Glass News May 2014 by Christina Shaw

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Stand: 126

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10, 11 & 12 JUNE 2014

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Race starts

for £525m small housing scheme

funding

The Government has paved the way for local house builders to start preparing bids for a slice of £525m available funding to get small housing schemes off the ground.

out the criteria for the new Builders Finance Fund, which the Government hopes will deliver 15,000 homes.

The funding scheme was announced in the last Budget to help smaller builders who have struggled to raise finance for stalled but viable sites. Continued on page 4...

Bids will be invited in May for loan funding to restart and speed up “shovel-ready” housing developments of between 15 and 250 homes. Housing Minister Kris Hopkins today published the funding prospectus setting

“The funding scheme was announced in the last Budget to help smaller builders who have struggled to raise finance for stalled but viable sites. Funding is being made available on the basis that it will be repaid and is expected to support 15,000 jobs in construction and sustain hundreds of British businesses.”

DOORS & HARDWARE PAGE 26

Exhibition season is well under way, so what are the latest trends to grace exhibition halls in the UK and abroad?

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper Distribution to: Window, Door & Conservatory Roof Fabricators & Installers, IGU Manufacturers & all associated with glass & glazing industry.

RECRUITMENT

Issue 38 | May 2014

TIME OUT! SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Helping you find & place positions.

CROSSWORD EYE SPY & MORE...

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May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

MAY 2014

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

A HEALTHY INDUSTRY The vast array of releases and articles crossing our desks at Glass News is indicative of a healthy industry, and May’s edition shows that all sectors have something to say. It’s clear that innovation abounds and, as I roam the country, it astounds me that so many companies have been founded since the debacle of 2008. Not only have many companies been founded but they have also survived through the difficult days of a worldwide recession and come out the other side as stable and profitable concerns. One can only presume that these companies have largely been financed by private money, given that the banks have been loathe to back most start-ups. Considerable risk and heartache must has been suffered to get to the position those companies enjoy now. And it’s not just new companies but also many of the larger and established ones that have invested for the future….and that must have been a leap of faith! Now, however, we must hope that the investment made pays dividends. I keep hearing the phrase ‘future proofing’, and not only can one see where investment has been made but also the plans that are being laid for future development as the market increases. Let’s now hope the man in the street, as well as commercial and public bodies, start to feel the effects of growth so that investment in home improvements and building and refurbishing projects, can be financed out of income and profit and not continually dilute savings and retained profits. The Triple Glazing Question held at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry was, for me, a perfect example of seeing an industry keen to shrug off the mantle of sluggishness, which was not of their own making, and embrace an opportunity as the UK welcomes an economic recovery. The fact that such a varied audience had given up their time to attend the debate, and in such numbers, was indicative of a

genuine interest in the opportunity. OK, so it wasn’t so much a debate as a series of presentations, but most people I’ve spoken with were impressed by the calibre of what was said - and how it was said. What’s clear is that the actual debate has now started as a result of the Ricoh event, and that must be a good thing. The debate will run and run and individual companies will have their own take on the pros and cons that were so well laid out by the speakers. We have a variety of opinions in our ‘Voice of the Industry’ feature this month that make interesting reading. From a layman’s point of view, I think it will be difficult to persuade a homeowner against the premise of three being better than two! We’re at the time of year when new products and initiatives are being launched all the time and there can be no bigger launch pad than the FIT Show, just a month away. I’m sure we are all hoping that it is well supported by fabricators and installers. An event such as this must warrant downing tools for a day and to have so many companies and products on show in one place has to be an economical way to view and compare the vast range available. But it’s also an excellent networking opportunity with the chance for suppliers to talk with potential customers and, of course, their existing ones. Without this forum, our industry would become insular….let’s be honest, there are friends, acquaintances and colleagues who we probably haven’t talked to since FIT 13!

COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW! PART 2 See page 4

CONTENTS

CONTACT DETAILS

4 Front Cover Story

Publisher & Owner: Christina Shaw The Flat (Office 2), 6 Sunderland Street, Tickhill DN11 9QJ M: 07805 051322 T: 01302 759096 E: christina@glassnews.co.uk

Countdown To The FIT Show – Part 2

24 Doors & Hardware 33 Glass News Interview: Whiteline 36 Glass News Interview: Spilka 38 Glass News Interview: Chase Taylor 39 Trade News 62 In Profile 63 Windows 66 Software 68 Machinery

‘TIME OUT’ Winners

70 Conservatories

– APRIL!

72 Fensterbau Review

Crossword: Becky O’Connor, SE Controls, Fradley Park

78 Triple Glazing Question

Eye Spy: Lee Atkins, Oldham

76 TIRC Newsletter 82 Voice Of Industry 85 Letters 84 Recruitment

Advertising Enquiries: Christina Shaw M: 07805 051322 T: 01302 759096 E: christina@glassnews.co.uk Editor: Chris Champion T: 07850 267223 E: chris@glassnews.co.uk Features Editor: Sheilah Reed M: 07880 990144 E: sheilah@glassnews.co.uk Trade Counter Distribution Department: Roz Worgan E: roz@glassnews.co.uk Graphic Design: hook-a-duck Deadline for copy: 28th of each month

Sudoku: J. Baker, Somerset

92 Time Out! 93 Charity News

glassnews™ is a registered Trademark.

Spot The Difference: Sarah Binns, Window Ware, Telford

94 Calendar Of Events

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.

Congratulations to all our winners! Good Luck in this months Time Out pages!

94 Glass People 95 Find A Supplier

Last months crossword solution:

The paper we use is 100% recycled.

@GlassnewsMag

Chris

Christina Shaw

Got Something To Say? Email Chris at: chris@glassnews.co.uk

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Please recycle this newspaper so we can continue to use recycling in our effort to help the environment.

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

FRONT PAGE STORY

COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

“This government has got Britain building again, and created thousands of jobs in the construction sector. But it has been harder for smaller schemes to come back from the crash of 2008 and, as part of our long-term economic plan, we want them to have a bigger role in building homes for the housing market.” ...Continued from page 1. Funding is being made available on the basis that it will be repaid and is expected to support 15,000 jobs in construction and sustain hundreds of British businesses. Cash will be released over two years from 2015 to 2016 through to 2016 to 2017 and will be operated as an open competition. Hopkins said the government wanted smaller housing schemes to play a bigger role in boosting the supply of new homes. The new investment will be made available to unlock “shovel-ready” sites between 15 to 250 homes, which have their plans in place and the support of local people, but need a bit of help to get development moving.

He said: “This government has got Britain building again, and created thousands of jobs in the construction sector. But it has been harder for smaller schemes to come back from the crash of 2008 and, as part of our long-term economic plan, we want them to have a bigger role in building homes for the housing market. Bidding for the fund will be launched on 14 May and expressions of interest are to be submitted by noon on 25 June to the Homes and Communities Agency. Hopkins said: “From today developers can start preparing their bids for a share of £525m to accelerate schemes of 15 to 250 homes.

“This funding will get workers back on site, support 15,000 jobs across the construction industry, and build thousands of new homes for communities up and down the country.” Support through the Builders Finance Fund will be on top of £1 billion that has been made available to unlock 250,000 homes on large-scale developments with over 1,500 units. A £50m Local Growth Fund is also being targeted at kick-starting stalled housing projects of between 250 and 1,499 homes. Both these schemes are currently open for bids.

“Bidding for the fund will be launched on 14 May and expressions of interest are to be submitted by noon on 25 June to the Homes and Communities Agency.” READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0004

REACH 50,000 PEOPLE WITH...

FORTNIG HTLY

MAJOR BUILDING COMPANIES: 9% (WE MAIL TO 4,500)

House Builders

ONLIN

PUBLICAT E ION!

OTHER: 3%

Other

Property Developers Major Property Maintenance

ARCHITECTS & SPECIFIERS: 34% (WE MAIL TO 17,000)

Tenders & Planning Approvals Construction & Building Projects FABRICATORS & INSTALLERS: 28% All Material Window, Door & Conservatory

Part 2

From the releases being sent in for publication in our FIT Preview features, FIT 14 promises to have more than a little for everyone. There will be an abundance of product launches and, from what we’ve heard, many companies have been holding back on release so that they make FIT there launch pad….so we can look forward to an exciting show. Add to this a number of new companies making their debut at FIT for 2014 means that the enthusiasm for a trade show for the fenestration industry hasn’t waned since its inception last year. The opportunity afforded by the First FIT initiative, whereby the opportunity to exhibit at a budget price for small companies has been facilitated, means that FIT isn’t just for the big boys! Making the event totally inclusive in this way gives everyone a chance to be seen and display their wares.

New Build

Retail Developments

Architects & Specifiers

(Commercial & Residential Developments)

Extensions

Renovation & Refurbs

WWW.FENESTRABUILD.CO.UK M: 07805 051 322 | E: INFO@FENESTRABUILD.CO.UK

Making time to come to Telford makes sense: you won’t have the opportunity to have so many companies, products and people all at the same venue until 2016! See you there! See us at stand: 126.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0005

The Apeer stand at this year’s Fabricator and Installer Trade (FIT) show will be twice as Fabricators & Installers good as last year! Major Building Companies

Builders & Contractors

(WE MAIL TO 13,000)

Take the time to look through the releases in this show preview and it will give you the chance to plan your visit, ensuring that you don’t miss out on a stand that just may hold an interest for you.

APEER AT THE DOUBLE

Social Housing

BUILDERS & CONTRACTORS: 26%

FIT SHOW!

Public Sector

(WE MAIL TO 14,000)

Email for more information: christina@fenestrabuild.co.uk

GLASS NEWS COUNTS DOWN TO THIS YEARS

The company – widely regarded as makers of the most advanced composite doors on the market – is taking nearly twice the exhibition floorspace it did in 2013. “The 2013 FIT show was an outstanding success for us and we are still picking up new business as a result of it,” said marketing manager Linda Tomb. “Last year we launched our new MODO collection at the show – and there will be lots to talk about at this year’s exhibition too.” Stand 208 Hall 2 Tel: 028 2563 2200 www.apeer.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0006

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

4-Way Forklifts are FIT for Purpose If you want to make better use of your storage space, speed up handling procedures and boost productivity then where better to look than Stand 306 where specialist forklift manufacturer Combilift will show you how with its customised products for the safe and space saving handling of long loads and palletised goods.

FIT TO BURST

Since the company launched its first model, the 4 tonne capacity C4000 in 1998, Combilift has established itself as a firm favourite in

the sector: the current wide range of models, with lift capacities starting at 1.5t, enables easy handling of raw materials such as stillages of aluminium and PVCu as well as finished products. The versatility of the Combilifts to work both inside and out enables loading and offloading times to be dramatically reduced for increased productivity, and their narrow aisle capability compared with reach or counterbalance forklifts ensures maximum and cost effective use of all

WITH DEBUTS

Companies hold back launches for the FIT Show to catch the limelight. The seriousness companies give to important exhibitions has just been emphasised with the news that three more exhibitors have announced they are launching important products and services specifically at this year’s FIT Show. Making its debut, not just at FIT, but at any exhibition, is Climatec Windows. Situated at Stand 256, the well-respected Essex-based fabricator will be launching its exciting Calibre window and door system. The decision to do this was based on what they saw last April at the first FIT Show and the comments that appeared subsequently in the trade press. Calibre is a modern, 45° chamfered multichambered, entirely British made product that meets and exceeds thermal and aesthetic standards as well as being lead free and 100% recyclable. Climatec’s Director, Phil Bates, explains: “Attending an exhibition is one thing, but exhibiting at one is a new concept for Climatec Windows. We are very much looking forward to meeting new people; presenting our products and more importantly seeing how the new Calibre system is received by our peers.” No stranger to the FIT Show is Carl F Groupco. Following a very successful presence last year, located at Stand 226 the Peterborough-based hardware distributors are determined to continue in the same vein

for 2014. With no qualms about making a repeat appearance, Carl F Groupco Marketing Executive, Clare Crockett, explains: “Lead quality was a significant contributory factor influencing our signing up for the FIT Show 2014. We have a number of exciting new product additions to our range and the FIT Show is the ideal forum to present these to the industry.” On display will be a complete demonstration lift and slide door for the first time as well as the recently launched CFG3 Cylinder. The VCF team (Stand 366) will be introducing and launching Vitaseal Ultim’Air at the FIT Show. Designed with energy conservation in mind, this single product performs a dual role of matching air tightness with waterproofing. The integrated membrane offers perfect air tightness, coupled with water tightness against driving rain and acoustic and thermal insulation. Formed over 60 ago as British Vita, the company now operates across the world with close to 800 sites in 21 countries. “We specialise in the development, manufacturing and conversion of technical foam products,” explained a company spokesperson. “Our diverse range include acoustic, thermal, filtration and electro conductive foams for use within a wide range of industries.” Speaking about the three exhibitors and their decision to exhibit, Paul Godwin, Managing Director of the FIT Show said: “These successful businesses will be showing not just the excellence of what they have to offer, but also how important the Fit Show is to their marketing plans. We’re confident that they’ll have much to offer the industry professional at Telford in June.”

MD Martin McVicar comments: “It is a few years now since we have had the opportunity to showcase our products at an event specifically for the UK window, door and conservatory industry. Materials handling is a crucial issue for both large and smaller operations alike and we are therefore very pleased to be part of the FIT show 2014 and expect a lot of interest from visitors.” As Combilift continues to introduce new models on a regular basis, a visit to the stand will bring you up to date on the latest developments from the global leader in 4-way forklift technology and help lift your handling and storage procedures to another level. Combilift, Stand 306 Tel: 07870 976 758 www.combilift.com READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0009

Barrier Components

exhibit again at FIT Show Barrier Components Limited is to exhibit once more at the FIT show to be held on the 10th-12th June at the Telford International Centre. The company plans to add a number of new products to its portfolio during the year and following the success at last years event intends to unveil them at the show. Whilst Barrier Components is renowned for its broad selection of quality architectural hardware, it intends to focus on door systems at the event this year. New and unique door solutions will be launched including the newly revised height adjustable in-line Vistafold bottom rolling folding sliding door system. They will also be introducing a pocket door system from Protek SRL in Milan and the Ergon pivot/slide and Compack interior door solutions from Celegon in Mirano.

The company had such a great response last year from displaying the GCC/Barrierstack systems at the show, they intend to display them once more too so that any new visitors to the show can see this exciting show piece. “Our stand will certainly be THE stand to visit for anyone interested in unique door solutions.” Said Graham Walker, Joint Managing Director of Barrier Components Ltd. “We have worked hard this year in sourcing new product to provide solutions to installer problems and we believe we have some unique and exciting products to unveil to the market.” Barrier Components Ltd was first established by Peter Evans in 1987 and following a Management Buy-out in April 2013 is now in it’s 27th year. It has become a well established brand supplying Architectural Hardware for the Steel Gate, Sliding Door and Frameless Glass markets and holds significant stocks in their modern 15000 square foot warehouse at Dolphin Point, Purfleet Essex, to provide rapid supply to their customer base. To investigate the whole range on offer from Barrier Components Ltd visit www.barriercomponents.co.uk.

The FIT Show 2014 takes place at the Telford International Centre on June 10, 11th and 12th. Book your place at www.fitshow.co.uk. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0008

available storage space in the warehouse.

Last years stand at the FIT Show was a great success and more new product will be unveilled at this year show.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0010

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

FIT Show next for Truedor

from IG Doors

The secret is well and truly out, Truedor from IG Doors is the new kid on the composite door block. At FIT Show we are all going to get to see the products first hand and more importantly hear about the service and support that comes with being a Truedor customer. As Sales and Marketing Manager for IG Doors new trade division Richard Kirman explained to us recently: “Truedor is our brand new composite door range designed specifically for the consumer market. It is an entirely new range of doors with over 30 exciting new styles and more to come, and over 50 glass patterns, all available as standard.”

We aim to work closely with the trade installer market “Truedor has been developed as an entirely new range distinct from those which IG Doors currently supplies. It is as I said designed with the consumer in mind, and our route to that market will be through the trade installer and fabricator sectors. Our intention is to work very closely with them as the key groups in the industry.”

Service levels and communication style will make us stand out “In addition to the product our core strength will be our service levels and our

Richard Kirman.

communication style. Installers dealing with Truedor will have a 24/7 personalised answering service to support them; we believe offering this is key to supporting businesses which are very often out on site during the day and which need the option of communicating outside of normal office hours. It is our intention to fully engage with and understand the installer market, their needs, what works for them and how we can make their life easier. Our approach will be to be friendly and professional and to work hard to develop good relationships with our customers.”

A new approach to the market – targeting the consumer directly “Where we believe we are going to be radically different from our competitors is by targeting the consumer from the outset.” “Our intention is to develop a genuine consumer brand which will see homeowners asking for Truedor by name, and which will give installers of our product the opportunity to capture market share against their competitors.”

Looking forward to the FIT Show “We are really excited about the FIT show and delighted to have the opportunity to showcase our range of composite doors to the trade and fabricator market for the first time en masse.

We will of course be showing product, but we are also really looking forward to explaining to the market how we are going to service it, and how we are going to drive sales back through our consumer marketing campaigns. It will be a great opportunity for customers and potential customers to meet our staff too, and it is that personable approach which we are looking to major on.” “As well as our own significant stand Hall 2 stand 234 we are a main sponsor of the Master Fitter Competition where our doors will be installed by the eight teams in the final; it will give installers a chance to see for themselves just how good our products are, and how fitter friendly they are. Once the competition is complete it means we have a further eight doors installed for people to look at, and we are certainly looking to make them stand out!” “The whole event represents a great opportunity for us to really get the market talking about us. Our intention is that by the end of the FIT show everybody will know all about Truedor from IG Doors.” Truedor from IG Doors Hall 2 Stand 234.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0012

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Selecta Systems – Fit and Ready to Go! With it billed as the second installation, the FIT Show returns to Telford with Selecta Systems continuing to show support to the industry and showcase their products and services. Previously stalwarts of Glassex where they exhibited at every show, Selecta Systems view The FIT Show as a natural progression, an industry requirement and an integral piece of their overall sales and marketing strategy. Having successfully launched the Advance 70 Sculptured System last year, Selecta are more than happy to continue their association with the industry’s newest national showcase. It will be another busy three days for Selecta as they prepare to promote their products and services with the quality, thermally efficient and aesthetically pleasing Advance 70 Window and Door System and a new range

of contemporary Ready-2Fit Composite Doors with traditional styles and modern glass designs also on show in what Selecta state as being one of the largest selections of composite doors designs from a single supplier. They’ll also be displaying their Ready-2-Fit Bi-fold and Patio Doors with the launch at the show of a complete new Ready-2-Fit specific product which is expected to draw in the crowds. Sales & Marketing Director, Mark Richmond, has outlined Selecta Systems reasoning for committing to FIT second time around: “Our objective is to support the industry foremost, whilst also promoting the benefits of being a Selecta customer. Ideally, coming away with a positive reaction and a book full of leads would be ideal. We are not there to make up the numbers, we are there

to show the industry what a fantastic range of products we provide, combined with an excellent personal service all from a friendly, approachable, caring system supplier.” “We see the FIT Show as an opportunity for people to see what Selecta are all about, a chance to have that chat, with the ability to view our excellent range of products. We are a company that really cares about its customers and with Selecta you are not just another customer, you are a Selecta customer! We are

there to support and nurture your business with you, as your success is our success and this is why we have continued to be successful over the last 30 years or so where other system suppliers have been and gone.” Selecta continue to be that friendly, approachable and supportive family run business some 30 or so years on. It’s this continued approach of ‘doing what is right by the customer’ that enables Selecta to be who and what they are today – a professional company that hasn’t lost its roots and knowledge of what really matters to customers. The first half of 2014 has seen strategic investments in Selecta with the main aim of continuously improving the customer experience. Key appointments in staff, new machinery within the Extrusion and Ready-2-Fit

Departments and a new online Composite Door Designer and Ordering Portal demonstrate the ongoing commitment to ensuring customer satisfaction. Mark Richmond is particularly excited about the investments being made and commented “I’m really impressed with the Ready-2Fit Composite Door Designer and Online Ordering Portal. We wanted a simple, easy on the eye, quick Composite Door Designer and Ordering Portal and I believe we have achieved that. I also consider the retail portal side of the Composite Door Designer an

excellent tool for customers, allowing their customers to design their own doors. This will, I’m sure be a success with our customers.” So as you can see Selecta have a lot to shout about at the moment and the FIT Show is the perfect opportunity to have that chat with their friendly staff and see how Selecta can help you and your business. Selecta Systems will be on Stand 142 Hall 1 at the FIT Show from 10th-12th June 2014, so go along and say hello! READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0014

See DDP’s true colours at FIT Illbruck launches the “Have One On Us!” campaign

Decorative Door Products (DDP) by RegaLead is excited to be returning to the FIT Show 2014, where it promises to lend a splash of colour to proceedings. After successfully launching the highly popular ColorSpray GRP and Inox glazing systems for composite doors at the 2013 show, DDP was only too pleased to re-sign for this year. The company has some colourful plans in place for 2014, as Joint Managing Director, Guy Hubble explains: “The two new product launches generated some great enquiries last year, and since then have gone from strength to strength. Without giving too much away about our plans for this year, we can reveal that our stand – 239 – will be showcasing a fantastic range of products designed to provide differentiation and therefore add value to composite doors. “With colour looking set to be huge in 2014, we look forward to brightening up visitors’ days with the latest developments to our extensive DoorColour™ range, and providing them with a great opportunity to

decide for themselves what the next colour additions should be. “Specifically designed for use on GRP, ABS and PVC surfaces, DoorColour allows any colour to be produced in-house from RAL, Pantone, BS, NCS and as Farrow and Ball and Dulux at a competitive price. In addition, 22 carefully selected pre-mixed shades are available, which we developed following extensive customer research. We will be bringing a further 24 pre-mixed colour options to FIT and asking visitors to decide which they would like to see added to the range. As well as having their say, they could be in with a chance of winning an iPad mini.

“But there’s no need to wait until FIT to win with DDP. In the run up to the show we are also encouraging customers to follow @ decorativedoor on Twitter and share pictures of their doors featuring DoorColour, Doorglass and Inox Glazing – the brighter and more individual the better. The best picture each month tweeted with the hashtag #Doorglass, #DoorColour or #InoxGlazing will win a bottle of champagne.” Come and see Decorative Door Products by RegaLead at the FIT Show on stand 239, or alternatively, visit: www. decorativedoorproducts. co.uk or call 0161 946 1164. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0015

Illbruck has launched their campaign to make sure that all A and A+ rated windows are installed with a system that keeps the heat in and energy costs down.

The “Have one on us” campaign allows an installer to fit out an entire house free of charge with illbruck’s A-Rated window system containing TP651 trio impregnated expending tape and FM330 foam.

The window fitting is then thermally insulated, airtight, and has improved acoustic properties too. Illbruck delivers everything that the customer thought he was getting when they purchased A rated windows.

This special offer is available to the first 50 installers registering on illbruck’s stand at the FIT Show in Telford between 10 -12 June 2014.

Sales Manager, Alistair Inglis, comments, “We want installers to see for themselves just how easy it is to fit new windows in a house using illbruck’s A rated system. The best way to do this is for them to fit an A rated installation themselves, so we are giving them the materials for free.” Demand for this offer is sure to outstrip supply, so get in quick and visit us at the FIT show. FIT show, 10 – 12 June 2014, Telford International Centre , Stand number 320. For full details of the offer, including terms and conditions please visit www.illbruck.com/enGB. For further information on tremco illbruck, please visit www.tremco-illbruck.co.uk. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0016

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Phoenix Door Panels rebrands as Phoenix Doors

BIGGER, BETTER, FITTER Solidor will once again be exhibiting front of house with an extended and feature packed island stand including two new revolutionary doors, at the FIT Show, which will be held at the Telford International Centre between 10th-12th June, 2014. As a company renowned for product development, this year’s show will see Solidor launching two new doors in the form of Solidor 88 and Solidor Residence 9. The Solidor 88 will incorporate a KBE 88mm door frame, along with a 62mm door slab, collectively achieving Passivhaus standards of energy efficiency. The Solidor Residence 9 offering is based on a new dedicated composite door frame from Eclectic Systems, the company behind this revolutionary window and door system. There will also be an impressive display of door designs in 17 different colours inside and out, the new patented blueMatic AV2-B battery operated automatic multi-point

locking system from Winkhaus, as launch partners at the show and products from sister company Nice Door Panels. As one of the key exhibitors at the show, Solidor will again be co-sponsoring the lanyards with Universal Arches, sponsoring the casino at the Gala Dinner and they will also feature on the floorplan boards and in key areas in the atrium, outside the exhibition halls. Building on their G13 Promotional Campaign of the Year – Retail award, Solidor will be demonstrating their Recommended Installer scheme which now generates in excess of 3,000 leads per month and the Solidor Hub, which promises a complete new customer experience online including the latest version of their Door Designer. Finally if you didn’t know what Augmented Reality is, then visit the stand to find out about this latest technology, which may well make QR codes a thing of the past!

COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

Gareth Mobley, managing director of Solidor comments: ‘We’ve had an astonishing 12 months and now the time has come to again show more product innovation and clever marketing to the industry. We’ve extended our stand space to cater for some incredibly exciting new developments.’ To find out more about Solidor’s pioneering approach to product design, a newe customer experience and award winning marketing, then visit stand 110 at the FIT Show. In the meantime to find out more then log on to www. solidor.co.uk, call 01782 847300 or e-mail enquiries@ solidor.co.uk. To keep up to date with all of their developments follow them on Twitter @solidorltd or look them up on Facebook. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0017

Phoenix Door Panels, part of Masco UK Window Group Ltd, has been given a new name and brand identity as part of the Group-wide rebranding to be unveiled at the FIT Show in June. As Phoenix Doors, the Cambridgeshire-based composite and panel door specialist acquired by MASCO in January 2013, gains a new logo incorporating the ‘honeycomb’ theme that communicates consistency and links across all the Group’s brands. It also loses ‘Panels’ from its name and drops the bird from its distinctive original logo. Welcoming the change, Haydon Statham, Phoenix Doors National Sales Manager, says: “It’s a key aspect of the evolution of our business as part of the MASCO UK Window Group. Our new name reflects more accurately what we do; that is selling the complete entrance door solution for the domestic replacement market. He continues: “When Neil Peck founded Phoenix back in 1993, the company focused exclusively on quality PVC-U door panels. These popular and enduring products still form a sizeable part of our business, but have now been overtaken by our hugely successful GRP composite doors that have since expanded into one of the broadest ranges on the market.”

Visitors to the MASCO UKWG FIT Show stand E216 at Telford will be able to learn more about the complete Phoenix Doors offering, in particular the versatility and extensive range of composite and panel doors. An exciting new contemporary range of composite doors will be on display, along with the innovative hinged Door and a Half solution. Phoenix will also be launching its new Door Panel brochure featuring fresh styles and glazing options to suit all budgets. Contact Phoenix Doors on 01487 740469, email info@phoenixdoorpanels.co.uk or visit the website at www.phoenixdoorpanels.co.uk.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0018

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June BUSINESS MICROS

ALUMINIUM DEMONSTRATES LATEST VERSION OF LOGIKAL

Both divisions of Business Micros are sharing a contemporary styled stand at FIT, with visitors invited to try out the aluminium and PVC software solutions for themselves on preloaded laptops and tablets. Business Micros Aluminium will be previewing the very latest version (v.9) of its LogiKal aluminium processing software showing some of the new features which will be released later this year including extended CAD features with dual screen processing. The aluminium team will also be demonstrating LogiKal’s concept in terms of BIM functionality and visitors can have a first glance at how LogiKal will import and export to Autodesk Revit. iOS users will have the chance to try out an innovative new Smart Measure app which enables them to use an iPad to survey contracts from LogiKal estimations and then automatically import aperture sizes into LogiKal to save time and improve accuracy. Managing Director Dean Hodges says: “The stand will have something for everyone. Our existing customers can see what’s new in LogiKal and what’s coming soon and potential customers who might never have used the software before can see demos and try out the interface for themselves. We’ll also have expert software technicians on hand to give advice on everything from CE Marking to setting up CNC links.” Tel: 01684 851230 www.bmaluminium.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0020

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GlassParts.co.uk celebrates first anniversary GlassParts.co.uk, one of the largest online suppliers of tools, fittings and consumables to the glass, window, architectural and kitchen and bathroom industries, is delighted to note that its first year of trading in the UK market has produced significant growth. The company’s history stretches much further, however, having been established by Owner Kieran Costello Snr in 1988 as Moneygall Glazing Accessories, Ireland. The business now boasts strong

partnerships with some of the world’s best recognised manufacturers, as well as an impressive 6,000 stock lines. GlassParts.co.uk was launched in style as the UK specific arm of the business at the very first FIT Show exhibition in April last year, where it was warmly welcomed by the industry. Sales and Marketing Manager, Kieran Costello Jnr has been involved with the company since its early stages in Moneygall, and has been instrumental in establishing GlassParts. co.uk. He explains: “We have steadily seen a lift in demand

for what we do in the UK market, so we needed a base here in order to ensure that this demand was met, and importantly, within the fast timescales that customers expect. “We set up GlassParts.co.uk as an all-encompassing online portal where UK customers can buy our products, with the added reassurance of 48 hour lead times. There has been a huge migration over the last decade, from glass processors who prefer to buy their tools, fixings and consumables online. However, we firmly believe

that this needn’t mean a drop in the levels of personal service and expertise. Anyone who calls us with an enquiry will find the entire team well versed in their product information. We don’t simply memorise catalogue numbers, so if you are not sure what you require for any given project, speak to us and we will recommend the best solution for you. “We look forward to celebrating our first year with some exciting new product launches designed to be ‘sexy’ yet modular and easier to fit for installers, which we will be showcasing all these at this year’s FIT Show. We don’t want to give too much away at this stage, but look out for more information very soon.” Come and see GlassParts. co.uk at this year’s FIT Show on stand 140. Alternatively, visit: www.glassparts.co.uk or call 0800 975 3436 for more information.

GlassParts.co.uk is an all-encompassing online portal where UK customers can expect 48 hour lead times.

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READY TO SHAPE THE SHOW

Universal Arches are set to celebrate their 20th year in business at the FIT Show, when it returns to the Telford International Centre between

10th-12th June, 2014, along with promoting their exclusive relationships with Residence 9 and Solidor on stand 118, close to the main entrance.

Thanks to their cosponsorship of the lanyards, the Universal Arches stand was the busiest at the 2013 show, with 2,087 people attempting to open the arched composite door on the stand for a chance to win an iPad mini. The company will again be promoting a competition, with the winner again to be drawn by Matthew Glover, chairman of the FIT Show on the last day to win a Playstation 4. Product development and quality will again be a focus on the stand, along with their 20 year celebration, making Universal Arches the largest and longest established company in the UK bending sector. Their presence again at the show will represent the bending sector as a whole, in terms of new products and service initiatives. Universal Arches are the exclusive and sole partners for shaped Residence 9

frames and for arched Solidor composite doors and as such are the only bending company to carry their respective product warranties. These products along with an exciting new range of colours to replicate the heritage colours of Farrow & Ball will feature heavily on the stand. Leon Day, managing director of Universal Arches comments: ‘Yet again we will be representing the bending sector with an unrivalled product range. The show will also prove to be the perfect platform to celebrate 20 years in business for the company.’

