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FIT Show 2021 Moved To May 2022

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TRADE NEWS

FIT Show organisers have announced the further postponement of its September 2021 event until May 2022, in response to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.

The fenestration industry’s flagship UK event will return to the NEC from Tuesday 10 – Thursday 12 May 2022. The announcement follows delays to the easing of COVID restrictions across the UK, a rise in UK cases, lack of clarity regarding restrictions for large-scale events and ongoing disruption to international travel.

FIT Show event director Nickie West comments: “We have been monitoring the ever changing situation in relation to COVID-19 and, after careful assessment, we believe that it is best for our exhibitors and visitors if we postpone FIT Show until May 2022.

FIT Show 2021 Moved To May 2022

Amid Ongoing Covid Uncertainty “It’s always our priority to run a safe and successful event for our audience. The sharp rise in positive cases, coupled with the ongoing ambiguity surrounding what restrictions would need to be in place by September, created too much uncertainty.

“We have worked closely with

4 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

our stakeholders and the NEC to create a new timeline that we believe is both safer, and provides greater certainty for the market.

“By postponing until the Spring of 2022 we believe that the majority of the UK will have been vaccinated, supply chain issues

TRADE NEWS will have started to ease and we will be able to return to large scale events.

“I remain steadfast in my belief that no other platform can compete with the power of live events when it comes to connecting brands with the market.

It has never been an option to flip FIT Show to virtual, it just would not deliver what our market wants and needs – faceto-face interaction, and to see, touch and compare all of the latest products side-by-side.

“We will, however, be delivering our CPD approved learning programme virtually in September as a key touchpoint in our campaign, to engage with our FIT Show community between now and May.” The majority of the brands who signed up to exhibit at FIT Show 2021 will move over to the postponed May 2022 timeline. The new dateline will also present a more secure proposition for brands who may have been hesitant to exhibit in September.

Following the postponement, FIT Show will maintain its biennial frequency, returning for its scheduled dates in May 2023 onwards.

Nickie added: “As always, we are committed to running a safe and successful event for the industry when we return in May 2022. FIT Show will follow Fensterbau, making it the first UK flagship event to reconnect the market.

“I’d like to sincerely thank everyone who has demonstrated such resilience, determination and loyalty during these most challenging times. Your support is what FIT Show is built on. As a team, and a business, we are extremely grateful.

We look forward to seeing you all, face-to-face, next May.” www.fitshow.co.uk

Haffner Supports

FIT Show Rescheduling

Following the rescheduling of the FIT Show to May 2022, industry machinery specialist Haffner has said it’s in full support of the decision. Dave Thomas, Managing Director at Haffner, said: “We’re obviously disappointed the event has been postponed. However, it’s clearly the sensible thing to do and we’ll look forward to returning to face-to-face exhibiting in May 2022.”

The show has been postponed until Spring 2022 when the organisers believe the majority of the UK will have been vaccinated, supply chain issues will have started to ease and there will be more certainty around largescale events. Dave commented: “The safety of our industry has to be paramount. Despite the delay, FIT Show will still be the first UK flagship event to reconnect the market.”

Haffner has already committed to the rescheduled show and will have the largest stand in the show’s history with 405 sqm of exhibiting space. This will allow the award-winning machinery company to display its widest ever range at the show.

Haffner has the largest and most comprehensive PVC-U and

aluminium fabrication machinery portfolio in the industry, claims the company. It has an exclusive supply partnership with Italian-machine innovators, Graf Synergy, which is well-known for its world class seamless welding technology and patented welding techniques. Haffner is also the sole UK agent of Haffner Machinery, which designs innovative and high-quality engineered products at competitive industry prices and it also supplies a range of aluminium fabrication machines from worldwide machine-giants, Fom Industries.

Italy’s Fom Industrie is part of the worldwide FomGroup and has an outstanding product range offering the widest choice of quality machines with competitive lead times.

Dave concluded: “We see the FIT Show as a strategic partner to support our ambitious growth strategy because it presents a unique platform to demonstrate our machines to as wide an audience as possible. We look forward to welcoming people to our stand next year and to showing exactly why Haffner Murat has become the industry’s go-to machinery partner.” www.haffnermurat.com

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 5

TRADE NEWS

MBO At Glazerite

As New Team Seeks To Drive Business Forward Trade fabricator, The Glazerite UK Group has been acquired in a management buyout. Led by Group Managing Director, Robert Brearley, the management team includes Mark Johnston, Group Finance Director, Jeff Dunn, Group Sales & Marketing Director, Darren Rhodes, Managing Director (North West) and Matthew Thomas, Managing Director (East).

The MBO completed on 9th July 2021, with the new team acquiring 90 per cent of the business and former Chairman, John Hewitt, retaining 10 per cent.

Robert says: “Glazerite is an incredible company and much of what has been achieved so far is down to its people. With strong leadership and a talented and passionate team across the Group, the business has grown way beyond any expectations. With ambitious growth plans and continuous investment over the years, it’s proudly sitting as a major player in the industry.

“The business is in good stead for the future and we have some innovative and exciting plans in place to build on our offering as we look to take Glazerite to the next level.”

Glazerite was founded in 2000 by John Hewitt and Jason Thompson and is a true success story of the last couple of decades, with a tenfold growth. The company now employs around 270 people at its sites in Bolton, Peterborough, Wellingborough and Bristol.

From the outset, servicing installers with a comprehensive range of products and services has been fundamental for the fabricator, with leading brands such as VEKA, Halo and the Residence Collection at the core of the offering.

Glazerite’s main supplier, the VEKA Group, has welcomed the move.

Managing Director, Neil Evans says: “We have a solid, long-standing and vital partnership with Glazerite and they have always set the bar high in terms of an offering

6 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

from a fabricator. The new management team is equipped with drive, experience and expertise to shape the incredible business built

by John and Jason as it moves to the next level. It’s always good to see some fresh perspective and ambition within our customers and we look forward to working together on our common long-term goals.”

Sarah Hitchings, Sales & Marketing Director at Window Widgets & The Residence Collection, who was part of an MBO team at the Gloucester-based firm in 2019, adds: “It’s a really exciting time for Glazerite. We have been partners for a long time and look forward to continuing our partnership with the company under its new leadership.

Having been part of the team who led the buyout of Window Widgets & The Residence Collection, I understand the rollercoaster of emotions the team will have been on! I know from experience how the process can mark an exciting shift in culture, service, and relationships. I wish the team luck with the next chapter of this already very successful business.”

The MBO was put together by Don Gray of BHP Corporate Finance, with funding from Nick Salmons at Shawbrook Bank.

TRADE NEWS

Sternfenster Introduces New Online Platform To

Recognise And Reward Staff the people that work at Sternfenster, including the introduction of new initiatives such as Perkbox that can help to ensure staff are consistently recognised for the outstanding contributions they make to the company.

Mike Parczuk

Sternfenster has launched Perkbox, an online platform that allows employees to recognise the achievements and hard work of other team members and to reward staff with a range of exclusive offers.

The new Perkbox site has been introduced as part of Sternfenster’s commitment to developing and maintaining a highly motivated workforce and to support its vision of achieving Investors in People Gold status.

Investors in People is an accreditation standard designed to help organisations improve their performance through the management and development of its employees.

Mike Parczuk, Managing Director, Sternfenster, commented: “We were proud to be awarded Silver status by Investors in People in October last year, it proved that we have the right principles in place as a business and we received some extremely positive feedback from everyone that contributed to the company survey.

“However, it also showed that we could be doing even more for

“This can be for success at work, for hitting a sales target or earning a promotion but also for special occasions such as long service milestones or even celebrating a birthday,” he continued.

“It’s quick, simple to use and allows individuals to congratulate someone privately, or to recognise them for doing a great job in front of the whole company.

“We are proud of our family values at Sternfenster,” concluded Mike. “Perkbox is just one of the steps we have taken to raise the morale and productivity of our staff. By doing so we are not only delivering continual improvements for employees at Sternfenster, but we helping to ensure a better quality of service to our customers as well.”

By signing up to Perkbox, employees can access hundreds of discounts for food, clothes and entertainment at a wide range of supermarket and retail outlets as well as the ability to earn reward points on purchases made through the site.

Perkbox also includes a Culture Hub, links to regularly updated company newsletters and an Employee Assistance Program that includes 24-hour access to a confidential helpline and GP services, as well as dedicated support for mental health. www.sternfenster.com

Record Sales For Oakio UK

Exclusive UK supplier of Oakio oak composite decking and cladding products, Ronjack, has celebrated a record month for sales.

“Sales of Oakio decking have smashed even our top predictions,” says Katie Morley, Managing Director at Ronjack, the UK’s sole supplier for Oakio. “In the first year of launching Oakio, we experienced a 30 percent increase in sales, which we’re so pleased about.”

Designed in the US and manufactured in China, Oakio is a successful brand available in more than 40 countries worldwide, and since September 2020, Oakio products have taken the UK by storm, say Ronjack.

Katie adds: “We’ve been supporting customers, supplying them with the stock they need to satisfy the demands of homeowners investing in their outdoor space during the various lockdowns.

“Oakio decking has been so popular thanks to the beautiful aesthetics and impressive performance.

It’s available in both natural wood and contemporary colours, and will truly stand the test of time, with little or no maintenance. Not to mention it’s anti-slip and barefoot friendly so it’s super safe for the whole family!

“Oakio is different from other products. The name comes from the primary component being reclaimed oak, in fact 55 percent of Oakio cladding is oak. It gives a more natural finish that homeowners want, and its structure makes the decking very hardwearing.” www. oakio.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 7

TRADE NEWS

RISA Stats Show FENSA Approved Installers Continue To Deliver

Despite Industry Challenges RISA, the GGF Group’s inspection and auditing company, reports that a high standard of work is being carried out by FENSA Approved Installers across the country, despite the challenges posed by skills and materials shortages.

RISA, which carries out more than 1,000 assessments every month, has continued with its on-site compliance inspections over the last year, while ensuring that customer and assessor safety was paramount throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the past four years, RISA inspectors have consistently rated more than 94% of installations

by FENSA Approved Installers as ‘satisfactory or better’. This figure reached 97.3% in 2020, and currently stands at 96.6% in 2021, meaning the vast majority of work

carried out has been deemed by RISA’s assessors as ‘satisfactory’, ‘above average’ or ‘excellent’.

Dave Mechem, operations director at RISA, said: “There’s no doubt that the industry is dealing with several issues at the moment. Quality, in terms of product and installations, has seen a very slight deterioration, as fabricators try to keep up with demand and installers face increased workload pressures. But that decline comes from a hugely impressive starting point and as our satisfaction ratings evidence, the overall standard is still incredibly high.”

“Nor can it be denied that we are in the midst of a skills shortage which adds further pressure to the system. That said, a huge effort is being made within the industry to pick up the slack, and statistics

8 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

show that the vast majority of FENSA Approved Installers continue to deliver a consistently high and compliant standard of work despite these challenges.”

The average homeowner satisfaction rating for paying customers, excluding tenants, in 2021 also currently stands at 4.1 out of 5, which means most homeowners considered work carried out

by FENSA Approved Installers, comprising factors including satisfaction, sales and product recommendation, to be of and ‘above average’ standard.

In addition RISA have carried out more than 650 MTC assessments between January and June this year alongside increasing numbers of installers using the FENSA Training Academy to gain new accreditations and qualifications.

Mechem continues: “Companies understand that having fully trained, qualified staff equates to improved installation work and reduced costs on remedial work being carried out. The RISA team see excellent installations from accredited staff every single day without fuss and it is vital these standards are maintained under increased consumer demand.” https://www.risaltd.co.uk/

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TRADE NEWS

Yale And Ingenious

Door Locks Both

Now Available

From Mila

By Richard Gyde, Managing Director, Mila

Despite the fact that Mila supplies hardware from some of the biggest names in the industry including Yale, Siegenia, Axor and Spilka, we would certainly describe ourselves as a ‘branded house’ and not as a ‘house of brands’. It’s an important distinction for customers and stems from the fact that, on average, we only add a new brand to our product portfolio once every couple of years. Even then, we only choose

brands which align closely with our own business in terms of innovation and quality and which fill what we see as being gaps in our product line up.

We choose our partners very carefully because we know that our reputation rests so heavily on theirs.

It’s big news then that this month Mila is joining forces with Ingenious Locks for the first time to begin supplying the Ingenious range of multipoint door locks for

10 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

aluminium, UPVC and composite doors. Ingenious products will sit alongside the Yale locks we already supply and add a significant new dimension to our offering.

There’s lots of talk about synergy in the hardware market but in this case it’s a pretty fair description of the relationship which exists between Mila and Ingenious, given that Stuart Carpenter, Ingenious’ Technical Director, was once the Technical Director here at Mila.

Both our businesses are focused on developing products with real USPs, where the emphasis is on quality, durability and ease of installation. The Ingenious range which will be stocked by Mila includes single hook Professional door locks, Autofire latches, and clever Duplex locks, which are the only ones in the UK to feature this type of hook locking mechanism.

All are already well proven in the UK market and all are Secured by Design accredited.

Together, I think these enhanced security products bring a new dimension to our lock range and

TRADE NEWS sit comfortably alongside the Yale locks we already offer to fabricators – broadening the choice and ensuring that we can justifiably claim to have the right product for every application.

Our Yale range, for example, already includes Lockmaster products for UPVC doors with matching strikers, Lockmaster secondary locks for French doors and Auto Engage products for composite doors with either two or three security latches. There are also dedicated Lockmaster locks for aluminium and bi-fold doors.

More than 70% of Mila sales are now of our own branded products, designed and developed in house, but that still leaves a substantial part of our business which comes from distributing products from other manufacturers – in fact, we are amongst the largest

distributors of Yale products in the UK. There are lots of reasons why customers choose to buy third-party products from Mila of course, but the main one is obviously service.

That’s everything from having product in stock ready for next day delivery to being able to provide in-house testing services and onsite technical support.

It’s also about the kind of helpful, specialist advice available from our knowledgeable sales teams – both on the phone and out in the field, and the extensive package of sales and marketing support we provide.

Even before the pandemic, Mila had adopted a digital first strategy in our marketing but that’s obviously proved particularly valuable to customers over the past year.

Our team has already created a dedicated page on the Mila website for door locks with all of the Yale and Ingenious products available to view and compare and lots of useful, downloadable resources. They’ve also produced digital animations of some of the new products so that customers can see the USPs up close in sales presentations conducted either remotely or face to face.

We never forget though that the biggest test of hardware is how the products actually look and feel to our customers so we’re also promoting the new Ingenious range via new ‘Lock Block’ display boards which show them in operation.

All the details of the new products including how to get hold of a Lock Block are at: www.mila.co.uk/new-door-locks

Leads 2 Trade

And CPA Join Forces Leka Systems has just reported 100% year-on-year sales growth.

Managing Director Rhys Hoddinott said: “We’re delighted to be reporting such strong sales growth because it means we are helping our customers to secure more business than ever before.”

Rhys says that demand for his company’s Warm Roof remains strong, but it’s the Leka Xi modular buildings and the Orangery Flat Roof Conversion Kit where demand is really taking off. He comments: “Sales in these areas show how consumer tastes are changing and why it’s so important to keep your finger on the pulse to maximise the opportunities.”

The Orangery Flat Roof Conversion Kit replaces fibreglass, traditional build, glass or polycarbonate conservatory roofing systems with a lightweight, tiled, orangery-style roof. It is built from four simple ladder kits made from GRP and there are no aluminium or timber components. Leka says it complies with building regulation U-values and is approved by MFA, the licenced building inspector.

concrete pads, so it saves time, mess and stress when considering a new build conservatory or single storey extension – in fact, installation takes days rather than weeks, which makes it perfect for rapidly delivering a home working space solution.

Rhys comments: “As our sales growth shows, our products are tapping into homeowner demand more than ever. As such, they The Leka Xi is a modular conserv- represent a great opportunity for atory wall and base system, which, fabricators looking to diversify their revenue streams. It’s why I’d urge according to the company, provides a warm, sustainable alterna- fabricators to get in touch and tive to a traditional block- or brick- secure their territory today. There’s never been a better time to get on built conservatory base and wall.

Leka says it’s typically installed on board.” www.lekasystems.co.uk WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 11

TRADE NEWS Bovone SLE machine for us is just the latest in a series of improvements we’ve made and continue to make in order to expand our output and production speed to meet this customer demand for safe, high-performing glass, along with the unrivalled quality finish, tight lead time and high standards of service that our customers know to expect from us.”

The Bovone ELB 12 HS straight line edging (SLE) machine represents a £180,000 investment and is set to further increase production volumes for the leading safety glass specialist.

The Bovone machines, used to finish edges on popular processed glass products such as balcony screens and balustrade glass at varying thicknesses, can produce flat and arris profiles at a speed of four metres-per-minute, processing glass at greater volumes whilst retaining the highest possible quality of finish.

TuffX Invests In More Machinery As Demand Grows

Following continuing growth in demand for its toughened safety glass products, TuffX has purchased another new Bovone SLE machine – its third in as many years – which has been installed in the company’s recently expanded Merseyside factory.

“We’re continuing to see ongoing customer demand for both our toughened laminated and single toughened glass prod-

ucts,” said TuffX’s Managing Director Graham Price.

“We’ve already made significant investments to expand our facilities, and our recent factory expansion means we have more space to optimise factory workflow and up the number of machines that can fit into the space for the best possible output.

“The addition of another

12 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

TuffX’s latest purchase has been installed at the specialist glass manufacturer’s Knowsley-based factory, which increased its footprint to 80,000ft2 earlier this year after it expanded into an adjoining unit to step up production of its increasingly popular Infinity range of rooflights and walk-on glass products.

It has been a period of high customer demand and growth for specialist glass which TuffX has been quick to respond to, said Graham: “We are committed to continuing to invest to stay ahead of the growing demand for our broad range of products, while ensuring our tight lead times and high standards of service and quality remain unsurpassed – after all, that’s what has kept us at the forefront of glass processing for nearly 25 years so far.” http://www.tuffxglass.co.uk/

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TRADE NEWS

Nigel Headford

Time Running Out On Part L For

Aluminium Fabricators

Deceuninck Aluminium is warning that manufacturers of aluminium windows and doors could find all or part of their product offer falls short of proposed changes to building regulations – effectively locking them out of the market within the matter of months.

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is expected to publish new standards for energy efficiency in the autumn.

This, according to Deceuninck Aluminium, creates a ticking time bomb for manufacturers of less energy efficient systems, who

could be left high and dry when the new and more stringent requirements come into force.

“We’re not over playing this when we say it could lock some fabricators, or at the very least some of the products that they manufacture, out of the market”, stated Nigel Headford, Director, Deceuninck Aluminium.

“There are a lot of aluminium products which as it stands only just scrape in under Part L energy requirements.

“If Part L now goes to u-values of 1.4W/m2K, some older sys-

14 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

tems aren’t going to make the grade and fabricators could find that something that they have supplied for a decade falls short, excluding it from the market almost overnight.”

