Connect to all of Epwin’s marketing, technical and commercial support tools and the lead generation mechanism passes both retail and commercial leads to fabricators and installers. There are also links to external providers for finance, insurance backed guarantees and training and rolling discount details on everything from fuel to workwear. “We’ve added lots of smart innovations on top of that though, such as bringing everything together into a single customer log-in and creating a filter which ensures that the platform automatically recognises fabricators and their linked installers and only provides information on the Epwin systems and brands that they actually buy.” Part of the added value element of Connect is that it gives users access to The Consultancy’s web design service so that they can work with the team direct to create their own professional looking trade or retail websites. They can also link to the new BM TOUCH software platform which The Consultancy has developed in partnership with the Business Micros programming team for lead generation, quoting and ordering online. Gerald Allen, Epwin’s Marketing Manager, endorsed The Consultancy saying: “We chose the team because we needed a proven reliable partner with experience in this type of project. We were aware of the upcoming TOUCH platform as well of course and wanted to ensure that both the Portal and Vendor elements of the software were fully integrated into Connect from the outset, alongside all the other fabricator and installer benefits we are offering.” Richie Thornton added: “What we’ve demonstrated with Connect is that we can successfully manage any size of project and deliver on time and on budget. As a direct result of that, we’re already working on another large-scale centralised portal for one of the industry’s leading trade associations which we think has the potential to be even bigger than this one.” More details at: www.theconsultancy.co.uk
SOFTWARE & ITThe UK’s Leading Glass & Glazing Newspaper PRIZE!WIN £10 CASH PRIZE!! NEW PLUG-INS HELP LOGIKAL USERS COLLABORATE WITH ARCHITECTS Your Business? Let Onsite 7's Job Management Software help you to grow your business and prevent claims for work done well.
BM Aluminium has added two new plugins to its LogiKal aluminium design and processing software to make it easier for commercial fabricators to collaborate with architects and designers.
LogiKal CAD Suite 2D licence holders can now install an AutoCAD plug-in and add a LogiKal toolbar directly to their AutoCAD set up. From there, they can access the LogiKal positions and cross section functions, and transfer elements directly into normal and return the finished data directly AutoCAD using a simplified export mode. to the architect’s BIM model, making collaboration much easier. Once the path to LogiKal is set up in AutoCAD, any changes made to the Both plug-ins are available for LogiKal design are automatically adopted in the customers with the appropriate licences to trial LogiKal projects making it easier to share for free – all they need to do is get in touch with revisions. The simplified 3D export mode the BM Aluminium team either direct or is particularly useful for curtain walling via the website www.bmaluminium.co.uk. elements because it simplifies the contour line of all the profile sections, reduces the volume of data being processed and speeds Dean Hodges, BM Aluminium’s Managing Director commented: “LogiKal users need up the transfer. to have updated to the latest version of the software (11.4) in order to use these For fabricators working with architects plug-ins and need to have AutoCAD 2015 using BIM modelling, a new BIM interface in LogiKal allows for window and door sizes and positions to be imported into LogiKal from within Autodesk Revit Version 2017. or Autodesk Revit Version 2017 or newer. Our team can help and advise and provide online demos as required.” how it works Create a team Create a customer Create a job Users can then create a new project as Tel: 01684 856920 – www.bmaluminium.co.uk Calendar View Capture your job Onsite Review your jobs Using the Onsite 7 App Circle three differences in the boxes below, fill in your contact details and send your competition entry to: FAO: Miss Christina Shaw, Glass News Competitions, 19 Heather Close, Tickhill, Doncaster, DN11 9UU or Email: christina@glassnews.co.uk. Entry deadline: 20/06/21.
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Onsite 7 can edit your job stage headings, making them more bespoke to your business. Are Unfair Claims Hurting Your Business? Let Onsite 7's Job Management Software help you to grow your business and prevent claims for work done well. Support eg. change the title ‘sales’ to ‘quotation’ or ‘survey’ to ‘first fix etc. We have varied support staff on hand, both providing hard support and soft support services. All of our team are incredible experienced which helps them get to the bottom of support requests, promptly and ef ciently. You and your team can capture every stage of your job Are Unfair Claims Hurting Your Business? Let Onsite 7's Job Management Software help you to grow your business and prevent claims for work done well. Our ‘soft’ support team work in the background, providing technical updates, service monitoring and security checks. This ensures the very best service levels are maintained for our customers. The ‘hard’ support team, deal directly with our customers, helping them through product queries, providing quick demonstration results and even tailoring their software to their individual business needs.
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Using the Onsite 7 App Create a team Calendar view Create a customer Capture your job Onsite Create a job Review your jobs
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Michael Hollyer
Director | Clearstyle Windows Leigh Barnes
Director | JLS Electrical Services
Having the ability, by customer, and on a job by The beauty of using Onsite 7 is that any In all honesty it was di cult to find a fault with the job basis to allocate and review every step of the person with the admin console access software and understood the reasoning as to why customer journey was incredible. It is as if the can find information, or photo/video it was developed. It simply helps a trade business software was designed specifically for my evidence to relay to the customer. perform to its best and has certainly helped us Using the Onsite 7 App business. Using Onsite 7 I can see the ‘sales stage’, ‘survey stage’ ‘install stage’ and ‘any We can even download a customer job provide evidence of the quality of our work, keep track of jobs and have comfort in being able to see service calls attended against the jobs. This report with their signature and customer footage/notes and photos being taken from site You and your team can capture allows me to review previous visits and action visits either assigned to myself or my team members. satisfaction rating… this is invaluable for our industry. installations if we as company owners are not physically there ourselves.