FOOTBALL’S COMING HOME… WELL TO THE FIT SHOW AT LEAST While it might not quite be Rio, this year’s FIT Show at the Telford International Centre will be entertaining guests and exhibitors - who for the summer are perhaps more Baddiel and Skinner than window salesmen and women - with some World Cup entertainment. With the FIT Show closing on the same day as the opening ceremony for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the Fabricator and Installer Trade Show organisers wanted to get fans of our Nation’s finest sporting export in the mood with a football-related activity. What could this activity involve? A celebrity guest perhaps? Some signed goodies maybe? Or maybe someone’s offering a dead cert that England will lift the cup this time around? (“Yeah right,” we hear you say). Wanting to keep you on your toes like a striker at 1-0 down in the final five minutes of the beautiful game, all will be revealed at the show itself. Footy fanatics in attendance will be safe in the knowledge knowing that on the FIT Show’s closing day they will be out in time to retire to their home, or a local pub, to catch what is surely going to be an extravaganza of epic proportions as far as opening ceremonies go. Exhibitors still packing down stands and such will be able to take advantage of the venue’s free Wi-Fi to tune in and keep up to date. The FIT Show takes place at the Telford International Centre on June 10th, 11th and 12th. For all enquiries including getting tickets or exhibiting visit www.fitshow.co.uk.

For further information Universal Arches log on to www.universalarches.com, call the sales office on 01744 612844 or follow them on Twitter @universalarches. You can see them at the FIT Show, stand 118. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0022

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COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

FIT SHOW SHINES WITH

TWO MORE AWARDS

The Fabricator and Installer Trade (FIT) Show has won two prestigious accolades at the Exhibition News Awards. The trade show for the windows, doors and conservatory industry won two hotly contested categories – for Show Rising Star and Best New Organiser Team. Competition for both categories came from some of the exhibition industry’s most powerful and experienced companies. Held on 3 April at Excel London in front of 900 people, the awards are the pinnacle of the exhibition industry, and judged by a panel of industry experts. “We are absolutely thrilled to have won two Exhibition News Awards,” said Paul Godwin, MD of FIT

The FIT Show team celebrate their success at the Exhibition News Awards where they won two prestigious trophies for Best Organiser Team and Show Rising Star.

Events, organisers of the FIT Show.

Marketing Campaign and Best Use of Digital.

“Following on from our win in the AEO Awards and the G Awards last year, this is further recognition for the FIT Show.”

“The judges were impressed by the fresh approach taken by FIT Events,” said Exhibition News managing editor Scott Birch. “In an industry renowned for its creativity and entrepreneurship, FIT Events and The FIT Show managed to stand out.”

“I’d like to thank all of our exhibitors and visitors for helping to make the show such a success, and look forward to another cracking show at Telford on 10-12 June.” FIT Events were also shortlisted in two further categories, for Best

Split into three sections entitled ‘Cut, Prep & Fit’ the Bohle stand will feature

products and equipment aimed specifically at the FIT Show audience. Business Development Manager, Alic McCabe explains, “With many thousands of items on our product roster it would simply be impossible to exhibit everything we do. From the first cut to the final polish, Bohle has a range of quality products for the glazier so at the FIT Show we have focussed on innovative products for businesses involved in cutting, processing or installing glass.” Visitors will be able to handle and try a range of glazing products for themselves from hand glass cutters to the latest LiftMaster B2 glass handling & transport device. In addition, Bohle will be present a range of show offers including

THE FITTEST CONSERVATORY OFFERING Prefix Systems, the UK’s largest conservatory roof manufacturer, will be exhibiting at the FIT Show, which will be held at the Telford International Centre between 10th-12th June, 2014. The company promises to show off a wide range of inventive products for the conservatory and glazed extension market, including a new roof system. The company has long been recognised as a pioneer in coloured and woodgrain conservatory roofs, something that will feature on their exhibition stand 139, along with their Residence 9 system that can be manufactured as a complete premium conservatory offering. Amongst many new exciting developments will be

the launch of an aluminium contemporary roof finish and a celestially* focused show stopper, but you will have to visit stand 139 to see more! As Ultraframe’s flagship and only BBA accredited fabricator, Prefix will also be showing off their latest Loggia Prestige system that includes slimline insulated Loggia posts, internal pelmet, Livin Light and a new external cornice gutter shroud, along with the eagerly anticipated Pergola roof. There will also be further details of some of the other new developments from Ultraframe including LivinRoof and LivinRoom. The structural credentials of Prefix’s product portfolio will also be represented with the Bi-Span system, which is

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discount vouchers. As usual, the stand will be hosted by Bohle’s experienced sales and customer service staff, who are dedicated to helping and advising visitors on a wide range of glass and glazing topics.

specific for bi-folding doors, including their own range from the Smart Visofold 4000 series. There will also be further advances to their existing tiled Garden Room roof, a system that has been developed in house with the aid of their structural engineer, alongside the very popular Retrofix support posts for glass and tiled roof replacements. Chris Baron and Chris Cooke, co-directors of Prefix Systems comment: ‘The FIT Show will be fundamentally important to us, given the broad range of products we have for the glazed extension markets. Alongside the developments from Ultraframe, we have the results of our own research and development which we are particularly thrilled with and that will help us shape the future direction of the market.’ For further information visit Prefix on stand 139 at the FIT Show. For more immediate information contact the sales office on 01254 871800, e-mail enquiries@prefixsystems. co.uk or add to their considerable following on Twitter @prefixsystems.

The organisers of The FIT Show have also launched the Build Show, which will be held 28-30 April 2015 at The NEC.

As Simple As 123

At the 2014 FIT Show in June, Bohle Ltd will be taking a lead from their easy to remember stand number, 123, by emphasizing the simplicity with which glaziers can select and purchase glazing products and equipment from Bohle.

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UP CLOSE & PERSONAL WITH BUSINESS MICROS The Business Micros stand at FIT will be a great opportunity for new and existing customers to get up close and personal with all of its software solutions. Taking their lead from the most popular technology stores on the High Street, Business Micros are giving visitors the chance to try out everything from Evolution to EvoNet on laptops and tablets preloaded with the software.

The contemporary looking stand will be manned by Business Micros’ team of friendly and experienced staff, who will be helping customers to demo the software and answering questions on everything from setting up a CNC machine to generating a management report. The Business Micros Track-IT software, which is designed specifically for

use by installers, will be seen for the first time at FIT and the company will also be giving visitors an insight into the development work which is currently underway at its Scottish programing centre to deliver the next generation of software for the fenestration sector. Business Micros is exhibiting on a joint stand with Business Micros Aluminium so visitors who are already fabricating in aluminium or who are exploring new options can see all of the features and benefits of its market leading LogiKal software as well. Tel: 01925 422955 www.businessmicros.co.uk

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COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

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GLAZERITE’S SET FOR FIT WITH DON’T MISS SIX NEW PRODUCT BROADSIDE

COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW PART 3! Contact Christina or Sheilah today! christina@glassnews.co.uk or sheilah@glassnews.co.uk

Glazerite Windows Ltd is getting ready to launch no less than six new products to its range on its stand at the FIT show in June.

Three of the six are being kept closely under wraps but the leading trade fabricator is delighted to announce the first three additions to its existing portfolio of windows and doors: • The Solidor composite door with outer frame in a choice of VEKA 70mm bevelled or fully sculptured, with 256 internal/external colour combinations and 36

outer frame colour options

• Residence 9, the superb range of highly authentic PVC-U flush sash windows, as approved for many conservation and heritage applications • New Wave, the innovative slide/swing alternative to bi-fold and patio doors. “We are delighted to be working in partnership with these three respected and proactive manufacturers. We have watched their progress with interest and now, with the imminent launch

of our special products manufacturing facility, they will help us to provide our customer base with one of the broadest and best overall product ranges in the market. Also, Solidor and Residence 9 will each have a large presence at the show in their own right so visitors will be able to see many of our partnership products in more detail there. We are also looking forward to meeting up with other supplier partners such as VEKA, Network VEKA, Maco, Business Micros and DoorCo.”

Impact & innovation from Carl F Groupco He continued: “More than half of all those attending are expected to be installers, just as last year, so the show will be the ideal platform for us to introduce these new ranges to existing and potential customers alike, and with such a broad range of new products on offer, we are sure they will be just as keen to come along and see for themselves. www.glazeritewindows.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0031

FIT SHOW TO FEATURE TRIO OF INNOVATIONS REHAU ANNOUNCES

IN PILKINGTON GLASS RANGE DETAILS OF ITS FIT

The NSG Group, manufacturer of Pilkington glass in the UK, will be exhibiting its latest innovations in high performance glass at the 2014 FIT Show. Visitors to the company’s stand (Hall 2, 236) will be able to explore recently introduced products focused on creating glass with excellent energy performance for a range of building projects, whatever their particular challenges and budget. Headlining at the stand will be Pilkington energiKare™ Advantage, a unit that delivers U values as low as 0.9 W/m²K, a figure previously only associated with triple-glazed solutions, without the related increase in thickness and cost. This is achieved by combining Pilkington K Glass™ OW – a hard-coated low-emissivity glass – with Pilkington

Optitherm™ S1 Plus, the company’s highestperforming low-e glass. The company will also showcase Pilkington Spacia™, the world’s first commercially available vacuum glazing. With a total thickness of just 6mm, the glass offers a thermal performance equal to or better than most low-e double glazing in the same thickness as a single glass pane - ideal for use in listed properties or buildings in conservation areas. Rounding up the trio will be innovative fire-resistant glass product, Pilkington Pyroclear®. The glass, which remains transparent in the event of a fire to aid evacuation, sets the standard for monolithic fire-resistant glass and fire-resistant insulated glass units, and achieves 30-minute fire integrity. Visitors to the stand will also have the opportunity to find out more about My Pilkington™ the company’s support platform for customers, which provides technical advice, literature, safety tips, account documentation, sales leads and much more all in one place on www.pilkington.co.uk. Andy McDowell, Commercial Director at Pilkington United Kingdom

Limited, said: “There have been a number of groundbreaking additions to our product range over the past 12 months, and our focus remains on performance, quality and value. We have invested in state-of-the-art on- and off-line coating facilities right here in the UK, allowing us to push the frontiers of coating technology to produce high performing low-e and solar control products with excellent handling characteristics. Deploying innovative combinations of these coatings has allowed us to deliver a unique range of sealed-unit products tailored specifically to meet the most pressing challenges in glazing. Working in partnership with our customers to deliver the products they need is a vital part of our business, and the FIT Show will provide a great opportunity to share feedback with them.”

SHOW STAND

REHAU has confirmed more details about its stand at the FIT show, revealing some of the product innovations behind its #THEREHAULAB marketing campaign. For example, the show will see the launch of multi-chambered profiles in the REHAU TOTAL70S profile system, giving customers the chance to achieve the same thermal efficiencies in REHAU’s sculptured profiles as they already can in the REHAU TOTAL70C chamfered profiles. The five chamber profiles offer up to 16% better thermal efficiency than can be achieved with REHAU’s existing three chamber profiles and crucially also allow fabricators to use a wider range of glass and spacer bar options to reduce costs. There will also be announcements at the show about innovations from REHAU in profiles for composite doors and a new casement window solution which is under wraps until the opening day. The REHAU stand will be bold and exciting with a scientific twist to remind visitors of its status as one of the world’s leading polymer processors. Further details will be revealed on Twitter @REHAUwindows using the hashtag #THEREHAULAB.

The long-standing exhibitor at hardware trade shows will display a complete demonstration Lift and Slide door for the first time. Designed to illustrate the sophistication and ease-ofuse of HS Portal gearing manufactured by Siegenia, visitors can experience first-hand the gearing’s almost effortless lift and slide functionality. Carl F Groupco’s recently launched CFG3* Cylinder will also be displayed with other security hardware. Produced in response to demand for a cylinder which meets 3* accreditation for TS 007, the Kitemarked product achieves PAS 24 and is accredited by Secured by Design. The cylinder carries a full ten year warranty and features Anti-Drill, Snap, Plug, Pick and Bump. Customers old and new are invited to visit the Carl F Groupco stand at the FIT Show as more new lines will be revealed and will be displayed alongside its established range of hardware and ventilation products. Hall 2 Stand 226. Tel: 01733 393330 www.carlfgroupco.co.uk

REHAU, FIT Preview, Stand 346.

Other popular products from the Pilkington range will be available to view on the stand, including Pilkington Anticondensation Glass and the recently-launched Pilkington Oriel Collection, an exciting range of stunning, high-end decorative etched glass. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0032

A host of new hardware products displayed by Carl F Groupco at the FIT Show and a highly creative stand design will ensure the company will once again attract a high foot fall at the industry’s major event.

A host of new hardware and creative stand are set to attract high foot fall for Carl F Groupco at the FIT Show – picture shows John Mitchell with the company’s recently launched CFG3* cylinder. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0033

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COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

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SHOW’S FIT ORIGIN MAKES FIT SHOW DEBUT FIT FOR BUSINESS

Origin, the UK’s leading specialist manufacturer of folding sliding doors, will be exhibiting at the FiT Show for the very first time in 2014, showcasing its multi award winning aluminium bi-fold doors and tailor-made electric blind system. The British manufacturer has won multiple awards for its industry leading ‘Your Lead Time Not Ours’ service by completely removing lead times for customers. Shortlisted at the National Business Awards for uncompromising levels of product quality and service, Origin has also been voted Best Glazing Product by Build It Magazine and has won an EEF award for its exceptional customer service. Visitors to the FiT Show, held at the Telford International Centre on 10th-12th June 2014, will be able to experience Origin’s cleverly designed, beautifully made and exquisitely finished folding sliding doors (stand 156). In addition, Origin’s range of made-to-measure electric roller blinds,

individually tailored to any bi-folding door installation, will also be on display. The range of handmade blinds, available in a wide range colour and print options, are the ultimate soft furnishing solution for bi-fold doors and a very profitable opportunity for Origins network of trade agents. As a British manufacturer, Origin is able to offer customers an industry-leading 20 year guarantee, as well as high standards of craftsmanship and a ‘zero lead time’ service. Origin operates through a network of accredited trade partnerships throughout the country and will be actively looking to form new trade partnerships during the show.

Over the last 12 years, Origin has experienced exponential growth to become the UK’s biggest manufacturer of aluminium bi-fold doors. In the last three years, the company has seen growth averaging 30 per cent year on year as the Origin brand becomes increasingly popular within the

aluminium industry. Last year, Origin was awarded the prestigious ISO 9001 certification for excelling in its operations. The globally recognised accreditation is achieved only by businesses that meet the highest management standards and is a stamp of exemplary product and service quality within the industry.

Neil Ginger, CEO of Origin, comments: “We are committed to working closely with installers, builders and trade professionals to ensure our product meets their requirements, as well as those of the homeowner. Origin’s ‘Your Lead Time, Not Ours’ promise has been introduced to support our trade customers. We are proud to acknowledge that 94 per cent of trade professionals rate our service as ‘good’, ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ and look forward to meeting visitors at the FiT Show 2014!” Visitors will be able to learn more about Origin’s ‘Fitter Fitter’ training days, which enable all trade customers to update their staff on how best to install the doors with technical accuracy. Passing the day’s course results in certification from Origin for approved installer recognition. Origin also runs sales training for trade partners to maintain high levels of service and performance, as well as to help them achieve a higher lead conversion rate to grow their businesses. Showing great innovation, the company now also plans to add new aluminium products to the Origin brand, which is synonymous with product and service superiority and excellence. For more information visit www.origin-global.com. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0036

Climatec Look To Raise Their Profile In More Ways Than One Exciting times lie ahead for Essex-based trade manufacturer Climatec Windows as they prepare to make their exhibition bow at The FIT Show where they will exclusively unveil the newly launched ‘Calibre’ profile system. Celebrating their 21st year in business, Climatec are only one of four manufacturers in the UK that have been selected to supply the Calibre profile, initially for windows and doors, and the first company to showcase this modern, 45° chamfered multi-chambered product at a trade show.

In a further coup for Climatec they will also be the only firm to launch this profile system in the UK with additional foil options instead of just the 3 colours originally released. Marketed as the ‘Perfect Profile’, Calibre is extruded in Britain and provides a system that you would expect to find from any top brand profile supplier. Available products utilising Calibre include internally glazed casements, bay & bow windows, tilt & turn windows, French windows, residential front doors, stable doors and French doors. Climatec are keen to demonstrate to visitors that far from solely being a manufacturer of windows, doors and conservatories, they’re capable of being a manufacturer that goes that one step further. This comes at a point when, as per their marketing messages, they are encouraging customers that it’s ‘Time To Take A Fresh Look’ at Climatec Windows.

SEMINAR PROGRAMME REVEALED

With just two months left until the FIT Show 2014 takes over the Telford International Centre, one of last year’s most popular items on the agenda, the FIT For Business seminar programme, has now been revealed. Specially developed to provide topical presentations that will benefit visitors and exhibitors alike, you and your business will be able to take advantage of short, sharp, Real World advice and knowledge from some of the industry’s most respected voices. Situated in Hall 1A within the FIT Theatre, you can be present for seminars such as the daily, extended presentation by sales guru Paul Clifton, who will take to the stage to advise visitors on how to enter the elite league of sales people that convert more than 80% of their conservatory leads. Other presentations include: • Consumer Rights Changes with Brian Smith, GGF Director of Home Improvement. • 10 Social Networks That Could Transform Your Business with Mark Saxby, a Social Media Consultant. • The Importance of Third Party Certification for Installers with Ian Woodhouse, Associate Director Certification of IFC Group. • CE Marking with Simon Beer & Adam Osborn of BM TRADA Building & Product Services. These presentations are designed to offer visitors information and advice that they can work into their business with immediate effect. All seminars are free of charge and while some may be available on the day it is advised to book the session you’re interested in ahead of time being it was so popular at last year - do this by visiting the FIT Show website at www.fitshow.co.uk. Whilst the organisers do everything to maintain the content and timing of the programme, it may be subject to change without notice.

Alongside the Calibre products, they will also be exhibiting windows and doors in two other profile systems that show Climatec’s highest standards of fabrication, as well as a range of bespoke offerings, accreditations, and the full colour portfolio they can supply windows and doors in. You can visit Climatec Windows during the three-day event (June 1012) at stand 256. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0037

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COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

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Bespoke software delivers for MiGlass Ltd Jotika Software was recently commissioned by specialist glass processor MiGlass, to implement their Gtrak3 Glass ERP Software, to help manage and streamline the business processes. MiGlass were established in 1936 and employ 80 colleagues in a 55k sq ft factory. MiGlass produce innovative glass products in short lead times to both the high volume and bespoke lower run sized customers. MiGlass have invested heavily since 2005 and boast an impressive facility, and recently won the G13 award for Glass Company of the Year. The missing ingredient to the improvement plan was a software system that could centralise the core business sales and production data, whilst streamlining the sales process from estimation and order processing, to manufacture and delivery.

Made to measure “This was an exciting project, as MiGlass were unique in their requirements due to the nature of their core business. This meant that a customised system had to be delivered in line with existing procedures and methods” Brian Gold Marketing Director.

Production Manager Tool presents additional items on process department work to lists. For delivery and invoicing the original order quantity applies, with the option to amend original item totals as per final tally minus rejects. This gives maximum flexibility and control to ensure that orders are completed on time and in their entirety. Jotika also extended their glass product type range to include a template/part type. MiGlass customers order highly specific glass items, which are part of a pre designed product. This feature means that MiGlass can create, store and easily recall highly complex glass products, including: specific glass makeup, dimensions (rectangle, shape, DXF), up to 25 additional processes per glass layer, production notes and price rates. The part or template could also be configured with a particular production sequence dictating the route of manufacture, even specifying particular machines to ensure product consistency for future orders.

Total control and visibility Jotika succeeded where others had failed. Replacing essential spreadsheets, by delivering the features

necessary to integrate with existing procedures, meant that MiGlass could then make use of other tools offered by Jotika and realise their objectives for improvement. Gtrak3 completely centralised and streamlined estimation and order input, allowing for one single point of entry. This dramatically reduced time in rekeying information from estimation to order, order to production and delivery to invoicing. Data was then exposed for all members of staff to access in a simple search and view screen. Customer service and response was instantly improved as a result of better visibility. The Production Manager Tool was also implemented to access detailed information regarding production routing, capacity and progress. Gtrak3 Production Manager handles over 150 different processes at MiGlass, each with individual units of measure depending on application. A variety of on screen views and reports give the production management team a view of daily workload by order and product line for selected processes such as cutting, straight line edging (SLE), tempering, water jet, painting and despatch. The Delivery Management System is installed in despatch, where they can control orders and product

lines ready for delivery. Items are flagged when complete and this updates customer service views instantly. Delivery notes are then raised based on the daily schedule and only for items complete. If any items are delayed or the customer requests a part delivery in advance, a part delivery note and part invoice can be generated based on the deliverable items. A daily outstanding report is generated to show the outstanding quantity and value of un-delivered/uninvoiced items in production. This system offers total control for the management team and as deliveries can be historically monitored via reports, they can also check whether orders are consistently delivered on time.

Real results Steve Neal Production Director at MiGlass explains

tracking and the production monitoring system that will help control the movement of product within the factory, providing all departments with real time information on order status. This development will also help the business to manage capacity and improve upon key performance indicators such as yield and right first time manufacturing.”

the results and future plans for improvement: “Since the implementation of Gtrak3 we have the tools available to refine various planning techniques, basic data, metrics and operating procedures, to enable information to be managed and controlled efficiently. This in turn has helped MiGlass implement a work to date system that has seen a measured improvement month by month.

Summary

The delivery scheduling system is a powerful tool and has helped tremendously with transport logistics and vehicle utilisation; this along with the above improvements has enabled MiGlass to support customers with flexibility concerning lead-times and order amendments. We are really pleased with the improvements Gtrak3 has helped achieve and intend to further improve the use of Gtrak3 and the supporting systems to achieve world class service levels. The next stage of the improvement program is to install barcode

“Flat glass processing has such a bespoke and fast moving climate that companies end up creating their own methods and procedures to deliver for customers. Bespoke software can solve the problems that no off-the-shelf package can. Also it is inherently in a position to provide the optimum solution, since it is designed for a specific company and a specific need. Although Gtrak3 has evolved in the glass industry over the past 25 years, and has many features and benefits to offer as standard, there is always something different at each new company. It is not a case of bending your business around the software, but moulding the software around your business needs.” Brian Gold Marketing Director. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0040

Jotika developed the concept of overage for manufacture. In this environment of high volume and complex processes, there is little room for manoeuvre. By allowing overage for manufacture, OptimiserX cuts additional glass to size and the

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SWISSPACER’s ultimate energy efficiency seminar at FIT Show

Deceuninck has doubled

its stand size at FIT 2014

Deceuninck has doubled the size of its stand this year because it has more than twice as much to show in 2014. Roy Frost, Deceuninck’s UK Managing Director explains: “Most systems companies start with the problem of how to make more of what they have to show. We’ve got the opposite problem. We have so many great innovations to help fabricators and installers sell that we’ve produced a map of our stand so visitors don’t miss any of the innovations that will help their business grow. Make sure you collect your map when you get to our stand. “We’ve got a wealth of star attractions – really big reasons to choose Deceuninck: unique PricePad, unique Colour360 and the game changing Deceuninck New Wave Slide & Swing multi-pane patio door are absolute show standouts. And there is Monorail, Deceuninck’s unique large frame patio slider with acres of glass,” adds Roy. “It’s in a class of its own among PVC-U sliders, but in Colour360 it has the look, feel and toughness of aluminium with the superior insulation properties of PVC-U. We expect it to give aluminium sliders a run for their money.”

COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

Deceuninck Colour360 FIT Show star attraction.

Roy continues: “Then there’s Deceuninck famous ‘pretty windows, in three systems. And all the new marketing and sales support, the new tailored websites and brochures to help fabricators and installers sell. “We’re running regular product demonstrations so you can get ‘hand’s on’ with Deceuninck’s latest product innovations,” says Roy. “Want to know how robust Colour360 is? Come and see us test it with a hammer! Will Colour360 withstand vigorous cleaning? See us try! Visitors to the stand can try our PricePad app to see how good that is and how it works. You can put the ground breaking new Deceuninck Slide and Swing door through its paces – it works in a unique way. Now’s your chance to see for yourself why we say, ‘Byebye Bi-folds!’ “See what I mean? We’ve a lot to get on to our stand, and lots of reasons ‘Why Deceuninck?’ The stand is twice as big as last year but we need the space - we’ve got lots of exciting new things to show you.” Tel: 01249 816969 – www.deceuninck.com READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0041

SWISSPACER’s seminar on energy efficiency at the FIT Show is on Wednesday 11th June at 2.30pm. The seminar, entitled “A+ and after: the Ultimate in Energy Saving” features a star-studded group of panellists. Dr Benjamin Krick of the Passivhaus Institute in Germany, the fastest growing energy efficiency standard in the world will give his expert opinion on the future of energy efficiency. He will be joined by Richard Sellman, European Sales Manager Window H.B. Fuller; Susan Lambeth, Marketing Manager Saint-Gobain Glass; Roy Frost, Managing Director Deceuninck and Karl-Theo Roes, SWISSPACER Market Development Manager. Vic De Costa, SWISSPACER Marketing & Sales Manager (UK & Ireland) says: “We’re really excited. To have so many experts in one room makes our seminar a ‘must’ for FIT Show visitors. The 50-minute seminar is at 2.30pm on Wednesday 11th June – we look forward to seeing you there!” Fabricators and installers who want to know more about the Passivhaus standard can also meet Dr Benjamin Krick at SWISSPACER’s stand 322 on Wednesday 11th June. Call SWISSPACER today on 0845 601 1265 to book your exclusive appointment with Dr Krick.

SWISSPACER is hosting a seminar on energy efficiency at the FIT Show, Wednesday 11th June at 2.30pm

Visit www.swisspacer.com for more information on the UK and Ireland’s No.1 warm edge spacer bar. Follow SWISSPACER on Twitter @Ultimate_Spacer. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0042

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

COUNTDOWN TO THE FIT SHOW – 10, 11 & 12 June

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

LAST CALL FOR THE FIT SHOW GALA DINNER...

AND WORLD CUP SURPRISE!

It’s nearly FIT Show time again and it’s no surprise that tickets for the black-tie Gala Dinner are going fast. Already one of the highlights of the industry’s social calendar, this year’s Gala Dinner, hosted by award-winning stand-up comic and ventriloquist Nina Conti, will feature a champagne reception and superb banquet followed by a charity casino and entertainment by Nina herself.

Last year’s giant Scalextric game is also back by popular demand with prizes for wannabe F1 champions... and it has now been revealed that the World Cup Surprise, long hinted as a feature of the show, will now take place at the dinner itself. What will it be? There’s only one way to find out – log on to www.fitshow.co.uk and grab the last of the tickets while you can. “At the last count, there were fewer than 100 tickets left,” said Paul Godwin, Managing Director of the FIT Show. “Last year’s event was a sell-out with more than 800 attending, and this year half the tickets had gone even before the event went live on the FIT Show

website, so anyone who hasn’t booked their tickets yet had better get moving or miss out.” The dinner will offer an extra opportunity to network away from the bustle of the exhibition floor and many of the show’s trade sponsors and key speakers will also be there. As well as the fun and fine dining, guests will hear the announcement of the Master Fitter Challenge winners, with prizes totalling over £10,000 up for grabs to reward the most skilled in our industry. Compere Nina Conti is a winner of the BBC New Comedy awards and has extensive credits in comedy and acting roles around the world. Paul Godwin says the FIT Show

team were knocked out by her act at the AEO Excellence Awards where FIT won Launch Show of the Year. “It is one of the most exciting, original and hilarious acts I have ever seen and we knew then we had to book her to top the bill.” The FIT Show takes place at the Telford International Centre June 10th-12th with the FIT Show Gala Dinner on the evening of Wednesday June 11th. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0044

If It’s Late It’s Free – 1 year on! A variety of solutions At last year’s FIT show Dooron show for Winkhaus Stop wowed the industry with Hardware specialist Winkhaus UK will be showcasing a range of modern door locking systems at the FIT Show in June.

a unique guarantee – If It’s Late, It’s Free. The confident claim caught attention across construction too. One year on and the leading composite door manufacturer has delivered on its promise, with 1 door given away for every 3,788 made.

“This works out at 0.027% - a remarkable level of service,” comments Door-Stop’s Business Unit Director, Martin Dickie. “Furthermore the guarantee is available on every one of our doors as standard, and a counter on www.door-stop.co.uk is updated weekly. Details are also posted on our Twitter account @doorstopdoors with the hashtag #ifitslateitsfree - it keeps us on our toes! Almost all our deliveries are on time, in full, but on the rare occasion something does go wrong, customers know they’re covered.”

Business Unit Director Martin Dickie.

Customers who make a claim can get all of their money back through orders placed in the following 30 days. “One company spent theirs on a Door-Stop door for the showroom!” adds Martin. “It’s a pretty special guarantee, but we’ve got something bigger to launch at this year’s show. See us at the entrance of Hall 3 to find out!” Tel: 01623 446336 – www.door-stop.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0045

The range will encompass battery operated, key turn and auto locks, and amongst these will be new additions to the Winkhaus range blueMatic AV2-B and the Thunderbolt Heritage lock. Thunderbolt Heritage is a key turn activated 5-point locking system designed to complement modern or traditional door as the euro profile cylinder position is comparable to a traditional cylinder round pull. Justin Harris, commercial director at Winkhaus UK, is encouraging fabricators and installers to visit the stand to see the new products for themselves; and find out

how the range of locks can help them win new business across a variety of markets.

He comments: “There will be a complete range of door locking systems on display at the FIT Show, each one designed to open up opportunities for the fabricators and installers. Visitors will be able to see how our latest innovations work, as well as learn more about how our range of locking systems can help them break into new markets.” Visitors will also have the chance to win an iPad mini by entering Winkhaus’ competition revolving around the new blueMatic AV2-B lock, a battery operated keyless lock. Visitors have to simply pick the remote control which opens the demo sample of

Thunderbolt Heritage lock.

AV2-B and they will be a winner. “The competition is a bit of fun but also an opportunity for people to try out AV2-B for themselves,” comments Justin. Winkhaus will be exhibiting in Hall 2, stand 244. Tel: 01536 316091 READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0046

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

DOORS & HARDWARE

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Distinction’s Door Designer

lets homeowners design their own front door Marketing materials for composite doors have always focused on three things: security, energy efficiency and aesthetics. And while the security and thermal efficiency are vital benefits, it’s often the aesthetics that capture homeowners’ imaginations. Distinction Doors has capitalised on this by developing Door Designer, a web application that allows homeowners to design their own front door. Drew Wright, Distinction’s Managing Director said, “The aesthetics are a key selling point for the end user. By developing an application that engages homeowners in the design process, we are helping to build desire and allow installers to get more leads and close more sales.” Distinction has made considerable investment in the application, which is available at www. distinctiondoors.co.uk. It is designed to be simple, intuitive and fun to use. It is also very discreetly branded, so installers can use the tool in their sales appointments. The application takes the user through choosing the door style, door colour, cassette colour, handle position and opening direction, as well as helping them to select hardware in the form of handle design, spyhole, drip bar, letterplate, numerals, knocker and night latch. Homeowners can even visualise exactly how the door will look by superimposing it on a photo of their home. Finally, details of the door can be printed to form the basis of a quote during a sales appointment or for the homeowner to take to their nearest

Distinction Doors approved installer if they have yet to approach one. The Door Designer application, which promotes aesthetics so successfully, is likely to make Distinction Doors an even more attractive choice for homeowners because it’s proof that the company ticks all the boxes when it comes to composite doors. Recent tests have shown how well a Distinction door measures up in terms of thermal efficiency: it is 19% more thermally efficient than a 48mm solid timber core composite door and 17% more thermally efficient than a 44mm traditional timber panelled door. It is equally impressive when it comes to security: a standard PVC-U door can be kicked in with a single well-aimed kick. A Distinction door cannot be forced in a reasonable timeframe, even with the aid of a police battering ram.