A revision of Parts L and F of building regulations is expected in October as part of the new Future Homes Standard.

Although the detail is still to be published, consultation documents proposed a tightening of standards, introducing a new minimum u-values for windows of 1.4W/m2K from the existing 1.6W/m2K. For doors the step change is even greater, with the same new u-value of 1.4W/m2K but from the pre-existing 1.8W/m2K. “There are aluminium bi-fold and inline sliding systems out there that struggle to achieve a u-value of 1.6W/m2K. You can maybe bump up your glass spec but it’s going to make to your product

TRADE NEWS uncompetitive”, continued Nigel.

“If things move to 1.4W/m2K, systems companies are either going to have to move exceptionally quickly to redesign their products, or fabricators are going to have to switch suppliers.”

Consultation on the Future Homes Standard closed in January this year. Although the time frame has potential to slip, the MHCLG is expected to release its revision of Part L in October, coming into effect in April 2022.

Driven by the UK’s pledge to cut carbon emissions, including improving the energy efficiency of existing and new homes, proposals set out in the consultation document suggest a significant step change will be required across a wide range of building products, including windows and doors.

Launched at the beginning of 2020, Decalu by Deceuninck Aluminium, is an ultra-energy efficient window and door offer.

This includes the Decalu88 bi-folding door, which achieves u-values as low as 0.68W/m2K; the Decalu163 lift and slide, which hits u-values as low as 0.8 W/m2K and the Decalu101 Scand, which offers U-values as low as 0.89W/m2k.

“There are lots of other reasons to manufacture or fit our products, manufacturing efficiencies of 30-40% over other premium systems; co-extruded pre-inserted gasket; dual, textured and marine grade finishes as standard. And masses of end user and trade appeal”, Nigel said.

Origin Invests In The Future Ark’, the intention of this extra storage and investment in stock means that Origin are quietly confident to be able to weather future uncertainty – whether through pandemics or Brexit – to ensure that manufacturing and delivering on promises can continue, no matter the macroeconomic backdrop.

Manufacturer of bespoke aluminium doors and windows, Origin, has invested in a new warehouse facility, located in Bicester, to maintain its supply chain and futureproof the business against economic and environmental uncertainties.

Unpredictability caused by Brexit border issues and COVID-19 supply delays, as well as increased sales, greater productivity, and more Partners on board than ever before, has led to Origin taking on the 55,000ft2 warehouse facility.

Consisting of two units, the new space will be used by Origin’s supply and logistics teams to stock significant volumes of aluminium profile and components, and to maintain the business’ daily production at its manufacturing facility in High Wycombe.

“That’s important but being able to meet and significantly exceed current and future building regulations is critical. As a fabricator, right now, I’d be asking some pretty serious questions of my aluminium systems supplier.”

With such significant investment in stock and storage, this latest addition reinforces Origin’s commitment to its Partners, ensuring they never miss an install day and can continue specifying with confidence.

www.deceuninck.co.uk

Affectionately known as ‘the

Daniel Baker, Managing Director at Origin, comments: “At Origin, our Partners are the beating heart of our business, and we want to make their lives as simple and easy as possible. A large part of this is by supporting them across all areas of their operations, including product delivery. As many people will already know, we work very hard to create strong relationships with our supply chain, and we have invested heavily in additional stock, futureproofing us and our Partners against any uncertainty down the line. Our investment in this new facility is the latest demonstration of our commitment to them and their businesses, ensuring they continue to receive our products no matter the demand or situation.

“As a top employer in Buckinghamshire, it is also an exciting time for us as we look to create new roles throughout the Origin family in and around Bicester.

We hope that with The Ark up and running, we can accelerate our Partners’ businesses, whilst also reaffirming Origin’s position as one of the best manufacturers in the country.”

For more information, please visit https://origin-global.com/

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 15

TRADE NEWS package, to new and existing customers alike.”

Percy Lane Chairman/CEO Graeme Fowler, said: “This is an exciting and important step for the future development of Percy Lane and we are looking forward to realising the enhanced opportunities and synergy within the Dellner Group.”

Dellner Group Acquires Percy Lane Products Sweden’s Dellner Group has acquired Percy Lane Products, a leading UK manufacturer of aluminium windows, doors and fabrications for the transport sector, in a move that will add a new dimension to the group’s global product offering.

Percy Lane will become part of UK-based Dellner Polymer and Glass Solutions (DPGS), supplying metal, polymer and glass components for interior and exterior fitments including specialist windows, screens and partitions. The main markets for these products are the rail sector, buses and coaches, commercial vehicles and the aerospace industry.

Percy Lane’s 120 employees will continue to operate from their Tamworth base.

DPGS CEO Mikael Petersson

Mikael Petersson

said: “Percy Lane is an extremely well run company with whom we already have a close working relationship. We are delighted to welcome them to the Dellner family.

Metal fabrication is a new product area for Dellner, but one that complements our UK-based polymer and glass businesses perfectly.

Particularly in the rail industry, we will now be able to supply vibration control, metal, polymer and glazing solutions as a single, integrated

16 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Dellner Group CEO, Marcus Aberg, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our strategic growth with the acquisition of Percy Lane Products, and to be bringing their skilled workforce into the group.

With a shared focus on quality and service, Percy Lane’s customers are assured of a seamless transition, and we are looking forward to offering them an enhanced, integrated service from the Dellner companies.”

Percy Lane’s services include design, engineering, manufacture and testing. They offer bespoke products and replacement parts for new and existing vehicles including: • Rail industry – windscreens, cab glazing and bodyside windows, doors, detrainment systems, internal and external machined extrusions, partitions and screens, walkway doors and frames, luggage racks, ceiling panels, bins, treadplates, grab rails, modular flooring systems.

• Bus and coach – cab and bodyside glazing, doors, screens, panels and locks.

• Commercial vehicles – doors and windows for a range of vehicles including road sweepers, refuse trucks, forklifts, horsebox and welfare vehicles.

• Aerospace – aluminium window frames.

For more information, see www.dellnerpolymer.com www.dellner-romag.co.uk www.and percylane.com

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TRADE NEWS

Morley Glass

Goes Large To Boost Deliveries And Glass Recycling Volumes

Integral blinds manufacturer Morley Glass & Glazing has taken delivery of six new Luton vans which not only boost its nationwide delivery capacity as demand grows, but greatly increase the amount of post-consumer glass it can collect and recycle through its CRUSH initiative.

The familiar boxy Luton vans are the first to enter the Morley Glass fleet and are ideally suited to this dual ‘deliver and collect’ role that its delivery drivers now undertake.

The layout of the vans means that Uni-Blinds sealed units can be better distributed around the space so there is more room for post-consumer glass to be brought back to the Morley Glass factory for recycling.

The addition of these latest vans increases its vehicle fleet to 36, which deliver around 4,000 integral blind units every week to customers throughout the UK. But as Morley Glass has expanded

its glass recycling operations, its vans are increasingly returning to site with a highly recyclable and valuable material that benefits both the environment and good causes thanks to the CRUSH scheme.

This is a joint initiative from Morley Glass and Saint-Gobain Glass where glass from doors and windows that have been replaced is collected by Morley Glass and then crushed into cullet at its Leeds site. This is then returned in bulk to Saint-Gobain Glass, who pay for the glass cullet, which they use to make new float glass. One tonne of cullet saves enough energy to power a home for six months, which is why glass recycling is so vital.

So far, Morley Glass has returned 549 tonnes of cullet, preventing 158,556kg of CO2 going into the atmosphere and saving enough energy to power an average home for 264 years. Recycling the post-consumer glass has also saved nearly 450,000kg of virgin

18 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

sand.

Importantly, the Luton vans will significantly increase the amount of glass that can be processed through the CRUSH scheme, and therefore make a an even bigger impact to shrink the glass industry’s carbon footprint.

The scheme does not only benefit the planet, but local communities too. The money generated from the cullet is put into Morley’s GreenVision fund. This allows local schools, community groups and charities across Yorkshire that focus on improving the environment to apply for a donation of up to £500 towards green projects.

Ian Short, managing director at Morley Glass & Glazing, said: “A rapidly growing customer base and increasing sales of Uni-Blinds mean we need to continuously invest in our vehicle fleet to ensure we can maintain our industry-topping lead-times and delivery reliability. But we also have to ensure our fleet best suits the needs of our business today, and as we are bringing more and more post-consumer glass back to Leeds than ever – and we will do even more in future – our new Luton vans tick all the boxes.” https://bit.ly/3rRCpnV

96.8% Delivery

TRADE NEWS

Performance from VBH

investment in stock is paying dividends for VBH and their customers as airfreights are kept to a bare minimum and OTIF has not dropped below 95% for many months.

As well as building up stocks, the purchasing analysts at VBH, led by Purchasing Manager Karl Thompson, are in constant dialogue with the greenteQ factory production planners to ensure a steady and controlled flow of hardware and furniture to VBH (GB).

Karl Thompson

Hardware specialist VBH has released an update on the position regarding their ability to supply in the face of the well documented issues surrounding freight and port delays, shortages of raw materials and over-capacity production lines.

These are subjects that we have all grown accustomed to over the last year in both our work and home lives.

They all combine to put immense strain on any supply chain. In the face of this, VBH advise that they are very proud to have achieved an OTIF (On Time in Full) outbound fulfilment average of 96.8% over second quarter of this year.

VBH have drastically increased stock levels of their own greenteQ products, and those from 3rd party partners, too. This

Karl tells us: “This year has definitely had its obstacles when it comes to the supply chain.

However, by increasing our local stock holding and working closely with all our factories and suppliers, we’ve been able to minimise any disruption to VBH customers.

“We are very proud of the OTIF we have achieved and maintained over what has been a very unpredictable time for both supply issues and sales volumes.

“Our approach to stock and stock control has enabled the sales team to take on many new customers during the past year, whilst not compromising the availability of products for them and our existing customers. This is vitally important and is our number one priority. We have now set our sights on achieving and exceeding the 97% OTIF target for the rest of the year.”

VBH advise that Karl’s team continues to keep up with the New Product Development and Sales teams, despite the introduction of many new product ranges already this year, and the company achieving another record sales month in June.

Werbar Sales Are Soaring

Says Widgets

With supplies of steel across all manufacturing sectors still not yet stabilised from an availability perspective along with several price hikes, Window Widgets have experienced a surge in demand for Werbar, which is their dedicated range of RCM reinforcement sections for PVCu window and door systems.

As its name suggests, Werbar is also a useful component when looking to reduce U-values in a window and door and when the new Building Regulations are announced later this year, the product again will likely be harnessed to help meet the new standards set by government.

Adrian Clare, technical sales executive of Window Widgets commented: “When Werbar came out in 2009 it was designed to be the most cost-effective tool in developing an energy rated window with increases of up to 9 points over steel. Importantly, we can provide expert guidance to PVCu frame manufacturers as to which sections to use and what they can achieve from an energy efficiency perspective.

He added: “It’s already widely used by many of the largest fabricators in the industry and therefore particularly appropriate to the current range of 70mm systems.”

For further information please visit www.windowwidgets.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 19

TRADE NEWS

146-Year-Old Glazing Business Invests In Young People To Help It

Realise 20% Growth Projections One of Scotland’s oldest glazing businesses is looking to capitalise on the strongest order pipeline in its 146-year history by investing in the talent of the future.

Mitchell Glass, which is located on Currie Road in Galashiels, is expecting 20% growth over the next twelve months as it attempts to fulfil projects that were stalled due to Covid-19 restrictions preventing its installers from working in residential properties.

Led by 4th generation owner Lewis Roden, the company has turned to youth to help it meet pent-up demand and to achieve longterm sustainability, taking on four apprentices and developing a new personal development programme

that our approach to developing people and our young workers is on point and having the desired results in helping us attract and retain staff, importantly making sure individuals have the freedom to be creative and add value to the way we do things.”

that allows everyone in the business to build new skills and have clear progression routes.

He continued: “Investing in apprentices is a big part of our recruitment plans and we currently have a mixture of young and mature learners across administration, sales and in our installation teams.

It is one element of an overall strategy that has seen the firm achieve the Gold Investors in Young People standard for the first time, coming a few weeks after it was re-accredited as a Silver Investor in People.

“Growing your own tends to breed quality and also gives the chance for older, more experienced employees to pass down their knowledge to the next generation, meaning our succession planning is always in place.”

“Our reputation for excellent customer service is down to the people we employ and the culture we try to instil into staff the minute they start with us,” explained Lewis, who joined the business in 1999 when he was just 16-years’ old.

Mitchell Glass, which became the first Scottish retailer to join the Conservatory Outlet network in 2011, provides one of the largest ranges of conservatory, orangery, double glazing windows and doors in Edinburgh, The Lothians and The Scottish Borders.

“The two IiP Awards highlight

Continued on page 22

20 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Innovation unlocked

Get ready..

Another game changing product from Made for Trade is on the horizon

ALUMINIUM SYSTEMS

TRADE NEWS Continued from page 20

Its 27-strong workforce are working around the clock to fulfil over four months of backlogged home improvement projects due to the Scottish lockdown, with significant demand for its aluminium products and bi-fold doors that are being fitted at ‘Grand Design’ projects across the country.

Lewis, who took the reins from his father and mother Peter and Susan Roden, went on to add: “Covid-19 has presented some of the biggest challenges in our history and we’re still battling against supply chain disruption…however, we do have the people in place to catch-up with the backlog and start planning for a post-lockdown future.

“We’re currently in the process of updating our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and the other short-term plan is to invest in a significant modernisation project for our showroom.

“It’s all about improving the customer experience when they visit us and giving them an environment where they can browse our products and enjoy chatting with our experts on how we can bring their designs to life.”

Greg Kane, Chief Executive Officer of the Conservatory Outlet, concluded: “Mitchell Glass is a respected figure in the Scottish home improvement market, and we are fully behind Lewis and his team’s dedication to their staff and especially in supporting new talent to come into our sector.

“Covid-19 and the different restrictions Scottish companies were forced to operate under were massive hurdles, but there is no doubt in my mind, that the strength of the people has helped it come through lockdown and emerge an even stronger business than before.” www.mitchellglass.co.uk

Total Hardware

Announces 20% Expansion Hardware supplier Total Hardware has announced it has extended its Leeds stock distribution centre by 20%. Chris Pell, General Manager at Total Hardware, said: “We’ve seen increased demand and a growing customer base in the last 10 months. The expansion will help us to continue to serve our customers efficiently by allowing us to hold more stock across our multiple hardware ranges.”

As well as extending its stock warehousing, Total Hardware has invested in new forklift trucks and has hired multiple new warehouse operatives.

Chris commented: “We place a strong emphasis on customer service and this package of investment will mean we can continue to maintain our competitive lead times by supplying rapidly from stock.”

Customer service is at the heart of Total Hardware’s offering. It’s the reason so many of its customers have stayed

22 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

with the company since it was formed in 2004. Its reputation for quality and hardware choice has spread, which is why it is attracting a growing customer base now, say Total Hardware.

Chris said: “Because we offer multiple ranges of window and door hardware, customers appreciate the ease of doing business with us.”

Total Hardware has strong partnerships with leading worldwide hardware manufacturers and also has its own quality hardware ranges. It is home to the Quantum range of premium hardware for windows and doors aimed at fabricators who want to differentiate their own product range. It also home to the newly launched Superior 25 Stainless Steel range of door hardware, which, says the company, provides elegant aesthetics as well as durability and unrivalled protection against corrosion. www.totalhardwareltd.co.uk

Which Customers

TRADE NEWS

Do You Prefer?

‘user error’ could account for some of these reported faults, it does suggest one or both of two things – using poor quality hardware or not fitting hardware correctly. In the case of the latter, we can help fabricators prevent these issues with our advice on which fasteners to use to get the right hardware result every time.

Technical guidance from window and door fastener specialist Rapierstar could play a vital role in improving end-user satisfaction and reducing negative consumer feedback, given the findings of a recent survey by consumer champions Which?

The Which? survey of nearly 3,500 buyers of double-glazing in the past decade found that the most common faults in installed windows and doors stem from poor hardware choices or assembly. Issues to do with locking systems, hinges and friction stays account for most of the problems that develop – substantiating for the first time anecdotal evidence reported by many installers.

According to researchers, 30% of householders reported that their windows or doors had become difficult to open or close at some point over the past 10 years.

One fifth said a window or door had dropped over time so it no longer fitted as well, and 15% of respondents said they had experienced a problem with locks not working.

Andy Holland, Technical & Marketing Manager at Rapierstar says: “Whilst damage in use or

“Often, it’s something as simple as using a fastener with a different head style – in many cases using a pan head rather than a countersunk screw – or a different size screw can make a big difference. But it may also be that we can advise on the best type of metal to choose, especially where an enhanced resistance to corrosion is needed, or the ideal products to use with a specific profile system or type of reinforcement.”

As part of the technical support for the UK and Irish door and window industry, Rapierstar produces Recommended Fixings Manuals (RFMs) for all the most popular PVCu systems. Available to download free at www. rapierstar.com, these easy to use guides clearly show which fasteners to use for different window or door constructions, helping to reduce the risk of quality issues with the finished unit.

Following the RFM ensures the right head styles, threads and sizes are used so every hardware element has a secure fix.

This is particularly important for enhanced security windows and doors to the Secured by Design standard, where a tiny weakness resulting from the wrong fastener being used could undermine an advanced hardware solution that the end-user may well have paid a premium for. www.rapierstar.com

Fentrade Aluminium Doubles Its Manufacturing

Capacity

Aluminium trade fabricator Fentrade has just doubled its manufacturing capacity to keep pace with growing demand. Chris Reeks, Director of Fentrade, said: “We’re a young business that’s growing fast, so when the lease for the unit next door to ours came up, the opportunity was too good to miss. The expansion will help us continue to deliver exceptional service to our growing customer base.”

The expansion is not the only investment Fentrade is making to support its growth. The company has invested in Window Designer Cloud Pro from First Degree Systems to improve its administrative procedures for its production as well as its customer base. There is also a significant machinery investment which is planned to facilitate the expansion which will continue to improve the efficiency in the factory as well as further enhance the overall quality of the finished products. Investment in jobs will also feature with more roles being created for the factory and offices alike. fentradealuminium.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 23

TRADE NEWS ture. Therefore, in order to build an even more ambitious programme, we worked alongside Accenture in 2020 for a three-month long open process of external consultation to gather input on key sustainability drivers, challenges and opportunities for the PVC industry to respond to in the next decade.”

VinylPlus® Unveils

the Next 10-Year Commitment of the European PVC Industry to Sustainable

Development – #TOWARDS2030

At the VinylPlus Sustainability Forum (VSF) 2021 #TOWARDS2030 on 17th June 2021, VinylPlus officially launched VinylPlus 2030, the next 10-year Commitment of the European PVC industry to sustainable development. Through VinylPlus, the entire PVC value chain worked together with its stakeholders to build bottom-up the next Commitment, that will expand on 20 years of experience as a frontrunner in the circular economy. The VSF2021 was held as a hybrid event, live from Brussels with an online audience, and brought together more than 530 participants from 44 countries.

PVC. The VinylPlus® Product Label Awards Ceremony celebrated four companies, Epwin, Finstral, Internorm and profine, all partners of VinylPlus, who were awarded the VinylPlus® Product Label in 2020. The Product Label is granted to companies who offer PVC products with the highest sustainability performance. The VinylPlus® Product Label is the very first certification scheme that has been recognised as Responsible Sourcing Certification Scheme within BREEAM®, the world’s best-known green building standard, for plastic building and construction products.

Along with the launch of the next Commitment, VSF2021 celebrated the completion of the second 10-year Voluntary Commitment of the Europe PVC industry and its main achievements of the last two decades in PVC recycling, product stewardship, research and innovation and improvement in the environmental footprint of

Reflecting on two decades of leadership in sustainability and the circular economy, VinylPlus Managing Director Brigitte Dero commented, “As a united European PVC industry, we accomplished a lot. While we have much to be proud of, we know that these achievements are only milestones on the road to a sustainable fu-

24 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Moderated by EurActiv’s Senior Editor Frédéric Simon, this year’s event featured Ondrej Knotek, Member of the European Parliament, who spoke about the importance of strengthening the recovery and resilience of the European industry in the post-Covid era, and Werner Bosmans, Policy Officer at DG ENV at the European Commission, who highlighted the European policies on plastics in the circular economy, as keynote speakers. Ondrej Knotek commented, “The European PVC industry, through VinylPlus, has a role to play in the large-scale renovation efforts which were identified by the European Commission as a key area for investment thanks to its ability to improve the environmental footprint of buildings across the EU and create jobs.”

After the keynote speeches, the VinylPlus 2030 Commitment was unveiled. The next 10-year Commitment of the PVC value chain identifies three ‘pathways’: Scaling up PVC value chain circularity; Advancing towards carbon neutrality and minimising our environmental footprint; and Building global coalitions and partnering for the SDGs. The three pathways encompass twelve key action areas and 39 targets that outline concrete steps to be taken by the European PVC industry to continue improving the sustainability performance of PVC. The VSF2021 #TOWARDS2030 closed with the signatory ceremony, launching the VinylPlus 2030 Commitment. The ceremony officially opened the next stage of the united European PVC industry’s journey, that will build on VinylPlus’ 20+ years of progress and achievements to accelerate the

TRADE NEWS transition towards a more sustainable and circular future with even more ambitious goals.

Myriam Tryjefaczka, on behalf of the converter VinylPlus partners, commented, “More than ever, in the context of acute environmental and climate crises, collaboration is crucial in the PVC value chain to accelerate the shift towards a Circular Economy and support climate change mitigation. The VinylPlus 2030 Commitment dedicates investments in technical projects for developing reverse logistics and recycling technologies. This will contribute to the VinylPlus objective of reaching 1 million tonnes of PVC recycled per year by 2030 in Europe, in line with the ambitions of the Circular Plastics Alliance, while contributing to the European Green Deal objectives.” www.vinylplus.eu

Supporting Men’s

Health Week One in five men die before the age of 65 according to the Men’s Health Forum, an organisation which is dedicated to improving the health of men. To mark Men’s Health Week (14 – 18 June 2021), Director at Everglade Windows, Yogesh Gopal, attended a special event focussed on raising awareness around mental health.

Yogesh said: “Three times as many men as women die from suicide in the UK but are less likely to access mental health support and help. I have been a part of MenSpeak Men’s Groups for some time now. They create spaces for open and honest conversations to raise awareness

and get people talking about mental health.

“The last 18 months have been challenging for us all, and I think everyone would agree that their social habits have significantly changed throughout lockdown.

This event in Central London marked the first time that the people in our group were back to meeting face-to-face since the start of the pandemic. The discussions were focussed on how life has changed and how we can attract more people to join groups like MenSpeak to get more men talking about their mental health.” www.evergladetrade.co.uk

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TRADE NEWS

Extraordinary, Synchronised Recovery For Builders’ Merchants’ Sales The latest figures from the Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI) reveal that year-on-year sales through UK builders’ merchants are on an upward trajectory, as the industry continues to meet sustained high demand for building products.

Total Merchants value sales were up 79.6% in May 2021 compared to May 2020 with no difference in trading days. Comparisons with May 2020 show a turnaround in fortunes for many categories. Tools performed the best (+180%) after being the weakest category in May 2020, and six other categories more than doubled year-on-year sales, including Kitchens & Bathrooms (+154.9%), Plumbing Heating & Electrical (+118.1%) and Timber & Joinery Products (+115.1%).

The country was still in full lockdown in May last year, so significant increases are expected.

However, total sales were also up compared to May 2019 (+7.9%), with two less trading days, and average sales a day were 19.3% higher over the same period.

While May 2021 sales are much improved on May 2020, some categories are still waiting to hit their pre-pandemic levels. Comparisons with May 2019 sales show that just three of the 12 categories sold more, led by Timber & Joinery Products (+28.1%) and Landscaping (+26.5%).

Month-on-month figures indicate that May sales failed to reach the record-breaking heights seen in March and April (-6.1% on April,

26 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

with one less trading day). All categories sold less, but some did better than merchants generally including Kitchens & Bathrooms (-1.8%), a positive sign that inside trades are getting back on their feet after being hampered by the winter lockdown.

May’s BMBI index was 141.4, with two less trading days, demonstrating builders’ merchants’ continuing sales growth.

Nine of the 12 categories exceeded 100, with Landscaping (220.5) and Timber & Joinery Products (173.2) both out-performing merchants overall.

Mike Rigby, CEO of MRA Research who produce this report, said: “Year-on-year sales are looking strong and they will surely continue to gather momentum as the remaining restrictions are lifted and more inside trades get back to work.

“To ensure we continue on a growth trajectory, balancing supply and demand will be key. Supplier lead times are the highest they’ve been for almost 25 years* is putting pressure on pricing and customer service. Forward plan-

TRADE NEWS ning and regular communication with customer and suppliers is a must if merchants and the industry as a whole are to ride out the storm.”

Emile van der Ryst, Senior Client Insight Manager – Trade at GfK Retail & Technology UK adds:

New Vehicle Investments Put

Victorian Sliders On The Road To Growth

“While sales in May haven’t reached those same dizzy heights as March and April, there is plenty to be positive about.

Construction output has picked up from earlier in the year, driven by housebuilding and a good pipeline of public infrastructure projects, and categories which had been struggling like Kitchens & Bathrooms.

Michael Garratt, Founder and CEO, Modular Group Investments

“Material shortages remain a concern though – particularly steel, timber, cement and roof tiles supplies – and with this forecast to continue until the end of the year, merchants may have a few more headaches to come as we head into the summer months.”

Developed and run by MRA Research, the BMBI – a brand of the Builders Merchants Federation – is a monthly index of builders’ merchant sales, and the most reliable, up-to-date measure of Repair, Maintenance, and Improvement (RMI) activity in the UK. The index is based on actual sales from GfK’s Builders’ Merchant Point of Sale Tracking Data, which captures value sales out to builders from generalist builders’ merchants, accounting for over 80% of total sales from builders’ merchants throughout Great Britain. An in-depth review, which includes commentary by sector experts, is provided each quarter.

May’s BMBI report, published in July, is available to download at www.bmbi.co.uk *Source: IHS Markit CIPS’s latest construction purchasing managers index for June 2021 on 6th July 2021

Last year, sash window manufacturers Victorian Sliders invested £600,000 to dramatically expand their transport fleet.

constant investment.

The business has also ordered five new articulated trucks, which will be arriving in the Autumn.

Geoff concludes: “Despite the challenges of the past year, we’re very confident the future’s bright both for Victorian Sliders, and the thousands of installers who buy from us.”

“We’ve been blown away by the scale of the demand we’ve seen over the last twelve months,” Now, just a few months later, the comments Marketing Manager firm has invested again – this Geoff Bishop. time acquiring 5 new Mercedes Sprinter vans for deliveries, an“Sales and production records other two Vito vans for its travhave repeatedly been broken, elling engineers, and 8 trailers, and that’s allowing us to scale freshly branded with new comup our operations across the pany artwork, that will transport board. This latest investment thousands of ECOSlide windows in transportation enables us to to customers around the coundeliver to even more installers try. across Britain.”

It’s a sign of surging demand for ECOSlide sash windows – and yet another demonstration of www.victoriansliders.co.uk Victorian Sliders’ commitment to

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 27

TRADE NEWS

Stay Safe Consumer Campaign Hailed Great Success The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) consumer campaign “Stay Safe with MyGlazing. com” has ended an outstanding success with results showing record figures both in PR coverage and in online traffic.

The PR coverage of the campaign highlight its success with 148 articles in the consumer regional and lifestyle press creating over 112 million opportunities to see the GGF and/ or MyGlazing.com brands.

Jessica Simm, Senior Account Manager for Refresh PR commented: “In the last quarter of 2020, the PR coverage gained was exceptional with practically every regional newspaper carrying advice articles from the campaign. We are delighted with the results and pleased our hard work has come to fruition.”

The campaign, run via MyGlazing.com – the GGF’s independent award winning consumer website – was launched in July 2020 and designed to build consumer confidence in glazing home improvement companies through the lockdowns and uncertainty of the pandemic.

The GGF Marketing team with the support of two external agencies, SLX Marketing and Refresh PR, implemented an integrated marketing communications strategy that included PR, search engine optimisation, regular advice articles and information on the MyGlazing. com blog and social media activity all underpinned with a bespoke campaign branding and the GGF COVID Safe Guide for Homeowners.

home improvements so long as they and the company they were employing, were adhering to the safe guidelines. The GGF Safe Guides have proved invaluable in helping provide consumers with the confidence to not only plan home improvement but also to allow tradespeople to work safely in their homes.”

Graham Hansell, Managing Director of SLX Marketing added;

Over 215 thousand visitors via the campaign’s search engine marketing.

Over five thousand visitors used the installer search directory to find GGF Members near them and three thousand clicking through directly to GGF Members’ websites from MyGlazing.com Over 330 thousand pages of content were viewed during the campaign On the campaign’s success, James Lee, GGF Director of External Affairs commented:

The campaign’s online statistics are equally impressive with; “Our campaign research indicated that consumers, at the Over 15 million page impresheight of the campaign, wanted sions clear guidance and reassurance that they could make glazing 28 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

“At a time when homeowners were restricted and going online for solutions, it was imperative that they received the best advice and guidance.

The GGF certainly provided that and we were delighted to play our part in the campaign’s success by implementing the search engine marketing and website development.”

James Lee summarised; “The campaign results are superb and 2020 and 2021 will go down as record years for the GGF’s PR coverage and online audience figures. However we are not resting on our laurels and are already looking forward to launching another consumer campaign in the next few weeks. These are exciting times for the GGF with so much activity on all fronts for Members and the entire industry’s benefit.”

You can view the Stay Safe with MyGlazing.com articles on www.MyGlazing.com

TRADE NEWS

Raising The Bar On

Customer Service With

Made For Trade Ever since Made for Trade was incorporated in 1979, quality service has been an important part of the company ethos. The simple recipe of the best products available, at the best prices, backed up with the best service were the building blocks to MFT’s success and they still form the mission statement of the company some 42 years later.

Well, whilst its always going to be impossible to eliminate site issues completely, especially when we are all reliant on courier companies to deliver our items, MFT claim that 100% customer satisfaction is their target! They say it is the company’s ability to deal with issues when they do arise which makes them really stand out from the crowd.

Now I’m sure you have all been in a position where you have received poor service, and sadly it’s not uncommon in the arena of glass and glazing. There is nothing more frustrating than being on site and finding a problem only to be fobbed off by the supplier over some trivial item which prevents the job getting done. So why I hear you ask are MFT any different?

The key ingredients to this are people, training and importantly communication. They also try especially hard with their own brand of Korniche products to go a little bit further with the likes of marketing support, packaging, and instructions to make buying through MFT as painless as possible.

MFT now manufacture a sig-

30 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

nificant portion of the national market share of lantern roofs and bi-folding doors, with that market share they need to make doubly sure they have the right resource to deal successfully with aftersales care. The current team of 5 lead by experienced manager Tracy Garrod work on staggered hours to ensure on weekdays when the customers are working so are they.

Tracy was chosen to lead the team as she comes with a broad background of senior customer service experience from consumer facing companies including Orange, EE and RED driving school.

This type of experience and understanding the importance that customer feedback has to the operational part of a company, is completely key to providing an award-winning customer service level MFT hope to achieve in 2021 and beyond.

Tracy comments “It is absolutely paramount for me to understand the customer journey from beginning to end. It costs nothing to give good service and I instil in all at MFT that Customer Service does not start within the Custom-

TRADE NEWS

Kubu

Launches Pro

Installer Initiative

Kubu, the smart-sensor for doors and windows has announced the launch of their new Pro Installer initiative, as the brand looks to engage in the wider and opportunistic smart home market. er Service Team, this usually is at the end of the customer experience. The journey starts as soon as someone picks up the phone and many companies forget about this element. It excites me to look at ways to improve from our customer interactions and the potential information you can get from listening to people and really getting to know this great industry.”

Product training is another key area in being able to provide top quality service, MFT operate regular training sessions where the customer service team gain experience of manufacturing and installation of MFT products so you can almost guarantee the person on the end of the phone knows what you’re talking about, and on the occasion they don’t there are 4 other team members there to step in and help out.

Communication is another area where MFT offer a little bit more.

This starts out during the quotation process, continues through the order confirmation and delivery confirmation processes up to the point the goods arrive at your site. After that any further

communication is passed to the dedicated aftersales team. Every enquiry that comes through is immediately issued with a case number that is passed on to the customer so enquiries can be tracked properly.

Most issues are cleared off the system and the cases closed with a positive resolution the same day, however on the occasion that your issue is a complex one a team member will gather details from you about the problem and enter them onto the system where they can be fully assessed by a member of the QC team.

The last part of the puzzle is the follow up, the customer service data that gets gathered on a weekly basis gets fed straight back into the QC and production teams ensuring that MFT’s continuous improvement targets are achieved.

Over 5000 (and counting) live returning customers cannot be wrong! Try MFT today for your Lantern Roof, Bi-folding or Sliding door projects and see what all the fuss is about. https://www.madefortrade.co/

Kubu Pro Installers will benefit from a wide range of updated marketing and point of sale materials for showrooms, along with a free listing at the newly re-vamped website at kubu-home.com. This new initiative will also see the provision of Kubu Kits at trade prices which will help open up further opportunities for installers.

Once purchased, the Kubu Kits can be sold with a mark-up, while some other businesses are already using it as a means to close a bigger deal. With the new window sensor just a matter of months away, sales of Kubu equipped door and windows will form part of the wider smart home market, as a complete and integrated solution including bi-folding, French and patio doors.

All the necessary support and warranty is provided directly to the homeowner by Kubu, but with activation just a matter of minutes, the process is both quick and simple. There’s also the reassurance that Kubu has been designed, tested and manufactured in-house

by Avantis Hardware and this also includes all the software and firmware development. www.kubu-home.com

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 31

TRADE NEWS nitely helped our business grow and develop. It has helped set us apart from our competitors and gives us a product to increase our share of the RMI and DIY markets.

We’ve also seen an increase in our customer base so it’s a win win for us.”

Cladding Helps Plastics South West Grow With the trend for home improvements looking set to continue the most significant increase in demand was where homeowners are making aspirational choices about products – such as the over 45s and retired homeowners – who have been largely unaffected financially by the pandemic.

Most window installers have experienced this first-hand, having seen an increase in sales of premium products such as foiled windows and doors, aluminium bi-folds, garden rooms and orangeries.

Freefoam Building Products have also seen this trend, manifesting itself in the sales of its external PVC cladding range with some Freefoam stockist customers recording a 50% increase in sales over the past two years.

One such customer is Plastics South West, based in the busy coastal city of Plymouth. With an

initial stock order in September 2017, the cladding range has now become an important part of their wider PVC product range and now accounts for about 25% of total sales with an uptick in cladding sales of almost 50% in the last 2 years.

Plastics South West stock and sell the full colour range of Fortex Double Shiplap and Weatherboard products, alongside all fitting accessories, to a wide area of the South West, including many coastal locations. Clients in these areas prefer the more subtle softer shades that work well alongside existing render finishes, with Storm Grey and Misty Grey being the most popular closely followed by Sage Green and Colonial Blue.

Paul Ewings, Managing Director Plastics South West explained “We are seeing a steady increase in the demand for cladding in this area.

Its addition to our range has defi-

32 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Plastics South West also understands that customers need support with newer products. They have display boards in the trade counter to illustrate the colour options and have even used the cladding on their sales counter to show how the product looks when installed. They offer clients a scheduling service to calculate boards and accessories required for projects and have installed the Freefoam ‘cladding calculator’ and ‘cladding visualiser’ on their website. Paul continued “We find that by offering customers the help they need considerably increases our conversion rates.”

External PVC cladding is a fast becoming the ‘ultimate’ home improvement product and a great addition for PVC stockists to add to their range. With its ultra-low maintenance properties and its versality it offers an instant home transformation, says Freefoam.

Cladding can be used to cover any substrate from brick and block to render and pebble dash and to replace hanging tiles or existing timber cladding and to upgrade existing white PVC cladding, perhaps with a bold new colour choice.

Colin St John, Freefoam Commercial Director, summarised “We’ve seen a huge growth in sales of cladding, and it’s our customers, like Plastics South West, who have understood the potential and run with it who have really reaping the rewards. External cladding is just one example of our commitment to provide building products that help our customers increase their market share and allow them to enter new markets. “ www.freefoam.com

VIEWPOINT

The Business Pilot Barometer offers a monthly analysis of the key trends defining window and door retail. It draws on real industry data collated by Business Pilot, the cloud-based business management tool developed by installers for installers.To find out more see www.businesspilot.co.uk/barometer

The Business Pilot Barometer Consumer Demand Still High But Cooling Of The Housing Market

By Neil Cooper-Smith, Senior Analyst, Business Pilot Year-on-year house prices were 10.5% higher this July than the same time last year – they were, however, slightly down on the 17-year high seen in June, which suggests that the pairing-back of the Stamp Duty holiday, has let a little heat out of the market.

The opening up of the economy last month, ‘Freedom Day’ and the general easing of restrictions, also delivered a two-point increase in consumer confidence to -7, this put the GFK consumer confidence index at the same level as February 2020 – the month before the pandemic hit UK shores.

The caveat to this is Furlough. Employers have to start coughing-up more cash to support furloughed workers from this month [August], while as it stands, funding will be withdrawn entirely from 30th September. That creates a very significant level of uncertainty for the £1.9million people currently still on the scheme and may impact on mood music come October.

This would suggest that come October, when the tax defaults to its pre-COVID level, the market will cool further, although this readjustment is expected to be moderate, with housing market analysts suggesting that demand for more space is likely to drive sales through into the new year.

In the meantime the industry remains busy and stretched as installers attempt to manage continuing disruption to supply and the impact of what appears an increasingly over-zealous NHS COVID app!