EVOLVE SALES ARE EVOLVING FAST! Benefiting from the experienced and focussed team leadership of Evolve Fabricated Products Sales Manager Sarah Starkey, sales of the Evolve range of specialist PVC-U products from Synseal are growing fast.

The Evolve business unit is poised to surpass £8 million sales turnover at the close of the current financial year ending March 2014. Order values for Evolve Vertical Sliders are continuing to increase at a rate of over 20% year on year, whilst demand for Evolve Bi-fold doors and the ever-popular Evolve Patio doors have more than doubled and are forecast to grow strongly again during 2014-15. Fully manufactured and CE Marked by Synseal, the

In short, Distinction Doors has a compelling proposition for installers and homeowners – which is why the company is known as the home of the composite door. Tel: 0845 2000 816 www.distinctiondoors.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0049

Evolve range is designed to assist Synseal’s fabricator partners who do not want the disruption of making specialist sliding sash, bifold doors or patio doors, allowing them to concentrate on manufacturing PVC-U casement windows and doors. Sarah is understandably delighted with the strong levels of sales demand for Evolve products: “The response from our customer base has been fantastic and it is great to be so busy. Every week brings new enquiries and we look forward to discussing repeat orders from our regular customers. Product investments like the patio low thresholds are helping to boost our sales growth and coming soon we’ll have a new deep bottom rail design option for Evolve VS. The feedback we’ve received in response to the recent patio door product improvements has been very positive and we’re always listening to what our customers tell us, because our aim is to supply top quality products with the very best customer service.” READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0050

Sliders UK opens the door to extended

Ultimate Aluminium range

Sliders UK is opening up new sales opportunities for installers with its extended Ultimate Aluminium range. Complementary patio doors and windows are among the new products the manufacturer has added to build on the success of its popular Ultimate Aluminium Bi-folding Door.

“With a rise in house building across the country, we expect demand for these products will increase significantly over the coming months,” says Ian.

“Since launching last year, our Ultimate Aluminium Bi-folding Door has become our fastest growing product,” explains Ian Longbottom, Joint Managing Director of Sliders UK.

Customers looking for stylish and economical alternatives for opening up a home or commercial space will benefit from new options provided by Sliders’ Ultimate Aluminium French Doors and Patio Doors.

“Aluminium is undergoing a massive resurgence, especially in the luxury new build market where it is considered to be the highest specification material for both windows and doors.” By manufacturing an extended aluminium range, Sliders UK aims to provide installers with new cross-selling opportunities to target this growing and lucrative market. Sliders UK now manufactures a comprehensive collection of ALUK products, including bi-folding doors, patio doors, commercial, residential and French doors, residential casement and steel replacement windows.

All Ultimate Aluminium doors and windows are covered by Sliders’ ten-year profile and hardware guarantee and can be powder coated in a choice of standard colours in a matt, semi gloss or gloss finish. In addition, Sliders UK is enabling installers to offer their customers a bespoke colour service as its aluminium products can be produced in any RAL shade. Dual colour options are also available for contrasting interior and exterior finishes.

The Ultimate Aluminium Patio Door is an innovative multi configuration in-line system that can create 2, 3, 4 and 6 panel doors in a combination of fixed lights and sliding doors, on a double of triple track. Sliders also offers the choice of a Standard or Luxury Lift and Slide specification that enables the sliding doors to be easily and neatly stacked behind each other.

steel replacement windows are designed to replicate the appearance and slim sightlines of traditional steel windows, whilst providing improved security and thermal performance. They feature a unique polyamide thermal break design and can accommodate 28mm to 44mm glazing units. For more information about The Ultimate Aluminium Collection by Sliders UK, contact sales@sliders-uk.com or visit the website at www.sliders-uk.com. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0051

Sliders’ extended Ultimate Aluminium range also caters for the refurbishment and heritage markets. In particular, Sliders’

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

DOORS & HARDWARE

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Best in show

Exhibition season is well under way, so what are the latest trends to grace exhibition halls in the UK and abroad? Guy Hubble, Joint Managing Director at RegaLead – the company behind Decorative Door Products – discusses what consumers are demanding for their doors, and how you can achieve this to your advantage.

We are in the midst of exhibition season, with an endless stream of packing and unpacking stands, pop ups and marketing materials. This year’s Fensterbau, for example, saw more than 100,000 trade visitors, with some 37,000 travelling from across the world. Closer to home, The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show pulled in crowds to the tune of 32,000. Having been to both shows, it was very clear to us that the European style of the products on show in Nuremburg was firmly infiltrating the halls of Birmingham’s NEC.

Throughout both shows we saw a wealth of the clean, minimalist, contemporary door designs that have long been the reserve of our neighbours overseas. Although most of the doors being showcased were aluminium, what was also clear was the important part that decorative glass played in these designs.

Keep it contemporary Our decorative glass units have been part of the composite door market for the past seven years, initially with our imported Signature units and since 2009 with the addition of our UK manufacturing arm at Decorative Door Products, Hawick. At last year’s FIT Show we launched our stainless steel Inox Glazing system, which generated a fantastic response for its ability to provide the kind of composite the UK is familiar and comfortable with, but whilst also offering a strong European flavour, for a genuinely contemporary looking door. Inox Glazing is a turnkey solution including CNC programming information, glazing method and of course the Grade 316 stainless steel glazing frames themselves. It is designed for use with all 44mm flush composite doors, which are available from any number of suppliers, plus DoorCo and Distinction Doors

are additionally working with us to offer a full prepping service.

European flavour Adding to the European feel Inox Glazing provides, we also have a wide range of decorative glass options made from fused and etched glass which work wonderfully with these door designs. We will be building on the success of Inox Glazing at this year’s FIT Show with the launch of Inox Plus – a hybrid combination of glazing cassette and stainless steel glazing cassette, combining a higher security solution with a more traditional look to the internal face of the door. Visitors to our stand at FIT will also have the chance to see a whole new range of decorative glass, with a more modern and quality feel than ever before, moving away from the American style of glass that has previously dominated the market in favour of a European influence. This is reflected in the latest additions to our Signature glass range, with Modena combining stunning polished zinc cameing with encapsulated fusion tiles in a triple glazed construction, and Matrix incorporating stainless steel into the design itself. We continue to commit ourselves to the

development of products that we know will give our customers the competitive edge. By building on a proven growth product – the composite – through adding value we can help you ensure that your doors stand out from the rest so you can say the same to your customers. Come and see us on stand 239 at the FIT Show to find out more about our range of decorative glass units for doors. Alternatively visit www.decorativedoorproducts.co.uk. READER ENQUIRY No: 0614/0053

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

DOORS & HARDWARE

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

New from Door-Stop:

Dazzling 3 Diamond Door The ‘3 Diamond’ door is the latest addition to the Door-Stop range. Shown in Chartwell Green, its classic look works just as well in any of the 10 available colours. It’s a contemporary design which looks equally good on period properties – especially in the latest heritage colours.

doorstopdoors or LinkedIn at www.linkedin/ companies/door-stop-international to find out first about the next product update. See us at FIT on Stand 330 by the entrance to Hall 3 – you can’t miss us!

All the usual Door-Stop options apply. Homeowners can choose gold, chrome or black hardware and select the glass design from Door-Stop’s extensive range. And of course it’s available with #ifitslateitsfree guaranteed 3 day delivery. Whether it’s for a modern building or a traditional home, the 3 Diamond design adds yet another choice for Door-Stop customers, helping them sell homeowners the perfect door for their property. Go to www.door-stop.co.uk to order yours today, and follow us on Twitter @

3 Diamond Door from Door-Stop. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0054 0514/0055

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

DOORS & HARDWARE

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Who are MPL? MPL will be at the FIT Show once again this year. Who are MPL? They are the supplier of all the multi-point locks the industry has ever seen…

As the name would suggest MPL is a supplier of multi-point locks; more accurately they are the supplier of all the multi-point locks the industry has ever seen, with an incredible range of stock unrivalled in their field. Their business is very simple, to supply replacement door locks ( along with window hardware and other associated ironmongery) to the industry for where original installations have broken down or are at the end of their natural lifecycle and need replacing.

Why not become an MPL Stockist? If you own a glass shop, a showroom, a trade counter or a depot…read on! It’s incredible to think that we have the FIT Show around the corner once again. The weeks seem to go by faster and faster with no time to pause for thought; this is true in life and in business, but in business thinking time

is even more critical. Often unnoticed trades that have served you well for many years can suddenly stop and it is generally only when it is too late that this realisation hits you.

That is the point when as the owner of a glass shop, a showroom, a trade counter or a depot you realise you need an additional revenue stream, something to help you recover your fixed overhead and to make some profit. But better if you can be looking at this situation pro-actively and planning your future rather than having to react when it is too late. There are many options available to you if you are looking for new opportunities, but perhaps the most exciting, the most cost effective, and the most profitable opportunity in the market at the minute is to become an MPL Approved Stockist. Come and talk to us on stand 364 at the FIT Show 10-12th June Telford International Centre.

On the hour, every hour!

– your chance to win a fantastic Patlock™ MPL is delighted to have exclusive manufacturers distribution rights on the brand new Patlock™ the latest security product to hit the market. To formally announce its launch to the market MPL will be offering visitors to its stand at the FIT Show June 10th-12th the opportunity to win one… on the hour, every hour, for the duration of the show. For your chance to win one of these fantastic products, simply fill in this coupon and bring it to the FIT Show Hall 3 stand 364, you will then be entered into each hourly draw on the day you are visiting.

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

DOORS & HARDWARE

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper MPL has exclusive manufacturer’s distribution rights for PatLock ™

See us at the FIT Show

MPL has just signed an exclusive arrangement direct with the manufacturer as the distributer of PatLock™ in the UK. PatLock ™ is a brand new supplementary security locking option ideally suited for fitting on French Doors. With the majority of burglaries taking place at the rear of the property this new option provides great security against would-be intruders. It is a visible deterrent, easy to fit for the home owner and robust in its construction. See the PatLock ™ video on YouTube.

MPL is returning to the FIT Show 10th -12th June at Telford. Following on from the success it had last year MPL has moved to a bigger stand Hall 3 364 and will be showcasing its products, its training courses, and the opportunities for companies to become approved MPL stockists.

See the new PatLock ™ on show at the FIT Show Hall 3 Stand 364.

Four levels of protection with new MPL Brisant D Cylinder Also recently added to MPL’s industry leading range of products is the new Brisant D cylinder offering four great levels of security. The new cylinder offers anti snap, anti pick, anti drill, and anti bump protection making it amongst the highest security products on the market. It is just another product to be added to the MPL range which includes over 250 types of multi point locks for the replacement and repair market available throughout the UK on a next day delivery service.

MPL Lock Puller MPL will also be showing its range of ‘Lock Puller’ products at the FIT Show. A part of its locksmithing toolkit, MPL will be playing instructional videos on its stand demonstrating to window installers how to use this innovative product to gain access to PVCu and Composite doors with both standard and high security euro cylinders within seconds where the homeowner’s key has been lost.

MPL for Installer Training - MPL joins forces with Anvil Locksmiths to deliver City and Guilds MPL has joined forces with Anvil Locksmiths to provide City and Guilds level 3 locksmiths training. It is a major coup for the company, adding to its growing reputation as a leading training provider to the window and door installer and locksmithing sectors. Managing Director Graham Jones takes up the story “It is a great boost for us in our aim of becoming the leading supplier of locksmith training throughout the UK. There is

no more recognisable brand than that of City and Guilds. It is recognised the world over, in fact the training course we are providing is accepted in over 120 countries as a part of entry requirements”. “It is a great opportunity for window installers looking to widen their skills to gain such a prestigious qualification. Candidates need not have any previous experience, we will take them through everything from lock recognition, an understanding of the tools they need to carry out the work, and of course all the entry techniques they need to learn. At the end of the course as well as having a fantastic qualification they also benefit from the support of our 24/7 helpline and each of them gets a locksmith’s ‘bible’ worth over £150”. Come and see us at the FIT Show to find out more information Hall 3 Stand 364.

Ten good reasons for you to trade with MPL • Outstanding product range • Unparalleled access to ‘obsolete’ parts • Trade Accounts • Guaranteed next working day delivery • Lock identification made easy • Expert on-line and telephone advice • Free delivery on all orders over £100 • Instructional videos for all trade accounts • Trade catalogue • Local Stockists

Tel: 01924 360444 Email: graham@multipointlocks.co.uk www.multipointlocks.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0056

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

DOORS & HARDWARE

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

21st CENTURY COMPOSITE LOCKING Maximise space with AluK Solidor has again sliding door systems been chosen by Winkhaus as a launch partner, this time for the patented blueMatic AV2-B battery operated automatic multi-point locking system, which both companies claim is a 21st Century keyless solution for modern composite doors. In an age where we are all now accustomed to keyless door entry for cars, the opportunity for such systems for front or even back doors is a welcome one for consumers and trade installers looking to offer

something unique. The blueMatic AV2-B is a keyless operating system based on the renowned Winkhaus automatic AV2 Lock, which Solidor was a launch partner for back in November 2012.

The automatic AV2 mechanical lock operates as a slam secure lock as soon as the door is closed, while the remote control operates up to a range of 30 metres with 18.4 billion, billion rolling codes. No electrician or other trade services are need, as the system is AA battery operated with an expected lifespan of 2 years before replacement is necessary of the batteries. The blueMatic AV2-B has also been developed to comply with the forthcoming EN 15685 European Standard for multi-point locks, including annex EN14846 electronic access devices and has been tested in doorsets to PAS23/24 durability and security standards. Both

Solidor and Winkhaus believe that composite door specification will continue to increase over the next few years when it comes to product design and security.

Justin Harris, commercial director, Winkhaus UK Ltd, comments: ‘It’s important for us not only to develop cutting edge multi-point locking systems, but to work with the leading pioneers in door and window manufacture. For the last two years we have built an incredibly close working relationship with Solidor which we believe will continue for many years to come.’ Gareth Mobley, managing director of Solidor Group concludes: ‘We’re delighted once again to be a launch partner with Winkhaus. This is yet another industry first to add to our growing list, as we push composite door manufacture and specification forward.’ For a copy of the new Solidor consumer brochure and new colour swatch, or to find out more about their Recommended Installer scheme then log on to www. solidor.co.uk, call 01782 847300 or e-mail enquiries@ solidor.co.uk. To keep up to date with all of their developments follow them on Twitter @solidorltd or look them up on Facebook. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0057

According to recent Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) research, lack of space and lack of natural light is one of the most cited causes of dissatisfaction with the home. As house and energy prices continue to rise, and with the average one bedroom flat being the same size as a London Underground tube carriage, both consumers and specifiers are looking for solutions that not only help to maximise living space, but also answer aesthetic and performance demands.

Russell Yates, Managing Director at AluK, comments: “We see growing demand for high performance flexible solutions that add a new dimension to homes, allowing homeowners to expand their living space. AluK sliding door systems provide homeowners with wide expanses of glazing that allow the natural light to flood into the rooms, while performing to the thermal, acoustic and security standards expected and demanded.” AluK’s BSC94 and BSC70 sliding door systems offer a variety of design features such as dual colours, allowing for different colour finishes for the inside and outside, as well as a complete range of hardware and accessories to help achieve the right look and performance. AluK’s BSC94 sliding door system is a multiconfiguration in-line system that features thermally enhanced extrusions. Its robust and durable design allows up to 200kg panel weight inline sliding and 400kg in a lift and slide configuration. A perfect solution for homes where there is a desire to open wide spaces to the outdoors. Versatile and robust, AluK’s BSC70 is an inline sliding door system with narrow profile offering minimal sight lines 42mm interlock. This competitively priced solution is available

with two pane sliding door or window options and is the ideal option for traditional patio doors. The AluK sliding door range provides consumers with the choice of designs and finishes to complement any home whilst also answering their demands for higher thermal and acoustic performance and air tightness. Designed to provide a flexible solution, AluK’s sliding doors offer the style of living that today’s modern homeowners are looking for.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0058

Modplan’s patios open the door to an enhanced portfolio Trade fabricator Modplan’s patio door, part of a comprehensive portfolio of products, is manufactured in the fabricator’s dedicated door plant. This in-house expertise is something that Managing Director Heidi Sachs knows is important to the company’s customers: “Because we’re manufacturing our patios in-house, we can guarantee the quality of every single one as well as offering an extremely competitive turnaround time.” Heidi says that Modplan’s patio is extremely popular amongst fabricators who want to offer a comprehensive portfolio but don’t

have the resources to manufacture them themselves. “Patio doors are a great value-added product, but they are complex to manufacture and many fabricators don’t or can’t make the investment needed to fabricate them. Our patios are the perfect way for fabricators to be able to add them to their portfolios because they can be sure that we’re just as committed to quality as they are.” Modplan’s VEKA patio doors are designed to complement its Matrix 58, Matrix 70 and Matrix FS window systems and are available in White, Rosewood, Rosewood on White, Golden Oak and Golden Oak on White. They can also be sprayed

in any RAL colour in Modplan’s dedicated painting facility, which has recently expanded to meet the pace of growing demand. The doors can be glazed with 28mm toughened glass or laminated glazing if necessary. They are fully steel reinforced for strength and durability and come with multi-point hook locks and anti-lift blocks. The company has recently launched the eagerly awaited low threshold for the Inline Sliding Patio Door. Available in silver and gold finish, the threshold is Part M compliant and suits 2 pane patios up to 3100mm in length.

Modplan prides itself on the quality of its service. Heidi explains, “As a trade fabricator, we can concentrate on giving our customers the support they need to grow their businesses. We like to become our customers’ trusted partners and an extension of their in-house teams by delivering a high quality product and service on time every time.” Modplan manufactures a comprehensive range of products

that includes three casement windows, a vertical slider, composite doors, PVC-u and aluminium patio and bi-fold doors, conservatories, the Vertex solid tile-effect roof and glass and polycarbonate conservatory roofs. For more information on any of Modplan’s products, simply Ask the Man from Modplan. Tel: 01495 246844 www.modplan.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0059

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

DOORS & HARDWARE

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Soloists for the system

Class (also)

for the masses

"Despite our consistent development as a window and door technology full service provider, we are not neglecting our core competences." Roto used this brief formula to characterise the unchanged significance of the Tilt&Turn hardware systems during "fensterbau/frontale". This is confirmed by the worldwide market leadership in the classic segment that is based on the well-known invention of company founder Wilhelm Frank. Correspondingly strong efforts to maintain and extend this top position by means of constant further developments and innovations remain. Current evidence is provided by the 2014 innovations within the "Tilt&Turn" portfolio that the company presented during the course of the international specialist trade fair in Nuremberg. Thus, the universal "NT Designo" range now covers an additional field of application. The concealed hinge solution for windows and balcony doors with high sash weights of up to 150 kg is now available for use with triple-sashed windows with fixed mullions. Here, the up to 80 kg heavy middle sash may be opened as the last element. In addition, the recent premium alternative is characterised by easy hinging and unhinging as well as efficient opening. A successful combination of aesthetics, strength, and ease of installation is represented by a new version of the "AL Designo". This enables aluminium sash weights of up to 180 kg and is therefore especially suitable for implementation in demanding properties. Compared to the competition, Roto currently offers the highest performing concealed hardware for the Eurokammer system. Thanks to full clamping, the hinge-side for the opening types turn and tilt, as well as just turn, ensures simple and fast installation. With the additional load transfer it also ensures necessary stability and can be efficiently combined with the "AL 540" central lock.

“The universal “NT Designo” range now covers an additional field of application.” 32

The key elements of the "strong" addition to the range are the newly developed corner and stay bearings. Also part of the "AL Designo" portfolio for aluminium windows and balcony doors is another innovation: the small sash stay 390 mm for very slim Tilt&Turn sashes sized between 390 and 500 mm. In addition, the hardware specialist also draws attention to the couplable rebate hinge. It can be used with 300 to 500 mm wide turn-only sashes with active centre locks on the hinge-side. A première can also be seen in the universal "AL 540" product range for aluminium window and balcony doors up to 300 kg. It now includes a version for turn-only sashes weighing up to 160 kg. The hingeside also enables room height sashes up to 2,700 mm. The "comfort" rebate hinge with integrated lateral adjustment should also be mentioned as a special technical feature. The securing of corner and stay bearings is carried out via additional components in the frame.

The name says it all With a completely new product line, the construction supplier offers simple connecting-rod hardware that can be clamped. It is simply called "OK" and is a Tilt&Turn solution for windows and balcony doors made from PVC with sash weights of up to 80 kg. It also opens up access to new markets and customer groups. The clear strategic focus is reflected, among other things, in the "extremely slim" product range. Important effects: low storage costs and simple production. The specific customer benefits also result from the opportunity to use semi-automated and volume-oriented production. Technically, the pallet with a three-year performance guarantee is based on the proven connecting-rod concept. The manufacturer lists further benefits, including fibre-glass reinforced PVC components (polyamide) that can be clamped for easily installation, frame and hinge-side components from the comprehensive "NT" component system, standard square gears with 15 mm backset, and an optional gap fan. The corrosionresistant "Roto Sil Nano" surface is also an essential quality feature of the innovation that is suitable for use with sash rebate widths from 410 to 1,300 mm and sash rebate heights of 360 to 2,400 mm. The brief fair summary states that, when it comes to sales and professional technical services for market partners, every "Roto OK" is quite simply OK. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0062

In its journey from Tilt&Turn pioneer to the premier full service window and door technology company, the expanding door portfolio plays a crucial role. Roto has come to define high strategic values in this product system. The end result is hardware technology that covers absolutely every aspect of doors.

to Roto's "AL 540" window hardware as part of a comprehensive approach to the system. It offers aesthetic benefits by means of the floating mullion made from brushed, non-rusting stainless-steel which completely covers the coupling points. An additional plus comes from the two rounded end caps that harmoniously complete the floating mullion.

Roto's presentation at the upcoming "fensterbau/frontale" 2014 trade show will focus on this and more, when the show comes to Nuremberg at the end of March.

"Safe H AL" has a proven track record in intensive practice testing at system producers and manufacturers. According to rigorous test results, the simple and fast installation has proved a particular advantage. Neither jigs nor special-purpose tools are required for installation. In addition, even in the mounted state, the latch can be switched from the front of the floating mullion to the right or left.

The full product range covers everything from single point locking door-locks, a wide range of mechanical, electromechanical and automated multi-point locking systems for homes, back doors, escape doors and panic doors. Practical solutions from a single source is the name of the game: surface-mounted and butt door hinges and door sills are among the accessories. The entire product line boasts the high level of manufacturing quality characteristic of the "german made" standard. Incorporating international trends of energy efficiency, safety, comfort and design are a matter of course. The goal remains to create and implement intelligent ideas with specific customer benefits in mind.

Already tried and tested basic lock This principle has come into play in a number of door innovations as of late. With "Safe H AL", the exhibition visitor will get to experience the premiere of a mechanical multi-point locking system for balconies, terraces and internal office doors made from aluminium with sash weights of up to 120 kg. The lever-handle-operated basic lock with latch and bolt represents a key addition

This new lock alternative is compatible with the sash backset of 35 or 40 mm as well as the 15/20 groove. Reliable functionality and durability have already been confirmed when Roto conformed to the DIN EN 12209, 1191 and 12400 standards as well as the successfully completed CE test. Roto's 20 mm dead bolt expulsion adds to the security for which it is already well-known. Furthermore, the whisper latch ensures quiet handling.

"Solid" reinforcements Additions have also been made to the door hinge portfolio. For example, the "Solid S 117 NN" can be used in PVC doors of up to 160 kg. The surface-mounted hinge made completely from extruded aluminium meets the CE quality requirements in accordance with DIN EN 1935 (class 14); it also has the SKG** certification. It fulfils even high comfort, load-bearing capacity and security demands and is also characterised by a clean design. Roto's upward removable axis for difficult applications (low door lintel) is another important highlight of the product line, not to mention the consistent optics on adjustment (no gap coverage). Colour selection provided by materials which may be anodised and coated is yet another core positive development. The fact that it fits standard tools and is adjustable in the fully mounted state are star features. The three-piece screw-fitted solution "Solid S 120 ATB" is used in heavily frequented, inward and outward opening aluminium doors up to 160 kg. The new direct screwfixing with two profile walls and without additional fixing components has proved to be a key installation advantage. Linked to this is the suitability for almost all current thermally insulated aluminium profiles with thermal break and the positive effect that profile walls do not distort. The same performance is featured in the two-piece sister product called the "Solid S 80 ATB" designed for aluminium doors up to 120 kg. In addition, the Duo surface-mounted hinge affords considerable design freedom thanks to the wide selection of anodised and powdercoated surfaces.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0063

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Whiteline

Eastbourne based fabricator, Whiteline, is now 30 years old having been founded in 1984. Chris Champion, Glass News’ Editor talks to Whiteline’s Managing Director, Steve Milham, about what makes Whiteline different to other trade fabricators.

The first thing I must comment on is your website. It has to be one of the clearest and most comprehensive I’ve seen...? Thanks…and hopefully our customers think so, too! We’ve spent a lot of time and no little money, trying to ensure that every customer can find everything they want to know about Whiteline, easily, quickly and intuitively, straight from the website. It’s a natural extension, not a replacement, of the personal interactions between our staff and customers which take place every day. Technology is essential in today’s world but there is no substitute for personal contact, which we still regard as vital and key to our ultimate success.

I know that you are, essentially, a South East based fabricator but is your customer base growing in other parts of the UK? Our established customer base has been concentrated in London and the South East, but we have been expanding into more widespread areas for some time now. At the end of the day, customers want a fabricator they can rely on, for product range, quality and delivery. Where that supplier is based within the country is becoming less important.

So can we talk about PVCu and Aluminium which are, presumably, the mainstay of the business? PVCu is our main product line. We have a long history of commissioning our own unique elements, to customise the mainstay range of extrusions and differentiate them from ‘generic’ products. This investment in design and tooling enables us to offer our

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

customers distinctive products that can only be sourced from Whiteline, allowing them to build a stronger retail offering for the long term. We can then confidently invest in marketing and lead generation, based on our retail brand PlatinumNRG, with which our customers can build their businesses.

I know that you fabricate the Liniar suite, what additions have you made? The first was our SlimSASH profile. We have traditionally always had a slim chamfered sash product in our portfolio. The latest version is a 6 chamber sash, 5mm narrower on the face and with two putty line details. The extra glass area and chambers allows even better thermal performance than the standard Liniar chamfered system. Two years ago we saw an untapped opportunity in the market and took the concept of FlushSASH to Liniar. They worked with us to develop it and we took it to market, supported by a high profile launch campaign. It is flattering that we now see other system companies taking this concept on board, but FlushSASH is still the only 70mm FlushSASH window and door system on the market today. It has become a real sales success.

It is refreshing to see a Fabricator driving new products, what else is in the pipeline? Whiteline are always looking for features and benefits, for fitters and end users alike, that will help create new markets for PVCu windows and doors. The market always needs new designs and improvements to show progress from the more basic products that the homeowner purchased say 10 or 20 years ago. We have come up with some more, fresh, bright ideas and these will be unveiled on the Liniar stand at the FIT Show in June. We look forward to welcoming people there to share them.

Aluminium is definitely on the increase in the home improvement market. Have you found that to be the case with your customers? I think we all have to recognise that Aluminium profiles have a number of unique attributes that make for a great, sustainable choice for windows and doors in the home and commercial premises. And the answer is yes, Aluminium is a significant growth area with our customers. As with PVCu, we fabricate in-house and we strive to

GLASS NEWS INTERVIEW

differentiate our package from other supplier’s offers. This has been helped with the launch of three new Steel Window replacement sashes last year from our profile supplier, AlUK. We have also developed a steel replacement window working on butt hinges, with monkey tail handles and working peg and stays, for that truly authentic look.

As far as manufacturing is concerned all products, with the exception of timber, are made at your Eastbourne factory? Yes they are. And that includes conservatories too....both in PVCu and Aluminium. Our 30 years in business has taught us much about manufacturing techniques and has given us the ability to manufacture high quality products in line with the lead times demanded by our customers. We are committed to innovation and improvement of our product and service offerings and have a great team of people making everything happen. We have the expertise to deliver products that match the most demanding energy standards, like PassivHaus. We were amongst the first fabricators in the country to gain the BFRC A+ energy rating and the first to gain the BM Trada window Acoustic Rating. Innovation comes as standard.

And triple glazing? Is that a growth area? Well that’s a hot topic! We have offered triple glazing for quite some time now and the demand for it will increase, probably through product offers and awareness promoted by the National players. However, gas filled double glazing utilising the very latest coated glasses on the market are very energy efficient and allow us to offer A+ rated double glazed windows, here and now. Whiteline will move with the demands of our customers and the homeowner and we must offer solutions to meet truly their needs, not just to join a trending bandwagon.

How do you tackle the issue of delivery to your customers? In only the best way we can - with our own fleet. We run a variety of vehicles from vans to 18 tonners. Delivery is absolutely key to success. However good the product, if delivery is poor, that’s what will be remembered. Every year we survey our customers and our delivery service always comes out very highly

rated. Many of our drivers have over 10 years experience and we have invested consistently in our fleet. Customer communication about deliveries is absolutely vital. The day before a customer is to receive a delivery, they will receive a delivery schedule. They’ll then get a phone or text message to give the approximate delivery time and, if that changes because of road conditions or whatever, the driver will let the customer know of the revised time. All of our vehicles have GPS trackers for real time location visibility, so we control the delivery process, end to end. No-one can be perfect, but if you set up the manufacturing, ordering and delivery systems well, it gives us the best possible chance to be an excellent supplier.

Finally, Whiteline are using the brand PlatinumNRG. Can you tell me more about this? The PlatinumNRG brand was created to help each of our customers promote their own business with the most environmentally friendly, safe and secure products in the UK. We strongly believe that we need to identify our finished product as unique. As a fabricator we select all the components, options and finishes and put them together as a complete final product. There is more to it than comparing products based on the profile brand alone. We use the best products in our manufacturing so that our installer partners can, in turn, be confident that they are offering the best doors, windows and conservatories to their homeowner customers. The PlatinumNRG brand is for all our customers and their consumer clients, representing all that is the best in products today. To promote the brand continually our support package includes a new retail lead generating website and a reward scheme for our customers to incentivise their sales teams. Arguably we provide the complete package for any Installation Company, but we won’t rest on our laurels. We’re just entering our next 30 years of trading and will always be looking for our next innovation. You can depend upon it.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0064

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

GLASS NEWS INTERVIEW

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

They may be best known as the company responsible for the inventing the reversible hinge, but Spilka has much more to offer the UK If you have been fabricating windows of any material in the UK over the last 30 years then you will recognise their name. As the company responsible for inventing the reversible hinge, Spilka was well ahead of its time.

be showing it on a 120mm deep reversible window is also significant. We know that U values, and thermal efficiency are key drivers for all window systems in the UK now, and with ‘Passivhaus’ developments becoming more popular it is great for us to be able to offer a complete window system which meets all the required criteria and is ‘future proof ’ as an offering.

You mentioned Primo. Is this a new PVCu system?

This Norwegian family owned company has a reputation for excellence in manufacture; its efficiency and quality are second to none, and a rejection rate of only six hinges per million produced goes some considerable way towards explaining their manufacturing pedigree. But there is much more than that. As a leading European manufacturing business Spilka only has 50 staff; this gives a clue to their methods. The company employs high levels of automation including robotic elements and most of the 50 members of staff are employed in technical roles to support the production teams. To find out more, Glass News’ Editor, Chris Champion talks with Spilka’s Frank Fay.