Our concern remains that longer lead times, con34 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

VIEWPOINT tinuing disruption and the impact of price increases on jobs already sold, is having a massive impact on the profitability of installers.

And while we’ve said it before, we’d emphasise the importance of understanding job profitability sooner rather than later – things that Business Pilot can help you do, alongside drag-and-drop job scheduling, to lead and supply chain management.

So against this context how did the industry perform last month? Well, average order value in July was £3,929, down 9% on June, when average order values fell 32% on May from £6,366 to £4,337.

Again, as we have said, it’s our belief that this reflects product seasonality and increased demand for single purchase items and particularly bi-folds.

Average leads were marginally lower than they were the preceding month, down 3%. Average sales were also marginally down from 49 in June to 48 last month. This was offset by a marginal uplift in the conversion rate, which increased to 37.7% from 36.9%.

Having seen a drop of 12% in May on April, average sales jumped by 14% in June on May, putting the window and door sales back firmly on an upward trajectory. Conversion rates were also up marginally month-on-month from 35.8% to 36.9%.

This suggests that while the housing market may have cooled marginally, homeowner demand hasn’t, and is unlikely to going into late summer and early autumn.teed.

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 35

VIEWPOINT

Will The Industry

Find A Way?

Responding to the Future Homes driver behind the Future Homes Standard. By Sioned Roberts, Standard is to decarbonise first Marketing Director, AluK new build homes and then existing housing stock in the UK, Within a year, we’ll see the first then the inherent sustainability of changes to Part L of the Building aluminium and the fact that it fits Regs, in line with the requireperfectly with the green agenda, ments of the Future Homes means it is likely to be more in Standard. In June 2022, U-Valdemand than ever. ues for windows and glazed doors in new build will reduce As AluK pointed out in the press from 1.4 to 1.2 and for opaque back in February, the industry arand semi glazed doors they will guably didn’t engage adequately standardise to 1.0. The expecta- with last year’s consultations on tion is that, by 2025, there will be the Future Homes Standard and, a further reduction for windows as a result, many sectors now to 0.8. find themselves playing catchup. Certainly, there seems to be That stand-out 0.8 figure will ob- only limited awareness of the viously challenge the whole mar- potential impact of the changes, ket – not just in system develop- even though they are set to be ment, but in glass and hardware published this December. as well if triple glazing is more widely adopted in response. If For me, it’s either a question of you accept though that the main the bulk of the industry being too 36 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

busy coping with increased volumes and supply issues to look that far ahead, or a degree of complacency around the Future Homes Standard because somehow this industry ‘always finds a way’. Of course, previous experience does suggest that legislation can drive improvements in thermal performance, security and recyclability which were previously considered impossible.

However, the scale of the drop from the current 1.4 U-Value for windows to 0.8 in less than four years will require an industry-wide effort and not just a reliance on the ingenuity of engineers and big investments in R&D by systems houses such as AluK. At AluK, we certainly feel at this point that we have a responsibility to increase awareness of what the next four years are likely to look like in the aluminium sector and beyond.

I can start by reassuring our customers and the wider market that AluK has the commitment and the budgets to deliver fully Future Homes compliant prod-

VIEWPOINT ucts in time for the deadlines – both by enhancing our existing ranges and developing new. We are already looking at new materials and new processes and considering the implications for fabrication and installation. We will also be engaging with specifiers, other building fabric suppliers and customers on product development and market changes during the course of 2021.

crease awareness of the urgency behind the changes taking place and to communicate the implications they might have on developers starting projects now and future home buyers.

The Future Homes Standard obviously only applies to new build properties at the moment and, if you’re not involved in that market, it might be tempting to think that it doesn’t affect you.

However, the Future Buildings Standard which will apply to existing buildings and housing stock is already being consulted on, and experience should surely tell us that changes in the new build part of the market generally make their way into the replacement market pretty quickly.

There’s definitely no room for any complacency on this issue.

However, I think it’s very likely that Future Homes compliant products will look a bit different to what we have now and potentially take longer to fabricate and install as well as being more expensive – at least in the short term because of the probable need for bigger frames, triple glazing and higher performance hardware. Development work might be well underway at AluK, but we’re pushing hard to in-

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/ AUGUST 2021 37 e. info@emplas.co.uk WINDOW NEWS | JULYwww.emplas.co.uk

VIEWPOINT

What Is The Help To

Build Scheme And

How Will Origin

Support Its Partners?

Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin, explores what the Help to Build Scheme is and how Origin will support its Partners to maximise their opportunities under the initiative.

Housebuilding in the UK has, for a long time, been almost completely in the hands of large property developers. However, despite large construction firms holding the monopoly, there still remains a 250,000-home deficit.

To combat this and readdress the balance of housebuilding, the Government has an-

nounced a new initiative – the Help to Build Scheme. Here, £150m of Government funding will be made available to make self-building more accessible and affordable. Highly anticipated by those involved in housebuilding industries, it is estimated that the scheme will contribute up to 40,000 new homes in the UK per year, by empowering individuals to build their own properties.

If the initiative is successful, there will be increased demand for the industries involved in housebuilding, including the

38 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Ben Brocklesby

fenestration industry. However, the industries can only keep up with this demand if manufacturers and installers are there to fulfil it, and the suppliers are supporting the delivery of it.

So, how will Origin ensure its Partners are always able to deliver on time, in full?

Quality Assured Product Our Partners are incredibly important to us, which is why we pride ourselves on offering them an unrivalled level of support across every area of their business. This ensures they continue to deliver the very best to their customers.

Of course, central to this is the product itself. All of our products are manufactured here in the UK, and as a result, we are able to maintain complete control over the entire operation, from sourcing and de-

VIEWPOINT signing through to delivery and aftercare. This means that every product we produce is of the highest quality. In fact, we are so confident of this that we offer an unrivalled guarantee of up to 20 years – double the industry standard.

We also make it easy for our Partners to quote and order from the Origin Home range through our innovative, online ordering and quoting system, OSS. Partners can create customer projects in just five minutes and order directly through the software, saving time on admin. OSS’ intelligent cascade system further speeds up the ordering process by allowing a change, such as colour, to be applied to all products with the click of a button, saving the headache of making each change individually.

Lead Times and Service As well as offering our Partners the highest quality products, we also provide them with an unrivalled gold standard of service. For them, being able to depend on a manufacturer is essential, especially during peak

times and periods of increased demand, which we anticipate the Help to Build Scheme will generate. To reinforce this reliability, we promise to ensure our Partners never miss an install date. We can make this commitment because of the confidence we have in our manufacturing processes, the significant investment we have made in our stock, and our robust supply chain.

products in popular colours is unrivalled. This means that our Partners can look ahead and be more accurate when planning future projects, helping to manage their cash flow as a result. Our committed customer service teams are always on hand to answer queries and offer advice, and it is this level of commitment which means that even during the pandemic our Partners weren’t disrupted.

Not only that, but our lead time promise of just 24 hours for

For those pitching to property developers, our dedicated commercial team is on hand to help Origin Partners optimise their pitch – working together to meet building regulations and offering the developer direct contact with the manufacturer throughout the whole process.

Final Thoughts The Help to Build Scheme is set to revolutionise the entire housebuilding process in the UK, which presents one of the most exciting business opportunities the fenestration industry has seen in years. We will be there every step of the way to support our Partners during these busy times.

For more information about Origin, please visit www.origin-global.com

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 39

VIEWPOINT

Lack Of Light Experienced By Remote Workers

Demands Development Of

New Balcony Solutions

Research demonstrating the lack of daylight remote workers receive on a daily basis necessitates the development of window solutions that maximise natural light, according to polymer supplier REHAU.

ers and fabricators adopt window solutions into their portfolio that ‘let the outside in’. According to Malcolm Taylor, Commercial Products Manager at REHAU Windows, being aware of trends around working arrangements and natural light and including products that address these concerns will give fenestration professionals opportunities for further business.

“So much has changed during the pandemic, and while the country is expecting things to go ‘back to normal’ as final COVID restrictions are loosened, some of these changes are welcome and here to stay,” he says. “This includes WFH arrangements, which have given millions in the UK the chance to adopt a more flexible home and office attendance schedule, allowing them to fit work around other commitments.

Commissioned by REHAU, the research found that the average working-from-home (WFH) employee receives only 22 minutes of sunlight daily, with 30% of those surveyed saying their working area receives no natural light. Worryingly, 36% of respondents said this lack of light definitely contributed to a lack of motivation, and highlights a potential ongoing problem as remote working arrangements become the norm post-pandemic.

“However, our recent research has found that this obvious benefit is coming at a cost in terms of the amount of natural light remote workers are receiving on a daily basis. As these working arrangements move from temporary to permanent post-pandemic, so too must installers and fabricators adapt their product ranges to suit this ‘new normal.’ By implementing high-quality, flexible solutions into their portfolio and highlighting the importance of products that allow more exposure to natural light, the sector is well-placed to offer solutions to this growing concern.”

With this mind, REHAU is advocating that install-

Balconies are one such area that fabricators and

40 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

VIEWPOINT installers should be aware of, having grown in the pandemic from an often-overlooked feature to a key part of modern living for many homeowners. With people continuing to spend more time indoors even post-pandemic, products such as REHAU’s SKYFORCE Juliet balcony provide an ideal way of receiving more natural light while simultaneously enhancing a home’s curb appeal.

Designed to appear frameless from the inside, SKYFORCE allows maximum daylight into a space, while also adhering to current building regulations concerning protection from falling, collision and impact. The visible aspects of the SKYFORCE solution can also be customised and different colours selected to suit specific buildings, taking account of homeowner demand for individualisation. Crucially for installers, it includes less parts than any other Juliet balcony on the market, meaning it can be fitted quickly and easily.

“Our product development efforts are always shaped by trends in the market – whether they’re happening now, or are anticipated to happen in the future,” Malcolm concludes. “SKYFORCE is no exception to this, with its design being informed by the impact of daylight on occupant health and well-being, and the rise of WFH arrangements. We are confident that this product provides an exceptional balance between the needs of the consumer, while being adaptable for installers to fit quickly and seamlessly regardless of specific project pressures.”

For more information on SKYFORCE, visit: www.rehau.com/uk-en/skyforce-juliette-balcony

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 41

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 41

PEOPLE

Bohle Brings Olympic Spirit

Back To Manchester Bohle has appointed Paralympic Gold Medallist cyclist, Mark Colbourne MBE, as Area Sales Manager for the South.

Joining Bohle this month, and covering southern England and Wales, Mark has had a distinguished sporting career picking up his first medals in the 2011, before going on to win gold in the UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles in 2012.

Part of Team GB at the London 2012 Paralympics, Mark claimed Great Britain’s first medal, a silver in the C1-3 1km time trial, followed by a second in the Kilo, followed by a gold medal in the C1 3 km individual pursuit – also breaking

the world record in qualification!

Professionally Mark has had a successful career in sales and as motivational speaker, working with many of the UK’s leading companies.

Mark said: “To be joining Bohle now, while the Olympics are taking place and with the Summer Paralympic Games just around the corner, feels some how fitting.

“I’ve known Dave and the team, and many faces in the glass processing sector for a long time, while it also brings me back to the very start of my career in the glazing industry.

42 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

“Bohle’s product offer is fantastic but for me it’s the culture and commitment to service and support, that is its biggest selling point, something which I’m committed to build on in my future relationships with key accounts across the south.”

Dave Broxton, Managing Director, Bohle said: “It’s Mark’s second stint in the glass industry and he’ll also be a familiar face to many, having supported the 2013 GM Fundraising Team in our Hope 66 ride from Chicago to Santa Monica.

“His own achievements in the saddle, however, extend far further, and I’m pretty confident when I say he’s the only member of our team with a gold post box and stamp, dedicated to his achievements!

“While his priority will be to serve the key accounts in the south, Mark is also a fantastic addition to the management team, and I look forward to working closely with him in future.” www.bohle.com

PEOPLE

Exceptional

New Apprentice

Liniar Strengthens Service And Support With Customer Relations Team Building long-lasting relationships with customers is important for any business, leading to both customer retention and long-term growth. For PVCu systems company Liniar, Customer Service has long been one of the markers of its success – which is now set to bring even more customer benefits, with the introduction of a Customer Relations team to develop and enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Already known for its comprehensive programme of customer support, including structural and thermal calculations, technical guidance and marketing materials, Liniar has built strong foundations to maintain and improve its service levels. Following customer feedback and a keen desire to nurture existing relationships, Liniar is delighted to announce the formation of this new, dedicated Customer Relations team, led by Head of Customer Relations Charlotte Curtis.

Charlotte explains, “Throughout the pandemic, communication between Liniar and our customers was crucial to the success of all

involved. Whilst the health-specific challenges of COVID-19 may be waning, there are still many other issues facing us all. These challenges have highlighted the importance of providing our customers with a single point of contact within the business – someone they can come to whether their query is about sales, deliveries, growth or lead times.”

“The success of our online customer portal LinarConnect, fortuitously launched 3 months before the pandemic began, has meant that our former Sales Order Processing team have been able to be more proactive, and we see this developing even more as things begin to settle across the supply chain.

“We’ve strengthened the team itself with the recruitment of new team members and it now sits within the Sales function under Group Sales Director Nigel Bishop for a full-service approach to customer care. It’s our aim to reinforce brand loyalty and strengthen new and existing customer relations,” comments Charlotte. https://bit.ly/3BHLcx0

HWL Trade Frames has recruited Elliot Collinson as its latest apprentice.

The 17-year-old, who is studying a level 3 Maintenance & Operations Technicians Apprenticeship, had previously completed an engineering course at Leeds City College, before joining the specialist trade manufacturer.

Elliot commented: “It was always my aim to study for an apprenticeship when I left school, but unfortunately for me that happened to coincide with Covid 19 and the national lockdown.

“I didn’t want to waste a year, so I decided to learn as much as I could by enrolling at college and I’ve been able to transfer the knowledge and skills that I gained during that time into my apprenticeship with HWL,” he added.

Phil Gray, HWL’s Operations Director, commented: “Elliot is an exceptionally personable young man. During the interview stage, we were particularly impressed with his knowledge of CAD and of procedures such as Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)” www.hwlwindows.co.uk.

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 43

PEOPLE Following the completion of a management buyout this month, The Glazerite UK Group Ltd has announced a new sales appointment. Carly Graham joined the fabricator on 12th July 2021 and will be focusing on enhancing the service Glazerite offers its installer base in the Midlands and South East.

Glazerite Welcomes

A New Addition To Its Sales Team

Carly, who has over 20 years of experience in fenestration, is looking forward to applying her industry experience to her new role at Glazerite. She says: “I can’t wait to meet my customers. Glazerite is impressive and unique in the way it supports its customers, from incredible sales and marketing support to building proactive relationships with suppliers that ultimately benefit the installer.”

Carly adds: “It’s an exciting challenge and I’m ready for it. I thrive on the industry’s diversity, product development, and its ability to adapt to an ever-changing market and this is exactly what Glazerite excels in. I’m really looking forward to playing an active part in Glazerite’s growth ambitions, and those of my customers. “

Jeff Dunn, Group Sales & Marketing Director, says: “Carly has extensive experience and a real passion for the industry. She’s hugely customer-focused and has a thorough knowledge of our products and what our customers and their customers want. This will help us to strengthen the relationships we have with our existing install-

ers and help us reach out to new prospects.”

Jeff adds: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Glazerite and Carly brings with her a strong, motivated work ethic that will be a real benefit to our customers.” www.glazeritewindows.co.uk

Yale Appoints Sales Manager

ale Door and Window Solutions has strengthened its team with the appointment of Dale Smith as Sales Manager.

Dale joins the business with a wealth of knowledge and experience gained within the industry.

Based in the Midlands, his new role will see him handle the strategic and day-to-day responsibilities for managing a number of Yale’s accounts. Dale will also be working closely with the company’s distribution partners, supporting them on Yale’s range of high quality door and window hardware.

Dale comments: “I’m thrilled to be joining Yale, the premium brand

manufacturer, recognised in the trade and by consumers across the world for its high standards.

“I’m looking forward to being an active part of the future the Yale business. I will deliver the best possible service I can for my customers and help support their needs every step of the way.”

John Fletcher, National Sales Manager at Yale DWS adds: “We are delighted to have Dale join our team here at Yale. He brings a wealth of experience to assist our customers and is a valuable addition to the growing commercial team.” www.yaledws.co.uk

44 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

PEOPLE

Major Accolade For Jeanette MacIntyre

Of Indeglas The outstanding achievements of Jeanette MacIntyre, committed entrepreneur and founder of glass specialist Indeglas, have been formally recognised by her alma mater with her induction last month (June 2021) into its prestigious Hall of Fame The School of Arts and Creative Industries (SACI) at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) awarded the rare accolade to Jeanette in tribute to her creative talent as well as acknowledging the signif-

icant contribution she has made to the built environment sector.

Jeanette’s career has culminated in founding one of the most technologically adept interior glass solutions businesses in the UK and ENU have celebrated and made the award which includes the design of a unique wall plaque to be displayed at the Merchiston Campus and released several digital celebrations on alumni social media.

46 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Jeanette, who has led the way in interior glass solutions since graduating from Edinburgh Napier in 1985 with a Diploma in Interior Design, is committed to ensuring innovation, people-centred design and sustainability remains at the heart of the future built environment and to this end she currently serves as co-Vice Chair of Construction Scotland Innovation Centre. Jeanette is also a board member of Lanarkshire Enterprise Services Limited (LESL) where she uses the benefit of her business acumen to support strategy for the team dedicated to the delivery of Government support in the form of training and grant aid for micro businesses SME’s throughout Lanarkshire and beyond.

She said: “I feel intensely proud to represent the School of Arts and Creative Industries at Edinburgh Napier in this way. I hope to fully credit the honour, supporting current and future

PEOPLE students, and by sharing the learning I have accumulated for the benefit of others.”

Jeanette, who also met her husband of 31 years at ENU, set up an interior design consultancy in Edinburgh and for five years carried out design consultancy and fitting out work for companies such as Christian Salvesen, the Pharmaceutical Society and McTaggart and Mickel Homes.

She joined Nelso, part of Tarmac Construction, as design manager then co-founded Zenith Contract Interiors. In association with the Danish glazed screen manufacturer DEKO, the company became DEKO Scotland and specialised in tested system glass applications, as well as creating bespoke engineered solutions with glass.

Jeanette completed a management buyout in 2013 and re-branded the company as Indeglas in 2017. The accreditations, design methodology and ethics advocated by Indeglas provides a unique and trusted partner for some of the UK’s major contractors and architects who rely on an innovative approach, sound advice and a wealth of experience of glass and glass systems from early design stage through to a complete post construction maintenance.

alumni who might wish to follow in her footsteps, she points out the importance of good leadership skills and adopting positive, collaborative approaches when obstacles get in the way of progress.

She said: “Along the way you learn to accept that, to be successful, it’s not essential to excel in every aspect of business.

Reflecting on her career, Jeanette highlights that her top five criteria for success are: collaboration; keeping a positive mindset; remaining true to your own values; being considerate of others; and above all to radiate kindness.