So you’re Spilka’s ‘Man in the UK’? Well, yes. The UK plus Europe, US and Canada, the Pacific Rim....

Right. So definitely not just the ‘Man in the UK’! The brief is certainly wider than the UK and I’ve been looking after our long standing customers in our main markets for 25 years. That may sound like a long time but in Spilka terms I’m a positive ‘newbie’! Many of the staff in Norway have been with the company for much longer than 25 years.

And how did you become involved with Spilka? My background has been in building supplies and timber specifically. I was a director of Magnet prior to joining Spilka and my knowledge of the social housing and specification markets was what Spilka needed at the time.

As I said, the name Spilka is a name that is well known in the UK, but it is primarily associated with reversible hinges? 36

Certainly that is the case within the UK, but all that is about to change. Because of being the inventor of reversible hinges, Spilka is very well known in Scandinavia and enjoying an unmatched brand awareness....we’re producing over 500,000 sets of reversible hinges every year. Much of our UK sales have been into Scotland where the reversible window has been popular for a long time.

Where does Spilka go from here? You’re still selling reversible hinges in the UK and have maintained a reasonable market share... We have. However, we recognise that the reversible window represents around 3% of the 8m to 9m windows produced each year. Now is the time to bring new products to the UK - products that have the Scandinavian influence of great design combined with style and functionality. A good example is the new Opus range of reversible hinges. We know from our development plan that it complies with all the current legislation for safety, egress, cleaning and security and will continue to do so for many years to come. We know the window industry here will like its technical features and their many benefits.

Will you be showing Opus at FIT? Yes we will. Opus is relevant to the UK market’s desire for ‘lifestyle’ homes with extensive areas of glass and natural light. Fitted to the Primo reversible window it can be made with large sash sizes which we know will be very popular.. The fact that we will

Primo of Denmark is a privately-owned extruder of PVCu products including a range of window systems. In recent years they have developed these systems to meet the stringent performance demands of the Danish market which will require ‘Passivehaus’ standards by 2020. In addition there are extra requirements concerning light and heat transmittance which mean windows produced to Danish standards are among the very best in Europe. In refining their products for other markets Primo began a co-operation with Spilka. This resulted in profiles suitable for Spilka’s ‘Classic’ hinge as used on the H Window and now a profile for Spilka’s ‘Opus’ hinge. This multi-chambered profile has a front to back dimension of 120mm and the sash accepts double or triple glazed units of up to 48mm.

Your website talks about Spilka producing aluminium profile.... Our experience with aluminium has led to us producing other aluminium products such as sliding patio door gear and a new range of aluminium cladding - which can also be used on the Primo PVCU window profiles. Aluminium cladding for timber windows has been a growth area in many European markets and especially in the UK. These profiles allow increased protection for the timber profiles on the external face of the window while still allowing the option of displaying the natural beauty of the wood to the inside. In addition to this increasing demand, we have responded to changes in the aluminium profile supply chain in the home Norwegian market. With many years of experience designing window profiles and systems it was a natural progression to supply the finished product when key customers requested it, starting with a range of standard ‘off the shelf ’ profiles for the most popular reversible windows, sliding patio doors and balcony doors.

How is this supplied to the customer? Customers can buy the profile in ‘bar lengths’ but Spilka’s new service now means profiles can be supplied ‘cut to size’ ready to fit to their timber windows on the production line, saving on time and production cost. We can also design and supply ‘bespoke’ profiles in a range of standard colours and non-standard colours to order.

Will you be showing all these products at FIT? Opus, Primo and the Alu-clad products? Although many of our existing customers are already aware of these innovations, FIT will be the launch to fabricators and installers in the UK. Spilka has never left the UK market. We’ve been here supplying to the specialist ‘reversible’ fabricators but now’s the time to tell a wider audience about the fuller extent of our product range.

So we can look forward to seeing Spilka’s products on Stand 260 at FIT. Thanks for your time, Frank. READER ENQUIRY No: 0614/0065

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

0514/0066

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

GLASS NEWS INTERVIEW

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Succession planning may be

key to your future prosperity Recruitment specialist for the fenestration industry, Chase Taylor, has widened the scope of its offering to the industry by launching Chase Taylor Consultancy. Mat Gibson welcomes industry stalwart Paul Lindsay as Managing Director of this new division and Glass News Editor, Chris Champion, met up with Paul to find out more about this new venture.

You’re lucky, Paul, I nearly referred to you as an industry veteran... I suppose my years in this industry probably qualifies me for that title and certainly my experience over the last 20 years is valuable to this new consultancy. Although new, I should point out that we are already working with a number of clients who need our expertise in this field.

Lets talk about that. The word ‘Consultancy’ somehow evokes a marketing slant, but that’s not the case is it? No. This consultancy is specifically about succession planning. We have found that many of our clients who use Chase Taylor to help them in the area of recruitment also have issues over how they may exit the company, when the time is right. If you think about it, many companies who have been established over the past 10 to 30 years are owned and run by people who, at some point, want to retire.

In this industry that’s not necessarily easy, is it? Many companies are, essentially, that owner, and the business has been built through their contacts and their visibility. And therein lies the problem. Whether the company is a small installer, a fabricator of any size or a manufacturer, the same issues exist. That business has grown with the owner and the time will come when they want to retire... and retirement may come in various guises. Some may be looking to sell the business to provide a pension pot, whereas others may

maximising the reward from being the owner and founder of a business.

Where’s the connection between Chase Taylor’s core recruitment business and a succession planning consultancy? want to reduce their working hours but still take an income from the business. We have one client who would like to sell the business because he would like to do something different for his last 10 years - as an employee and not be responsible for a business as a whole.

So how do Chase Taylor help in this situation? Most owners need a sounding board: someone to talk to about the options that are open to them. Some have said that their accountants and solicitors are keen to help them but that they feel that that keenness is based on fees payable through a sale! The clients we have talked to have expressed a wish to have someone lay out the options before them and, maybe, think outside the box a bit to find a structure that will suit them personally and the business they’ve built up. There’s great pride in building a successful business and there’s great fear that the choices they make may not give them the best return for their years of labour.

When anything is for sale we all know that the vendor will always have an inflated idea of its worth, whereas the purchaser’s thoughts will be diametrically opposed! That’s very true. However, the sale of the business is not necessarily the answer. There are many different options.

We never hear much about succession planning - it’s almost secretive, as if there’s some stigma attached... Succession planning is almost a dirty word. It sounds like the end of a career but it doesn’t have to be that at all. It’s all about what the owner wants, or needs to do. There may be financial needs, family issues, longstanding and loyal staff to think about as well as

When recruiting for our clients it has become evident that often that recruitment is directly attributable to reducing the workload of the owner, specifically. In small businesses particularly, we often find the owner is working long and extremely unsociable hours and that’s usually because the business is them. It has been built around their knowledge and contacts and, although they have other staff, they may not have helped those staff, as much as they should have, to gain the managerial skills that would let them run the business if the owner retired. We then find that they need to recruit skilled management to run the business, particularly if they want to take a reduced role but still take an income from the business.

Does your own background give you the skills to help a business with its succession planning? As you have already pointed out, I’ve been around a long time! A good, rounded experience of business in general, an ability to listen and disseminate information, to provide a degree of counselling with a suggestion of options and solutions, blended with a few grey hairs, is not a bad start! My own background has been in sales, marketing and general management in such companies as Epwin, Synseal and LB Plastics and, prior to the fenestration industry in both the food and DIY sectors.

How does the process of planning for succession in a business take place? It’s all about understanding the business and the options available to the owner. To do this we offer a free-of-charge diagnostic that is presented as a report. Should the owner want to pursue the options further we would then discuss an appropriate fee with them.

Paul Lindsay.

Succession planning could involve sale, MBO or MBI, introduction of management to allow semiretirement... All of those, and more. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of confidentiality and trust. To help arrive at the right conclusion requires the client to trust Chase Taylor with sensitive information. For instance, if a company has a ‘For Sale’ sign over it, it can have a detrimental effect on the business and on staff morale. If sale is the desired option, we have a database of businesses looking to acquire...

Is this a business matching service? A bit of a ‘speed dating for the fenestration industry’? If only it was that easy! No, it’s literally matching - for instance a company in one sector may be looking to amalgamate with a company in a different sector. It’s our job to analyse a business and its future potential, and present succession options: some of which may never have crossed the client’s mind.

Succession planning seems to be very like making a will: you know you should do it but it’s easy to put it off to another time. If you are looking to retire or reduce the hours you work, good succession planning can mean the difference between maximising your worth or missing an opportunity.

Confidentiality is absolutely key, together with a dispassionate approach that can present all the options open to them. Discussing succession with family, friends or work colleagues will normally produce more questions than answers, simply because everyone has their own axe to grind. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0067

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

TRADE NEWS

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

GM Fundraising to Honour Troops CENSolutions Three Peak

marking the Centenary of WW1 Challenge for National

Following last year’s hugely successful GM Fundraising Hope 66 charity cycle ride across America, the team has chosen to undertake a shorter ride to mark the Centenary of World War 1 later this year. Under the banner of ‘The Poppy Ride’, twenty riders will cycle from The National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffs to the Somme battlefields on the French/Belgian border to raise funds for The Royal British Legion. Recognising that the generosity of GM Fundraising’s supporters is not limitless, the riders will not seek sponsorship. Instead a single headline sponsor will be sought for the underlying support costs and each rider will pay a donation fee to take part in the event and cover their individual accommodation and subsistence costs. The combined fees will then be

Kidney Foundation

the total donation handed over to the Royal British Legion. Commenting on the launch of ‘The Poppy Ride’, Gary Morton said, “Last year the glazing industry helped us to raise over £210,000 for Hope House Children’s Hospices. In the view of the team, another sponsored ride so soon after Hope 66 ran the risk of ‘donor fatigue’. Though Hope House remains our focus at this time, we could not let the Centenary of WW1 pass without a GM Fundraising tribute to the sacrifice of our countrymen.” ‘The Poppy Ride’ will begin at The National Memorial Arboretum and head for Folkestone, itself an embarkation point for soldier’s en-route to the front. On the way there will be a short wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall,

Wayne Rogerson, Joint Managing Director of CENSolutions, will be embarking on the National Three Peaks Challenge in June this year to raise money for the National Kidney Foundation.

London. Once across the English Channel, the riders will cycle from Calais to Arras before spending the following day on a circuit of the Somme battlefield memorials, concluding in a service of Remembrance at the Faubourg-d’Amiens Cemetery. During the Poppy Ride every cyclist will cover around 350 miles. More information on GM Fundraising and ‘The Poppy Ride’ can be found at www. gmfundraising.co.uk. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0068

“I’ll be undertaking this challenge with my brother Darren to raise money for a charity close to our hearts, the National Kidney Foundation,” says Wayne. “Our mother had a kidney transplant in 1998 but sadly passed away in 2004, so to mark the 10 year anniversary of her passing, my brother and I wanted to get together to raise money for this important charity. We are both novice walkers so this really will be a challenge for both of us, but we have been getting in as much training as possible, to ensure we complete the challenge on the 20th-21st June.”

The National Three Peaks Challenge is a gruelling feat even for the adventurous. It involves climbing the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales – all within 24 hours! As well as being a tough physical challenge, participants often have to navigate the mountains in the dark or in bad weather to complete it in time. We have already enlisted the generous support of three key sponsors for this challenge: Regalead, Wintech and Brouha, but we are of course looking to raise as much as we can for the NKF. To offer your support please visit www.justgiving.com/ wayne-rogerson1 to sponsor Wayne and Darren – any size of donation would be very gratefully received. In addition to climbing the Three Peaks, the team at CENSolutions is also

supporting customer Regalead’s charity efforts by taking part in their five countries over 2 days golf challenge in May and sponsoring their London to Paris bike ride in August – all to raise money for Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity (RDMCC). “It’s easy to find ourselves so busy with our day jobs that we don’t have the time or energy to proactively raise money for those in need,” concludes Wayne, “so I’m thrilled to be in a position to do my bit for these incredibly important charities.” For more information on CENSolutions, call us today on 01785 716625, visit www.censolutions.com. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0069

0514/0070

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

TRADE NEWS

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

GLAZERITE DEBUT THE FIRST OF THEIR EVO SATELLITE TRAINING DAYS Having recently reached the landmark figure of £100million in sales, Wellingborough-based fabricator Glazerite Windows Limited are now investing their time and money in supporting new and existing customers with the facilities of online quoting and ordering and customising of a system to suit their business via a series of regionalised Evo Satellite training days. Held on March 19th 2014 at VEKA PLC, customers from various locations across Scotland, England and Wales were on hand to offer valuable feedback to Glazerite during the first of many scheduled training days.

Always looking for ways to improve on their current customer support, according to Peter Smith, Glazerite Northern Divisional Sales Manager: “The day garnered a positive response and everyone who took part contributed to its success.” Also partaking in a tour of VEKA’s manufacturing and warehouse operation, Glazerite customers were privy to a presentation update from Austin Greene on the MTC scheme. Chris Hatch of Glazerite was commended for his effort in keeping the day pitched for people with various levels of knowledge, but this wasn’t the only feedback of the

SELL TO LOCAL BUILDERS 50,000 EMAIL DISTRIBUTION WITH ! day. Frank Williams from Liverpool stated that he “enjoyed a very informative day”. Lauren Wilcox from Bolton “felt more confident in online ordering,” while Mike Dashper from Stranraer noted that he now “has a better understanding of the capabilities of online quoting and ordering.” All in all a great day was had by all and there are many more to come. www.glazeritewindows.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0071

ONLIN

PUBLICA E TION!

Email for more information: christina@fenestrabuild.co.uk M: 07805 051 322 | WWW.FENESTRABUILD.CO.UK

AVOCET CELEBRATES NATIONAL AWARDS WIN Directors and staff at Avocet Hardware are celebrating the company’s remarkable turnaround having gone from being a business on the brink to being named winner of the Hardware Company 2013 category in the very first National Fenestration Awards (NFAs) in less than two years. The Brighouse company was bought out of administration by the Jain family in

February 2012 and since then the focus has very firmly been on restoring Avocet’s standing as one of the leading names in the hardware industry.

24-hour delivery across its entire product range.

And achieving this so quickly is a source of great pride for director, Dr Tinkle Jain: “We have a track record of buying and turning round troubled or ailing companies, but do tend to look at a two to three year timeframe for achieving this,” she said. “To be in a position where we are being named the best Hardware Company in the industry in less than two years of ownership is a staggering achievement.” During the rebuilding process, the Jain family has invested £10.6million across the entire business, most recently investing heavily in increasing stock levels to the highest level the company has ever add. A situation that means Avocet can now offer

That winning feeling – staff at Avocet Hardware in Brighouse celebrate the company’s National Fenestration award win.

FORTNIG HTLY

In addition, the company has made a series of important new appointments during recent months, and is in the process of further strengthening its team. “This is an exciting time for Avocet and the National Fenestration Award clearly shows that our confidence in the future of the business is shared by the whole of the fenestration industry,” added Dr Jain. The NFAs were created in order to give the industry an unbiased and fair platform to decide who they think truly deserves industry recognition and praise – for additional information visit www.fenestrationawards. co.uk. For additional information on Avocet Hardware visit www.avocet-hardware.co.uk or call 01484 711700.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0072

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0514/0073

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Consumer Rights Bill Help the GGF Campaign In March, the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) yet again met with the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) to discuss the Federation’s proposal that the Consumer Rights Bill should be amended to make a distinction between generic goods (such as TVs and toasters) and goods made to a consumer’s specification (such as made-tomeasure windows). The GGF has previously proposed to BIS that there should be an amendment to the Bill so that the consumer may only reject that part of the product or complete product which is faulty, and may not reject the remaining products. Under current laws the consumer has the right to reject all the products for a fault on just one within a “reasonable period”, however because the consumer will have the clear right under the new Bill to reject faulty goods within a default 30 days and get a full refund, the GGF is concerned that there will be an increase in consumers rejecting all the newly installed windows in the house to get “free” windows or use it as a “lever” to get money off their bill. BIS have now asked the Federation for evidence to support the GGF’s proposal.

Guardian SunGuard SNX 50/23

– Natural light with half the heat

The position of BIS is that consumers should retain their longstanding right to reject all the goods under a contract where only some are faulty, which protects consumers who have lost all confidence in the goods, (for example because the faults presenting in some of the windows were suggestive of generally shoddy workmanship). In order to show that this current position is unreasonable and damaging to traders we need to prove to BIS that there is in practice a significant level of abuse of this right by consumers. This means we must provide evidence of consumers successfully rejecting all of the goods under a contract without any reasonable justification and on a significant scale. Having sought views from GGF Members over the past year on the implications of the Bill and the potential impact on their business, the GGF is concerned that the Bill as it is currently drafted could in fact leave companies vulnerable to vexatious consumers. The GGF is therefore seeking evidence to support its Members’ concerns. If you have any examples of a consumer(s) successfully rejecting all the windows/doors under a contract without any reasonable justification, please email the details with a description of what happened to Brian Smith, GGF Director of Home Improvement, at bsmith@ggf.org.uk. The GGF thanks you for your assistance in supporting the GGF’s campaign on this serious issue. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0074

Guardian Glass UK is pleased to announce the launch of SunGuard SNX 50/23. Primarily designed for architectural projects, SNX 50/23 is a triple silver coated glass which lets in twice the amount of natural daylight compared to solar heat gain. This tailored performance creates a naturally lit environment inside the building without being compromised by excessive solar heat gain, which can cause overheating. SNX 50/23 is the second triple silver coating in the SunGuard eXtra Selective glass series. With a light transmission of 50% and a solar factor of just 23%, SNX 50/23 has a worldclass selectivity ratio of 2.17. This figure demonstrates that the glazing reflects over twice the amount of solar heat away from the glass compared to the natural daylight it lets in. This is currently the leading selectivity ratio on the market. “This is a valuable addition to our portfolio of SunGuard products,”says Mark Bristow, Regional Manager for Guardian Glass UK.“SNX 50/23 offers the highest selectivity of any of our SunGuard products,and allows architects and engineers alike to design and create large glazed facades without compromising natural daylight because of excessive solar heat gain.” Combined with an ultra low U value of 1.0 W/m2K in a common 6/16/4 Argon filled insulating glass unit, SNX 50/23 creates a barrier in any glazed façade, dramatically

reducing heat loss from the building whilst also reducing solar heat gains,which can often result in a need for mechanical cooling. All of this is provided in a high light transmission glass with a low reflection, helping to ensure the project achieves its desired appearance whilst creating a comfortable environment inside the building. The innovative performance of SNX 50/23 can also achieve added points in BREEAM under the “Energy” and the “Well Being” categories. Ideal for any glazing application where natural daylight is a necessity and reducing solar factor is essential, the new SNX 50/23 is available in both annealed and heattreatable versions allowing it to be fabricated into units that meet all building regulation requirements. As with other SunGuard SuperNeutral products, SNX 50/23 is supplied with Guardian’s patented TPF film, which protects the SNX coating during processing and helps to ensure higher yields through fabrication, when handling and processing guidelines are properly applied. For more information on SunGuard SNX 50/23, or to find out more about all of Guardian’s newest glass innovations, visit www.guardianglass.co.uk/latestproducts. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0075

ANOTHER SOLIDOR AWARD

Composite door pioneer, Solidor, has added to their ever expanding trophy cabinet in achieving Business of the Year in the Sentinel Business Awards, with managing director Gareth Mobley being awarded Entrepreneur of the Year for the second year running.

The 18th Sentinel Business Awards proved to be the biggest in its history with around 130 submissions from a broad range of companies committed to growth, developing skills and driving innovation in North Staffordshire and South Cheshire. Few could argue with the award for Solidor after the incredible success of the business over the last 12 months, with growth in excess of 91% and product development that continues at a pace.

Solidor has already won G13 Promotional Campaign of the Year – Retail, which was largely based on the company’s impressive ability to have reached consumers with their

brand. New literature and a new consumer facing website have done much to drive sales leads to a Recommended Installer network of over 400 independent companies throughout the UK and Ireland.

This latest award shows just how impressive the company’s performance has been with growth continuing at the same rate for the current financial year and the promise of two new composite door sets for launch at the forthcoming FIT Show.

Gareth Mobley with a ‘selfie’, as he received the award!

The award of Entrepreneur of the Year for the second year running for Gareth Mobley is also perfect evidence of a new generation of hungry and dynamic business people in the glazing industry eager to make their mark.

Gareth Mobley, managing director of Solidor comments: ‘This award reflects the hard work of everyone at Solidor and our business partners, as we have a truly inspirational team. But we must now focus on the continued growth and development of the business as we further cement ourselves as the premium composite door of choice in the industry.’ To find out more about Solidor, then visit stand 110 at the FIT Show. In the meantime log on to www.solidor.co.uk, call 01782 847300 or e-mail enquiries@solidor. co.uk. To keep up to date with all of their developments follow them on Twitter @ solidorltd or look them up on Facebook. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0076

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LATEST ADDITION

0514/0079

TO THE LINIAR TEAM

Known for its innovative approach to design and development, systems house Liniar is delighted to welcome its newest team member, whose primary responsibility is to test its products to destruction. Meet ‘Mark II’ – a friendly ABB robot with an extra-long arm and a love for repetitive, methodical work – who has been put to work in Liniar’s brand new Innovation Testing Laboratory at its headquarters in Derbyshire. Currently testing the brand new Liniar ModLok™ bi-folding door, Mark II has already performed over 70,000 full opening sequences on the 3-pane door in the lab. That’s more than seven times the number required by British Standards for a product of

this nature – and Mark II is still going strong. (More importantly, so is the door!) By performing cyclic tests, Liniar will be able to assure both installers and homeowners with regards to durability and longevity giving them the ultimate reassurance that Liniar products will stand up to the rigours of demanding, everyday use for years to come. “We’re not aware of any other PVCu systems house that is able to test its products in this way,” explains Chris Armes, Design and Development Manager for Liniar, who has pioneered the project and programs the robot in the lab. At Liniar, we’re always trying to push ourselves to new levels in order to create products of the highest quality – and being able to prove this really sets us apart from the competition.” Mark II can be seen in action testing the Liniar ModLok™ bi-folding door on the Liniar YouTube channel at http://bit.ly/LiniarRobot – and he’s showing his human side too, with his very own Twitter account @Liniar_robot. For more information about Liniar, visit www.liniar.co.uk.

Liniar’s Innovation Testing Zone with Mark II the robot.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0077

Cutting Edge spells out

‘Why Deceuninck?’ Staffordshire-based fabricator Cutting Edge UPVC chose Deceuninck for its ‘range of foil colours, shorter lead times, “world class” on-time-in-full deliveries, and impressive marketing support.’ The first frames were delivered by Cutting Edge to customers during the first week of March. Managing Director Shirley Peake comments: “Changing our profile supplier was a key decision agreed by Cutting Edge’s joint group of Directors. Deceuninck’s shorter lead times, range of foil colours in stock and delivery performance were important factors in our decision. We also worked closely with Deceuninck to create a suite of brochures to help our customers stand out from the crowd.” Richard Hammond, Sales & Marketing Director says: “We’ve seen Deceuninck steadily growing and changing pace over the past few months. There’s a marked change in philosophy between Deceuninck and other systems companies. Many systems houses only seem interested in fabricators. Deceuninck takes it one step further than the rest and looks at what it can do for my customers. If they grow we all grow.

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

Cutting Edge joint directors L-R Richard Hammond, Mal Whitehurst, Shirley Peake.

Everyone’s light gets switched on and that’s good for the industry as a whole.” Richard continues: “It’s not just a hollow promise. The products work – from the revolutionary Colour360 to Monorail. It means I can differentiate and be part of a gang of two not 42. And Deceuninck is accessible, especially MD Roy Frost. You can ring him and get an answer. He’s never failed to call me back or respond to my tweets. Contrast this with MD’s of other systems companies. I’d be hard-pressed to name them!” If you want more information about how Deceuninck can switch the lights on and help your business grow, call Roy Frost on 07808 365234. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0078

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Sliders UK shares recipe for success

A highly successful first quarter has seen sales for the Ultimate range of patio, bi-folding and composite doors from Sliders UK increase by almost 40% compared to last year.

“For us this is as much about social responsibility as it is about differentiation. A burglary through a bi-folding door could potentially allow an intruder to completely empty a property. For this reason we prefer to make our bi-folds truly secure, rather than offer the basic specification that crowds the market.”

Along with improvements to the general economy and construction market, Joint Managing Director of Sliders UK, Ian Longbottom, puts this growth down to the diversification and continued investment in the company’s expanding portfolio of products, including its recently extended Ultimate Aluminium collection: “After 12 years in business, we are happy to report that Sliders is on target to achieve sales in the region of £10million in 2014,” says Ian.

emerging trends, while offering more choice to customers.

Sliders UK has grown every year of trading since it was formed in 2002 by Ian Longbottom and Mike Spain as a manufacturer and fabricator of UPVC patio doors. Since then, Sliders has become the largest manufacturer of patio doors in the UK, currently producing 300 units, along with 200 composite doors and 50 bi-folding doors, per week. All are made at the company’s state of the art factory in Preston in Lancashire.

The “Ultimate” Since launching with its original Duraflex patio door, Sliders UK has firmly established the “Ultimate” brand, which is characterised by the innovation and security credentials

“We now manufacture three UPVC in-line patio doors with a choice of Duraflex, Eurocell and Synseal frames, as well as two, Duraflex and Eurocell, UPVC bi-folding doors. We started manufacturing composite doors in 2011, just as these products were becoming more popular in the home improvement and new build markets.” 44

provided by its ever-increasing range of products. This innovative product range has seen many industry firsts, including the first UPVC in-line patio door, the first purpose built UPVC bi-folding door and the first aluminium bi-folding door to be produced in the UK with Secured by Design accreditation. Investing £100,000 annually in research and development, Sliders UK is constantly growing and evolving the “Ultimate” range to help installers to cater for the latest and

“We now manufacture three UPVC inline patio doors with a choice of Duraflex, Eurocell and Synseal frames, as well as two, Duraflex and Eurocell, UPVC bi-folding doors. We started manufacturing composite doors in 2011, just as these products were becoming more popular in the home improvement and new build markets,” explains Ian.

Aluminium! Last year, saw the launch of Sliders’ Ultimate Aluminium Bi-folding Door: “This quickly became the fastest selling product in our company’s history with sales doubling that of our UPVC bi-folds within the first eight months.”

This rapid growth was influenced by the resurgence of aluminium windows and doors within the luxury new build market, and inspired Sliders to start production of a complete suite of matching ALUK products. Launched earlier this year, this extended Ultimate Aluminium range includes multi configuration sliding patio doors, commercial, residential and French doors, residential casement and steel replacement windows.

Secured by Design Sliders UK offers its pioneering SBD approved hardware upgrades on all Duraflex patio and composite doors, while all three of Sliders’ Ultimate Bi-folding Doors are now supplied with this upgrade as standard. “For us this is as much about social responsibility as it is about differentiation. A burglary through a bi-folding door could potentially allow an intruder to completely empty a property. For this reason we prefer to make our bi-folds truly secure, rather than offer the basic specification that crowds the market,” explains Ian. “Fitting bi-folds that have been accredited by credible security initiatives such as Secured by Design, allows installers to assure their customers. At Sliders, this option and peace of mind comes as standard.” For more information, visit www.sliders-uk. com, email sales@sliders-uk.com or call 01772 698222.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0080

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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Emplas

Marketing: the full circle Many retailers continue to be let down by their brand positioning and marketing. With competition fierce putting your faith in an assumption that your customers will simply ‘find’ you is misplaced. Glass News reports. Put 12 different people in a room and ask them what marketing is, let alone how to make marketing effective in the window industry and you’re going to get 12 different answers. But this aside, these things we know to be true: to succeed in business you must profit, to profit you must sell and to sell you must market. And this is where many retailers have a nasty habit of tripping themselves up. “The spend is often there”, says Mike Crewdson, Sales and Marketing Director Emplas, “but it’s often disjointed and ad hoc. There are far too many installers out their haemorrhaging cash on website ‘pay per click’ or randomly placed advertising ‘one-offs’, who are then surprised when it doesn’t deliver a return. “This activity has to be joined up and planned if it’s going to deliver return on investment.” So what are the learning points? The marketing industry makes a huge amount of ‘noise’ about ‘innovation’ and ‘creativity’. But while Crewdson argues that installers could focus on the creativity of their campaigns or alternatively, “focus on results”. “People get wrapped up in innovation and creativity because that’s what the marketing industry tells them to do but if you can look at what someone else has done, what’s wrong with working to emulate that success? The reality is that marketing ideas are used over and over again, if it works and you can see it working copy it!” Fortunately for its’ customers, Emplas offers exactly just such a model to ‘copy’. This is because the trade-fabricator boasts its own retail operation - T&K. Turning a relationship that is so often a source of friction between fabricators and their

customers on its head, Emplas has turned it to the advantage of both parties. Operating only in Northamptonshire and only supplying the trade outside it, T&K acts as an experimental laboratory, where Emplas trials retail support before releasing it to its trade customer base. This covers off everything from product development through to retail literature – Emplas trade customers only get products if they have sold for T&K. But alongside product development they also get tried, tested and proven lead generation support. “Everything we do is available to our customers. We make everything that has worked for us through T&K available to them. They can either run the campaigns themselves or take ideas from them, which we’ll then help them to develop. The point is that the support is there.” This extends to the Emplas Customer Marketing Audit. Providing customers with a no punches pulled 360 degree review of their marketing and lead generation activity, the aim is to give Emplas installers a better understanding of what’s working for them, what isn’t and what could. “It can sometimes be a difficult process”, continues Crewdson, “you’re there carrying out an assessment of someone’s showroom or their lead generation activity and if it’s not good, it can sometimes be hard to hear but the point is, that without that honesty it’s very difficult to effect positive change. “It can be a bitter pill to swallow but the sugar-coating comes when you tell them they could double their return on their advertising spend or save ‘X’ amount by cutting an activity that doesn’t deliver results and spending that money instead on a refresh of their showroom.”

Analysis starts with the figures, to develop a detailed understanding of the cost of not only each existing lead but also the cost of each sale. “That’s not just a pure financial cost”, says Crewdson, “but the value attached to the input of time against each activity. It all adds up and detracts from your bottom line. You have to know exactly what every activity is costing you.” Crewdson puts similar emphasis on planning and management. Emplas’ award winning marketing team are on hand to work alongside its customers in drilling down and extracting new value from databases, to forward planning campaigns. Crewdson and co. also share top tips on how to maximise return on budget spend and the importance of their effective management. T&K has achieved an average of 44 leads every week for the first quarter of this year with a 1:2 conversion ratio, which contributed to an annual growth in sales of 74 per cent in 2013 compared to 2012. This is achieved through strong local positioning and hard-nosed strategic lead generation, integrating community partnership, radio and newspaper advertising campaigns alongside direct mail and a gentle form of tele-canvassing. You need to advertise, if you don’t you don’t get the awareness but you need to consider how effective that advertising is”, says Crewdson. “For example, you might spend £500 on advertising with a newspaper and pick up five leads from people who might just have happened to be planning to buy windows that day. But that doesn’t mean that simply by doubling that spend to £1,000 you’re going to get 10 leads. There is no law or ratio of return. “If, however, you were to take that extra £500 and spend it on some ‘soft’ tele-canvassing, for example a little training to improve the techniques of your people in the office, or perhaps issue a direct mail to coincide with that advertising, your odds improve – you need to tie-in your approach to different areas of activity.” Brand management and positioning plays a no less important part in the Emplas Customer Marketing Audit. “It's important to be aware of what your competitors are offering but don’t let it dictate the strategy you use for your own business”, says Crewdson. There are far too many retailers who get drawn into this ‘tit for tat’ price war. If your competitors want to be the low price leaders, let them be. Don’t try to become the ‘lower price’ leader. If they want to tout low prices, then focus on value, quality, performance and service and reflect that in your branding and brand identity.” For more information visit www.emplas.co.uk , email info@emplas.co.uk or call 01933 674880.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0081

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FLAT OUT OF ROOFING OPTIONS? NEW FENSA WEBINAR SERIES ANNOUNCED - ALL YOU WANTED TO ASK ABOUT CPS TRANSTIONS & MTCS

Following a winter of severe wind and rain, installers are more aware than ever that roofs need to be able to stand up to the worst that the British weather can throw at them. Here, Chris Coxon, Head of Marketing at Eurocell, looks at the choices available.