“Gaining trust and respect, actively practicing life-long learning, openly learning from mistakes and recognising and acting on good advice while creating an environment where others share your passion, feel valued for the skills they bring and can reach their full potential, is a far better strategy for overcoming most challenges.”

And, offering guidance to ENU

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WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 47

PEOPLE

New MD Of Avocet

Hardware Group Announced In what has been a pivotal year in the life of Avocet Hardware Group, the next phase of growth will be under the watchful eye of its new Managing Director, Dr Sachin Saigal.

Dr Sachin brings years of business experience to Avocet and has already divulged ambitious plans for the future of the group.

“As everybody in business will tell you, the last year has been turbulent,” commented Dr Sachin, “COVID has brought constant upheaval to the supply chain, the really quite exorbitant price increases we have had to stomach as well as general profiteering on transportation costs, has made the last year and a half really quite strenuous. We needed to share the pain of running and operating a successful business” With that mindset and the desire

to push Avocet Hardware Group further, situating Dr Sachin into a hands-on driving seat has already proved beneficial to the business.

“There is so much we wanted to do, but it was obvious that a lot of time was spent on negotiating the day to day running of the business, that our plans for growth were being hindered,” remarked Rythm Saigal, CEO. “With Sachin taking ownership of growing the business, I could concentrate on existing projects and know that the future plans for the group were in safe hands.

Sachin has a genuine dedication of bringing new products and providing excellent distribution service to our customers.”

When asked what those future plans were, there was a surprise at the diversification in the pipeline.

48 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Dr Sachin Saigal

“We’ve always been known as a premium cylinder and hardware supplier and that’s something we’re very proud of,” said Dr Sachin. “Our latest venture is very different indeed and one that is presenting fantastic challenges and opportunities. We have created an entirely unique, artisanal brand of gardening tools, named Greenman Garden Tools, which we are delighted to say has gained some real momentum over the last few months. We are in the throes of working with one of the countries largest chain of garden centres to bring our Greenman Garden Tools range to the masses.”

There are other projects such as introducing tech, developing and enhancing the existing 3* cylinder range as well as developing new customer onboarding facilities.

“Our mantra has always been, Avocet…makes things easy and I intend to take that motto forward and embed it into the very fabric of everything Avocet do moving forward,” stated Dr Sachin.

PEOPLE

Welcome Back Greg

Kristian Chalmers

Leo Pyrah

Pilkington Makes Double Appointment

Pilkington United Kingdom Limited, part of the NSG Group, has made two new senior appointments – promoting Kristian Chalmers to Head of Sales, and Leo Pyrah to Marketing and VA Manager.

The pair bring with them a combined 25 years’ experience working across Pilkington UK’s Architectural Glass business and the wider NSG Group, and will help the company to deliver further value for its customers.

They will be based at the NSG Group’s European Technical Centre in Lathom, Lancashire.

Chalmers takes the post after serving as Strategic Marketing Manager for Europe within the business. Her past experience includes launching some of the business’ most successful products, including Pilkington K Glass™, which the company is selling at full manufacturing capacity each month in the UK. She takes over from Andy McDowell, who retires from his role as Commercial Director at the end of June, concluding a 30year career at the company.

Meanwhile, Pyrah takes on a multifunctional strategic marketing role in the business, with a key focus on adding value for customers through NSG technology.

He began his career in the NSG Group as a graduate working in R&D in 2007. Since then, Pyrah has held a variety of technical and product management roles in the UK and overseas as part of the NSG Group’s operations in Vietnam and China.

Matt Buckley, Managing Director of Pilkington UK, said: “Kristian and Leo bring a wealth of experience from across the business’ different functions and countries of operation. This experience will be vital in leading our teams that are supporting customers through this period of recovery – and as they help architects to meet new design challenges by using innovative glass products.”

Pilkington UK has recently brought to market new products including Pilkington AviSafe™, a glass that’s visible to birds to help prevent collisions, and Pilkington SaniTise™, an antimicrobial glass launched after the beginning of the pandemic.

Greg Impey has returned to AluK in a new position as Business Development Manager. Having spent two years with AluK from 2016 to 2018 in a mix of trade and commercial sales roles, he is well known to AluK customers and has fitted seamlessly back into the team.

Greg’s aim is to introduce new customers to the AluK brand, products and service and help existing customers win profitable new business in the trade, commercial and retail sectors.

In a market which is currently experiencing unprecedented levels of demand, Greg is looking forward to getting face to face with fabricators, installers and main contractors again. He said: “Products like the new C70S window system and the F82 bi-fold door are exactly what customers need right now to make the most of the huge opportunities which exist, particularly in commercial new build and home improvement.”

He has been welcomed back by AluK’s National Sales Manager Neil Smith who commented: “Greg will be rolling out our brand-new package of support designed to make it easier than ever for customers to come on board with us. The timing of the appointment is just about perfect and it’s great to have him back on the team.” www.aluk.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 49

T R A D E FA B R I C AT I O N dows and doors to match.”

HWL launched its pioneering non-glass-bonded 90° jointed R9 window in 2017. This uses a ground-breaking application of Timberweld® manufacturing technologies to replicate a traditional 90° mechanical joint.

In welding, rather than mechanically jointing the sash, HWL effectively eliminates the pre-existing requirement to glass-bond the sash, reducing weight and simplifying handing and installation by allowing installers to glaze windows in the same way as any other PVC-U system.

HWL Launches

Graham continued: “The benefits to the installer are massive.

You don’t have the weight in the product, it’s easier to fit and you still replicate that traditional 90° joint.”

R9 90 Degree Welded

According to modelling by HWL, simpler installation and handling allows installers to save as much as £500 on a three-day fit on an average property with 10 windows and doors.

Specialist trade manufacturer HWL has launched a new R9 open-in door with a Timberweld® 90° joint.

“The launch of the Open-in door solves a problem for installers. It delivers the product match between windows and doors that homeowners want”, Graham added.

Unique Suited Window And Door Offer The product of an extensive research and development programme, it gives installers a unique opportunity to pitch a fully matched R9 window and door offer to homeowners.

“It’s not about volume manufacture. It’s about the opportunity that it gives our customers to win business at point of retail”, explained Graham Howatson, Director HWL Trade Frames.

“It means that they can go in and sell the end user a door

“Ask yourself if it was your house, which company would you go with? The one that could give you doors and windows with a consistent traditional 90° joint on the window and door sash, or the one that couldn’t?

which matches into a Timberweld® 90° window and every time that wins them the business, because that’s what the end user wants – homeowners want the finish on their win-

50 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

“Then ask yourself the question as an installer. Which would you rather fit, glass bonded sashes or unglazed frames?

“The answer to both is going to be unanimous.” www.hwlwindows.co.uk

Over the last 12 months we’ve been working hard behind the scenes. Making big improvements to our business on both an operational and digital level. All with you in mind.

Now enabling you to order bigger volumes on the same industry leading turn around time, as well as a suite of digital tools that put the power in your hands, helping you to quote quicker and install faster, any colour, any time, anywhere.

So, enable your business to grow today with Alufold Direct.

ALUFOLDDIRECT.CO.UK

T R A D E FA B R I C AT I O N

Taking Design And Development

Seriously

“When I grow up, I’d like to design door and

window systems” – was the statement no

child ever said to their careers advisor.

Engineering is a broad term and sticking your neck out you could say it’s a career that young people usually get involved in from an early fascination with vehicles. Bikes, cars, planes, trains and the plethora of parts and systems that make them work. Whether right or wrong about the primary drivers one thing is certain Brunel didn’t lie awake at night dreaming of windows and doors.

Despite this it is a very real fact that everything around us in the world has been designed and engineered somewhere along the line. All the products you see in the pages of this magazine are only in existence because someone out there thought of them, then had the opportunity to commit those thoughts to paper and finally someone else financed them to manufacture.

52 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Chris Wann (left) with Made for Trade’s managing director, Bradley Gaunt.

The lack of glamour in fenestration products means it is hard to attract real engineering talent into the industry which Made for Trade have learned and certainly know a thing or two about as the business is actually run by qualified Mechanical Engineers as we learn more from MFT’s Chris Wann.

“My background is all Oil & Gas machinery design, which I did for about 8 years. Over that time my employer realised I could also communicate with other human beings (a trait many engineers lack) and so I was moved into concept sales and business development which gave me a real taste for business. Coming into a completely different industry with MFT, which at the time I was worried was career suicide has actually been a massive breath of fresh air. This realisation is something I try and push to all the young engineers I meet as part of our recruitment efforts” Chris continues “most of these sexy industries, like automotive, O&G and aerospace

T R A D E FA B R I C AT I O N only offer an opportunity to look at a really small part of the overall system, or they force you to design things that have been seen and importantly proven before, they don’t like risk. Here at MFT we like to throw the rule book out of the window and start projects, where possible, from first principles pushing the industry forward” The Korniche line of products are exactly what MFT claim to be the new first principal designs that are pushing the envelope and have certainly turned things on their heads with the Lantern roof. It was the fist product on the market that wasn’t just a converted conservatory roof and its only now, some 4 years later that companies are starting to bring out similar sorts of things.

For those of you that don’t know about the Korniche lantern it was the first in house designed product from the trade fabricator and it threw the conservatory roof rule book entirely out of the building. It made installation a doddle for even the most inexperienced fitter, delivered to site precision cut with no requirements to do anything other than assemble the simple kit with the provided hex tool. Also, the innovation of the glazing retainer design meant it can be glazed in under a minute which MFT demonstrated to astounded audiences at trade days and trade shows across the UK and Europe. Rumor has it that a couple of industry journalists managed to build one in front of a live audience in under 10 mins.

Impressive stuff!

To keep creativity and design at the forefront of MFT’s business they have now built up a team of 8 engineers working from a dedicated research and development office at their Wynyard headquarters. They have some pretty impressive facilities that would be more at home in a full-blown test house. The team works using SolidWorks 3D CAD and analysis software and have 3D printing and workshop facilities to develop prototype designs. 2021’s

investment also went into impact, PAS24, and weather testing rigs to pre-test new bi-fold parts way before any official testing took place.

Ashley Gaunt, Technical Director commented “Pre-testing all our designs in house cuts out a lot of the to-ing and fro-ing from our chosen accreditation testing partners saving us a considerable amount of time and cost. Its also great for all the engineers to be able to test their designs themselves as it provides insight into what does and doesn’t work and why which is

invaluable for trying out innovative new designs.”

Its refreshing to see a company in the industry that are taking design and development this seriously and that their products are making a real success story of it. With some interesting patents on proprietary features of their up-coming Korniche bi-folding door which could clearly be applied to other products we can’t wait to see what’s next off the Made for Trade drawing board! https://www.madefortrade.co/

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 53

T R A D E FA B R I C AT I O N

Barcode Scanning Delivery At Quickslide

EvoNET is also able to alert drivers if anything has been left off the vehicle prior to departure, or if an order is left on board by mistake during delivery. This significantly reduces the risk of errors and gives Quickslide customers even greater confidence that their orders will arrive on time and in full.

Other investments include the installation of a state-of-the-art Schirmer CNC machine, two corner cleaners and two quad welders, plus the addition of four new delivery vehicles linked to Quickslide’s EvoNET business management system.

Ben Weber, Quickslide’s Managing Director, said: “Barcode scanning enables us to keep track of orders, reduces paperwork and streamlines efficiency but just as importantly, it helps our Trade Partners manage their workload more effectively. This helps them deliver what was promised to their homeowner customers, ensuring that a better service is achieved right throughout the supply chain.

In Place From Sales Through To Barcode scanning is now in place from sales through to delivery at Brighouse-based VS specialist, Quickslide. Designed to increase the level and accuracy of information between the window and door fabricator and its Trade Partners at every stage of the order process, this latest development is part of the company’s efforts to continuously improve the quality of its service.

It follows a series of earlier investments designed to enhance the customer experience. The £2m programme of growth includes a new dispatch centre, completed on time last year, despite the challenges of lockdown.

The introduction of a dedicated facility for all finished goods means handling is minimised and deliv-

ery vehicles can be loaded faster, ultimately enabling Quickslide to service its customers more efficiently.

Communicating directly with each vehicle’s TomTom satellite navigation, EvoNET devises the most efficient delivery route for the day and keeps customers informed of their order’s progress via text and email alerts, allowing them to manage their daily workloads more effectively.

54 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

“Quickslide is firmly committed to continuously evolving to maintain our position at the very forefront of the window and door industry and we believe our latest improvements to the processing, manufacture, transport and delivery of our product range are a clear example of this.” www.quickslide.co.uk

Innovation comes built-in

DARKNESS ON DEMAND The new ScreenLine pleated blackout blinds are now available with either the manual corded C System or slider control S System – exclusive to Morley Glass. Perfect for bedrooms, children’s nurseries and cinema rooms they are available in 8 colours options.

Morley Glass & Glazing Ltd Unit 3 Leeds 27 Industrial Estate Bruntcliffe Way Leeds LS27 0HH

morleyglass.co.uk 0113 277 8722 sales@morleyglass.co.uk

T R A D E FA B R I C AT I O N

HWL Introduces New Cloud Based

Customer Portal

production processes and Window Designer makes it so much easier for our customers to manage their businesses more efficiently – it gives them full visibility of their orders at any given time.

“Our customers can also utilise a suite of business management tools with the Zandi CRM system,” Graham continued. “This includes dedicated dashboards for outstanding issues, returns and replacements; an integrated calendar system that can help schedule sales calls, installations or remedial work and a suite of marketing tools to manage campaigns, responses and ROI.” HWL has also recently expanded its premium heritage range ­– which includes its non-glass-bonded Timberweld R9 window and matching Timberweld R9 open-in door – with the introduction of the new 70mm Kommerling flush sash.

The Leeds based fabricator is the first to offer the new Kommerling flush casement with a Timberweld joint, in addition to a regular 450 mitre weld, claims the company.

In addition to its PVC heritage offer, HWL is also catering for increasing demand for aluminium products with the new Prestige window from Sheerline. This combines a flush style finish with enhanced security and exceptional U-values of 1.3 W/(m2K) double glazed and 0.9W/ (m2K) triple glazed.

HWL Trade Frames has introduced a full suite of cloud based customer service and business management systems, including 24/7 ordering, using Window Designer from First Degree Systems.

Graham continued: “HWL is a company that majors on its craftsmanship and attention to detail and while these are traditional values, we are also proud of the fact that we operate a very forward-thinking customer service model.

HWL’s customers can take advantage of the latest Fengo2 system to price and process orders for the specialist fabricator’s complete range of products, including its portfolio of heritage windows and doors.

In addition to the ability to generate and process quotes remotely, from any device, customers can also check on the status of orders and delivery times, as well as access and download any related documents.

Graham Howatson

HWL’s Director, Graham Howatson, said: “It represents a step change in service. The introduction of bar code scanning points on the factory floor has introduced another level of quality control into our

56 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

“We know from increasing demand that the heritage sector is becoming increasingly competitive. Our product offer is designed to give our customers a distinct advantage and our cloud-based portal means they can do so while operating as effectively as possible.” www.hwlwindows.co.uk

T R A D E FA B R I C AT I O N

Everglade Windows Add Timber-Look

Weld To Flush UPVC Range

Everglade Windows’ trade customers can now offer homeowners timber-look joints on Flush uPVC windows, after a significant investment in a new Quad Welder.

The London fabricator has recently invested more than £1m in new machinery, including a new Rotox SVK 508 Quad Welding machine which manufactures uPVC windows with traditional “butt” joint aesthetics to replicate traditional handcrafted timber.

“Our new welding machine means we can create uPVC windows with timber-look welds, giving installers a fantastic new product upgrade to offer homeowners,” says Jay Patel, Director at Everglade Windows.

“This option is perfect for OCFlush windows, part of One

Collection which was launched in 2019. Available in 30 standard colourways including woodgrain finishes, we launched One Collection to deliver beautiful, modern timber-look windows with the performance and maintenance benefits of uPVC.

“Being able to fabricate windows with a timber-look weld is a stunning detail which adds a new twist on the authentic timber style by creating straight joints, perfectly complementing the sleek design of OC-Flush windows.”

ways in which we can progress and provide more options for customers.

The new machine is the most recent installation of more than £1m worth of investments at the impressive fabrication facility in West London.

“The Quad Welder is part of our long-term plan to invest in the best uPVC and aluminium machinery, helping to future-proof our business and cement ourselves as the perfect fabricator partner – reassuring installers that they can always rely on us to provide them the best products and support.”

Jay adds: “We’re constantly looking ahead to identify trends and

To find out more, visit www.evergladetrade.co.uk

Quickslide Commits To Quality With

Pas 24 And Weather Testing PVC-U window and door manufacturer, Quickslide, reports that its Legacy VS window has, once again, passed the rigorous testing regime for the PAS 24:2016 security standard, as well as the latest weather resistance performance requirements.

Based on the Spectus vertical slider and described by Quickslide as a ‘true heritage’ window, Legacy has been enhanced with additional reinforcement and longer screws to secure location, side extrusion blocks, sash locators, and upgraded locks, keeps, latch and aluminium tilt arms, all supplied by hardware and security specialist, ERA. Quickslide’s Managing Director, Ben Weber, said: “Attention to detail is paramount at Quickslide

and this latest PAS 24 and weather testing success is testament to the superior quality of our products.

“For us, it’s not just about passing the tests, but ensuring that we uphold these high standards by manufacturing each and every frame with consistent performance, quality and production efficiency.”

Manual PAS 24 testing includes attacking the window with various tools to try and displace the beading, with an aim of removing the glass to gain entry. A force of up to 3kN is applied in various positions in an attempt to dislodge the sashes from the frames. This year’s PAS 24 testing included a window that was just 420mm wide, reassuring customers that Legacy can still meet the security standard, even at its minimum size.

Ensuring that Legacy can also withstand the ever-changing British weather conditions in terms of water tightness, air permeability and wind resistance, weather testing was also achieved to an overall UK exposure category of 1200. https://www.quickslide.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 57

PRODUCT NEWS

Panic Bar From Carl F Groupco

Suits Scottish Regulations Carl F Groupco, manufacturer of door and window hardware, including panic and emergency exit components, expands their range to include the CISA FAST Touch Panic Exit Push Bar. Compatible with FUHR panic exit door locks, the panic bar features fast touch operation and a special mortice panic function that works alongside the eurogroove fit FUHR multipoint panic lock range. The stainless-steel satin PVD finish provides a clean and crisp appearance.

Technical Manager John Mitchell comments on the addition to the range: “We are always looking to source hardware components which can offer our fabricator partners

enhanced functionality and the ability to comply with the latest standards and regulations.

“The CISA solution will be of particular interest to our Scottish fabricator partners. Scottish regulations stipulate that hardware on panic exit doors should protrude no further than 150mm for Category 1 doors and 100mm for Category 2 doors: the CISA Fast Touch Panic Bar is well under this regulation, protruding only 75mm from the door.