“Flat roofs have always posed a challenge for building owners. Architecturally they are far from inspiring, not to mention being vulnerable to rain and wind. It was against this background that we set about developing Skypod®, our new skylight solution that offers fabricators and installers a modern architectural design and value for money solution for flat roof structures. Purpose-designed with a unique ridge and spider bar, Skypod® offers contemporary aesthetics that add height, volume and natural light to uninspiring flat-roofed rooms. This month sees the launch of Skypod®2, a single-piece pitched gable end skylight, featuring two rather than three rafter bars (hence the name!) Skypod®2 offers better aesthetics and more natural light, to extend the range appeal further.

Night and day

Within the conservatory sector too, we have developed Equinox, an advanced tiled roof system suitable for new or refurbishment projects. The system features solid insulation panels integrated in the structure for superb thermal efficiency – approximately ten times better than an ‘A’ rated window. Not only does this create a warmer, more comfortable living area in winter, but a cooler environment in summer, therefore reducing energy bills. Tiled roof systems such as this are equally suitable for transforming an existing, or creating a new roof on a wide variety of buildings, not just a conservatory. As summer approaches and more homeowners look to make better use of their conservatory, we’ve introduced a new marketing support package for Equinox that is designed to give our customers’ sales teams everything they need to make the most of this opportunity. For starters there’s a new promotional video aimed at homeowners that highlights

the benefits of Equinox and which is easily accessible via YouTube or the Eurocell website.

Secondly, we’ve refreshed our tiled roof website section, introduced new literature and added a whole range of installer support tools. Latest additions to our roofing range are designed to improve both performance and aesthetics. Available through all 130 Eurocell branches nationwide, backed up with a wide range of perfectly colour matching roofline, trims and accessories as well as a new range of rooflights and GRP roofing, it strengthens our commitment to offering installers a one-stop-shop solution for all projects.” To find out more about the roofing solutions available from Eurocell, call the Marketing Response Team on: 0800 988 3049, or visit eurocell.co.uk/equinox.

Products such as Skypod® are ripe for installers as recent research suggests that 30% of homeowners plan to extend their property in the next three years*, a high proportion of which will feature flat roofs. And with new build completions forecast to increase by 50 percent to 161,000 by 2017, the opportunities for Eurocell customers are clear.

FENSA has launched another round of its popular FREE webinar series on the Minimum Technical Competencies and transition to Certified Installer status. The Government’s deadline of 6 June 2014 for compliance with both is fast approaching and FENSA expects the webinars to be very popular. The webinars provide lots of useful information and companies have the opportunity to ask questions. Attendance & participation at these webinars is for information only. These webinars do not form the actual MTC assessment or Transition Inspection.

Dates & times 'PASS YOUR TRANSITION INSPECTION' Webinars • Wednesday 7 May, 1pm (ends at 2pm) • Thursday 22 May, 7pm (ends at 8pm) 'PASS YOUR MTC ASSESSMENT' Webinars • Wednesday 14 May 7pm (ends at 8pm) Book your free place now at: www.fensaonline.com.

GLAZERITE HITS THE HUNDRED MILLION WITH THISTLE Leading trade fabricator Glazerite Windows Limited is celebrating reaching £100million sales in less than 14 years since it was founded. The nine-figure milestone marks one more step in the rapid growth of this progressive company which has shown impressive sales increases year after year, not only from a growing customer list but also from customers growing their own businesses with the fabricator’s backing. “We have done our best from day one to support all our customers, with service as well as product quality,” said Director Jason Thompson, “This latest achievement is proof to us that they appreciate what we are doing and we see that as a clear mandate to continue supporting them in the same way in future.” The milestone sale was with Aberdeen-based Thistle Windows & Conservatories and Glazerite’s Peter Smith flew up with a bottle of champagne to mark the occasion. Thistle is no stranger to celebration; the company has won Network VEKA’s annual Customer Satisfaction Award a record-breaking 11 times and was also a finalist for UK Conservatory Installer of the Year at last year’s G13 Awards. MD Ian Bruce said: “From the very beginning we have installed VEKA and began sourcing from Glazerite last July. Thistle has always put great importance of the level of service we deliver to our own customers so it is really a pleasure to deal with a fabricator that thinks the same way.” Glazerite’s achievement, which amounts to more than half a million windows made since 2000, follows average growth of nearly 30% a year for the past 12 years and in this year alone January and February’s figures are up 43% on the same period last year. Glazerite is VEKA’s largest trade fabricator in the UK as well as a prominent and long-standing Network VEKA member. It offers a fully nationwide service based on manufacturing units in Northants and Greater Manchester as well as a distribution hub in Bristol serving South Wales and The West of England. www.glazeritewindows.co.uk

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Why your double glazing business will suffer

if you don’t adopt a mobile strategy in 2014 It can be very tempting to think that mobile optimised websites are just a fad and are not really needed for your double glazing business. Just because your website loads on a mobile phone does not mean its mobile friendly. You might think big deal, not many people visit our website on mobile anyway and they can visit our normal website so why invest in mobile?

Now time for a reality check… Bringing a mobile presence into your business is very similar to circa 1996 when the forward thinking companies at the time realised that they would need a website to remain relevant to their customers and to stay one step ahead of their competition. The explosion of mobile internet usage has taken many companies by surprise especially in the double glazing industry where many are still getting to grips with how using a standard website as a marketing channel can help grow their businesses.

If you want to reach people on mobile, you've got to start with the basics—a mobile site. Google Mobile usage is on the increase as it has been each quarter for the best part of over 2 years. According to OFCOM 39% of UK adults are now using their phones and tablets to access the internet with over 24m smart phone users in the UK (Source eMarketer) and these figures continue to increase month on month. Still need convincing? If you have Google Analytics set up on your website log in and view the statistics showing how many of your visitors are accessing your website from a mobile device.

Not having a mobilefriendly site helps your competitors

as getting a quote. Using this approach your customers are far more likely to generate you a lead from viewing on a mobile optimised version of your website.

Non-mobile friendly sites can hurt a company's reputation By viewing a non mobile optimised website on a mobile device the chances are the user will have to pinch, zoom and scroll to view your site properly which is not the best user experience for your potential customers. Most will abandon your site and look for a competitor with a more mobile-friendly website. Research from Google also shows that on mobile friendly websites 1 in 5 website visits leads to an immediate call to the business.

Businesses need to adopt mobile into their web strategy or risk being left behind by your competitors who have embraced mobile.

In terms on which mobile route to go down you have three choices

Mobile-friendly sites turn users into customers

• Dedicated Mobile Website

Your mobile friendly website should aim to reduce the clutter, and just focus on the most popular content areas from your desktop website along with key calls to action such

A responsive website is designed to adapt to suit different screens and devices. The benefits of using a responsive website is that you only build and maintain one website and it

• Responsive Website • Native mobile app

resizes itself accordingly. However by using a responsive site you may overwhelm users by showing too much content on mobile devices rather than just showing the key content areas. A mobile website is similar to a regular website but designed for small screen devices. Mobile websites provide a better option at customising the content shown to mobile users and are usually quicker to load than responsive websites. Native mobile apps are usually downloaded from a marketplace such as the App Store or Google Play. A mobile app offers the advantage of being available offline where the user has no internet connection and you can access the full range of functions offered by each phone manufacturer. However they are very expensive to develop, and you also run the risk without a significant marketing spend/time allocation of customers not finding the app when the app is in the marketplace because it is so saturated. These three different technologies will help you establish a mobile presence for your double glazing business and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. What you shouldn’t do is keep putting your mobile plans on a back burner in 2014 or you’ll continue to lose ground to your more forward thinking rivals.

COMPANY BIO

Ian Vaughan is a veteran web marketer and developer since the early days of the internet in 1995. Now specialising in online marketing for the double glazing industry covering – SEO, PPC, Website Conversions, Usability and Social Media – providing consultancy and managing online marketing strategies for forward thinking double glazing businesses. Follow him on Twitter @idvmarketing or visit his website at www.idvaughan.co.uk.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0314/0086

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FREEFOAM ANNOUCNE NEW CAST 80% OF INSTALLERS UNAWARE IRON STYLE RAINWATER RANGE OF STATUTORY CHANGE IN IBG PROVISION, SAYS HOMEPRO

Freefoam, a leading manufacturer of a wide range of innovative products for the building industry in UK, Ireland and Mainland Europe, announce the addition of a new cast iron effect range to the Freeflow rainwater system.

Manufactured with long lasting PVC-U, designed to provide the authentic look and feel of traditional cast iron rainwater systems with all the benefits of a modern, low maintenance and fitter-friendly system. The cast iron effect system is available in both half round and deep styles with a full range of related accessories to ensure a neat and professional installation. Whilst there is a continuing emphasis on building energy efficient homes the external design and detailing of many new build developments remains traditional. Cast iron style guttering offers specifiers and property developers the ideal solution for a stylish traditional look giving homeowners a low maintenance long lasting system. The

range also allows builders and renovators of period properties the option to update with modern materials without losing the charm and appeal of authentic features. The Freeflow rainwater system is coextruded with a white interior to reduce heat absorption and expansion of gutters and features long-life advanced red compressible seals for ease of fitting and water-tight joints to ensure a leak-free performance. Colin St John, UK General Manager commented “The introduction of a cast iron effect range to our Freeflow system has been developed following demand from customers for a low maintenance product with traditional features. It’s an exciting development and we are already seeing a high level of interest from both our existing customer base and new enquiries” T: 01604 591110 www.freefoam.com

As many as 80% of window installers in the home improvement sector may be unaware of the impending changes to the regulations affecting the Government’s Competent Persons Schemes that will prevent installations being registered unless an Insurance Backed Guarantee is given to homeowners as part of the installation. So says HomePro, one of the UK’s leading IBG providers, following research amongst installers in anticipation of changes to be implemented by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0088

From June 6th this year the provision of financial protection is mandatory as part of the Self Assessment Certification procedures required for all residential replacement window installations; failure to provide evidence of cover will result in installers being unable to register their

installations and therefore failing to comply with Building Regulations. “As one of the UK’s largest providers of IBGs we are very aware of the impending changes,” says Jim Keane, HomePro’s Compliance Manager. “However, with the changes to the regulations imminent we wanted to find out how aware installers are and carried out a telephone survey amongst installers of all sizes. Our findings are quite disturbing with 80% of the companies we called admitting to no knowledge of the changes coming into force.” “From June 6th,” continued Jim, “installers must give an IBG rather than simply offer one to their domestic customers and will be unable to register installations under the self-assessment schemes for Building Regulation compliance if they do not do so.” This aspect of the revisions to the Competent Persons Scheme is simple to comply

with, says Jim: “HomePro IBGs are one of the most popular and are widely accepted by FENSA and CERTASS. The purchase and registration of a HomePro IBG is quick and simple for installers to ensure compliance and reassures their customers through the quality and security of the cover.” The survey also asked installers about their attitudes towards HomePro with 90% of existing customers saying they would continue to use HomePro after the 6th June deadline. With more than 1,000,000 policies issued, insuring £4 billion of home improvement works over a period of 15 years through award winning IBG products, HomePro has earned its credentials as one of the sector’s market leaders. Details of HomePro IBGs are available by calling 08707 384858 or visiting www.HomePro.com. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0089

Consumer support body releases manual to help installers meet evolving consumer demands A leading consumer support organisation has published a manual to help installers respond to evolving buyer demands. The Consumer Protection Association has published a document called ‘Why are the legalities important?’ Using the document installers can find out how they can use ‘boring’

legislation changes; legal frameworks and insurance backed guarantees to boost sales within their business. The manual can be downloaded from the CPA’s website. Jeremy Brett, who is a Director at the organisation, comments: “The legalities do matter- whether it is terms and conditions to protect an installer’s business, insurance

backed guarantees and deposit protection that are crucial to winning profitable new business; or changes around consumer legislation and the industry – we can help.” “And this guide is a starting point for a number of these issues. Busy installers don’t often have time to find out all of this information – that’s our job. We’re here to

offer support and knowledge so installers can concentrate on growing their business.” At the start of 2014 the CPA also launched ‘Fast Track’ – a growth acceleration tool that packages the CPA’s twenty two years of experience to help home improvement companies grow. The ‘why are the legalities document’ is part of the ‘Fast Track’ initiative.

Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the CPA provides insurance backed guarantees (IBGs) and deposit protection to installers carrying out home improvements and also provides its members with a host of beneficial schemes such as marketing support; training seminars; sales presentation advice and quarterly assessment reports.

CPA director Jeremy Brett.

Tel: 01462 850062 READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0090

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

TRADE NEWS

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

CAB’s Supersonic Success at Concorde Over 130 CAB members and guests recently attended the first CAB Regional Members’ Meeting of 2014 at the spectacular Concorde Runway Museum in Manchester. A CAB mini-conference, with a focus on the opportunities for members in aluminium projects of varying sizes, took place right underneath the iconic plane. Later members had the opportunity to tour the supersonic passenger airliner. The first speaker, Neesha Gopal, Associate Director, Meinhardt Façade Technology spoke avidly about the recent changes to the RIBA plan of work. Recognising the large presence of aluminium fabricators in attendance she was keen to point out the opportunities that she believed existed for CAB members, especially in projects under £4M. She encouraged members to

engage in conversations with companies such as her own at an early stage even if it was simply a ‘heads up’ about a project in the pipeline. Mike Hitchmough, Divisional Director, Head of Offices for architects 3DReid then presented some spectacular images and an excellent commentary on the construction of the award winning Co-operative Group HQ, One Angel Square at NOMA53. Members were particularly interested to learn about why the practice had specified aluminium over competing materials, the offsite manufacturing techniques used and the onsite assembly. Mike also highlighted how the double skinned façade had acted like a ‘duvet’ on the BREAAM Outstanding building. Finally, David Pickavance, Director, Consortium for the Built Environment spoke passionately about the advantages of good

‘Speakers at the CAB mini conference at the Concorde Runway Museum ‘L to R: David Pickavance, Justin Ratcliffe, Neesha Gopal, Mike Hitchmough’.

communication throughout the supply chain and how to improve it in construction projects, highlighting from his sector experience just where things could go wrong. He urged members to embrace the digital communications age but not to forget the sheer importance and relevance of face to face contact. Before Dinner, Members enjoyed expert guided tours of Concorde which flew commercially between 1976 and 2003 and was manufactured substantially of aluminium. CAB Chief Executive, Justin Ratcliffe commented ‘We have been delighted by the feedback from members to this event. Not only did Concorde create an awesome backdrop to the CAB mini-conference and Dinner but the level of interaction between members and speakers was brilliant. Since the meeting, we have had some excellent feedback from the speakers about follow up engagement during the evening itself and in the days following in the form of CPD presentations being booked. This epitomises the added value that we endeavour to bring to all our Regional events’. For further information on CAB, its activities and membership please contact Julie Harley on 01453 828851 or email julie.harley@c-a-b. org.uk. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0093

GGF on BBC 1

The GGF featured on the BBC Television show “Don’t Get Done Get Dom” over the Easter weekend with broadcasts on Friday 18th April at 10.45am and on Monday 21st April at 10.45am both shows were on BBC1.

Wigan-based VEKA fabricator M and M Windows is moving to a new factory on the town’s Little Lane, Gooses Green. With more space and a more prominent position from which to be seen by potential customers, the team at M and M are optimistic about the opportunities the move will bring. MD Colin McCoy explains: “we’re happy to be going into a larger production space which gives us the possibility of expanding and potentially employing more staff in the future. “The important thing is that we now own the building rather than renting, which means we have a greater level of stability and control. The new premises used to be a wellknown local Sports and Social Club and has a number of units that we are renting out to other businesses. “The position of the building, close to the busy A49, was a big selling point for us as it has the potential to be seen by lots of passing trade. Working with an industry-leading company like VEKA has helped us ride out the recession, and now we’re looking forward to growing even stronger from our new premises. We’ll continue to serve customers old and new with the same level of professionalism we always have. More than 75% of the homeowners that choose M and M

Both programmes are still available on BBC iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/ READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0094

MD Colin McCoy with his wife and sons. L-R: Michael, Maureen, Colin and Matt McCoy.

Windows for their home improvements have heard about us directly from other satisfied customers. This has always been a point of personal pride for us.” Tel: 01282 716611 – www.vekauk.com READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0095

TUFFX NEW SPONSORSHIP DEAL IS A KNOCK OUT TuffX’ latest investment revolves around the field of sports sponsorship and this year the leading glass processor is delighted to announce that it will be one of the main sponsors for boxing champion, David Price. As an English professional boxer from Liverpool, David competes in the heavyweight division and is the former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion who also won a bronze medal in the 2009 Olympics. TuffX believes in supporting sporting talent through sports sponsorship and has chosen David Price as they share the same ideology of quality and commitment combined with a strong belief in always striving for excellence. Furthermore, as a cousin of TuffX’ Managing Director, Graham Price this will give him family support and brings the opportunity to work together promoting the exciting sport of boxing.

On the shows Giles Willson, GGF Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Technical Affairs provided advice to help consumers resolve and prevent issues arising when buying double glazing and conservatories. Giles commented, “This was a good opportunity to raise the GGF’s consumer profile and also highlight the services and guidance we offer consumers as well as showing how we support our Membership when disputes arise.”

M and M Windows heads for bigger and better things

As one of Britains’ top athletes, David will become the new ambassador for the entire TuffX Brand. Known as The ‘Knock Out King’ David is at the top of his game and at the beginning of February 2014 won his fight in Stuttgart against Istvan Ruzsinsky at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Halle. Ruzsinsky was unable to continue after being hit in the

First Round with two devastating right hand punches from David, which sent him crashing to the canvas. TuffX also believes that this sponsorship will be particularly effective in connecting the company’s brands with consumers. Building the brand through the acceleration of social media and data driven sponsorship will help to further establish brand awareness which will be a positive thing for the industry, helping to target wider consumer audiences. Graham Price comments, “Sponsoring David will give an unparalleled opportunity to reach a bigger audience for the company which will enable us to capitalise on brand exposure. Mainstream sporting sponsorship is starting to breakdown because technology is making areas that have traditionally been seen as niche or unattainable reach mass audiences. We have decided to go a little further than just mainstream advertising and feel supporting David, will be a mutually positive step for everyone. David has a bright career ahead and we are very proud to be sitting alongside him.” Tel: 0845 3 400 200 READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0096

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

TRADE NEWS

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Thermoseal Group

dedicated to delivering a first class service to IG manufacturers and window industry customers From distributor to specialist manufacturer, Thermoseal Group has come a long way in 35 years. Indeed , by metreage, The Group is the largest supplier of spacer bar in the UK with aluminium, rigid plastic and flexible products. And they’ve achieved this in a quiet and measured way. Being shown around the Wigan facility is impressive, particularly bearing in mind that the company has achieved its market position by developing most of their products themselves. This sort of commitment does not come cheap and it’s one thing to design and manufacture products, and another completely to have your own extensive testing facilities. There has been much talked about, and written in the trade press, about the need for a ‘level playing field’ for energy rating of warm edge spacer bar and there is much jockeying for position by the various manufacturers. “To be honest, we try and keep clear of the politics,” commented Gwain Paterson, Thermoseal Group’s Managing Director to Glass News’ Chris Champion, “you’ve just seen our laboratory and testing facilities and we know well before any test house has performed its analysis of our products what the

result will be.” And how about the test results of competitive products? Gwain continues, wryly, “Well yes, our competitors products, too.” This commitment to developing of products and testing them, is very significant. It is a vast investment for owner Gwain Paterson and represents the difference between buying a large and impressive country estate and ploughing that cash back into the business. “We’re here for the long haul.” Says Gwain, “This is a family business, founded by my father and two partners. We were a machinery distributor in 1979, operating from a small factory in Birmingham, and we now supply over 1,500 components for insulated glass. It makes us a one-stopshop for sealed units and that includes machinery for all levels of sealed unit manufacture.” The Thermoseal Group has branched out from their Birmingham base with depots in Wigan, Kent and Northern Ireland. In fact Gwain keeps buying premises - “We are continually future proofing the business and as fast as we buy property, we seem to fill it.”

Thermoseal Group MD, Gwain Paterson.

Thermoflex Rubber Compounder.

“We’re here for the long haul.” Says Gwain, “This is a family business, founded by my father and two partners. We were a machinery distributor in 1979, operating from a small factory in Birmingham, and we now supply over 1,500 components for insulated glass.” May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

TRADE NEWS

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Thermoflex Heat Treatment.

This is nothing to do with poor use of space. Just looking around, there is continual building of new manufacturing lines and this is led by the team in Birmingham. The simple fact is that you can’t just buy the machinery required, off the shelf. Much of The Group’s manufacture is ground breaking so apart from developing the product, the actual production lines and extruders need to be constructed and tested. Gwain, again: “We work to minute tolerances: it really is an ‘exact science’. We are continually mixing and testing rubber based compounds and, having established the best performing compound in our laboratory, everything then has to be scaled up to manufacture from the raw materials. That rubber based compound has to then be extruded, and backing tape is attached. All the machinery that performs those tasks is manufactured by our own engineers, such that the time taken represents a significant cost, with no product being produced.” Products from Thermoseal Group are wide ranging. From the Kent-based lead plant where the range of decorative Perma Led is produced to Birmingham which has always been the main manufacturing base for injection moulding and sealed unit manufacturing machinery. And on to Wigan where the energy efficient products including Thermobar and Thermoflex warm edge spacers, are made. The Innovation Centre focussed on designing, developing and testing the range of products to meet the changing regulations, is all centred on Wigan.

IM Corner Keys.

Gwain and Director, Mark Hickox, are continually travelling between Birmingham, Kent and Wigan...not forgetting Northern Ireland. “We are very fortunate in having a great work ethic amongst the staff,” says Gwain, “many have been with us a long time but even in Wigan, where staff are relatively new, the dedication to the company’s aim to have a guaranteed quality of product and a reliable and timely delivery of goods by our dedicated team of drivers, is in everyone’s DNA. We know that our customers have their own customers' needs to

“Employing a scientist to run our own Research and Development Centre was key to producing spacer bar that can offer the trade minimal conductivity....and the quest continues as we strive to improve the products all the time. Scientists seem to want a lot of toys to play with. What with that and continually expanding our production lines, investment seems to be an ongoing challenge!”

meet, so we make it our business to ensure that we provide a tailored supplier support system.” Thermoseal Group support and are active members of the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) and Bundesverband Flachglas (BF) working for the IG industry. And that raises the whole issue again of testing of thermal conductivity qualities of the competing spacer bars. “Having one testing protocol for all is essential and we welcome that being put in place,” comments Gwain. He’s a man who is very comfortable with the company’s position in the market; is not afraid to invest £millions to ensure The Group continue to manufacture and supply excellent products and, for all of his success in the industry, is very modest and self-effacing. Gwain Paterson has an open door policy. And a nice touch, a board with all the employees names and photographs is at each of The Group’s premises and Gwain and Mark do their very best to know everyone. There’s also a great effort to ensure staff from each depot get to meet each other and all feel part of one team. That’s very evident with a friendly atmosphere amongst a highly dedicated team who make it their responsibility to help their customers. Whether a hot melt customer or a larger polysulphide insulated glass unit manufacturer, Thermoseal Group provides not just the components and machines ranging from a hot melt machine to a full production line but the help and assistance to make sure the customer is making first class units. Training and technical information is all available to Thermoseal Group’s customers. The driving force that changed Thermoseal Group from being an importer of Italian made aluminium for spacer bar production to a leading manufacturer of low conductivity spacer bar, was the introduction of WERs and the revision to Part L of building regulations in 2010, which came into force in September 2011. The demand for warm edge spacers increased dramatically with window fabricators and installers aiming for a u-value of 1.6W/mK or better, or a ‘C’ to ‘A’ WER rating demanded glazing units with the highest thermal efficiency value. This meant that the slight differences in the performance values of different warm edge spacers could help to swing a WER rating from a non-compliant ‘D’ to a compliant ‘C’ or even from a ‘B’ rating to a prided ‘A’ or ‘A*’ rating. Having foreseen the effect of these revisions, Thermoseal Group ploughed over £2 million investment into research, development and manufacture of their own warm edge spacer tube, Thermobar. “Employing a scientist to run our own Research and Development Centre was key to producing spacer bar that can offer the trade minimal conductivity....and the quest continues as we strive to improve the products all the time. Scientists seem to want a lot of toys to play with. What with that and continually expanding our production lines, investment seems to be an ongoing challenge!” And so Gwain Paterson sets off for Birmingham for another meeting - a very busy but, you sense, a happy man who is proud of what he’s achieved. Happy, but definitely not self satisfied. It’ll be interesting to watch for further developments at Thermoseal Group.

Thermobar Lamination Lines.

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0098

TRADE NEWS

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£1,000,000 capital investment

celebrated by Glazpart

Banbury-based Glazpart, is a specialist injection moulding company with extensive experience in the fenestration industry, employing 87 staff at its ISO 9001:2008 certified site, producing millions of mouldings each month. Glazpart Ltd has completed a 2 year investment programme that has seen a staggering £1,000,000 of capital investment in the business leading to increased sales and new markets. The money invested has been spent across the business providing state of the art

capital equipment to ensure the highest levels of quality and rapid turnaround whilst maximising our production capacity and capability. All this is whilst driving our commitment to British manufacturing including design and manufacture of innovate new products. The investment has seen; • A doubling of our capacity for vacuum foil processing of 3 dimensional components • Introduction of state of the art Sodi-tech, hole borer alongside spark and wire eroders. The latest Deckel Maho milling machines, all in our modern injection mould manufacturing and maintenance tool room. • Installation of an array of the latest, highly efficient Engels injection moulding machines ranging from 28t to 220t fitted

with up to 6 axis robotic take offs and fed through the latest energy efficient polymer dryers. These investments have then been supported as you would expect with; • IT and software upgrades • Recruitment of an apprentice in our tool room • New product innovations such as the new Link-Vent trickle ventilator which has significantly reduced the length of ventilator fitted to windows as required for meeting the governments building regulations (Approved document F 2010). This is one key area where we have seen a sales growth. Sales and Marketing Manager Dean Bradley says: “This investment program significantly benefits our customers as we strive for ever

higher quality, on time delivery; whilst investing to manage our future costs.” The investments will benefit our ventilation, glazing accessories and surface finishing services. Our vacuum foiling capability is one of the largest capacity production lines in Europe foiling cill joint, end caps and components as well as conservatory and plastic decking products. The Glazpart tool room is now a state of the art facility with some of the most accurate and fastest equipment available. The Link-Vent is one of the most significant developments in the trickle vent market in recent years with a potential 3,500 plus potential colours available. Tel 01295 222400 – www.glazpart.com READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0099

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TRADE NEWS

15,000 REASONS

TO SMILE AT KING CROSS

King Cross Juniors have agreed a Partnership with Local business POLYFRAME worth £15,000 to the Junior Football Club.

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

30 Years & Counting

Leading members of the business and education world were captivated by Hameldon Community College Student, Keaton Newcombe Dickson at a prestigious London-based business event.

Calderdale’s newest Junior Football Club, King Cross Juniors, have agreed a long term Partnership with Halifax company Polyframe that will see the clubs’ home ground renamed “The Polyframe Academy”. “Polyframe, have already shown huge commitment to our younger children’s development with their sponsorship of our U6 section (The Polyframe Pirates)” said Club Chairman Mark Whelan “However, we are absolutely delighted to agree this £15,000 deal which will help move the club to the next level. We believe this deal to be one of the biggest Junior Football sponsorship deals in Yorkshire and for a relatively new club like ours, it’s incredible. As well as playing home games at the newly named “Polyframe Academy”, every team will carry the Polyframe logo on the back of their shirts. The club’s adult teams will also wear Polyframe team kit. The money will be spent on improving equipment and facilities both on and off the pitch and will ultimately achieve Polyframes’ goal of backing a local initiative that is sustainable and will aid development in the local communities’ younger people. Simon Loker Marketing Manager at Polyframe is delighted to see the deal put in place “Polyframe have a long track record of backing local initiatives and have sponsored many sports clubs in the past, including Halifax Town Football Club. After our initial discussions with King Cross Juniors, it was obvious that they had a great vision for junior football in Halifax. We were looking to invest in a local project that was more than a “name on a shirt” and we believe this tie up with a local club will truly aid the development of young children locally. We love the ideas behind The Polyframe Pirates so much so, that after discussions, we offered a 3 year deal despite the club looking for 2 years. This a fantastic opportunity for U6 children in Halifax and we’re proud to help” Mark Whelan concluded “I can’t thank Polyframe enough for their co-operation. We are looking to double the number of children involved at our club within the time frame of this deal and we are also looking to invest in good quality coaching. This deal helps enormously. Polyframe are market leaders in their field and we aim to be the same in ours.” King Cross Juniors and Polyframe are looking to become long term partners and will have more initiatives in the coming months.

Innovative fabricator Whiteline has come a long way since it was first established, in Eastbourne, East Sussex, in April 1984. A commercial approach to building long term sales and relationships, allied to the resilience required to endure economic downturns, have characterised Whiteline’s proud past. From local, through regional to national, the company’s business and influence has matured over time. Now Whiteline is marking the achievement of having reached its 30th Anniversary, as a professional operation with a solid reputation that can be counted upon, whilst focusing on new initiatives that will open up a long and bright future for its customers, suppliers and staff. Our latest unique product innovations are already in the pipeline, the first of which will be unveiled at the FIT Show in June and further events are planned to celebrate the 30th Anniversary throughout this year. Meantime, communication and service excellence for retail installer partners remains a high priority. The new, enhanced Whiteline website www.whiteline.co.uk that has recently gone live marks a key step in the evolution and integration of all aspects of customer support. The 30th anniversary logo features proudly on the site, which is the initial interface and welcome point for Whiteline’s existing and prospective new customers. A clean, simple layout means easy navigation, fast access to top level information and the facility to drill down into ever greater detail. Support materials, such as brochure and pdf form downloads, are accessible at every level. So a depth of knowledge on innovations such as FlushSASH and SlimSASH, is never more than a click or two away. Customers can access all of the site’s specialist features direct from the Home page, including Product choice and information, their personal Customer Login, Door Configurator and Remote Customer Support – a new approach to training via secure direct access to your online device. This covers the secure access Customer Website area, Window Designer on the Web and other tools to help you specify and sell the full Whiteline product offering across PVCu, Aluminium and Timber, more easily, faster and far more effectively. Preparing the way for doing great business as the next 30 years unfolds. www.whiteline.co.uk | www.PlatinumNRG.co.uk

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0102

Burnley student is ‘star of the show’ in London

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0103

Keaton was invited to speak at Business in the Community’s National Business Class Symposium at Goldman Sachs offices in London following his outstanding performance in a local business/education initiative run by Burnley company VEKA and its Business Class partner school Hameldon Community College. A number of ‘mini apprenticeships’ were created at VEKA, job adverts were written and students were invited to apply formally for the roles. Interviews were then carried out and five students selected for the respective roles. Over the course of the following six weeks, students carried out their apprenticeship projects and ended with a judged presentation. VEKA’s Head of HR, Gabriela Hammond said: “All the students that took part were a credit to the school, they learnt so much from the project, from what to put in a CV, to interview practice and what happens in a business environment. “Keaton worked in the Finance Team and stood out throughout the programme. Everyone here at VEKA was delighted when he was asked to attend the symposium, we knew he would shine but even we had no idea just how much! Being there on the day to watch him interact with such esteemed guests was brilliant to see. We’re very proud of him.

“The Symposium brought together 280 delegates from business and school clusters across the country to celebrate the powerful difference that Business Class is bringing to young people. Among those present were John Cridland Director General of the CBI, and Lord Nash Under Secretary of State for Schools and Co CEO of Goldman Sachs, who all declared Keaton as the highlight of the day. “Burnley was already at the forefront of Business Class, being the first ever cluster of businesses and schools in the UK, but is now even better recognised thanks to Keaton!” Clare Hutchinson, North West Regional Education Manager for Business in the Community added: “One of the key themes for the Business Class programme is to help young people to build successful working lives through engagement with businesses whilst they are at school. Not only did the Mini Apprenticeship programme with VEKA fulfil this goal, but Keaton proved himself to be a young person that any business would be proud to employ, judging by the number of senior business leaders who wanted to shake his hand and introduce themselves to him during the break!” Tel: 01282 716611 – www.vekauk.com READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0104

CENSolutions Supports Trading

Standards Conference CENSolutions, the leading consultancy and test facility for the window, door and glazing industries, has announced its presence at the Trading Standards Institute Conference on stand H6 from 30th June to 3rd July at the Harrogate International Centre.

“We’ll be taking our easy to use series of checklists of what CE Marking requires within the Fenestration Industry. Since it became a legal requirement in July 2013, only a minority of window, insulating glass sealed unit and toughened glass companies have implemented CE Marking.”

Mike Gaillard, Joint Managing Director of CENSolutions explains why the company will be exhibiting: “As a third party certification provider, CENSolutions is keen to support the industry as well as its individual customers and in line with the overriding theme of the show, Changing Behaviour, will be educating visitors about CE Marking and the lack of compliance to date.

“Trading Standards are already investigating a couple of companies who were reported to them as not being CE Marked and as part of the process contacted CENSolutions for more information on CE Marking for windows and glazing. So in support of all the companies that put in the effort to achieve CE Marking to continue selling legal windows, we wanted to offer more information

to the people involved in policing it. “The Trading Standards Conference is the leading show in the field of consumer affairs and provides professionals and organisations with the opportunity to come together to discuss issues that impact on consumers and businesses alike. The show is well attended by housing associations from across the country as well as organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Office of Fair Trading.” For more information on CENSolutions, call us today on 01785 716625, visit www.censolutions.com. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0105

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

IN PROFILE

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

EUROCELL ANNOUNCES MODUS

– AN INDUSTRY GAME CHANGER FOR FABRICATORS, ARCHITECTS & SPECIFIERS Seen for the first time at Ecobuild on the Eurocell Modus® stand, the UK’s first fully integrated door and window system is now available with three stunning sash design options. The contemporary style of Modus® is distinctly different to existing chamfered and ovolo profile systems that make up the UK market, most of which were designed over 10 years ago, and is very definitely a system for the 21st century. While much of the trade has been weathering the storm that has been the UK’s recession, Eurocell has used the time well, investing £3 million in the research and development of Modus®, resulting in a range that offers unrivalled contemporary aesthetics, exceptional technical performance and leading energy efficiency. In short, a higher specification window is the outcome that delivers significant cost savings for fabricators. The UK’s first 75mm six/seven-chamber PVC-U profile delivers optimum energy efficiency and 28mm and 44mm bead options enable a wider choice of both double and triple glazing specifications to be used. The result is a U-value of 0.7 from a standard argon gas-filled triple glazed unit, without the need for expensive, esoteric-specification glazing units, and a 1.1 U-value achievable from double-glazed units. Enabling lowerspecification glazing units for equivalent performance means fabricators can reduce their glazing costs by up to 27 per cent*. Modus® is a fully integrated system, which

Modus® is the first major PVC-U window and door system to offer the reassurance of a 12year guarantee**, which underlines Eurocell’s confidence in its technical and material performance. Benefiting from a comprehensive marketing support programme and dedicated website, multi-million pounds-worth of live project enquiries have already been generated, which gives an indication of the positive reception Modus® has received. Becoming a finalist in this year’s Housebuilder Product Awards in the Best Brand New Product of the Year category (decision 2 July) is further evidence. This isn’t surprising considering the benefits that Modus® allows fabricators to offer homeowners, architects and specifiers.

means it enables eight window and door types to be made from a single system – again helping fabricators achieve significant cost savings in terms of stockholding and production efficiencies. The standard rebate sash, slim rebate and fully flush sash styles offer Eurocell customers an unrivalled aesthetic and range of design options compared to traditional PVC-U systems and will create new market opportunities as an aesthetic rival to aluminium and timber products – whilst offering significantly better value for money. Plus, of course, the Modus® standard rebate sash creates a contemporary alternative to existing chamfered and ovolo designs. “As well as achieving no fewer than five

UK industry firsts, Modus® offers a clean, contemporary design that’s favoured by discerning homeowners and specifiers,” said Ian Kernaghan, Product Design Manager at Eurocell. “Modus® accommodates both cutting edge and traditional architectural styles – there’s really no need to offer any other material or system!” The system is available in nine solid and woodgrain effect colours from stock. All standard colours are available with white internal finishes to create a light and airy living environment. A further range of 30 solid and woodgrain effect finishes is available, plus colour both sides. For a differentiated, premium look Eurocell offers the Architectural range. Consisting of three specially selected metallic options and a premier woodgrain finish, the architectural range adds an affordable touch of class to any development. Sustainability is one of the biggest issues in modern construction. Modus® has advanced PVC-U credentials by being the first system in the UK to utilise cutting edge dual material extrusion technology (DMET) which layers post-consumer recycled and ‘virgin’ material simultaneously with high precision. Recycled material is concentrated in the central core of the profiles, where it is completely invisible in an installed window or door. This enables Modus® to feature 50%* post-consumer recycled PVC-U as standard, with 100% available as an option.

Chris Coxon, Head of Marketing at Eurocell, highlights these benefits: “Back in July, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) announced its proposals for updating Part L of the Building Regulations (Conservation of fuel and power). The first key point was that the updates were to be delayed until 6 April 2014. Secondly, the proposals stated that implementation of Part L would require on average a 6% reduction in residential and 9% reduction in nonresidential carbon emissions from buildings. To many this was seen as a watering down of the 2016 zero carbon target (figures of 8% and 20% respectively had been mooted). However, even the lesser reductions will require more thermally efficient specifications, meaning increased demand for higher Window Energy Ratings, a trend that is therefore likely to continue in future. That’s one of the main reasons why Eurocell has created Modus, as a fully integrated door and window system.” So, despite what many perceive as a watering down of Part L, it is still a key driver to innovation within the window and door sector. Developing a completely new window system brings, for the first time, frame performance in line with advances in glazing unit thermal efficiency. The ultimate beneficiaries will be building owners and managers who now have access to better designed, better value for money windows all the way through to the zero carbon deadline. * Average % recycled material content varies by component. ** Guarantee applies to white profile only. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0107

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

WINDOWS

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

A+ FROM SIERRA WINDOWS GLAZERITE CROSSES THE GLOBE FOR Sierra Windows is pleased to announce that it now offers A+ energy rated windows as part of its product package.

the switch and save method promoted to help reduce the rising cost of energy bills, they will want longer-term solutions, and that’s why we made the decision to invest in A+. It puts us in a different league; we’re more competitive and it allows us to maximise our business potential.”

In offering the very best that the industry has to offer Sierra Windows can support its customers in responding to the change in consumer demands, for high performance, energy efficient products.

A dedicated member of the team is also on-hand to take customers through the process of registering with BFRC, so for more information on A+ rated products and to find out how they can support you in staying one step ahead of the competition, call Sierra Windows on 0808 178 3455.

FALKLAND ISLANDS GOVERNMENT

Glazerite Windows Ltd was the first choice for homes, offices and Government buildings more than 8,000 miles across the South Atlantic on the Falkland Islands.

Speaking about the importance of offering the very latest in product technology, Adrian Harlock, general manager at Sierra Windows said: “We’re very excited to have joined what’s a rather exclusive club. There aren’t many of our competitors who are currently set-up to offer A+ rated products and that puts us in a very strong position.

The leading VEKA trade fabricator has been the principal supplier of windows and doors to the British Overseas Territory since 2012, providing for around 20 new-build private houses a year as well as well as refurbishment of a number of official buildings, all via the UK-based Falkland Islands Trading Company Limited, which has been supplying the community under Royal Charter for over 150 years.

“Investment in energy efficient home improvement products has fast become a reality for many homeowners and landlords, and as fabricators it’s vital that we give our customers the very best tools to do their job; in this case, the highest rated window available today. As consumers look beyond

Company buyer Ian Parker said: “We source all our supplies from the UK and Europe All building materials used on the islands are required to comply with UK Building Regulations so

The company’s A+ rated products are available from the Swish Twentyfour Seven range and can be achieved with both double and triple glazed units. The Twentyfour Seven 44mm triple glazed unit achieves A+26.

For up to the minute information, news and highlights follow @sierrawindows.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0108

product quality is important. We also have a good working relationship with Glazerite and the factory is very accessible to our container packing facility in Essex. The Falklands climate is not too different from some of the northerly points of the UK, he added, but with one significant difference. There is virtually no ozone layer above the South Atlantic so the UV radiation levels are very high as a result. The PVC-U of the frames has to

retain colour stability in the face of this and the VEKAbased frames from Glazerite were found to fit the bill here too. Glazerite Director Jason Thompson said: “We already know our reputation stretches all across the UK but we are delighted that our products are just as well-received in such faraway places.” www.glazeritewindows.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0109 0514/0110

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

WINDOWS

Cue & A

with Steve Davis Network VEKA MD John Ogilvie chats to Steve Davis about ‘jungle life’ and the snooker legend’s valuable role as Brand Ambassador. Congratulations on doing so well in the ‘I’m a Celeb Jungle’ last year! What was the best bit? Jumping out of a helicopter and free falling for 20 seconds was the most frightened I’ve ever been. (Apart from seeing Mewy’s golf trousers!)* Also the camaraderie in the camp was brilliant. I haven’t laughed so much in years! What was the most challenging aspect of being in the jungle? I didn’t find any part of it that difficult. Some people had problems with phobias, some with people. Me? I just kept tripping over things! Didn’t actually know I was THAT clumsy! I put it down to the floor not being level ... and it being in the Southern Hemisphere! What did you appreciate most about being out? (Apart from being able to attend Network VEKA events...) Food and a luxury hotel. I lost over a stone in weight in 18 days in camp. The ‘rice and beans diet’ with very little sugar works amazingly well. You recently agreed to extend your contract and continue representing Network VEKA until at least 2016. What originally made you decide to become Network VEKA’s Brand Ambassador all those years ago? I don’t generally put my name to products and companies but I was so impressed with the policing and standards that are in place with Network VEKA, it just made sense. It’s something I actually believe in wholeheartedly. You must still be very satisfied to put your name to the organisation? The many reasons I was happy to become Brand Ambassador in the first place still hold true. It’s so tough to become a member of Network VEKA, I know only the most professional companies are accepted. It means I can represent them with complete confidence. The home improvement and double glazing market can be quite a scary place for consumers - you hear so many ‘horror stories’. That’s why I was (and still am) proud to get behind an organisation that puts customers first. The guarantees are rock solid, so it takes all the risk out of choosing a trustworthy company.

What do you feel is the most valuable aspect of Network VEKA for homeowners? The peace of mind is priceless: customers know that if they look for the Network VEKA logo they are guaranteed to find a trustworthy, knowledgeable company. Plus, every installation is covered by the organisation’s ten-year insurance-backed guarantee. What do you think is the greatest benefit to members? I’ve been to lots of Network VEKA events and I hear time and time again how much they appreciate the marketing support that’s available. It sets them on another level compared to their local competitors. Plus it must be a huge benefit to be part of a membership of like-minded people sharing ideas and chatting about industry issues. What do you enjoy most about your role as Brand Ambassador? I’ve been in the role so long I’ve got to know a lot of the member companies and the staff at Network VEKA - people you can have a real laugh with. I enjoy going out to member company’s local areas and helping with sales events and open days. Chatting to people, challenging them on the snooker table and drumming up awareness and if I can help boost their sales - well that’s just fantastic. Apparently AWC Windows & Home Improvements secured £42k worth of sales leads at a recent open day I helped out with. I like to think that I helped with that a little... You’ve spent a lot of time at member events and AGMs over the years, any stories that stand out in particular? I think my favourite moment had to be the indoor fireworks escapade. Indoor fireworks and smoke detectors apparently don’t mix. But it was nice to see the big red fire engine turn up as ALL the hotel guests (not just the Network VEKA room) were evacuated to the safety of the putting green! A few wives were not happy that their pamper day had been interrupted and that their hour-long hot stones massage had a 30 minute interval while the hose-ready fire service sprang into action. A few seemed a little flushed after that and apparently couldn’t concentrate on the rest of the treatment.

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Tradelink Scores Highly with School Project Tradelink, world class manufacturer of one of the widest ranges of windows, doors, sealed units and conservatories in the UK, has completed a window replacement project at the Leverington Primary Academy in a conservation area in Wisbech. Mike Connors, Commercial Sales Manager at Tradelink reports: “This project provided us with an interesting challenge because we needed to ensure all parties including the head teacher and property manager at Cambridgeshire County Council and the planning officer and conservation officer at Fenland District Council, were happy with the completed project, each with their own slightly different priorities. “The head teacher had budget restraints to consider while the property manager needed the new windows to meet required standards and achieve a high level of workmanship to complement the building and its environment. The planning officer, whilst not within his normal remit was careful to ensure any conservation rulings were upheld, and the conservation officer needed the original conservation features to be restored. “The school windows had already been replaced with timber casements back in

Tradelink Completes School Project.

the 1970’s, but evidence via an old photo showed the original features and design looked quite different. Working closely with all parties Tradelink managed to match the original fenestration design with the help of a local joinery workshop, Betts and Son, who manufactured the original material to exact sectional dimensions. The traditional aesthetics were achieved, but the windows also incorporated the high performance Heatguard sealed units and modern friction hinges, all within the school’s budget and delivered on time. “The installation was also completed within the agreed timescale by NVQ qualified installers in line with the Construction Skills Certification Scheme.” Tradelink’s commercial division has expertise in the manufacture and installation of windows and doors in any material including aluminium and timber, and where relevant PVC-U. For more information call Tradelink now on 01354 657650 or visit www.tradelinkdirect.co.uk. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0111

Any big plans for the next 12 months? (We heard a book rumour...) Not sure what my plans for the next year are. Firstly I’d like to continue on the main snooker tour, even though I treat snooker more like a hobby these days. I’ll know the answer to that by the end of April and then I’ll cross bridges when I get to them. The book should be fun - the first ten chapters are just going to have: “woke up, practised, went to bed.” It should be a cracking page turner! *Peter Mew of Mews Windows: a larger-thanlife Network VEKA member with a penchant for colourful trousers.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0112

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

WINDOWS

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

VBH Adds Yale Window

Hinge to Range

VBH has added the brand new Yale Window Hinge to its range of friction stays for outward opening windows, which already includes the full selection of products from Securistyle. Available in both top hung and side hung versions in all the usual lengths, VBH advise that the product provides excellent weather sealing and draught proofing performance thanks to its extended enclosed end cap and asymmetrical sash arm. A lipped slider provides a smooth operation and the friction can be adjusted via

a robust cam friction device that eliminates the risk of friction screw misuse. Slotted fixing holes mean the vent can be easily adjusted to ensure perfect closing. Most standard profiles are catered for as the Standard and Highline variants will suit hinge cavities from 13 – 18mm, meaning that the product is ideal for PVCu, aluminium and storm proof timber windows. Yale Window Hinges are manufactured using ferritic stainless steel and are covered by a Yale 10 Year Mechanical Guarantee.

VBH Marketing Manager Gary Gleeson told us ‘The Yale Window Hinge is the latest addition to Yale’s impressive range of products for outward opening casement windows and, as the largest distributor of Yale hardware, we’re delighted to add it to our range. ‘It can be used with any locking system but many fabricators and installers are choosing to fit it opposite one of Yale’s security locking systems such as Blade, Encloser or Shootbolt. Not only does this provide a great hardware spec in itself, but they also then benefit from the consumer appeal of the Yale brand itself.’ Call VBH on 01634 263300 or visit the Downloads page of www.vbhgb.com for further details.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0113

FRAMES WITHIN FRAMES A complete range of frames in REHAU TOTAL 70 profile are on display in a new showroom which has just opened at the Dessian Products factory in Scotland for use by both trade and commercial customers. The 8m x 4m conservatory style showroom has been constructed inside the Dessian factory on the Wardpark Industrial Estate in Cumbernauld using windows and doors in REHAU TOTAL 70 under a K2 four hip feature roof. As well as casement, fully reversible and tilt and turn windows, the showroom has multi-fold doors, French doors and patio doors on display and both PVC and composite doors. In line with Dessian’s strength as a ‘One Stop Shop’ supplier, it also features door canopies, decorative glass, window dressings and even glass splash backs for customers to touch and view. Long established in Scotland as a REHAU trade and commercial specialist, Dessian

has invested in the showroom to support trade customers who want to be able to bring homeowners to see the range of products available before they buy and to give commercial customers a chance to see the products in a factory setting. General Manager John McDermott says that the showroom is intended to showcase Dessian’s value for money credentials whilst also emphasising the quality of its products and the vast range it can supply. He says: “In terms of the products Dessian fabricates, the showroom features everything from foiled finishes to fully reversibles, but we are also stocking glass, roofline, trims and all ancillary products as well, ensuring that customers really won’t need to go anywhere else.” Lyn Montgomery, who was previously customer service team leader at Dessian’s headquarters in Belfast, has relocated to Scotland to manage the new showroom and she will be supported by both John McDermott and surveyor Robin Rae who between them have 65 years industry knowledge and experience. The new showroom is now open from Monday to Friday from 8.30 – 4.30. Further details on Dessian in Scotland are available at: www.dessian.co.uk/dessian-scotland. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0114

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

0514/0114

SOFTWARE

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

The final piece of the jigsaw

for Firmfix Ltd

Firmfix, located in Tewkesbury, have been using Focus and Vector supplied by Bradley Giles Ltd for several years. The Focus software correctly prices the job and creates attractive quotations for their customers. A unique feature is that is simultaneously calculates prices for A, B and C rated options and the customer can Easily compare the options and make a decision there and then. A survey sheet is produced and that, until recently, was where the software ended. However, Giles Hayhurst, M.D. of Bradley

Giles Ltd has developed a full manufacturing facility within Focus and now the whole process is seamless with no double entry. Firmfix had been using manufacturing software from another supplier but now this is redundant, saving time and eliminating errors arising from double entry. Firmfix manufacture the Eurocell range and the new software calculates when reinforcing is required and also produces a very accurate materials costing, in addition Focus optimises the profile cutting and exports this information electronically to the saw. “Creating versions for other profile suppliers is easily done”, commented Giles, “and we have already covered Selecta, Duraflex, Veka and Synseal and also a bespoke timber system.”

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0115 0514/0116

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

0514/0117

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

MACHINERY

They say that buses come in threes!

Stuga Machinery’s Sales Director, Steve Haines, is based just outside of Leicester and whilst Stuga machines are very popular all over the UK Leicester has been quite a sad area for the company until recently when orders were received from three companies in quick succession.

On the other side of Leicester Frame Maker is a family business that has endured all the frustrations of not being able to make enough windows and not being able to find enough skilled and reliable staff to fabricate the volumes they needed and orders were being lost as they couldn’t handle any more. Looking at automated sawing & machining was a bit of jungle as the equipment is quite expensive and after bad experiences with previous machinery suppliers they were ultra-cautious. After a long period of looking at Stuga and several meetings a decision was made to purchase a new AutoFlow-2 sawing & machining center. The AutoFlow-2 is the smallest machine in terms of size and output that Stuga produce but with a capacity of 400 windows per week it was big enough for the needs of the company.

Secure Trade Frames, a relatively new but very successful fabricator, purchased a Stuga Ecoline stand-alone prepping center and were so impressed with it that they immediately ordered an Autocut automatic saw center.

Frame Maker are now settling into getting used to the automation process and logistics involved and can make many more windows than previously with accuracy and consistency allowing them to grow their business without growing their production staff.

These two machines working together offer a good compromise to a fully automated sawing & machining center which they couldn’t justify at this stage. Stuga agreed that when they are ready, in about 12 months’ time, they would take both machines back at a reasonable price in part-exchange when a new automated line is ordered.

“After a long period of looking at Stuga and several meetings a decision was made to purchase a new AutoFlow-2 sawing & machining center. The AutoFlow-2 is the smallest machine in terms of size and output that Stuga produce but with a capacity of 400 windows per week it was big enough for the needs of the company.” 68

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

In the centre of Leicester Echo Plastic Wood is a non-window fabricator that decided they wanted Stuga automation for their plastic wood kits that are used to erect doors, garden furniture, fencing and much more from recycled materials. Owner Sean Presson had a vision that the Stuga AutoFlow-2 sawing & machining center could be used to produce his product range in volume and Stuga’s joint owner and Technical Director Gareth Green was keen to help with the development on the software front. The rest is history. After a development programme where the two companies have had to work together to develop special tooling, blades, cutters, speeds and feeds to deal with the various different recycled plastics Sean and his team are enjoying the benefits of automation across his range of products, meaning he is now confident to grow his business.

Machiner y

For further information on all Stuga products please call 01493 742348 or visit www.stuga.co.uk. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0118

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

0514/0119

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

CONSERVATORIES

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

MAKING THE MOST OF OUTDOOR SPACE A family has achieved optimisation of their outdoor space through an unusual approach to a home extension, pioneered by leading NorthWest conservatory fabricator CRS. The Beecham family, in Wirral, wanted to make more use of their large patio, but did not want to conventional solution of a conservatory. CRS, applying the benefits of the Aztec conservatory roof system, devised a strategy that involved creating an 11.4m x 4.5m roof over the area to protect from the elements whilst maintaining an ‘open air’ environment. The double-glazed roof was colour-matched to requirements of light coffee, with all structural steelwork painted to the same colour. “The new structural ring beam developed by Aztec, which can span up to 6m in a single length- was a major factor in our being able to create such a big roof,” explained CRS manager Dave Frost. “It means the open aspect has been preserved, with minimal,

potentially intrusive, structural support. This couldn’t have been achieved with any other roof system, to my knowledge. “The family is delighted, and CRS is similarly proud of the end result. A little imagination and the right tools can work really effectively!” The Aztec roof system, originally designed and engineered by conservatory fitters to address the common fabrication and installation issues inherent in other roofs, is claimed to reduce on-site build time by up to 30%, and almost eliminate risk of remedial call-backs. As well as offering a roof with a raft of unique features, Aztec Conservatory Roof Systems offers its fabricators unique benefitsincluding guaranteed areas of work without competition and no business taken direct. As a result, Aztec (www.aztecsystems.net) is now the leading independent conservatory roof systems company. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0120

SYNSEAL’S NEW GLOBAL ALUMINIUM

ROOF DESIGN IS A PLUS

Following successful trial installations in both hot and cold climate Export climates, Synseal has now introduced a premium quality aluminium conservatory roof for UK market applications. Called Global Plus, this new design option features aluminium componentry for all external roofing parts with the exception of guttering and associated downpipes, which employ the proven PVC system as used with Global roof to align with standard conservatory installation practice in the UK. For Export project applications, a bespoke aluminium guttering system is always supplied to satisfy premium continental market demand for a roof completely manufactured in aluminium.

New sturdy aluminium finial and cresting designs add a distinctive character to the Global Plus offering, which now stands alongside the well-established K2 aluminium roof to provide a choice of precisionengineered aluminium conservatory roof solutions from Synseal. Global Plus aluminium external components include rafter and ridge top caps and end caps, radius ends and muntin bars, available from stock in White, Brown and Caramel polyester powder finishes as well as Mill finish, for coating in a RAL colour according to specification. As with Global roof, Global Plus rafter top cappings can also be supplied in one of Synseal’s popular woodgrain foil finishes. Mark Schlotel, Synseal’s Head of Marketing, comments: “Britain’s best-selling conservatory roof has just got better with the addition of this new premium quality design option. Thousands of UK professional installers choose Global because it is well-designed and easy to fit and, building on the popularity of our Global Summer hybrid orangery, this new Global Plus aluminium roof provides a further opportunity to up-sell and enhance margins, whilst delivering a top quality and highly robust product for Homeowners.” READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0121

GLAZERITE UNVEILS NEW WAVE,

THE NEXT GENERATION IN DOOR TECHNOLOGY Leading trade fabricator Glazerite Windows Ltd has reaffirmed its position at the forefront of door and window technology with the launch of the New Wave slide and swing patio door system. This ground-breaking door combines the best of bi-folds, patio and French doors because each leaf can be independently swung open, slid sideways or both, giving unrivalled versatility and ease of use in openings up to six metres in width. Glazerite Director Jason Thompson said: “This really is the next generation in door technology, with an action that has to be seen in action to be believed. It has all the function of a bi-fold, giving uninterrupted access and panoramic views from openings of almost any width, but with the added versatility of swinging or sliding doors. “The New Wave will join our existing portfolio of bi-fold, patio and French doors, giving installers and consumers more choice than ever before. It is one of the biggest innovations on doors that the industry has seen in a long while and we are sure it will be very much in demand from installers and homeowners alike.” Glazerite is equipping the New Wave doors with Maco CTS door locks, SFS 2D hinges

and Fab & Fix hardware, giving not only a high standard of security but also a perfect visual match with all Glazerite’s other door and window products. The frames are based on the acclaimed VEKA 70mm fully sculptured system, combining superb looks with technical excellence. The door mechanism at the heart of the range uses the patented Magnaline slide and stack technology which gives less visible hardware for a more streamlined finish as well as the innovative movement. New Wave from Glazerite is available for openings sized from 1,200mm to 6,000mm, using anything from two to seven door leaves, and in 36 colour combinations in all foil or foil on white options from the entire VEKA Variations range. Each comes with a ten-year guarantee, including all hardware. The New Wave door is available immediately and is just one of several new products from Glazerite due for official launch at the FIT Show at the Telford International Centre on June 10-12. Take a look at New Wave in action on: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n1jj51l_D4. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0122

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CONSERVATORIES

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Attention Grabbing Demos at National Homebuilding & Renovating Show 2014 Demonstrations of the application of the Sarnafil single ply flat roof membrane yet again attracted large numbers of visitors to the Roof Assured by Sarnafil stand at this year’s National Homebuilding & Renovating Show 2014 held at the NEC, Birmingham. Many of the stand visitors had been advised by their Architects to use the Sarnafil membrane on their project. The live demos were therefore an ideal opportunity for them to see how the membrane is applied and have their questions answered. Rod Benson, Business Unit Manager, Sika Roofing, said: “The Sarnafil membrane gives homeowners a new option to traditional felt, grp and rubber flat roof solutions so it is

understandable that they wanted to know who we are, what we do and why we are different. The demos gave them the opportunity to follow their Architect’s advice and think about the Sarnafil membrane for their new build or refurbishment project. Our presence at the show demonstrates the high level of support we give our installer network in build brand awareness and generating leads”. A final word from the Roof Assured team: “It was a very busy, vibrant show with visitors coming to us with good enquiries and real projects. They left the stand with the knowledge that as the Sarnafil membrane is used on so many major projects, has such a history with so many prestigious projects worldwide, they would be confident that were buying the right product for their project”. Roof Assured will be exhibiting at the Homebuilding & Renovating Show, HIC, Harrogate, 7 – 9 November 2014. Home Improvement companies interested in joining the Roof Assured installer network should visit www.roofassured.co.uk/installer or call 0800 614 821. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0123

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

FENSTERBAU REVIEW

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Glazpart celebrates A fantastic Fensterbau for a resounding success at The Promac Group Fensterbau/Frontale 2014 Banbury-based Glazpart, is a specialist injection moulding company with extensive experience in the fenestration industry, employing 87 staff at its ISO 9001:2008 certified site, producing millions of mouldings each month. Glazpart has enjoyed a very successful show at the renowned Fensterbau/ Frontale 2014 exhibition at its first appearance at this international show. 108,000 visitors attended the four-day event and it seems that many were looking for British manufactured products and visited the

Glazpart stand located in hall 4A. Glazpart were proud to be flying the flag on the British Pavilion for British manufacturing and showcasing our high quality and innovative products at the Nuremberg show. Glazpart took the opportunity to showcase a wide range of Glazing and ventilation products which gained strong interest with visitors. Visitors to the stand got to see our wide range of glazing accessories and a preview of some of our new product packaging, as well as some of our recently launched products such as the LinkVent trickle vent. Sales and Marketing Manager Dean Bradley says: “Fensterbau/Frontale 2014 was a great opportunity to present our products to a global market at one of the main fenestration exhibitions in our industry. Strong interest was shown by visitors from over 38 countries and already visitors

have feedback that they are ready to specify products seen at the show.I would also like to thank the current customers who joined us on the stand to celebrate the success” Glazpart showcased ventilation, glazing accessories products and surface finishing services. These include the vacuum foiling and aqua printing capabilities to add value to fenestration and conservatory components. Our vacuum foiling capability is one of the largest capacity production lines in Europe foiling cill joint, end caps and components as well as conservatory and plastic decking products. The Glazpart aqua printing expertise allows the surface finishing of deep draw and very complex geometry products accurately. Tel: 01295 222400 www.glazpart.com

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0125

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Returning from another frantic Fensterbau Promac, the industry’s leading supplier of machinery, service, spares and tools reports customer interest and confidence is soaring.

After a busy few weeks since the show Joe Hague, Group Managing Director explains: “Yet again, Fensterbau provided a valuable platform from which Promac was able to successfully represent our family of suppliers. The show was incredibly busy for us as we hosted the strong UK contingent which proved commercially successful for the Group. It has to be said though that the standout ‘star of the show’ really had visitors as well as exhibitors talking. In all the years Promac has attended exhibitions, none of us have ever seen a machine dominate a hall in the

way that the Graf Synergy SL4 FF did. The highly innovative pre cleaning quad welder that eliminates the need for secondary corner cleaning really captured the imagination of the visitors to the show. It was intended that Fensterbau was to be the SL4FF’s global unveiling but after unprecedented attention from other exhibitors the senior team at Graf Synergy decided that the SL4FF could only be viewed by qualified appointment. However it was clear from the feedback we received from visitors to the stand that they appreciated the smart ideas surrounding the technology and performance, but what really impressed them was the quality and strength of the finished frame.” “At Promac, we continue to believe in the power

of exhibitions in order to demonstrate the latest technology in a live environment. Showcasing the very best machinery from each of our supply partners at Fensterbau allows us to deliver innovative thinking that adds tangible benefit to our new and existing customers.” For more information about Promac, their products and services, visit www.promac. co.uk or call 01788 577 577.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0126

Sheerframe hails innovation on display at Fensterbau Jonathan Prutton, Managing Director of Sheerframe, part of the Litchfield Group, has hailed his company’s presence at Fensterbau as a huge success. “Our stand was the perfect platform to showcase our unrivalled product range and demonstrate the cutting edge solutions that we can offer fabricators and installers.