“The regulation in Scotland is in place to ensure safe exit in a panic situation… the less the hardware protrudes from the door, the less likely that clothing will get caught on the door when using the exit.”

58 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Stainless steel CISA Panic Bar added to Carl F Groupco panic hardware range

Certified in accordance with EN 1125 and CE marked the CISA panic bar has been tested beyond the expected parameters requested by regulators. Combined with approved hardware, including the CES free movement cylinder, the set complies with BS EN 1125 for panic exit hardware, and is approved for use in public buildings and premises where individuals may not be trained in escape hardware including schools, flats, and office blocks.

Carl F Groupco’s experienced and qualified support team are available to advise customers of the most suitable hardware solution for any application, including compliance with emergency and panic exit requirements.

Carl F Groupco: www.carlfgroupco.co.uk Product Link: https://bit.ly/3y8DauW Twitter: @Carl_F_Groupco LinkedIn: Carl F Groupco Limited

SupaSecure TS008 CERTIFIED LETTERPLATE ENHANCED SECURITY

Clever security features

D PREP STANDAR O FIT READY oTr in 1 piece do - box to MINS UNDER l2lation insta

combined with considered design, high performance stainless steel and simple installation.

PRODUCT NEWS

Yale Patio Door

Lock Supplied By

Carl F Groupco

The Yale Patio Door Lock, supplied by door and window hardware distributor Carl F Groupco, is becoming increasingly popular, steadily gaining positive attention since first appearing in the range in 2019. Manufactured by door lock experts Yale, the Yale Patio Door Lock is a secure choice for inline patio doors. Offering six fully stainless-steel bi-directional security hooks and a stainless-steel faceplate, providing anti-lift multipoint locking. The optional addition of shootbolt locking points offers door fabricators enhanced security to suit their project. High-performance and quality construction methods ensure this locking system provides first-class protection; featuring 20mm backset and 92mm PZ centre case, the patio lock is suitable for a wide range of profiles. Carl F Groupco also supplies all supporting hardware for the patio lock, including patio buffers, wheels, and handles.

The lock has been corrosion-resistance tested to BS EN 1670:2007 Grade 4 and deemed to provide very high protection. The lock has also been tested to a minimum of 100,000 cycle operational lifespan and

comes with a 10-year mechanical guarantee.

In partnership with Yale, Carl F Groupco is able to supply their full product range, assuring customers that the components supplied are always of the highest quality. The full range of Yale window and door hardware is available from Carl F Groupco, including patio hardware sets, residential door locks, espagnolette, and shootbolt locking for windows alongside a full range of window and door furniture.

Carl F Groupco: www.carlfgroupco.co.uk Product Link: https://bit.ly/3zTQUKE

Instagram Influencer Gets Smart With Kubu Instagram influencer, Katrina @ greygoosehouse, has upgraded her cherished home with a new Kubu equipped composite front door, that was manufactured and installed by Infinity Windows and Doors.

With over 109k followers, @greygoosehouse has become a highly influential social media feed for all things that reflect interior design, home and interiors, and lifestyle inspirations. But the introduction of a Kubu equipped composite door has been a decision based on security, reassurance and ultimately peace of mind.

Katrina outlines the rationale for this important investment in her home and said: ‘Kubu is a revelation for us as a family and as a

She added: ‘It was also fundamental for me from an interior design perspective to pick the perfect hardware for my front door and not be reliant on an unsightly and bulky smart lock. Overall, I’m thrilled with this new investment on our Grey Goose House.’

busy business owner, I now know when my front door is locked or unlocked through the notifications which also tell me when our children have left and returned to the house. The clever geo-fencing feature has also proven to be particularly useful and in time when the window sensor is launched, it will form part of an important smart home network for us too.

60 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Lauren Bromley, head of brand for Kubu added: ‘Kubu is not just a lifestyle choice, but one in which is part of a more secure and ultimately smarter home. There’s little impact on manufacturing processes for fabricators and no additional works or cost implications for the installer, the clever bit is when doors and windows are activated by consumers with full support by us directly.’ visit kubu-home.com

PRODUCT NEWS

Kenrick Tackles Opportunist Burglaries

with Fast Lock

The pandemic may have left most of us staying in more than ever before, but the lockdown has not deterred burglars from targeting properties – whether we’re at home or not.

Now, with the summer months approaching and warmer weather meaning we can spend more time in the garden, Kenrick is urging fabricators and installers to choose high security hardware products and help protect homeowners from opportunist burglaries.

Steve Williams, Kenrick’s sales and marketing director, explains: “Opportunist burglary is becoming increasingly common with figures from the Office for National Statistics showing that 64 per cent of burglaries in England and Wales happened while residents were at home. People need to be vigilant and guard against this invasive crime, so we want to prompt everyone to think about how vulnerable they are to sneak-in thefts and to take measures to secure their homes properly.

“It’s so easy to leave doors and windows unlocked while you sit out in the garden in the sun, but this gives a burglar the perfect opportunity to sneak into your home and steal your valuables without you even knowing about it. Perhaps even more sinister is home invasion burglary, where a burglar physically forces their way into someone’s home as they open their front door.

“Falling victim to this type of crime is very upsetting, especial-

ly when so many of us have been affected one way or another by Coronavirus. It is however easy and cost-effective for homeowners to protect themselves from these types of crime with the proper security products.”

Designed to combat against opportunist burglary and home invasion burglary, Kenrick’s Excalibur Fast Lock is a high security door lock that provides fast, secure locking on the front door – the route into the house for more than 75% of burglaries.

The Excalibur Fast Lock operates in the same way as a standard lever/lever lock. Its main difference is when closing the door; the user simply lifts the lever as they enter through the door and it is then securely locked from both sides without having to use a key. To unlock the door, the user turns the key and pushes the handle down.

Unlike fixed padlocks, the user has to physically throw the lever to engage the hooks and lock the door, which means they can’t

be locked out accidentally. This design feature also overcomes the risk of an adult being locked out by a small child shutting the door from the inside or by a gust of wind blowing the door closed.

Built to the same exacting standards as the acclaimed Excalibur door lock, The Excalibur Fast Lock uses three sintered steel hooks and two steel anti lift bolts to deliver its strength and security. Three roller cams provide =/1mm adjustable compression, with one roller placed directly below the gearbox to aid with compression in the centre of the door. The gearbox is sprung on both spindles, which means that there is no need for costly sprung handle sets.

The door lock will also work with a thumb turn cylinder as an option which eliminates the need to use the key on the inside to open the door.

For greater flexibility, the system allows fabricators to use just one lock for all applications on both front and back doors. Its twin spindle design means that both lever/lever and lever/movable pad unsprung handles can be used with only one lock to provide more choice for the end user. Designed to be quick and easy to install, the door lock is also fully extendable with 300mm extension pieces for added convenience.

The Excalibur Fast Lock is available on all variants of 35mm backset locks in a choice of lever/ lever, twin spindle and split spindle. It is compatible with PVC-u, timber and composite doors. It meets the requirements of PAS 24, 2012 and Secured by Design.

It has been function tested to 30,000 full cycles (open/close, lock/unlock) and also exceeds the requirements of BS EN 1670: 2007 Grade 4 (severe) rating for salt spray corrosion resistance. www.kenricks.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 61

PRODUCT NEWS and uncomplicated cassette system, and having been fitted in millions of doors worldwide, it comes with a tried and trusted pedigree.”

TriSYS™ is available in a full range of sizes and a choice of colour options including white, red, green, blue, black, grey, chartwell green, oak and rosewood. It is the tried and tested glazing cassette solution and meets PAS24:2016 and Secure by Design requirements. It is manufactured with high-performance resin, so it needs less longterm maintenance.

As well as being one of the market leaders, TriSYS™ is part of a value-added suite of glazing cassette systems from ODL Europe.

The Craftsman Framing System is designed with architectural style in mind. The broad flat-profile frame is designed to blend perfectly with the finishing details on the door.

And for true craftsmen door aesthetics a dentil shelf is also available.

Sales Growth

For The Tried And Trusted TriSYS™ Glazing Cassette From ODL Europe ODL Europe has reported continued sales growth for its tried and trusted TriSYS™ glazing cassette.

Nathan Barr, Managing Director of ODL Europe, explains: “TriSYS™ is packed with innovative features that make assembly quick and easy while still delivering outstanding quality to our customers. We’ve seen unprecedented demand in recent months and continue to build up healthy stock levels using our in-house injection moulding capabilities as we continue to supply our growing customer base.”

The speed and ease of fitting are down to TriSYS™ intelligent design which consists of just three parts.

The outer frame and inner cassette screw together to hold the door glass into place and the inner frame then simply snaps on. An innovative clip system eliminates screw hole covers, giving a more attractive finish. It also means no preparation, no adhesion promotor and no special primers are needed.

Nathan said: “Our TriSYS™ threepart glazing system is an intelligent

62 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

ZEEL™ is the next generation of glazing cassettes. It’s a sleek, versatile contemporary glazing cassette that blends seamlessly into the door, allowing the door glass to take centre stage. And the Spotlights® frame and glass system has been designed to provide the ultimate in design flexibility.

TriSYS™ cassettes are manufactured in-house at ODL Europe’s Bootle headquarters, which gives the company complete control over its cassette production and eliminates the reliance on third parties.

As this range of glazing cassettes shows, ODL Europe is the company that builds value into building products which has resulted in its continued sales growth. Nathan concludes: “Our growing customer base appreciate the ease of fitting our products and strong design aesthetics, which is why demand for our TriSYS™ glazing cassette has never been stronger.”

AVAILABLE NOW

PRODUCT NEWS

Distinction Doors Expands Paint Shop Distinction Doors is delivering on its planned investment programme with the first of several significant improvements – the expansion of its paint facility with a new spray booth. This upgrade allows Distinction to increase the efficiency of its paint line to support growing customer demand for its painted products.

To complement the line expansion, the company has also invested in its extraction system.

Furthermore, the paint shop has been revised to include a new paint mixing zone and the drying area has been extended.

These changes are key to enable paint volumes to increase and support capacity.

growth strategy. Increasing the efficiency of our paint line means we can meet customer demands much more effectively.

“Paint is essential to our fully prepped process, and with the best sprayers in the industry, we know our customers appreciate the quality of our painted products. They know that in purchasing our prepped, painted and glazed products they are buying from the best.”

Upgrades in the paint shop are accompanied by enhancements in the wider production facility, including streamlining and additional work spaces, with significant planned machinery investment coming soon.

“By investing in our paint plant we are strengthening our full service package for the long term,” says Andrew Copeland, general manager for Distinction Doors. “It is a key component of our planned investment and

64 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

The online ordering portal has also been updated to the benefit of Distinction customers.

For more information visit www.distinctiondoors.co.uk or email support@distinctiondoors.co.uk

PRODUCT NEWS

NEW From Enfield: Build Your

Bespoke PAS24 FD60 Door Enfield Speciality Doors is now offering custom-built high-security 1 hour fire doorsets. The PAS24 FD60 internal entrance doors are certified for fire and security and are ideal for apartments for social housing, students or private landlords.

Enfield’s new entrance doors meet BS 476 for fire resistance and smoke control, as well as PAS24 for enhanced security, which is required for the police-backed Secured by Design certification. Thirty-minute fire door options are also available with PAS24 certification. Single doorsets in this range come with up to 33 dB acoustic performance.

The high-security fire doorsets are all built to order, with a variety of finishes and veneers to choose from. They incorporate a severe-duty core with a hardwood frame and a range of high-quality ironmongery available in satin or polished stainless steel. Options include anti-snap letterplates, lift-off hinges, lever handles and push on escutcheons plus a choice of surface-mounted and concealed door closers. A Fortress 3* thumbturn cylinder with hardened pins for anti-drill, anti-pick and anti-bump resistance offers ultimate peace of mind.

“We’re also happy to source different design options if re-

quired,” comments Nigel Sill, Chairman of Enfield Speciality Doors. “Our helpful and expert team are on hand to guide facilities managers, maintenance contractors and other specifiers on the best options for their projects.” www.enfielddoors.co.uk

Do the maths!

Heavy duty rollers.

Individual sash weights of up to 200kg

Win more business. Fit and glaze doors start to finish, in less than

Marine grade finish.

Textured and dual colour options

2hrs!

Call 01249 816 969 or email info@deceuninck.co.uk to find out more.

Deceuninck Aluminium Stanier Road • Porte Marsh • Calne • Wiltshire SN11 9PX T +44 (0)1249 816 969 • F +44 (0)1249 815 234 info@deceuninck.co.uk • www.deceuninck.com

DUAL COLOUR

AS STANDARD

FAST FIT

ERTED -INS G RE

Decalu by Deceuninck Aluminium

G BEADS P ZIN

AND G ENT LA ,V

x2 fully adjustable jambs offer up to 14mm tolerance for out of square brickwork

IN FRAM KET E AS

Co-extruded pre-inserted gasket.

Glaze leaves in as little as 5-minutes per unit

PRODUCT NEWS

New Design Options For

GRiPCORE GRiPCORE, the new solid core composite door from DOORCO, is now available with an exclusive design portfolio which includes new and updated door styles, 25 new colours and 7 exclusive glass choices. The collection is available to view in a dedicated brochure, which also showcases FLiP, DOORCO’s own door glazing cassette system.

Ben Aspinall, Marketing & IT Manager explains more about the new GRiPCORE collection and brochure: “GRiPCORE is an important addition to the DOORCO product portfolio. The new technology is a hybrid of modern and traditional materials that has been engineered to deliver a stronger, heavier and more robust door that will not move/bow/twist more than 3mm, crack or delaminate.

It is truly the most engineered door we’ve ever produced and

therefore deserves a fresh set of design options too.

“GRiPCORE was launched earlier this year around the same time as FLiP, our exclusive new door glazing cassette system. With FLiP, the possibilities are endless, and we’ve made the most of the new options on GRiPCORE. We’ve given some of our best-selling styles a facelift. For example, contemporary styles like Links Oakmont, Square, and the Augusta range have been transformed with the use of FLiP Flat Stipple. We’ve also introduced some new designs, like Pinehurst. Rather than traditional twin tops, has square glazing cassettes on a 6/4 Combi door blank.

“To complement these new styles, we’ve added some exclusive new glass designs to the

66 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

GRiPCORE portfolio. These include two designs by Jeyda, our Creative Consultant, which were commissioned during the first lockdown, as well as five exclusive designs from RegaLead.

“No new collection is complete without a new colour range. For GRiPCORE, we’ve introduced a mix of heritage shades in a semimatt finish, and some fresh new semi-gloss colours, like Bright Magenta, and of course, GRiPCORE Yellow.

“All the chosen glass designs and colours have been hand-picked to suit the GRiPCORE brand and allow customers to take the design of this new product to the next level.”

The new brochure is available online via https://bit.ly/3A9ZnJR We also have a new dedicated brochure explaining more about FLiP and the options available, which is available online via https://bit.ly/2Vi43OW or you can request a printed copy (which includes both products) from customer services. www.gripcore.com

PRODUCT NEWS

Bowater Doors Launch

Fireshield Fire Doors

Bowater Doors has introduced FireShield, which, according to the company, is ‘an industry-leading composite fire door with impressive and consistent test results’. Described by Bowater doors as a revolutionary fire and smoke protection solution and the result of innovative design combined with extensive testing and sealed with the BM TRADA Q Mark certification scheme to ensure consistent high quality.

This range of composite fire doors includes glazed and solid designs, all of which have been tested to BS EN 1634, the latest standard for fire resistance and smoke control.

Scott Francis, Technical Manager at Bowater Doors has been instrumental in the testing of this new range of fire doors, he comments: “BS EN 1634 is the latest standard and a far more demanding test in comparison to BS 476. This is particularly in

reference to the requirement to expose both sides of the door to the fire combined with the increased level of pressure and heat in the furnace. We made the decision to test our doors to the limits with regards to safety and security to ensure we are offering the best composite fire door on the market.”

For additional peace of mind, FireShield is supplied with a low maintenance fully finished frame that has been designed specifically for use with fire doors.

The testing of this door range was not limited to fire protection. Keeping residents safe remains a key driver for the development of the entire product range, say Bowater Doors.

FireShield was tested to PAS 24 and also holds the Secured by Design accreditation. The function and usability of the range was also considered and as a consequence it features an AV2 slam shut lock to ensure that

when the door was closed it is secure and ready to perform in the event of a fire. https://bit.ly/3C59KAp

Endurance Enhance Security Offer With £2,000 Guarantee Endurance Doors has increased the security guarantee from their own branded ABS, dimpled key 3-Star cylinder to £2,000.

This 3-Star cylinder developed in partnership with ABS is a standard offering with all Endurance Doors and it carries the Sold Secure Diamond mark and is Kitemarked.

With the door slab itself having survived a heavy sledgehammer test courtesy of Hunter from Gladiators, the iconic TV series of the 1990’s, which has been widely shared on social media, the Endurance

Door security proposition is now stronger and more robust than ever before, says the company.

with 5 dimple keys as standard and additional keys can be cut at hundreds of outlets across the UK, without having to revert back to the original cylinder supplier. The cylinders are also manufactured outside of China on cutting edge, automated production lines and they have endured an extended cycle test to ensure they have a life expectancy well in excess of 10 years, while the precision engineered key has been designed to last a lifetime.

Each Endurance Door is supplied

endurancedoors.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 67

PRODUCT NEWS

REHAU Opens Door

to Consistent Home Aesthetic New external doors are among the top 10 homeowner renovation plans according to Checkatrade’s Home Pride Index[1], and with its consumer research finding that the average worker currently gets 22 minutes of natural light per day, REHAU says it’s no surprise people are wanting to let the outside in.

The latest addition to REHAU’s Rio flush fit range is a single open-out door that complements the established Rio window system aiming to help fabricators and installers provide a consistent aesthetic to homeowners wanting matching windows and doors.

Following record sales of its Rio flush fit window, REHAU has extended its range to help meet

consumer demand for more high-performing and aesthetically pleasing products.

The addition of the Rio flush fit door with a large glass panel, comes in response to a demand for new ways to increase natural light into a room as a study finds the average worker gets just 22 minutes a day of natural light.

According to REHAU’s study of 2,000 adults working from home, three in 10 have no natural light over their working area – with 65 percent convinced this affects their productivity.

Clare Higgins, Product Manager at REHAU, said: “This is a natural progression for our flush fit range due to the ongoing popularity of the Rio flush fit window.

What’s really great is that the Rio

68 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

door can offer a realistic timber or aluminium look but with the benefits of PVC, which ultimately lets homeowners get a consistent look across all windows and doors. It’s an ideal way to open up the back of a property onto an outdoor or garden space.

With the option to change frames to either chamfered (TOTAL70C) or sculptured (TOTAL70S) variations, fabricators can help customers put their personal stamp on a property.”

PRODUCT NEWS Just two years after the launch of its Rio flush fit window, REHAU’s Rio flush fit door utilises existing TOTAL70 system profiles. Additionally, to simplify the system sourcing process, REHAU has developed a solution which incorporates existing Maco hardware and SFS dedicated butt hinges.