Our stand was a hive of activity throughout the four days, with our new window system being one of the many focal points.” The Sheerframe stand, in conjuction with its German manufacturing business LB Profile, showcased a full range of innovative products including the new 82mm window system. The new window system features a unique multi chamber design, with an optional centre seal and a full range of accessories and hardware. It has great aesthetic appeal as well with a contour and bevel

option and a wide colour choice. The latest window system has been designed around 44mm glazing to ensure it’s fully Passivhaus compliant. There were also plenty of enquiries for the company’s new concept composite door range which provides low u values and is easily maintainable. Jonathan concludes, “Fensterbau was a fantastic opportunity to show the innovation and quality that Sheerframe can offer. We had the opportunity to interact with as many visitors as possible and proudly show the benefits that the Litchfield Group offers fabricators and installers.” Exhibitions like Fensterbau provide an international platform for companies to display what they can offer. With their focus on product innovation Sheerframe demonstrated compelling reasons to partner with them. Tel: 01773 852311 READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0127

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

FENSTERBAU REVIEW

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

TAKING FENSTERBAU BY STORM profine Group took this year’s Fensterbau Trade Fair by storm, with a show stopping stand that was arguably the most spectacular ever seen at the international show. It was also one that proved to be the talking point of visitors and fellow exhibitors alike under the motto ‘Gaining in Strength. For You.’ Fensterbau claims to be the world’s leading trade fair for windows, doors and facades and who could argue with 108,000 visitors this year. Initial estimates also suggest that there were over 30,000 visitors on the profine stand across the four days, an incredible statistic. This year’s exhibition was also the first for under the guidance of Dr Peter Mrosik, owner and CEO of profine Group and one that was packed with customer initiatives and new products, including the new 76mm pan-European platform for window design. The exhibition stand was spilt into three key areas: product display, hospitality and a stage in which both UK and European visitors were dazzled. The stage was used as part of an incredible and defining multi-media performance with synchronized dancers and artistes helping to communicate the new corporate face of profine Group, led by Dr Mrosik. Fensterbau has built a reputation for hospitality and on the first day alone during the evening function over 2,000 people were fed in an environment of product innovation and show style razzmatazz. The new 76mm platform is now available in both double and centre seal variants and even boasts hollow frame legs to maximise the energy efficient design. Also on show was a new lift and slide PremiDoor 88 with Passivhaus capabilities, pre-foamed ‘proEnergyTec’ profiles and the new proCoverTec colour concept, which has been developed with a revolutionary liquid synthetic material and is available in 22 different colours.

A packed stand.

“The new 76mm platform is now available in both double and centre seal variants and even boasts hollow frame legs to maximise the energy efficient design.”

Dr Peter Mrosik addressing the audience.

“With this unusual stand concept, we are also aiming at highlighting our new company strategy, which has our customers at centre stage,” stressed Dr Peter Mrosik, owner and CEO of the company, at the exhibition. His comments were also echoed by Stefan Seidel, UK managing director of profine Group who added: “The exhibition was quite simply phenomenal in all aspects. We’ve got a firm footing for further growth in the UK and in other key European markets and beyond, with product innovation and a customer focus at the very heart of our strategy.” For further information, call 01543 444900, e-mail enquiries@ profine-group.com, log on to www.kommerling.co.uk or follow them on Twitter @kommerling_uk.

A multi-media presentation dazzled visitors.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0129

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

TIRC NEWSLETTER

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

May 2014

FIT Show & The Independent Ratings Company working together in build up to FIT Show 2014

GQA to host discussion at FIT Show with Glass News on subject of MTC’s The Independent Ratings Company will be conducting two days of surveys at the FIT Show as the basis of a discussion to be hosted by Glass News and the GQA. The topic will be the new MTC’s which come into effect on 6th June just a handful of days before the industry’s own show opens its doors once again. The aim of the survey and the subsequent discussion will be to gain a better understanding of how much of the industry is truly aware of the legal requirement to be a member of a competent persons scheme, how many are signed up to one, and how many would like to undertake appropriate training to become a member of one.

The Independent Ratings “Over 71% of exhibitors are Company and offering visitor promotions or the FIT Show are working interaction at FIT Show 2014.” together to gather (FIT Show exhibitor survey 2014) exhibitor feedback to share with potential visitors to this years event at Telford June 10th – 12th in advance of the show. Chris Globe Director of Inside The Box Marketing which owns the Independent Ratings Company brand explains “We spoke to the FIT Show team about the idea of capturing information from the exhibitors in advance of the show to convert into messaging to encourage people to come along. We jointly agreed a series of questions which we have asked the 150+ exhibitors to respond to. These include such things as details of whether they are showing new products this year and how many, whether they are including visitor promotions on their stands, and for those who exhibited last year whether they have made changes to their stand designs.” “The idea is really simple, it is about creating additional last minute momentum to encourage those who came last year - and those who didn’t – to come along in June as there really is going to be plenty for them to see which is new and exciting. Creating a message link directly between the exhibitors as a group and the visitors seemed like a great way of getting everybody involved as the excitement builds; and that of course is on top of the efforts being made individually by companies.”

The discussion and debate will take place on the final day of the show at Telford and will be hosted by Chris Champion editor of Glass News.

online business

Handle Trade the outlet and online business which offers an extensive range of door handles and other associated supplies for all door types is the latest business to join up with the Independent Ratings Company to capture ratings and reviews. Handle Trade offers a dedicated technical support service to help customers locate the products they require. See www.handletrade.co.uk.

Learn how to use ratings to win more work The Independent Ratings Company will be exhibiting at the FIT Show Hall 3 Stand 361 and will be offering information and advice on how businesses can use ratings positively to help themselves win more work.

www.theindependentratingscompany.co.uk 76

Handle Trade the outlet &

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0131

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

TRIPLE GLAZING QUESTION

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Triple-glazing: ‘a question of size’ New industry poll findings A new industry study reveals that installers remain sceptical as to market demand for tripleglazed products.

“In very exposed locations, or on passivhaus-type developments, tripleglazed products may be appropriate. Similarly, with the right configuration of glass they can deliver improved sound proofing and acoustic benefits.”

The joint survey by Emplas and Lister Trade Frames found that of those polled, only seven per cent of retailers had installed triple-glazed products in the last year.

“But that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be right across the board. While we may spend a lot of time moaning about it, the ‘great British weather’, is in general pretty temperate and the payback for most homeowners - short of an astronomical jump in energy prices - when compared to the top performing doubleglazed units is difficult to justify.

Further, only 20 per cent expected demand for triple-glazing to grow significantly in the next three years, with more than half forecasting slow to little growth, while 29 per cent said that they were ‘unsure’. When asked if they expected demand for triple-glazing to exceed that for double-glazed products in the next three years, 79 per cent of respondents said ‘no’, with 16 per cent again, unable to decide. Just five per cent of respondents predicted that triple-glazed windows and door sales would exceed those of double-glazed products.

“We need to be responsible as an industry and add value to the sale process by guiding homeowners through specification so that they get the right product, whether that’s triple-glazing, or in the majority of cases, double-glazed products - whichever it is, it shouldn’t be supplied at a giveaway price.”

Results followed the same pattern when applied to a five year period, while 76 per cent of respondents went a step further, questioning whether triple-glazed sales would ever exceed those of double-glazed products.

Those installers who said that they did expect to see significant growth in demand for triple-glazed products [20 per cent of the total], cited private refurbishment, then ‘eco’ new build as primary markets. These were followed by general private new build, social new build, social housing refurbishment and then large scale new build.

But while as a whole figures suggest scepticism among installers as to the prospects for triple-glazing, they betray a far more complex situation. When broken down by size, the results reveal a far more optimistic analysis among larger fabricators.

However, when asked to rank drivers for growth in 2014, double-glazed windows came in as the hands down winner, followed by colours and foils, composite doors, hybrid orangeries and conservatories and bi-fold doors. Triple-glazed products were ranked as sixth of six categories.

Mike Crewdson, Sales and Marketing Director, Emplas, said: “At that headline level, installers don’t see the value in tripleglazed products and don’t report the demand

for them. However, if you dig down a little deeper, you see a definite split between larger and smaller businesses. “Those companies doing between 10 and 20 frames per week are pretty sceptical. Most haven’t installed triple-glazed products – only two per cent and six per cent respectively. And most are conservative in their forecasts of growth in triple-glazed products – only 11 per cent and 20 per cent. “But what we see is an evening-out of the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ camps in larger installers, with 42 per cent of those installers fitting between 21 and 40 frames per week, forecasting growth in triple-glazed sales. For those installers fitting 41 plus frames per week, the figure was 40 per cent – a perfect split with those predicting that triple-glazed sales would fail to take-off.” The survey also hints at one of the obstacles to growth in triple-glazed sales. Findings reveal

that more than half of respondents cited weight and increased complexity in manual handling as contributing to a perception that triple-glazed products were more difficult to install. When asked if they believed that triple-glazed products were a ‘practical’ requirement in most cases in the UK, or delivered meaningful benefit to end users above that of doubleglazed products, a resounding 76 per cent said ‘no’. “Triple-glazing may deliver certain benefits in certain aspects”, said Mark Warren, Managing Director, Lister Trade Frames, “In very exposed locations, or on passivhaustype developments, triple-glazed products may be appropriate. Similarly, with the right configuration of glass they can deliver improved sound proofing and acoustic benefits.

“What we see is a complicated situation. Larger installers are certainly more optimistic about market growth for triple-glazed products than smaller ones. But we can’t say if this is because they’re better at selling it and genuinely see its’ potential or if this is because they have the scale to discount it and see it as a useful tool in sustaining turnover”, said Crewdson. He concluded: “At a macro-level, however, what we can conclude is that a sizeable slice of the retail sector isn’t doing volume in tripleglazed products and remains highly sceptical as to its suitability or its potential in the UK.” For more information visit www.emplas.co.uk, email info@emplas.co.uk or call 01933 674880. For more information on Lister Trade Frames visit www.listertf.co.uk , email, Sales@listertf. co.uk or call 01782 391900. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0133

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

TRIPLE GLAZING QUESTION

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

The Triple Glazing Question

The debate over triple glazing, including the “Triple Glazing Question”, has been gaining momentum this year. We have discussed a number of key issues within different trade journals, but a recent question caught the eye of Garry Smith, one of our Principal Consultants for Flat and Architectural Glass. That is “Does the increased weight of a triple glazed product - and the associated handling risks for industry employees - make the possible performance increases, in terms of thermal and solar properties, worthwhile?” Everyone should be concerned about the welfare of their staff when it comes to moving glass. The question has been raised about triple glazing posing additional risks. Are the risks commensurate with the benefits?

Installation First of all, installation needs to be considered. If the glazing is being installed in a new build, or a complete replacement of the frame as well as the IGU is being carried out, the thickness of the glazing can be re-specified depending upon the performance requirements. If it is a replacement of the IGU within an existing frame, typically accommodating an IGU of up to 28mm thickness in the UK, then there will be limitations on the performance that can be achieved.

Thermal and Solar Performance When considering the performance benefits of triple glazing over double glazing the U value and solar factor (g value) should be

considered. The U value of a building element is a heat transfer coefficient, i.e. how much heat is transmitted through the element. Elements with a lower U value will provide greater insulation and so retain heat. The solar factor, or g value, is a measure of the transmittance of solar energy through an element, with a higher value indicating that more thermal energy is gained by the building through direct solar energy transmittance. In winter a higher g value is preferred for solar heating. Conversely, in summer, a lower g value will reduce excessive heating of the building. It is possible to achieve a glass U value of approximately 1.2 W/m2.K and a g value of approximately 0.75, with argon filled double glazed units (DGUs), allowing windows to satisfy the requirements of current building regulations. Where greater insulation is required, there are two-pane insulating glass units (IGUs) that can achieve a U value of less than 1.0 W/ m2.K. If no limitations on unit thickness are imposed by the framing system into which the unit is being installed, an argon filled triple glazed unit (TGU) of three 4mm panes can achieve a U value of approximately 0.5 W/m2.K, with a g value of 0.5. This gives a 50% reduction on the U value, with only a 19% reduction on solar gain. If there are limitations on the unit thickness, for example 28mm units as mentioned previously, then the achievable U value on the above TGU, with only 8mm gas spaces is 0.9 W/m2.K.

So, what about the weight? The weight of glass is the primary factor to consider when looking at the weight of the unit. The most common thickness of glazing in domestic properties is 4mm, therefore, a typical DGU will weigh 20kg/m2. Comparatively, a TGU with 4mm nominal thickness glass will weigh 30kg/m2.

For domestic installers a typical unit might be 400x1200mm. In a two 4mm pane arrangement this would weigh 9.6 kg. A triple-glazed equivalent of three 4mm panes would weigh 14.4 kg. At some point an individual unit might exceed 25 kg and there is a limit on how many bodies can help with a lift. As the lifting problem is not new to the glazing industry, it may become necessary to provide better site handling equipment that has many benefits. Safer lifting with less physical effort, accurate placing of glass, more clearance between the operator and the glass panes all might result from gearing up for triple glazing. Non-domestic glazing companies have been handling large thick glass units for years. A unit size 2500x4000mm in 10mm glass is not unusual and this would weigh 0.5 tonne.

Glass handling The handling of glass has been a fundamental health and safety consideration for all glaziers and installers for many years. The weight, location and available access for any installation should be fundamental factors, noted as part of the quotation process and fully considered in risk assessment, in order to provide installers with the appropriate equipment for each job. Equipment suppliers have also responded to the industry’s increased health and safety priorities and the requirements of the ever growing, and impressive, architectural glass displays and facades demanded by current designers and architecture. There are a whole stream of new handling products, including lifts for enclosed or limited spaces and even tools to allow units to be installed from within the building without the need for ladders, scaffolding or other access equipment.

An answer – or another question? So, “is triple glazing unsafe to handle” is probably the wrong question to ask. Should

it be “has the installation been appropriately surveyed and assessed in order to allow safe installation, regardless of glass weight”?

Supporting Tools To help specifiers with these complex considerations, GTS has launched a number of free calculators on their recently launched website, www.glass-ts.com. A simple glass weight calculator, allowing for different glass configurations and types, is available at www. glass-ts.com/glass-weight-calculator; while an effective U value calculator – calculating the effective U value based upon a glazed unit’s location, orientation and stated U-and g-values - is available atwww.glass-ts.com/ effective-u-value-calculator. GTS works across the glass supply industry both in the UK and internationally providing analysis, consultancy, testing, quality assessment and research and development support across the glass, food and drink, construction, retail, medical, pharmaceutical, defence and biotech sectors. For more information please see www.glassts.com, telephone +44 (0) 114 290 1801 or email enquiries@glass-ts.com. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0135

Edgetech continues Triple Glazing Question at FIT Show Following the phenomenal success of The Triple Glazing Question at the Ricoh Arena in April hosted by Edgetech UK, a Quanex company, the discussion around the hot topic of triple glazing for 2014 is set to continue at the FIT Show. With over 600 registered attendees the Triple Glazing Question event outperformed all expectations both in numbers and the content delivered on the day and now visitors to FIT show can have their say.

The Triple Glazing Question attracted interest from all parts of the supply chain including glass and PVCu systems companies, fabricators and installers, as well as machinery and software experts. FIT show visitors will be

able to carry on the discussion with speakers and stakeholders. Videos of the event and live sessions will be hosted on the stand in a full programme over the three days. Making better IGUs is the theme for Edgetech UK’s stand. There will be solutions for the most cost effective double glazed and triple glazed units for companies looking for manual, semi and fully automated manufacturing options. For companies looking at adding triple glazing, Edgetech UK will show how triple glazing is made easy with Super Spacer®. A wide range of components will be demonstrated, including Truplas SDL, the new solution for simulated dividing lights in three colours, and TruSieve, top quality desiccant.

Andy Jones, managing director at Edgetech UK, a Quanex company says: “The Triple Glazing Question was a great success. It gave the industry a chance to start the discussion about the challenges and opportunities of triple glazing to get factual information and answers to prominent questions. “As a one day event we were never going to be able to answer all the questions out there and we always knew it would raise even more questions. So it makes sense to give visitors to the FIT show the opportunity continue the debate and ask their questions on the Edgetech stand.” Tel: 08700 566844 READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0136

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

TRIPLE GLAZING QUESTION

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

CENSolutions a Big Hit at the Triple Glazing How does triple Question CENSolutions, the leading consultancy and test facility for the window, door and glazing industries, enjoyed a busy day on its stand at the Triple Glazing Question event, hosted by Edgetech at the Ricoh Arena. Wayne Rogerson, Joint Managing Director of CENSolutions explains why the company thought it was a worthwhile day: “Edgetech hosted an excellent event at the Ricoh arena and deserve our congratulations for bringing the issue of triple glazing to the fore. We have been concerned for some time that there is already a lot of misinformation in the market and we need to be very careful that as an industry we don’t mislead the consumer – intentionally or unintentionally. Whether it becomes common place or not, triple glazing has a place in the market but anyone getting involved in triples must understand all the variables. For example three panes of glass are not necessarily better than two – something the event highlighted very well in my opinion. Only with the correct glass combinations, cavity width and gas in cavities will things improve significantly. “Triples do provide the industry with a great opportunity – at the moment as a niche product for installers to upsell and make margin on. The possible erosion of this margin with free upgrades already being offered by some of the National window companies is a concern that was also highlighted on the day and one we should all work hard to overcome. “CENSolutions had a stand in the expert arena at the Triple Glazing Question and as the largest supplier of certification in the industry, with nothing to gain or lose if triple glazing becomes common place, we were able to offer visitors completely unbiased and accurate advice. Our stand saw a steady stream of people throughout the day that were hungry for more information about how existing market trends and future legislation will affect their businesses if triples form a part of their offering.” For more information on CENSolutions, call us today on 01785 716625, visit www. censolutions.com.

glazing affect CE Marking?

Richard Bate, Build Check’s Technical Director, warns companies looking to add triple glazed windows that they should ensure they are covered with a valid CE Mark. The CE Marking expert advises that changes to specifications must show in the Declaration of Performance (DoP), U-Values verified and any safety devices checked by a Notified Body for CE Marking. Where companies already have valid CE Marking on products, it’s fairly straightforward to add more. It doesn’t always mean having more than one as companies must declare the worst case scenario for windows on the DoP. However, where performance characteristics of products are promoted in advertising, leaflets and brochures or on the internet, a separate DoP would be required to reflect this.

He says, “A typical 1,000mm x 1,000mm window glazed with two 4mm panes will weight 20kg and you’d use a general purpose

Adding a third pane of glass would require re-calculation for thermal transmittance. The Oracle, Build Check Publications’ online fenestration resource, already has triple glazing within its U-Value calculator. Verification of calculations by a UKAS Notified Body for CE Marking may also be needed. However, the real issue for triple glazing is the significant impact extra weight would have on safety devices. Adding another pane of glass will increase the weight of the window. We estimate this increase would be 10 kg in a 1m x 1m window. Build Check has been surprised by the number of failures it’s seen in the laboratory for double glazed units. It’s not just safety devices that are a cause for concern; it’s also the hinges on the other side that can fail in the safety device test. This means that the complete window does not pass. Because triple glazed units are much heavier, it’s important to have verification that safety devices used have passed the tests.

For a simple guide to CE Marking log on to www.buildcheck.co.uk/services/windowsdoors-testing/ce-marking-guide/

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

Triple glazing is attracting more and more attention, but according to Tony Chadwick of the Trojan Group, the myths that surround it are stopping many people of harnessing the benefits it brings to a product portfolio. Tony has the perfect example of one of the myths of triple glazing: the need for specialist hardware to cope with the extra weight.

Legislation requires that all the components of the product are covered by the DoP as well as the essential characteristics. In the UK the mandatory characteristics for windows are thermal transmittance, load bearing capacity of safety devices and dangerous substances.

CE Marking is an ongoing mark of conformity. So it’s important that any changes or additions to products must be reflected in the DoP. Creating a new DoP, getting safety devices tested in the laboratory and U-Value calculations verified are all simple and straightforward procedures.

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0137

The Trojan Group answers the Triple Glazing Question

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0138

hinge with a weight capacity of in the region of 24kg. A 1,000mm x 1,000mm triple glazed window will weigh 30kg, so the general purpose hinge won’t be suitable. But you don’t need to source a specialist hinge: one of our mainstream products, the Mega Egress hinge, can carry up to 40kg, which is more than sufficient for the additional weight of the triple glazed unit.” The Trojan Group were exhibitors in the Expert Arena at the recent Triple Glazing Question event held at the Ricoh Arena. Tony Chadwick said, “The event was vital because it helped explode myths such as the need for specialist hardware. Here at Trojan, we’ve been developing products that are tripleglazing compatible for a number of years now. The Mega Egress is the perfect example of such a product and it was great to help people overcome their concerns.” Like all Trojan products, the Mega Egress offers a wealth of benefits. Aside from being triple glazing-ready, it also offers a full 90 degree opening, so it meets egress compliance requirements. The innovative design solves the gasket compression problems traditionally associated with egress hinges. It doesn’t fall open at the top, gives a much clearer opening than any other friction hinge and, because it doesn’t use the traditional scissor action to close, it’s also safer to use than other hinges on the market. The hinge is available in two stack heights: 13.5mm and 16.5mm and is a genuinely versatile hardware product. Tony concludes, “Innovation is vital in any industry and events such as the Triple Glazing Question are vital to help people make the most of such innovation. We were delighted to play a part in the event and help equip people with the information they need to make an informed decision about the value triple glazing can bring to their business.” Tel: 01922 713 933 – www.trojan-hardware.com READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0139

SOCIAL HOUSING SECTOR?

WE HAVE THE CONTACTS! 50,000 EMAIL DISTRIBUTION ! WITH Email for more information: christina@fenestrabuild.co.uk M: 07805 051 322 | WWW.FENESTRABUILD.CO.UK

VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Glass News’‘Voice of the Industry’ for May

follows up the Triple Glazing Question

The Triple Glazing Question, held at the Ricoh Arena Coventry, on Thursday 10 April, was an impressive event, sponsored by Edgetech UK, a Quanex Company, and brilliantly executed complete with a voting system to keep the audience interested and involved. With nearly 500 delegates and an excellent line up of speakers to explain the advantages and disadvantages of triple glazing to the fenestration industry, the day probably raised more questions than actually supplying answers to the whole issue of triple glazing. And that’s not a bad thing. It certainly isn’t a case of having one simple answer to an issue that could have far reaching consequences for our industry. So Glass News’ regular feature, the ‘Voice of the Industry’, takes on a new look for this month only, giving the opportunity to a variety of people in our industry, some involved in the Ricoh Arena event and some not, to give their take on the debate. To set the scene, Glass News’ Editor, Chris Champion, outlines his understanding of the issues and gives the industry spokespersons the opportunity to agree or otherwise and give their own thoughts on the subject. As an introduction, the debate on triple glazing was sparked off by Everest’s move in January, offering a free upgrade to their customers from double to triple glazing. Some will undoubtedly see this as giving away the margin, and the opportunity, to sell triple glazed windows to those customers that may have purchased double glazed windows some 15 or 20 years ago. This is understandable as moving up to triple glazing would be a relatively easy sell to existing customers and an opportunity to trawl the customer database. However, everyone must concede that

Everest has been very clever in their marketing. They have a ‘premium’ product that is priced at the upper end of the scale and their sales process includes quantifying whether the customer can afford Everest. Although triple glazing has to be more expensive than double, with additional glass and components, by retaining a high price for their products, Everest has the margin available to offer triples at no extra charge...and a very clever marketing ploy it is. What does that mean to everyone else? Everest, as one of the few companies to undertake national retail advertising, will persuade the buying public to expect the trade to offer triple glazing as the next generation of windows....and at the same price as doubles. This presents a real problem for the rest of the trade and will surely mean a squeeze on margin at a time when one might have expected triple glazing to offer a real opportunity for additional sales and better margins. The lesson here, and no one will like it, is that fighting each other on price means that with the advent of ‘triples for the price of doubles’, the regular trade has no room for manoeuvre. It became clear during the debate at the Ricoh that both thermal and acoustic properties were not necessarily improved by triple glazing. ‘Clever double glazing’ using coatings and gas filling could perform as well as triples and, using existing profiles, would not have the disadvantage of overlapping glazing beads which may exist when using 36mm or 40mm triple glazed units. What didn’t come out of the debate was the size of unit that Everest is using. Ah! I thought, Everest will be using a triple that brings no benefit and is probably worse performing than a good double! But that’s not the case. Andy Jones, Edgetech’s MD put me right:

“They’re using a 36mm unit.” He said. “Everest is doing it right.” So it’s hard to question what they’re doing. A clever marketing ploy, with a unit that provides real thermal and acoustic benefits. Can you fault the thinking? So far we have only considered the effect on the PVCu trade, so what about timber and aluminium? It appears that, albeit from a much lower base in volume than PVCu, triple glazing for timber and aluminium does not present the same problems. I have purposely not gone into the technicalities involved with triple glazing but simply taken the overview. After all, that’s what the buying public will do. It must be said that all the speakers at the Triple Glazing Question were excellent and presented a really good educational event that really explained the pros and cons and was of great benefit to all.

So to the question, or questions: • Will triple glazing take off as the next big thing for our trade or has Everest’s offering meant that the PVCu trade will shy away because the price will be driven down? • Will the buying public force us to offer triple glazing at the price of double glazing, and what will that mean to us in economic terms? • Does ‘clever double glazing’ offer a real alternative or will the ‘three bits of glass must be better than two’ syndrome force our hand? • Triple glazing, at the right price to provide the trade with a margin, offered the opportunity to sell to the existing customers whose windows are 15 to 20 years old. Has that opportunity now disappeared?

Tony Smith UK Business Development Manager, Pilkington United Kingdom Limited The question of triple glazing and how rapidly its popularity will grow is a hot topic for manufacturers and others in the glass supply chain. Triple Glazing Units (TGU) represent the cutting edge of energy efficiency in glazing, and there is already solid demand for them, albeit from relatively niche sections of the market that demand the highest performing products. As regulatory requirements tighten, we are certain to see this demand grow steadily. The main issues holding the market back from fully embracing triple glazing are the additional cost and thickness of the products. On cost, while we have seen TGUs at similar price point as already good-value DGUs, we don’t believe this is a sustainable business model as the manufacturing costs are higher, so those offering three for the price of two will quickly find it is not commercially viable.

Chris Thompson Glazerite We had a stand at the Triple Glazing Question which was held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on the 10th April. The debate was good with the overall outcome being that triple glazing business will grow but it needs to be done correctly and which realistically requires a sealed unit of 44mm thick to gain its full benefit. The thing that is holding it back is the fact there are very few window companies who have the facility to provide an adequate solution. Thankfully we were showing our 4 available options. Veka Windows with the option of 36mm, 40mm & 44mm sealed units or the Residence 9 also with a 44mm sealed unit. So there was a interest on our stand and 3 enquiries were taken on the day with requests for visit from our Area Salesmen.

As for buildings that are unable to accommodate the additional thickness of a TGU, the advent of clever DGUs – such as Pilkington energiKare™ Advantage – which offer the energy performance of basic TGUs but within a slimmer frame are a real alternative. However long it takes for the market share of TGUs to grow, we’re committed to offering a wide range of high-quality double and triple glazed products to meet our clients’ needs.

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY

The UK’s Leading Industry Newspaper

Mark McLean Director, Callum Walker Energy Source

Andy Jones Managing Director, Edgetech UK

As far as triple glazing being the next big thing, it’s already a very sustainable business venture for any company. We currently do between £1.4m - £1.8m worth of domestic business in Scotland alone right now, all of which is triple glazed. In our 3 years of specialising in this type of glass we have never ever sold a double glazed unit.

Industries need a next big thing. Constant innovation keeps us buying new and improved models. In the window industry much of this has been around better energy efficiency. Edgetech has been at the forefront of this and predicted that energy ratings would be a driver for the consumer market. Today more A rated windows are sold because consumers understand the ratings system.

The price of triple glazing is already competitive in the UK. A number of times during the past year our prices on our Internorm product have been cheaper by around 3% than quotations provided by the likes of Everest and CR Smith., However, people understand that triple glazing comes as a premium and, as such, should be more expensive. I feel that “clever double glazing” does not offer a real alternative. The building regulations are going to change massively in 2016 and again in 2020 and double glazing will not meet the standards required for low energy housing. Triple glazing - with margin, quality, superb guarantees and technical prowess is available in the UK right now (albeit from European suppliers). This is what I sell to my domestic retrofit customers. The market is very much alive.

Three-is-better-than-two is easy to understand for consumers. However, the reality for delivering better performing triple glazed units is more difficult. Most automated machinery is designed to manufacture double glazed units. Introducing an extra pane of glass can mean slower production and significantly complicate manufacturing. The days of distress purchases are over. Today we compete against much sexier products including kitchens, bathrooms, cars and holidays. Everest has proven there’s an appetite for triple glazing by generating higher levels of leads from its recent advertising. We need to stimulate consumer interest and talking about triple glazing gives us the opportunity to do this.

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

Brian Baker St Gobain

Vic De Costa SWISSPACER

I think triple glazing will evolve rather than take off dramatically, though the more the ‘Nationals’ promote it, the greater the speed of uptake. Consumers will tend to demand what they perceive to be the latest and the best.

Everyone agrees Everest has been very smart. By giving homeowners a ‘free’ upgrade to triple glazing they’ve increased sales. But they’ve been even smarter because they increased their prices at the same time so their margins haven’t been affected.

With regard to the price issue, I believe the buying public would naturally expect to pay more for triple glazing than double glazing. How triple glazing is ‘marketed’ to the consumer is the decision of the installer. The investment and additional costs involved in manufacturing triple glazing will inevitably have to be reflected in the selling price. Optimum performing double glazing can be a viable alternative to triple glazing, though many homeowners may still opt for triple glazing on the basis that ‘it must be better’, but as only 17% of existing windows in the UK are deemed to be energy efficient, I would strongly advocate that replacing any inefficient windows with energy efficient windows, whether it be with triple glazing or high performance double glazing, remains.

Everest has done some of the hard work for the industry by raising awareness of triple glazing. But will the ‘free upgrade’ set a precedence? If so, smaller trade companies’ margins will suffer unless they too raise prices to cover the increased costs. Triple glazing WILL demand more time and investment. There are a number of implications for stock levels, storage and delivery. In spite of this I strongly believe the industry will move to triple glazing. The only realistic way of achieving the government’s targets for zero carbon homes in 2016 is triple glazing. ‘Intelligent’ double glazing can offer low U-values, but ‘intelligent’ triple glazing is even better. And homeowners will always go for three not two when given a free choice.

Mike Crewdson Sales and Marketing Director, Emplas

Richard Bate Technical Director, Build Check

Having presented at the Triple Glazed Question, do I believe that UK homeowners need triple glazing? The answer has to be no. Do I believe that the industry will sell triple glazing effectively and at extra margin? Regrettably, the answer is probably not. Does it have the potential to generate new business? Absolutely.

The Triple Glazing Question demonstrated that there are good marketing reasons why companies would offer triple glazing. But while the marketing message appears easy to understand for consumers there are real flaws in the three-is-betterthan-two argument for thermal transmittance.