Clare continues: “It’s not uncommon for incorrect hinges to sometimes be used which can cause doors to not align when closed. So, to eliminate any risk of this happening, we have worked in collaboration with SFS to develop the right solution with hinges specifically suited to the new Rio flush fit door.”

In addition, the Rio flush fit door does not require a new-door sash because REHAU’s Deep Bottom Rail – developed to com-

plement the current Rio window range and provide more style options – can also be utilised in this capacity. The interchangeable profile also means less stock holding for customers.

Based on homeowner insight and the popularity of Anthracite Grey Grained, Simply White and Pearl Grey colours for the Rio Flush Fit window, REHAU’s new flush fit door is customisable in a number of colours.

John King Sales Director Carl F Groupco

Experts in Hardware

Clare concludes: “The new Rio flush fit door helps fabricators and installers respond to residential trends and offers homeowners personalisation.

Not only does it continue the traditional aesthetic, it offers the same durability, security, and energy efficiency that the Rio window does. Fabricators and installers can also look forward to a French door solution as an extension of the Rio flush door offering, which will follow later in 2021.”

REHAU will also be investing in the promotion of this product directly to consumers later in the year in order to help generate further opportunity for its fabricators and installers.

For more information, visit www.rehau.com/uk-en/rio-flush-fit [1] Checkatrade Index

Get in touch and speak to one of our experts today: t. Peterborough: 01733 393330 t. Cumbernauld: 01236 721557

“ The Carl F Groupco team fully understand our business and our demands for high security hardware – they are knowledgeable, reliable and they deliver.”

John Duggan Rapid PVCu Systems

e. sales@carlfgroupco.co.uk w. www.carlfgroupco.co.uk

PRODUCT NEWS

‘Outstanding Response’ To Smart-Slide Patio Door Costello Windows has praised aluplast’s class-leading SmartSlide system as ‘the best PVC patio door it has ever fitted’.

The Limerick based firm, which has been manufacturing and supplying to customers on the west coast of Ireland for over 40 years, has been an aluplast customer for three years and introduced SmartSlide into its portfolio at the start of 2020.

“The response to Smart-Slide has been outstanding,” said Barclay Costello, Managing Director, Costello Windows. “We have a 2.5m tall Smart-Slide installed in our show room and the quality of the system speaks for itself. We can spend as little as five minutes with a customer and they’ve

al locations where the weather is more extreme it was a real issue. In the past the solution was to compress the door as tight as it would go – but then it could be a struggle to operate it.

“With Smart-Slide, we can just fit and forget because it is so much more secure,” added Barclay.

“We’ve not had a single call for remedial work and that speaks volumes about the standard of fit and finish.”

Barclay Costello

bought it!

“It’s very easy to install,” he continued. “With standard sliding PVC patio doors, the biggest problem that we used to have was ensuring that the installation was airtight.

With bigger sashes, and in coast-

70 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Tested to PAS24, Smart-Slide meets BS6375 for weather tightness and a DER of A+ depending on glass specification.

Capable of spanning 4.5m x 2.5m with just a sliding sash and a fixed panel, the use of advanced hardware means that it can be operated with the lightest of touches, even with individual sash weights of up to 200kg. The sash also features locking points on all four sides, enabling it to be left part

PRODUCT NEWS

Jack Aluminium TD68 Profile Chosen For Aliwoods Garden Rooms

open for ventilation while remaining completely secure.

Smart-Slide is also available in aluplast’s full range of 40 finishes, including its new aludec and woodec foils that have been designed to look and feel almost exactly like real aluminium and timber.

“The size at which Smart-Slide can be manufactured, its quality and the range of finishes from aluplast allow us to sell into projects that would normally be reserved for aluminium,” said Barclay. “90% of the orders we take for Smart-Slide include a foil finish, the majority of which are for a grey and 15% of installs are over 3m wide with an average height of 2,150mm.

“Compared to standard PVC-U patios, Smart-Slide is head and shoulders above the rest, there’s just no comparison,” he concluded. www.aluplast.co.uk

Proving its complete versatility, Jack Aluminium’s TD68 system has been used to create a stunning range of new garden rooms

by Aliwoods, the sister company of long-standing fabricator IDF Aluminium.

Aliwoods, which covers the distribution and sales of the garden rooms, was set up during the pandemic in response to the increased demand for garden office pods. The buildings come in prefabricated sections allowing for easier, faster installation and the modular design means they can be easily disassembled and relocated if needed or installed where access is tight.

Installation takes between 2-5 days and the rooms are fitted with everything needed for a fully functional garden room, including interior and exterior lighting, laminated floors and plug sockets, meaning they are immediately ready to use after they’re fitted. Donna Woods MD

of Aliwoods says she loves the high grade of the system which makes it suitable for residential and commercial use alike.

Jack Aluminium’s TD68 system has been used to create floorto-ceiling glazing on the side of the structure to let in maximum levels of natural daylight. With its superb durability and thermal efficiency, TD68 is the perfect system choice for this garden room design.

Will Woods, Managing Director of IDF Aluminium says: “We use the TD68 shopfront system for the glazed side panels of the garden rooms and have chosen this profile due to the high spec and quality of the system.

We also love working with Jack Aluminium for the amazing service we receive from the whole team.” www.jackaluminium.co.uk www.aliwoodsgardenrooms.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 71

PRODUCT NEWS

Getting In And Out With

Senior’s Ali Doors Restrictions may be easing but working in private homes can still be a challenge. Senior’s Says its Ali SLIDE aluminium sliding doors and its popular Ali FOLD aluminium folding doors have been developed to provide the perfect solution for busy installers, allowing them to complete work quickly and efficiently.

Both doors are supported by a simple-to-use installation guide and a range of flexible features. With adjustable rollers for a perfect fit, Senior says the Ali SLIDE aluminium patio door is easy to work with even at its largest leaf size of up to 2000mm by 2616mm. Helping to maximise daylight and offer

wider views, a slimline version of the system is also available which has an interlock of just 50mm.

Senior’s Ali FOLD aluminium folding doors have also been developed with the trade installer in mind, with the installation guide illustrating how the shoot bolt, hinge jam and keep carrier can be quickly and easily adjusted. Design flexibility has been built in, with leaf sizes available up to 1300 mm wide and 2616 mm high and a range of different configurations available to suit a variety of projects.

According to Senior, its Ali doors may be quick to install but they also offer long-term

72 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

benefits to give peace of mind to both the contractor and the customer. The Ali door range has been designed to meet the requirements of PAS 24, with Ali FOLD also accredited to the Secured By Design scheme.

Senior’s Ali door range can also help future-proof a project by offering exceptional thermal performance to keep energy bills lower. The Ali FOLD door can achieve U-values as low as 1.19 W/m2K and Ali SLIDE can reach U-values of 1.64 W/m2K. Both systems easily exceed the current building regulations, claims Senior. https://bit.ly/3j4unUx

FAST-FIT

LIFT&SLIDE

DOOR

Lightweight yet strong, ultra energy efficient, fast fitting, secured and virtually maintenance-free.

Welcome to star quality design

0845 300 9356 | talk@stellaraluminium.co.uk stellaraluminium.co.uk

PRODUCT NEWS

Stellar Lift & Slide Patio

Door Opens Up More

Opportunities

Epwin Window Systems says its Stellar Lift & Slide door supports current market trends perfectly with its slimline, clean aesthetics and quick fitting innovations.

Philip Parry, Business Development Director at Epwin Window Systems explains: “Like all of the products in the Stellar range, the Lift & Slide Door is an example of the exceptional results you get when a product is designed with the fabricator, installer and end user in mind. The Lift & Slide Door continues the Stellar innovation of

utilising pre-gasketed profiles and our recently patented pre-gasketed aluminium knock-in beads. Not only is it quick and easy to glaze minimising installers time on site, it also delivers a neat, clean gasket line for a superior overall finish and eliminates common issues associated with systems relying on old fashioned and time-consuming installation techniques which can often deliver poor aesthetics further down the line.”

Available in 2, 3 and 4 pane variations, the Lift & Slide Door is suit-

74 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

able for openings of up to 6.5 meters. Sash widths of up to 3 metres wide are available with a choice of 96mm, 68mm and 50mm interlock widths to achieve the best combination of perfect sightlines and size capability. Combined with Stellar’s slim sightlines, it means the door delivers the large glass area and clean, pared-back aesthetics that are so desirable. Phil said: “There is a growing market looking to give their home something different to the more common bi-fold with the constraints that they can present, and the additional glazed area is welcome to those looking to maximise the amount of glass and minimise obstructions to their view”.

The doors are said to be easy-touse thanks to the use of Lift and Slide technology, which means there’s a built-in system that takes some of the weight when opening the panes. The range of threshold

PRODUCT NEWS

Ahead Of The Curve

options means the door can meet various access needs including a low threshold for an almost seamless transition. Others are designed to offer easy access for wheelchairs and for more exposed locations.

The system has been fully UKAS approved to PAS24:2016 and exceeds all requirements for BS/ EN6375-1,2 & 3 in its standard form, also meeting Secure by Design requirements with appropriate glazing.

Phil concludes: “Epwin has set a new standard for the domestic aluminium system sector. Stellar is a pre-gasketed system offering superior aesthetics that is adaptable, attractive and simple to install and is available from a systems company with a customer-focused friendly approach, making it a true star performer.” www.stellaraluminiun.co.uk

Aluminium doesn’t have to be so square,’ according to Alutech Systems. The rapidly growing, Yorkshire-based systems house has just introduced a new curved edge aluminium profile as a premium option to its BF73 systems for bifolding doors, French doors and single doors.

According to Alutech, the rounded edge of the external facing sash gives the illusion of even slimmer sightlines, which it claims are already slimmer than 68% of the market. Available in all the same colours as the standard BF73 profile, the new curved sash gives fabricators and installers the opportunity to increase their margin per door leaf.

Alutech Systems MD, Steve Hudson, commented, “We’re always looking for ways to help our customers stand out from their competition and make more money. Not only does our new curved edge sash do exactly that, it also looks amazing too.”

Mike Moulds, Alutech Systems’ Sales Director, added, “Our new rounded profile gives even more versatility to our BF73 system, which takes away the headache of having to stock multiple systems by offering fabricators one system that caters for all door styles.

Whether the project is a single door, French door or bifolding door, they can all be fabricated from the same BF73 system.

The system is so versatile that it can cater for projects that call for shaped frames, fixed frames, sidelights, astragal bars, blinds in glass and can even be used as an entrance door with optional inserted aluminium panels.”

Alutech Systems says the BF73 system has been designed to be quick and easy to fabricate and install. The system offers an adjustable jamb feature for maximum adjustability during the installation stage. The optional adjustable jamb offers easier installs with 4mm tolerance. www.alutechsystems.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 75

PRODUCT NEWS over the last year, AluFold Direct has always been there to rely on and we’ve been able to concentrate on growing the business without worrying about our supply chain.”

A Key Element

In Business Success

When Mark Creaby started a high-end glazing business in the Home Counties at the start of the first lockdown in 2020, his priority was to find a supplier that could match the ambition and the exceptionally demanding standards of him and his team.

He found that in Blackburn-based AluFold Direct, which has been supplying Mark’s fast growing Open Square Glazing business with aluminium windows and doors for more than a year and been a key element in its early success.

Open Square Glazing has been buying AluFold slimline casement windows, bi-fold doors and sliding doors all on guaranteed short lead times and all delivered direct to sites in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and now London.

During that time, Open Square has added two full time fitting teams, expanded to cover north London as well as the Home Counties and opened a dedicated showroom in Eastcote.

For Mark Creaby, the big benefit of buying from AluFold Direct is the consistent reliability in product quality, service and value. He says: “We’re very much targeting the high-end domestic refurbishment market and smallscale premium developers. We provide design advice and full project management, as well as bespoke structural glazing works and supply and installation services and we’re concentrating on building a reputation which will win us recommendations and repeat business.

“We have to know therefore that our fabricator won’t let us down on product quality or on delivery. Even in the hectic market

76 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Mark likes the fact that AluFold Direct is on an upward trajectory and feels like an exciting business to partner with right now. He adds: “Russell Yates and the team at AluFold Direct have left us in no doubt that they will work hand in hand with us to help Open Square Glazing to grow even more over the next few years. There are all sorts of initiatives planned right across their product and service offering and I feel confident that these will give our business a really valuable boost.”

The first of these initiatives is AluFold Direct’s recently launched online quoting tool, which enables trade customers to get an instant price for nearly every product in the range via the new website alufolddirect. co.uk. All they need to do is enter in their sizes, select glazed or unglazed and standard or non-standard colours, and the tool will calculate the price and send it instantly by email. For users like Mark Creaby, it means they can be generating quotes for customers at any time that’s convenient to them and update and requote as many times as they like before placing their order.

Mark says: “We’re already buying windows and doors and, thanks to the new quoting tool, we’re also pricing up projects with aluminium roof lights and sky lanterns as well, which will bring another new dimension to our business. As the lockdown restrictions finally start to ease, it feels like the sky is the limit for us.”

More details at: www.alufolddirect.co.uk and www.opensquareglazing.com

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PRODUCT NEWS that comes with a durable frame and a ventilation valve, maximising natural light and fresh air.

With a specially designed slim frame, this roof window uses less wood than a normal roof window, giving it a smooth, flush appearance.

Next is the Ecowhite roof window, a modern and versatile centre-pivot with a white painted wooden frame.

Offering a low U-value, the window is sturdy but modern, and is an affordable choice for homeowners looking to save money on energy bills.

High-Performing

Liteleader Roof

Windows From Novolux Following a hugely successful first quarter, polycarbonate sheet supplier Novolux has improved its extensive product portfolio with the addition of Liteleader roof windows.

Finally, the Ecosolid is a uPVC roof window perfect for rooms with high levels of humidity, such as kitchens and bathrooms, thanks to improved water tightness.

This low-maintenance centre-pivot roof window is tough and durable, while a white uPVC frame and a steel centre core adds extra strength.

“The range of Liteleader roof windows has been a welcome addition to our product portfolio. The whole range is quick and easy to install, and comes with a 10-year guarantee, making installers’ lives easier and helping them get ahead of a very competitive market,” says Craig.

Made by roof window and skylight manufacturer VKR Holding, the high-quality roofing solution meets the demands for current design trends whilst providing excellent performing and robust windows.

Novolux National Sales Manager Craig Weatherley comments: “Roof windows are a great way to let more natural light into any home, and with slimline profiles, Liteleader roof windows really maximise on this.

not only attractive and lightweight, but are also durable, easy to operate and require very little maintenance.”

“Thanks to clever technology and design, these windows are

First in the range is the Ecolite+, a centre-pivot window

78 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

Novolux also offers high-quality polycarbonate sheet products.

These include the Policarb™ range of multiwall UV-protected polycarbonate sheets which are structured with air chambers to ensure excellent thermal insulation and impact resistance, and the Policomp™ range, which contains solid polycarbonate sheets that are UV protected on both sides. www.novolux.co.uk

PRODUCT NEWS

Wendland Lantern Now Available In Any RAL

The Wendland Lantern is now available in any RAL colour in either PVCu or aluminium. Made to measure, Wendland Lanterns are perfect for any flat roof extension or orangery and the new colour offer is sure to be a popular choice.

Commenting about the new any RAL colour offer, Wendland Brand Manager, Chloe McGrath, said: “The Wendland Lantern is already a popular choice for installers who want a lantern that looks great and is easy to fit. The new option to order in PVCu or

aluminium in any RAL makes the offer even stronger. Installers can choose from the same colour on both sides or different colours on the inside and outside of the lantern.”

The Wendland Lantern has a simple, neat design and a host of clip on features which make it fast and easy to fit. Thanks to its strong ridge, the Wendland Lantern has fewer bars than other lanterns, and offers modern good looks that appeal to homeowners. The Wendland Lantern is also packed with thermal features to avoid condensation build-up.

From the thermal rider rail to the thermal clips, these features combine to ensure superb performance. It is also extremely easy to fit thanks to a unique pre-assembled RidgeLOCK system, clip-on ridge end covers, pre-fitted thermal clips and easy-fit clip-on cappings. wendland.uk.com

A SOLid Choice For Conservatory Roofs Dodworth based SOL Conservatory Roofs has announced the launch of their brand new solid roof system, SOLid. Thermally efficient and fitter friendly, it’s a perfect choice for installers looking to maximise their offering to homeowners and be part of this ever-growing roof trend.

Designed to work with new build conservatories and roof replacement projects alike, SOLid features a lightweight aluminium ring beam that seamlessly fits over window frames, over-soffit ventilation for increased air flow and 150mm insulation for thermal efficiency.

Fitter friendly features include pre-positioned nuts and pre-installed laths meaning less time on site, with less disruption and inconvenience for customers.

Taylor said “with the incredible growth that we have seen over the last few years, along with the construction of our Dodworth based roof factory, it made complete sense that the next step would be the development of our own roof system”

choice when choosing the final look of their brand new solid roof conservatory or conservatory roof replacement, with a variety of tile colours available in both slate and shingle – plus a soffit assembly allowing for external lighting.

Also a brand new addition to the SOL product range, SOLsirius features the same innovative solid roof technology as SOLid, but with full height glazing panels, to give consumers the best of both worlds.

Homeowners can have the ultimate Group Managing Director, Steve

Steve continues “after navigating successfully through a very unpredictable 12 months, we have come out the other side stronger than ever and now is the perfect time to bring our fantastic new product to market” With a £2.5million state-of-the-art factory solely dedicated to roof production, SOL Conservatory Roof combines slick manufacturing with a solid supply chain, so that even the most complex of projects can be turned around in industry-leading timescales. www.solroofs.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 79

PRODUCT NEWS

New Homes Feature

FreeFoam Fortex

Embossed Clading

Freefoam are delighted to release a new case study featuring Fortex embossed Double Shiplap PVC cladding on four new homes in Stourbridge. Built by Worcester based house builders 11:11 Property the four large detached houses are built with an attractive mixture of brick, render and cladding in Argyl Brown and Cappuccino colours.

11:11 Property specialise in small exclusive developments in the Black Country, North Birmingham and North Worcestershire, particularly the use of old brown field sites to re invigorate and improve local areas. These four individually designed exclusive properties feature a soft colour palette consisting of pale grey windows, white render and two different brick finishes – the darker brick with the lighter cladding in Cappuccino and lighter

Gavin Warr

brick with the darker cladding in Argyl Brown.

Gavin Warr, Managing Director 11:11 Property, explained “We take great pride in the standard of finish of our properties. We have used cedar cladding on previous developments but found the Freefoam cladding online and have been very pleased with it. It was excellent for

80 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

ease and speed of installation and looks really good, which is very important to us, as we want to provide high quality homes that are attractive to prospective buyers.”

Sourced from local Freefoam stockists UPL Ltd and fitted by on site carpenters the Fortex cladding range comes with up to 10 year guarantee. This works well for property developers like 11: 11 Property many of whom offer their own standard 10 year guarantee on all properties.