Those of us old enough to remember kipper ties and those still trying to forget Slade, will recall the revolution delivered by double-glazing. The sales patter was irresistible to the UK householder: “why would you have one draughty old pane of glass when you could have two?” It was a tangible innovation. People got it and the same is true of tripleglazing. Three panes must be better? As a fabricator triple glazing represents more cost in manufacture. As an installer more cost in installation and complexity of handling you’re adding glass, sealants and weight. But for the homeowner, triple glazing ‘makes more sense’ than argon gas and low iron glass. It’s there, they can see it and it will get their attention.

U-Values are not automatically enhanced by adding a third piece of glass. In some cases adding an extra pane can be detrimental to the performance. Using the Oracle to calculate U-Values of both double and triple glazed units it was easy to see that narrower triple glazed units did not perform as well as wider ones. In many cases to achieve a significant improvement in thermal performance will require a window with a 44mm sealed unit. Knowing the accurate calculations is important for compliance to CE marking. Were higher levels of energy efficiency are promoted in advertising, leaflets and brochures or on the internet the U-Value achieved must be shown on the Declaration of Performance.

If consumers are getting more, isn’t it also only logical that they pay more for it? Everest’s strategy of offering triple-glazed units at no additional cost may work for it. I believe that this strategy will be less effective for the industry as a whole.

TRIPLE GLAZING QUESTION

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Triple Glazing

– An Unbiased View

Mike Gaillard, Joint Managing Director of CENSolutions, the leading consultancy and test facility for the window, door and glazing industries, discusses the issue of triple glazing following the Triple Glazing Question industry forum.

The Triple Glazing Question was a great industry event that brought the issue of triple glazing to the fore. CENSolutions was a stakeholder at the event and had a team of people there on the day to answer questions from our stand in the Experts arena. As the largest supplier of certification in the industry, with nothing to gain or lose if triple glazing becomes common place, we were able to offer visitors completely unbiased and accurate advice. Our stand saw a steady stream of people throughout the day that were hungry for more information about how existing market trends and future legislation will affect their businesses if triples form a part of their offering.

Stop the misinformation We have been concerned for some time that there is already a lot of misinformation in the market and we need to be very careful that as an

industry we don’t mislead the consumer – intentionally or unintentionally. Whether it becomes common place or not, triple glazing has a place in the market but anyone getting involved in triples must understand all the variables. For example three panes of glass are not necessarily better than two – something the event highlighted very well in my opinion. From memory there was roughly a 50/50 split between those in the room that realised three panes of glass weren’t necessarily better than two and those that didn’t. It’s great that those attending the event now have that information, but what about the rest of the market? And what about the consumer?

and 1.2 Wm2K. To attain a better U Value you need two panes of coated glass with gas (argon or the more expensive Xenon / Krypton) and an overall thickness in excess of 36mm. It was suggested at the Triple Glazing Question seminar that 40+mm should be considered to give between 0.6 and 0.9 Wm2K. It is also important to remember that it is recommended that the centre pane should be thermally toughened. There have already been examples where the more unscrupulous elements of the industry are selling 4-8-4-8-4 units with one soft coated glass and no gas,

and claiming they are more thermally efficient when the online glass manufacturers’ calculator shows this combination to be 1.6 Wm2K!

If a fabricator does decide to go ahead with triple glazing, which many companies are now offering as an option, and they have the specification of the unit right, they then have to consider their profile choice, their transport and handling logistics and associated costs. Not forgetting the more robust hardware that would need to be fitted onto a triple glazed window compared with double glazed and the possibility of the IGU fitting

the frame rebate. Then it’s time to hand it over to the installer who is likely to need additional manpower to lift a triple glazed window and fit it in place.

Opportunity to Increase Margins Despite the implications triples do provide the industry with a great opportunity – at the moment as a niche product for installers to upsell and make margin on. The possible erosion of this margin with free upgrades already being offered by some of the National window companies is a concern we should all work hard to overcome.

CENSolutions believe in offering window, door and glass companies a service lead, cost effective route to third party certification, but we also want to make it easier for the wider market to understand the various product specifications, industry trends and legislation and how these things affect their business. For more information on triple glazing or what CENSolutions does differently visit www. censolutions.com

The right combination We have been advising our customers for some time about the glass combinations, cavity width and gas in cavities that will improve the efficiency in a triple glazed unit over a double glazed unit. Conventional double glazed units with 16mm + cavity with soft coated glass (28mm overall thickness is the industry norm) and argon gas can obtain a centre pane U Value of between 1.0

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

LETTERS

Triple Glazing ‘Debate’

Consumer Rights Bill Changes – proposed 30 day right to reject

Dear Chris,

Firstly I must congratulate Edgetech on a well organised Triple Glazing event at the Ricoh Arena recently. What gets to me though is the lack of concern for the general consumer. Having listened to the pros and cons of triple glazing for the industry glass manufacturers, system suppliers, hardware manufacturers, machinery suppliers, fabricators and installers where was the argument for the discerning customer?

I wanted to write to congratulate the GGF on their efforts in relation to the proposed changes to the Consumer Rights Bill. Some time ago I wrote to the press to discuss my concerns for the industry if changes to the Consumer Rights Directive were to pass in 2013, allowing consumers a 14 day cooling off period. There are now changes in the pipeline which could see the consumer being offered a 30 day cooling off period including a right to reject all windows on a project if just one were to contain a fault and if installed inside those 30 days. The GGF are fighting our corner, but we should all be doing our bit to affect change.

It was highlighted that Triple Glazing was marginally better performing when it comes to energy ratings and acoustic performance, but at what price? What every single person whom attended the event failed to realise is that outside of room and once removed from rigours of work, we are all consumers! We all purchase goods just like our customers do and as a ‘consumer’ I would like to know what are the benefits of Triple Glazing over a standard A Rated Double Glazed Unit? At what premium? What is the payback on Triple Glazing? Surely it is more likely that the glass unit will fail well before the consumer sees any financial benefit. It has taken years of flack to try and get rid of the ‘Double Glazing Salesman’ tag and whenever you mention you are from this industry to anyone, you hear a change in their tone and an almost groan towards the proverbial ‘Double Glazing Salesman’ label of which we are all associated. I believe that with Triple Glazing this is not going to help this matter and the more astute customer will do their research and the ‘lazy’ sales techniques of “Triple Glazing is better because three is better than two...” will again damage the image of the ‘Double Glazing, now to be Triple Glazing Salesman’. Let us all be cleverer with this. Clever marketing supported by factual information. In fact I’ve been saying bigger isn’t always better for years! Ad campaigns with scenarios of two being better than three and so on. Let us explore and sell the full potential of Double Glazing and not dupe the consumer in to paying over the odds for something that they will never see the real benefit from. Kind Regards, Mark Walker, Marketing & Design / Systems Manager, Selecta Systems Ltd

Of course, consumer rights are essential. We are an industry renowned for pressure selling, albeit the minority that gives the rest of us a bad reputation, so it’s essential that the consumer is protected. The Bill has been put forward as a measure to make consumer rights much more straightforward, I’m just concerned that it does not fully understand the nuances of the home improvement industry. As it stands at the moment, under the Bill an installer could fit a whole house of windows before the 30 day period is finished - because consumers are demanding short lead times from us only to be told that they have all been rejected because one had a fault. In this case all of the windows must be removed and the consumer fully refunded. This has massive implications because as soon as windows are installed they become part of the structure of the building. The caveat being that the rejected non-faulty windows must be made available to the installer to re-use. Of course, being made to fit, they would be unlikely to be re-useable elsewhere. Take into account also the labour involved fitting and then removing the windows, and any potential gains from re-selling them are essentially negated. It’s clear then that the Bill needs some work if it is to benefit both consumers and businesses alike. The GGF, to their credit, have been meeting with government officials to try and reach a reasonable conclusion. They have advised their members to write to their local MPs to propose that custom made home improvement works be treated differently to consumables under the Bill. Unusually, they have made this a letter template available to both members and non-members alike via the news page of their website at www.ggf. org.uk/news/consumer_rights_bill_help_ggf_raise_awareness. Jim Moody, Managing Director, Tradelink

Feel free to get in touch with your views on the industry, legislation, government, or even the newspaper.

@GlassnewsMag

Christina Shaw

/GlassNews

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

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NEW APPOINTMENT

NEW SALES DIRECTOR AT EPWIN MICHAEL CONNOR – QUICKSLIDE’S WINDOW SYSTEMS DIVISION OPERATIONAL MAN WHO CAN Chris Powell has been appointed sales director for the Epwin Group Window Systems Division. He is tasked with managing the divisions’ key accounts, the external sales team and for developing new business opportunities. Chris brings a wealth of experience to his new role and is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead, as he explained: “The industry has been through a tough few years but I’m optimistic it’s now on the road to recovery. The strategic positioning of our brands means

that we can offer strength and support to our fabricators; helping them to grow and develop their businesses. This growth is underpinned by the opportunities that we present to them; something that forms a large and valuable part of our business strategy. I firmly believe that we have a unique proposition that no other system’s company can match when it comes to attracting new business. ” In his new role, Chris heads up the national sales team, dedicated to supporting existing customers and creating new business. The team is underpinned by the divisional field sales technicians. Chris, who hails from the Greater Manchester area, began his career with Spectus Window Systems as a tooling apprentice at its Macclesfield tooling facility and over the next 14 years he rose through the ranks to become its sales director. In 2012 he was appointed business development director for Epwin Window Systems Division. For more information on Epwin or its brands please visit www.epwin.co.uk or call Epwin Window Systems Division on 01952 290910. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0141

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Determined to increase its share of the market whilst delivering even greater quality, West Yorkshire-based Quickslide, the UK’s leading vertical slider manufacturer, has appointed Michael Connor as its Operations Director. In both the UK and internationally, Michael has a wealth of experience in multiple disciplines which allows him to quickly recognise improvement opportunities within a business. He has worked previously in the USA, Poland and the Republic of Ireland and is a firm advocate of lean implementation and World Class Manufacturing programs, which he has utilised in order to deliver outstanding results and savings to businesses within challenging timescales.

“We pride ourselves in the levels of excellence we already deliver to our customers.”

Michael comes to Quickslide with an impressive portfolio of accolades for his ability to transform operations and improve general efficiency. In doing so, he recognises that he is joining an award winning team already, which has led the field in PVC-U vertical sliding windows for the last 10 years. “I have gained experience in manufacturing right from the shop-floor, where I started as an operator, up to an Executive Management level,” Michael explained. “Being able to understand both viewpoints is invaluable in communicating the need for change and pitching this at the right level for the right group.”

Commenting on his appointment, Quickslide Chairman, Adrian Barraclough, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have Michael on board with us. Coming from outside the industry means he can bring fresh and challenging ideas to the way we operate in the market. This is especially needed in a year of great change and expansion for us. Our goal is to always be exceptional in our field, matching all the quality requirements of the market. We pride ourselves in the levels of excellence we already deliver to our customers and Michael will help raise the benchmark even further.” READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0142

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EXPANSION PHASE BEGINS AT FRAMEXPRESS AS CORPORATE POSITION STRENGTHENS frameXpress Ltd has kicked off the first quarter of this year with a progressive approach as it enters a major new expansion phase.

results, frameXpress has sustained a leading market position through quality standards, training and streamlining production.

As one of the UK’s most well established and well recognised fabricators, the company has instigated extensive development programmes to streamline production and accommodate increase in demand for the entire product range. Recognised as one of the UK’s leading fabricators, frameXpress is set to further establish its corporate position after the appointment of a number of new staff members. At a time when many companies have struggled to maintain positive trading

The team has been bolstered due to the popularity of the products in the frameXpress portfolio. This combined with substantial investments recently made in additional new production floor space of more than 15,000 sq ft, will ensure all departments can accommodate the increase in product demand whilst still providing a premium service. Internal restructuring and development has been initiated to reinforce customer services with the recruitment of designated Customer

NEW APPOINTMENT

NEW DUO BOLSTERS HURST’S CUSTOMER SUPPORT Hurst Plastics has boosted its customer support package once again with the appointment of two highly experienced sales and service staff. The move forms part of Hurst’s company-wide strategy of ‘Making it Personal’ in every aspect of the business. Lorraine Snell has taken on the newly created role of Internal Sales Support Manager at the company’s headquarters in Kingstonupon-Hull. Lorraine was formerly Hurst Plastics’ Regional Business Manager, covering Scotland and the North East.

Lorraine has more than a decade of experience in the composite door industry, having worked in several core functions, including transport, administration and sales. In her new role, Lorraine will bring added strength to Hurst’s comprehensive service package, whilst actively supporting both the internal and external sales teams. Stevie Dunn has taken over Lorraine’s mantle as Regional Business Manager for Scotland and the North East. With 20 years experience in the industry, Irvine-based Stevie is responsible for developing new opportunities and maintaining existing customers within his region. Mark Atkinson, Hurst Plastics’ Sales Director, said: “This is a really exciting time for the business and we have worked very hard in recent months to bolster the levels of service we provide for customers. We have one of

the largest sales forces within the composite door market and a high concentration of customer service staff, which are supported by some great technology. However, we never neglect the importance of ‘making it personal’ so I’m naturally delighted to have secured these two high profile appointments within the business. Lorraine and Stevie will surely make a huge contribution to the company and help us to further progress the company in line with our strategy for further growth.” Hurst Plastics is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of high quality PVC-U door panels, infill panels, composite doors and associated laminated products. Products are manufactured at Hurst’s 50,000 square foot purpose built factory in Kingstonupon-Hull and supplied to both the domestic and commercial markets throughout the UK and Europe. Hurst Plastics is a member of the Hurst Group, which was established 40 years ago. With expertise in joinery, building services, ceilings and flooring, the Group is recognised as a major force in the contracting and glazing industries. Tel: 01482 790790 www.hurst-plastics.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0144

Care Co-ordinator Hannah Griffin, as well as other staff additions in the Order Processing department. This will ensure that processing methods are consistently monitored and maintained to the highest standards from placement to final despatch. Also as part of the company’s commitment to further raise standards, a new HR Manager has been appointed after the retirement of Barry Sumnall. With more than 20 years experience Angela Griffin joins frameXpress and will be solely responsible for evaluating, maintaining and enforcing all health and safety procedures in line with employment law legislation. A number of investment programmes have been initiated by senior management at the firm over the last few years due to the company’s steady growth. These have helped to reinforce the frameXpress brand in respect of quality, durability and performance. Stuart Green Director comments, “As with all new staff positions it is important to maintain a good reputation which can only be done with a strong company behind you. This company’s success can be attributed to providing great service and quality products on a consistent basis via a strong and diligent team!”

Staff Members for accompanying photography: from L - R Jane Coleman, Bev Lamb, Hannah Griffin, Angela Griffin.

Ian Davis, Sales Manager comments “frameXpress has a notable reputation for high quality standards and a progressive approach to the industry. Bolstering the team as well as expanding facilities gives even greater scope for development as well as excellent career prospects for the team.” Stuart Green concludes, “Expansion is essential to provide customers with fast and efficient services in relation to all aspects of this business. The new team will help to strengthen customer relations as our expansion will further improve services and delivery.” Tel: 01952 581100 READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0145

NEW APPOINTMENT

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

AT GLAZERITE WITH NEW AREA MANAGER Glazerite Windows Limited this month says goodbye to existing Area Sales Manager Fred Doodey, who is semiretiring to move on to a new venture. Fred’s departure from the highly successful trade fabricator, who just recently celebrated reaching £100million in sales, sees the immediate appointment of Giovanni Sangiovanni as the company’s new Area Sales Manager. Going solo after two years with the Wellingboroughbased company, Fred took the decision to step away from his position at Glazerite in order to begin his own retail window company, Ecologic Windows & Doors. Working closer to home Fred

recognises that his former employer has the best profile on the market, so much so that moving forward he’s decided to buy his VEKA frames from Glazerite. “Fred has been a valuable member of the team for the past two years,” said Chris Thompson, Glazerite’s National Sales & Marketing Manager. “We’re sad to see him go but we wish him all the success in his new venture.” Not one to quickly zip out the door, for the past month Fred has been introducing his successor Giovanni to his customers in preparation for the handover. “It was a real privilege and fairly unusual position where the incumbent can introduce you to customers and take you through their techniques,” said Giovanni of Fred’s mentoring. “Tapping into Fred’s vast experience and knowledge of the industry can only be an asset to me. I wish him all the best and look forward to having him as a customer.”

Following various positions in and around the industry for the past 20 years, including Regional Manager at fabricator Customade and Sales Director at WindowMaker, prior to his new position at Glazerite Giovanni has been working for a market leading kitchen product online retailer, heading up the customer support function. Excited about working for Glazerite, Giovanni explained why he decided to step back into the industry: “Glazerite are a forward thinking and proactive company who pay particular attention to their customers’ needs. When meeting the management team and discussing their strategy for growth through new products and marketing initiatives, I could only be impressed by their dynamism and wanted to be a part of their future plans.” www.glazeritewindows.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0146

May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

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Major growth sees new appointment at Roseview

BWF appoints new

technical liaison manager

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) has appointed a new technical liaison manager to keep on top of its technical advisory service for joiners and woodworkers. Hannah Mansell joins the technical team following former technical officer Chris Addison’s retirement. Hannah will be responsible for providing both BWF members and non-members with up-to-date, accurate technical advice and responding to their queries. With a wealth of experience of timber and joinery manufacture Hannah has worked for both large and small companies and has extensive knowledge of manufacturing, developing and testing of joinery products and providing engineering support and project management solutions. Hannah said: “Becoming a member of the BWF team is a fantastic opportunity as I’m already so familiar with what they do. I am looking forward to dealing with all of the different queries and also contributing to the BWF’s many schemes. I am also looking forward to developing my own knowledge of the timber joinery industry, as this is a fast moving sector for both regulation change and product development.”

As part of the role, Hannah will support Kevin Underwood, BWF technical director, in maintaining and updating technical guidance and will carry out thermal performance calculations of windows and doors for BWF members. Hannah will also represent the BWF on various technical committees advising on material and product timber joinery specification. Iain McIlwee, BWF chief executive, said: “Hannah is a great addition to the team. Her previous skill, knowledge and experience of the joinery industry is an invaluable attribute for BWF members. Being able to offer members the most up-to-date and concise technical information is fundamental to their business and we look forward to seeing this service continue to grow.” http://www.bwf.org.uk/toolkit/technicalwoodworking-support READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0149

Following strong sales at the start of the year, specialist VS fabricator Roseview Windows has appointed Byron Field as production manager. Byron is co-ordinating Roseview’s manufacturing, overseeing all aspects of production including scheduling, quality and delivery. On top of this he’s working on making big improvements to Roseview’s efficiency and capacity by re-organising the factory. Managing director of Roseview Willie Kerr believes Byron is the perfect person for the job as he’s been part of the Roseview team since 2009, developing strong relationships with customers in his previous role as national sales manager: “As national sales manager Byron was often liaising between customers and our production team, so moving him into the role of production manager is a natural and logical fit. Byron has a natural flair for production and I’m confident he will excel in the position. To maintain continuity, he will continue to

Byron Field, production manager at Roseview.

liaise with customers, particularly on large contracts as we look to grow even further in the next few months.” Byron commented: “I have always worked closely with the production department and it’s an area I particularly enjoy, so I’m delighted to take up this new challenge.” Tel: 01234 712657 READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0150

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May 2014 | www.glassnews.co.uk

0514/0152

Join the best Following our multi-million pound advertising campaign this spring, our customers demand for our ‘Free Upgrade to Triple Glazing’ has resulted in a huge amount of customer leads and the requirement that we engage more field Sales Consultants to present our products and more Installers to fit our products. This is a limited opportunity for the very best Sales Consultants and Conservatory Sales Designers, and experienced Installers. Field Sales Consultants

Conservatory Sales Designers

Installers/Fitters

Location: Across the UK (home based) Everest regional office support and sales visits within your area £35,000 to £55,000 OTE (realistic earning opportunity)

Location: Across the UK (home based) Attractive sales package and commission scheme

Location: South East/London Industry leading rates and benefits

As one of the UK’s most recognised brands, our wide range of windows, doors, conservatories, driveways, flat roofs, roofline and patios are market leading and highly desirable. Our recent advertising campaign offering ‘Free Upgrade to Triple Glazing’ has resulted in a surge of customers requesting a product presentation. As well as visiting new customers, you will also receive specialist training in how to develop your own customer base to produce a lucrative earning platform.

Everest is renowned for having the finest products, delivering the highest standard of customer service, and rewarding our sales professionals with the highest commission rates in the market. You do not need to bring specific product experience but previous sales experience is preferred. In return you will receive: • A fully supported professional development programme • Access to what are recognised as the finest product range on the market • OTE that will see you match your income aspirations

As the premium company in the sector we can offer benefits that no-one can. These include: • Immediate sign on bonus • Loyalty bonus paid twice yearly • A fully expensed company vehicle with fuel card • Fully paid training to help you qualify for Minimal Technical Competence (MTC). This qualification will be a compulsory requirement for any installer working in the sector from June 2014. • Industry leading rates with London weighting (up to 45%)

Interested? Please email your CV with a brief explanation why you think you should be considered for the role to vicky.meehan@everest.co.uk. All applicants will be treated in strict confidence. No agencies please.

everest.co.uk www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

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Solidor Set

for Dougie Mac Bike Ride A fantastic four from local door specialists Solidor are taking on Douglas Macmillan Hospice’s Bike Ride on Sunday 18th May, to show their support for Blurtonbased charity. The recent double winners at The Sentinel Business

Awards will be taking on the 110 mile Llangollen route as well as sponsoring the event. They will be joined by over 150 entrants who will embark across the 10 mile local route, the 50 Nantwich route and the aforementioned Llangollen trek. Last year’s Bike Ride was a record year for entrants with over 1000 entrants taking part and over £55,000 raised in sponsorship. Gareth Mobley, Solidor Managing Director commented, “We’re proud to be sponsoring the Dougie Mac Bike Ride. I am a keen cyclist and we also sponsor an elite youth cycling team BH Solidor Wam. Myself and 3 of the Solidor team will be cycling the 110 mile route to Llangollen to support the Hospice further and we have already signed up.”

“The Hospice is close to our hearts with it having cared for my father and former M.D of Solidor, Andrew Mobley. They do a great job and deserve our support.” Liz Clarke, Head of Fundraising added, “We would like to congratulate Gareth and Solidor on their recent success, and thank them for sponsoring the Bike Ride and our Annual Lunch as well as Gareth taking part. All monies raised from the Bike Ride will ensure the Hospice can provide the highest level of care for local people of North Staffordshire facing a life limiting illness.” Supporters can sign up for the Bike Ride, which takes place on Sunday 18th May from the Michelin Athletic Centre; by visiting www. dougiemacevents.co.uk. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0155

Edgetech supports an eggspress delivery for charity Edgetech UK, a Quanex company supported Taw and Torridge Classic Bike Club on a rideout with a difference last week.

great to see the kids’ faces when the bikes turn up outside and we hand out the chocolate eggs to everyone. We organise the egg run every year and anyone is welcome to take part. All you need is a bike and a couple of eggs. “We’re really grateful to Edgetech and everyone who

More than 300 Easter eggs, over 100 donated by Edgetech, were delivered to children at Northam Lodge, Children’s Hospice South West, Chelfham Mill School and The Caroline Thorpe Ward at North Devon District Hospital as part of the club’s annual Easter charity event which was co-organised by Edgetech Territory Sales Manager, Mel Jones. Mel says: “The ride-out is always a fantastic event. It’s

www.glassnews.co.uk | May 2014

donated eggs. We had so many this year that we were able to do deliveries to more hospitals than ever before!” Tel: 08700 566844

READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0156

Rosemary Crewdson £10,000 charity appeal Emplas’ Mike Crewdson will attempt to complete the 192 mile coast to coast walk across the North of England in just eight days to raise £10,000 for St Ann’s Hospice in Manchester.

He was also the organiser of the ‘Network Walk’ an industry four mile walk/’pub crawl’ around the centre of Manchester, which raised more than £20,000 in support of Gary Morton’s fundraising efforts for the children’s hospice, Hope House.

Taking on the challenge in the memory of his late wife Rosemary Crewdson, Mike will set out on the second anniversary of her death on the 21st of May. Following in the footsteps of the great fell walker Alfred Wainwright, whose guides made the route famous, Mike will leave St Bees on the Irish Sea, passing through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks to arrive at and Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea on the 29th. This means that he will complete the equivalent of seven-and-a-half marathons on consecutive days, with the aim of raising enough to cover one-day’s hospice running costs. Mike, Emplas’ Sales and Marketing Director, explains: “Rosemary passed away at St Ann’s in 2012 following a period of illness, receiving exceptional care throughout. It is my hope to raise £10,000 in donations to the hospice, which will cover one day’s running costs in full. “A lot of people will remember Rosemary from my Profile 22 and Emplas days and I hope the industry will join me in supporting a very worthy charity.” Taking him through some of the Country’s most

picturesque and dramatic landscapes the route climbs from sea level to almost 2,600ft at Kidsty Pike in the Lake District. “It’s a pretty demanding route”, says Mike “because you’re not climbing on a gradual ascent and coming down again, there are lots of hills to climb up and down in between. The distance isn’t the real challenge it’s the up and down along the way!” The east to west Coast to Coast Walk was devised by Wainwright in 1972 as an alternative to the northsouth Pennine Way. The Coast to Coast, he declared in his guidebook, ‘puts the Pennine Way to shame" for scenic beauty, variety and interest.’ Mike is himself no stranger to the creation of walks and in particular those in aid of charity. In 1997 he was one of the organisers of ‘the 50’, which saw 50 industry representatives join forces for a charity walk between Liverpool and Manchester, raising £50,000 for the children’s charity Across.

“£10,000 isn’t a huge amount of money but it will make a real difference to an exceptional organisation and the critical care service it offers. I am absolutely certain the industry will step up in offering St Ann’s our support and would like to take the opportunity to thank them in advance for doing so. It means a lot to me and I know that it would have meant a lot to Rosemary.” Mike continued: “I would also like to thank Kevin and Ryan Johnson at Emplas, Chris Powell and the team at Profile 22 and Gary Cox of Total Hardware. They have agreed to be the walk’s main sponsors, even though all walkers will be paying their own costs in full.” To make a donation please visit www.justgiving.com/ Mike-Crewdson Alternatively if you would like to join Mike on all or part of his journey please email mike.crewdson@ emplas.co.uk or alternatively call 01933 674880. There will be a number of walkers from across the industry, many for a day or two, so plenty of laughs will be expected along the way. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0157

the Killer Mile

Rob Horton of UK Windows the Plastic Depot, in Stoke on Trent is running the Killer Mile at Mow Cop in Cheshire on the 8th May to raise money for Caudwell Children.

The charity is raising funds to send disabled children on holiday. Rob has had amazing support already from sponsors and would like you to show your support.

Please take a moment to click on the links. www.justgiving.com/robbiehorton https:// www.facebook.com/robbieskillermile Caudwell Children transforms the lives of disabled children across the UK.

We act as a safety net for families who are unable to gain the help they need. We provide family support services, equipment, treatment and therapies for disabled children and their families across the UK. READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0158

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

GLASS PEOPLE

Calendar of events The Events Calendar will be a permanent feature and we are happy to consider details of any events relevant to our industry, that you would like to promote. With this feature visible to all our readers, events should be those which you are happy for everyone to see or take part in. Got an Open Day? Promoting a Charity Golf Day? A Networking event for the industry? Send your details to events@glassnews.co.uk.

JUNE 2014

MAY 2014 7 May 2014

10-12 June 2014

FENSA ‘PASS YOUR TRANSITION INSPECTION’ WEBINAR, 1PM www.fensaonline.com

FIT Show 2014 Telford International Centre www.fitshow.co.uk

9-10 May 2014

29-30 June 2014

ECOBUILD INDIA Nehru Centre, Worli, Mumbai www.ecobuild-india.com

The SOUTHERN Homebuilding & Renovating Show Sandown Park, Surrey www.homebuildingshow.co.uk

14 May 2014 FENSA ‘PASS YOUR MTC ASSESSMENT’ WEBINAR, 7PM www.fensaonline.com 17-18 May 2014 The SCOTTISH Homebuilding & Renovating Show SECC, Glasgow www.homebuildingshow.co.uk 22 May 2014 FENSA ‘PASS YOUR TRANSITION INSPECTION’ WEBINAR, 7PM www.fensaonline.com

SEPTEMBER 2014 17-19 September 2014 ECOBUILD SOUTH EAST ASIA PWTC Kuala Lumpur www.ecobuildsea.com 26-28 September 2014 The LONDON Homebuilding & Renovating Show Olympia, London www.homebuildingshow.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 21-24 October 2014 glasstec 2014 Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre www.glasstec-online.com

NOVEMBER 2014 7-9 November 2014

MAY

The NORTHERN Homebuilding & Renovating Show HIC, Harrogate www.homebuildingshow.co.uk 22-23 November 2014 The SOUTH-WEST Homebuilding & Renovating Show Bath & West Showground, Somerset www.homebuildingshow.co.uk

Dave (right) with Brand Ambassador Steve Davis and the Network VEKA team.

Network VEKA

celebrates two decades of Dave Network VEKA's Area Account and Development Manager for the North, Dave Hartley, is celebrating his 20 year anniversary within the VEKA UK Group - with 18 years spent helping build Network VEKA into the successful organisation it is today.

them in improving their individual sales and marketing results. He's still as enthusiastic now as he was 20 years ago because, like me, he believes wholeheartedly in the benefits that Network VEKA offers to its membership.

In the 15 years before moving to Network VEKA, Dave worked for a number of major Manchester Advertising Agencies, managing multi-million pound accounts such as Cadbury Schweppes, Boddingtons Brewery, British Nuclear Fuels and more - so he was well-placed to market this exciting new home improvement initiative.

Back in April of year '94 VEKA's sales were rising galore They came up with a plan A new marketing man And in walked Dave through the door.

Dave brought his marketing expertise to the team responsible for 'unveiling' Network VEKA and launching it to the industry and the wider public. He helped ensure that the organisation got off to a flying start by gaining an impressive level of publicity across a huge range of media; exposure which has been maintained for 18 years. He was also instrumental in launching the world-renowned VEKA Matrix profile system in 1995, a PVC-U system that set a new industry standard. Network VEKA MD John Ogilvie explains: “Dave remains an invaluable member of the Network VEKA team. He goes out of his way for the members and does all he can to support

“As he celebrates 20 years with us, we hope to continue working with Dave for many years to come!” Obviously well-liked by the whole team at Network VEKA (not to mention the membership), Dave's peers even saw fit to write him a poem to celebrate his anniversary:

Two years on, Network VEKA began And Dave was an instant fan He took a new role Helping John with the goal To aid members however they can. Dave worked hard and on rolled the years Sharing laughter and fun with his peers Always up for a joke Such a likeable bloke Whose humour could have you in tears. 20 years and his loyalty's still there and the labels he always will wear It's true time may fly But he's still the same guy Though maybe with slightly less hair! Tel: 01282 473170 - www.networkveka.co.uk READER ENQUIRY No: 0514/0153

May 2014 | www.glassnews.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

GQA Qualifications (formerly Glass Qualifications Authority) Tel: 0114 2720033

BSI – Assessment & Certification Tel: 0845 080 9000

Health & Safety Executive (HSE) – Glass & Related Industries Phil Smith, HM Principal Inspector Tel: 01782 602300 David Appleton, HM Inspector Tel: 0115 9712800

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 Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme (FENSA) Tel: 0207 645 3700 Get Britain Building (GBB) Tel: 0870 162 0936

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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 Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Tel: 01295 819 900 Wood Window Alliance (WWA) Tel: 0844 209 261

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