Freefoam launched the Fortex range over 15 years ago and the range now includes double shiplap cladding and weatherboard cladding. The colour options have been extended over that time as consumer trends have developed and changed. From the original white and pale cream options to the more contemporary sought after shades of grey with the Fortex portfolio now including four grey options.

Gavin summarised “We’re already considering using Freefoam cladding for another development, so I would have no hesitation in recommending it.”

PRODUCT NEWS

Why Now Is The Perfect Time To Sell A Canopy System

Weatherley comments: “There’s been a huge rise in people choosing to eat outdoors, whether that’s due to wanting to socially distance, or simply just enjoying the summer weather.

“As a result, hospitality establishments are investing more and more in structures that allow for outdoor dining, and with the Novolux Pro Self-Supporting Kit Canopy system, installers can really tap into a surging market, offering trade customers a practical solution for their ever-changing needs.”

Supplied as a complete kit and ready for immediate installation, the Novolux Pro Self-Supporting Kit Canopy system is available in bespoke sizes, as well as white or anthracite grey aluminium profiles to suit almost any kind of building.

Outdoor dining is extremely popular today, thanks to having to follow social distancing guidelines and people enjoying the warmer weather. Polycarbonate supplier Novolux has the perfect product to help installers tap into this growing market. National Sales Manager Craig Weatherley explains…

While all industries have experienced a fair share of hardship as a result of the pandemic, there’s no doubt that for the hospitality sector in particular, the past year and a half has been devastating.

Lockdown restrictions forced restaurants, cafés and bars to close their doors for several weeks, making it extremely difficult for these businesses to survive.

For those who have managed to come out the other end, however, they’ve seen a significant growing trend as a result of lockdown restrictions: outdoor dining.

In just about every town or city across the country, especially as

the weather becomes warmer, restaurants have created seating on the pavements and streets outside their establishments, allowing punters to enjoy their meals while remaining socially distanced.

As a result, many of these establishments have jumped at the opportunity to invest in makeshift eateries, and the trend has seen a growing demand for things like wooden huts, pods and even yurts, sometimes even complete with electrical wiring, outdoor heaters, private TV sets, sliding doors and comfortable furniture.

Perfect option One of the most common options for allowing outdoor dining, however, are canopies.

These overhead structures are great for providing shade and shelter for diners, while creating a sense of privacy from neighbouring tables.

National Sales Manager Craig

The top quality powder coated aluminium system is made from thick aluminium profiles and 16mm structured polycarbonate panels, and comes with integral rainwater drainage included, eliminating the need for PVC guttering and downpipes.

The system also comes with post feet already pre-welded to the posts for ease of installation, as well as aluminium sheet closures for extra strength and rigidity.

Getting ahead This new system comes with a long list of benefits, allowing installers to offer the best on the market to their customers.

What’s more, Novolux is offering the Pro Self-Supporting Kit Canopy system with an impressive 5 to 10-day lead time, ensuring installers can get their hands on it quickly and focus on the work at hand without delay.

The system also comes delivered as a complete kit ready for installation, saving installers even more time. www.novolux.co.uk

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MACHINERY

Bedfordshire Windows

Continues To Invest

With Haffner

Trade and retail fabricator Bedfordshire Windows has invested in a new SMR-4 Four-Headed Welder and TT425 Double Mitre Saw from award-winning machinery experts, Haffner. The new machinery package is the third largescale machine investment with Haffner, and the latest machines will further support Bedfordshire Windows’ growth strategy.

Gary Walker, Director at Bedfordshire Windows, said: “We have seen a large upturn in demand for our products, and the new automated machines from Haffner will allow us further to improve our production efficiencies in line with customer demand.”

The new machines come hot on the heels of the company’s investment in a Haffner TT405

Double mitre saw in December 2020, which further upscaled their production output. Gary commented: “We have purchased several automated machines from Haffner in the past and we did not hesitate to turn to them to help support us in our latest manufacturing expansion.”

Haffner’s SMR-4 Four Headed Welder drives fast and accurate inline welds, bringing further efficiency to Bedfordshire’s manufacturing operation. As well as features to speed up production, the SMR-4 is designed to improve product quality and cut waste. It is factory set each time and has automatic transom fences, automatic corner fences and automatic transom and mullion alignment, all features that add exceptional value to the fabrication process.

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Equally impressive is the Haffner TT425 double-mitre computerised saw’s credentials which, says the company, provides superb length, angle and cutting accuracy thanks to its robust construction and linear bearing system. Gary commented: “The benefits of automation and the reliability of Haffner’s machines is second to none and allows us to scale up production as and when we need too.”

Having trebled their turnover in 2020, Bedfordshire Windows is showing no signs of slowing down. The company has been established for over four years and manufacture a wide range of window and door products to exceptional standards, and offer a quick and reliable turnaround.

Bryan Dando, Area Sales Manager at Haffner, said: “One of the clearest indications of a reliable and trustworthy business is how previous customers are willing to return when they need to make a new investment. We are delighted to have supported Bedfordshire Windows once again.” www.haffnermurat.com

DELIVERING

THE BEST

IN SEAMLESS WELDING TECHNOLOGY

STAND H21

• Superior transom welding quality

• No imperfections, even on curved profiles

• Utilising patented V-Perfect® transom welding

• Suitable for both V Joints and Butt Joints

• Precision accuracy – delivering a perfect weld every time

• Faster fabrication

• Weld seam elimination

• Fully automated processes

DISCOVER MORE on the range of Graf Synergy machines EXCLUSIVELY from Haffner

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

MACHINERY

IGU Line Installation

A UK-First, Says

Promac

Promac has installed a Forel ‘HIGH TEC’ IGU line at Scottish glass processors Ravensby Glass.

With the rising trend for larger glazed areas to meet architectural trends, the automated IGU line now enables Ravensby to manufacture glass panes of up to 5 metres long by 2.8 metres high, utilising several machines including the newly acquired Forel Automatic Vertical Glass Edging Machine.

Ravensby announced their investment in December 2020, with the installation completed in April. The fully automated machine has evolved from the best of Forel’s latest equipment and can produce double, triple and even quadruple IGUs. With an integrated quality scanning system, the ‘HIGH TEC’

line has the capability to process offsets and shapes, rigid, flexible or thermoplastic spacers, as well as assembled glass units weighing up to 400kg (880lb) per linear metre and up to 100mm (3.9”) thick.

“It was great to lead the installation of the UK’s first Forel ‘HIGH TEC’ IGU line,” says Promac’s Technical Development Manager, Paz Di Lello. “We worked very closely with Forel throughout the entire process to make sure that everything went smoothly from start to finish.

“This is such an impressive machine. The enhanced range of capability that it gives to Ravensby means that they will be able to meet the increased demand for larger glass units and opens up a huge range of new opportunities for them.”

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It’s been a smooth journey from start to finish for Ravensby Glass. The new Forel line is already making a difference and it was commented that the way that Promac managed the project was both impressive and efficient.

“This was our first time working with Promac, and the service was fantastic,” adds Hamish Ogilvie, Director at Ravensby Glass.

“The whole process from the initial enquiry through to the installation was very prompt and efficient, which made our life so much easier. The quote was clear and concise, the delivery was made on time and in the right order, meaning everything was done extremely quickly, in fact, it was one of the fastest installations we’ve had.

“Everyone we dealt with at Promac was extremely well informed on the machines, and the engineers on site were fantastic, providing us with excellent levels of support. As with most machines, there have been a few teething problems early on, but the aftersales care has been exceptional and whenever we had issues, they provided us with solutions.” www.promacgroup.co.uk

MACHINERY

Door And Window Systems

Continues Its Productivity

Drive With A Fifth New Kombimatec Machine

the user-friendly AMC308 machining centre is a cinch to operate and program, so all the staff at DAWS are able to use it with ease.

An automatic multi-tool changer allows the machine to process complex tasks without interruption, and it automates traditionally time-consuming tasks – including all drilling, routing, slotting, and milling functions – allowing staff to get on with other jobs. Its faster processing speed increases output while the machine’s accuracy reduces wastage too.

Door and Window Systems (DAWS), a Liverpool-based fabricator, continues to increase productivity in response to customer demand, with the recent installation of its fifth new Kombimatec machine in 18 months – this time, the AMC308 Automatic CNC Machining Centre.

DAWS is a family-run business specialising in the manufacture of high-quality aluminium doors, windows, bi-folds and rooflights for both the domestic and commercial markets. The company was looking to increase productivity and boost its business growth cost effectively without the need to take on new staff – and Kombimatec provided the solutions.

When its latest addition of the AMC308 machining centre joined the fabricator’s manufacturing plant in Bootle, it was immediately among friends as almost

every machine DAWS has is a Kombimatec. Within the last 18 months alone, the company also purchased a DGS500 Electronic Double Mitre Saw, CC120 Power Crimper, AFV362 Variable Angle End Miller and MGS460 Upstroke Mitre Saw. The AMC308 machining centre was developed by Kombimatec for both aluminium and PVC-U profiles. Manufactured with a solid steel construction using high quality components, it incorporates advanced CNC control with CADCAM software that provides exceptional levels of precision and reliability during production.

DAWS version comes with a 5HP electro-spindle inverter driven to 180000 rpm, closed loop servo driven system, automatic safety guard, and voltage monitor for electrical protection.

Like all Kombimatec machinery,

According to Dave Harrison, Director at DAWS, “The AMC308 is a benchmark for fabricators establishing a window fabricating business in our industry. Previously we used manual copy routers to complete the prep work and it got to the point where we had one person working the router all day. From a cost point of view this machine will easily pay for itself in 2 years. For us, the main benefits are accuracy and efficiency. The CNC has enabled us to increase our output massively.”

Operations on the production floor are now super-efficient as the whole team has benefited from the improved processing, with the aim to increase efficiencies and processing orders and accelerate business growth – all while ensuring the ever-important consistent high quality and precision of the results. www.kombimatec.com

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 85

ON-SITE

Kawneer Glazing Helps To Take Wales International Architectural aluminium glazing systems from the complete portfolio of Kawneer have been used on Wales’, if not the UK’s, new leading business tourism complex.

as well as window vents, doors and “roof glazing” feature on the International Convention Centre for Wales at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales.

Two variants of Kawneer’s AA®110 curtain walling system,

Kawneer’s AA®110 zone-drained curtain walling, with 65mm

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sightlines, has been used for the majority of screens to conference rooms, entrances and circulation areas while the mullion-drained equivalent has been used to the auditorium bar and atrium roof light.

In addition, AA®545 side-hung, open-out window ventilators feature on the ground-floor offices and Series 190 heavy-duty doors, both manual and automatic sliding, on the ground-floor entrance and circulation areas.

The £83.7 million building, built over two years by main contractor John Sisk & Son on land adjacent to the existing facilities at Celtic Manor, is run as a 50/50

ON-SITE

©Steve Pope Fotowales

technology with fully-integrated audio visual facilities, and fully-serviced client offices, green rooms and production facilities.

The Kawneer systems were installed over five months by a team of up to eight from specialist sub-contractor and approved Kawneer dealer APiC UK.

partnership between the Welsh Government and Celtic Manor Resort and was also funded by NatWest (part of the RBS Group).

ICC Wales can accommodate up to 5,000 delegates with a total floor space exceeding 26,000m2.

It houses a 1,500-seat auditorium and separate exhibition hall which, at 4,000m2, provides the largest pillar-free ballroom in Europe, capable of hosting 2,400 people for a gala dinner.

Included in the design by Boyes Rees Architects are five divisible meeting rooms that create a further 12 flexible spaces, breakouts at all levels to outdoor networking spaces, state-of-the-art

APiC’s Senior Sales and Estimating Technician Andrew Finn said: “The Kawneer curtain walling to the auditorium bar slopes outwards from the vertical plane at 20°. This area was challenging for us as the degree of slope of the screen meant it was classified as roof glazing but in addition it still needed to meet the project requirements for crowd loading. But with double-glazed units at 4.5m high incorporated in the screen, the auditorium will have a light, spacious feel and provide excellent views of the surrounding area.”

Stephen Bowcott, Chief Executive of John Sisk & Son, said: “We were absolutely delighted to have been entrusted with one of the most prestigious and important construction projects in Wales.”

Celtic Manor Resort Chairman Sir Terry Matthews said: “The Celtic Manor Resort has already established a reputation as the UK’s No 1 Conference Hotel but this new centre is a real game-changer. In the past, we’d been forced to turn away hundreds of millions of pounds of business because we did not have the capacity to hold the largest conferences. Not any longer.

“This International Convention Centre allows us to attract the biggest and most lucrative business events to Wales, as well as high-profile summits and party political conferences. ICC Wales rivals any convention facility in Europe and acts as a magnet for major events, bringing huge benefits to the Welsh economy.”

Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure Ken Skates said: “This is a major asset for Wales, enabling us to compete with any venue in the UK and indeed Europe to attract and host key events that make a huge contribution to the economy. It will place Wales firmly at the forefront of business tourism destinations and I am delighted it was delivered in partnership with the Welsh Government.”

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 87

ON-SITE

Stellar Perfection For £2.5 Million

Renovated Property Stellar aluminium windows and doors have been manufactured and installed in a palatial £2.5 million newly renovated prop-

erty in St Brelade, Jersey. The modern detached four-bedroom home was fitted with fourteen Stellar aluminium fully flush

88 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

casement windows, two sets of Stellar double doors and two single Stellar doors. All Stellar products were manufactured by specialist fabricator Capital Windows of Uxbridge, Greater London and fitted by local Jersey installer, Window Glaze Servicing Ltd. The property is set in a desirable location and exacting standards were needed throughout the whole renovation, including the choice of windows and doors. Stellar was selected due to the system’s high-end flush and symmetrical aesthetics that proved popular with the homeowner. Neil Keeble, Owner of

ON-SITE

Window Glaze Servicing Ltd, said: “We have been selling and fitting Stellar aluminium windows and doors for some time and the products are superb. The flush aesthetics are the best on the market and allow us to secure work in the middle to premium end of the retail market. This job required contemporary aesthetics throughout and Stellar products were more than able to deliver.”

The Stellar aluminium window and door system has been capturing headlines since it came to market in 2019. The system was purposely designed to harness the development of

the PVC-U sector and give the domestic market cutting-edge aluminium windows and doors.

Philip Parry, Business Development Director of Epwin Window Systems, said: “Stellar’s flush finish inside and out sets itself apart from everything else in the market at this time and gives fabricators and installers a visible point of difference. Flush windows have fast become a window of choice with consumers over the past few years, and as can be seen in this superb Jersey project, in Stellar you have a range of aluminium windows and doors that give installers an opportunity to secure business at the highest level.”

St Hellier-based Window Glaze has been fitting aluminium and PVC-U windows, doors and conservatories for several years and delivers attention to detail at every level. Neil concludes: “As a business built on a reputation for high-end installations, having Stellar products in our portfolio has allowed us to secure several prestigious jobs as the products never fail to impress the homeowner. We are delighted with the finished result on this project and looking forward to starting our next Stellar project.” www.stellaraluminium.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 89

ON-SITE

Senior’s

Stirling Effort Aluminium fenestration solutions from Senior Architectural Systems have helped shape the new state of the art sports centre at the University of Stirling, with the eye-catching building featuring the manufacturer’s high-performance doors, windows and curtain walling.

architects and built by Morrison Construction, the new build facility has been constructed over three levels to complement the existing landscape and maximise the links with the established national swimming and tennis centres which are located on the same site.

Designed by Faulkner Browns

A key feature of the new sports

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centre is the extensive use of glazing which sees Senior’s thermally-enhanced SF52 curtain wall integrated with the company’s SPW600 aluminium windows. For safe and secure access, Senior’s robust SPW501 aluminium commercial doors have been used throughout.

Senior’s SF52 aluminium curtain wall system has been used on three of the building’s elevations including the striking main entrance. The slim and sleek system opens up the internal space, accentuating the central cylindrical drum in which the main gym is located and framing the vertical timber fins that surround it. By creating both a focal point within the new sports centre and providing panoramic views of the surrounding area, the glazed

ON-SITE

façades of the building also help minimise the structure’s impact on the landscape.

The fenestration package for the University of Stirling’s new sports centre was fabricated and installed by specialist contractor Linn-Tech, with whom Senior also worked on the University’s landmark INTO building. This three-storey building, designed by architects Page & Park, provides dedicated teaching and learning space to support students from overseas on their learning journey in the UK and features Senior’s SF52 aluminium curtain walling, SMRF frameless casement windows and low U-value PURe® aluminium windows. seniorarchitecturalsystems.co.uk WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 91

ON-SITE

“I just cannot believe how quiet it is” exclaimed a radio broadcaster to his wife after secondary glazing manufactured and supplied by Granada Glazing was installed throughout their period Buxton property to improve thermal efficiency and reduce external noise.

BBC radio producer Stephen Shipley, who has retired but continues to record occasional religious broadcasts from home, immediately noticed the acoustic benefit after 14 original single-glazed windows in the substantial semi-detached property were treated with Granada’s secondary glazing products.

Secondary Glazing

Noise Reduction Delights

Radio Broadcaster “Initially, we wanted secondary glazing for thermal efficiency, however the reduction in traffic noise from the main road has delighted my husband in particular as he’s very sensitive to sound. Having worked in radio for many years, his ears are highly attuned to extraneous noises,” said Rosemary Shipley.

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“It is a lot quieter now and I know when we restart recordings, we will notice the benefit of now that the house has an acoustic free from the sound of traffic.”

Dating back to 1870, the stonebuilt five-bedroomed house sits in a conservation area and was built to host Victorian

ON-SITE glazing solution. A combination of Granada’s Heritage two-panel and three-panel sliding units, plus standard Lift Out panels and an arched Balanced Vertical Slider were installed across the building’s four floors.

The slimline aluminium frames, with 4mm glass panels, are finished in a white powder coating to match the existing windows and interior décor. All were fixed face onto the existing windows.

For heritage and listed buildings with single glazed primary windows, installing secondary glazing is often the preferred option for creating a warmer, quieter and more secure environment with the original windows intact. Aluminium frames with narrow sightlines are virtually invisible, maintaining a building’s charm and character while bringing the glazing system firmly into the 21st century.

Commenting on the difference secondary glazing has made, Rosemary continues: “It is not at all intrusive, the units are good quality and slide very easily. The installers have an eye for detail and have done

a particularly good job; we are really pleased.”

She says after the secondary glazing was installed in the Spring, visitors noted that the house feels warmer and ‘I think we will certainly see the benefit of reduced heating bills in the winter.’

Rosemary adds: “The whole climate change agenda is something we cannot ignore, and we were keen to do our small bit to conserve the heat and reduce the amount of fuel we are consuming. Secondary glazing means we keep the period windows and get all the benefits of modern glazing.”

Suitable for all property types, Granada’s slimline aluminium secondary glazing frames can be powder coated in over 200 RAL colours. Virtually invisible, they blend in with any interior décor. The Granada Glazing product range encompasses hinged, sliding, vertical sliders, including tilt back, and lift-out options. Full training and marketing support is available to installers across the UK. www.gsecg.com

visitors ‘taking the waters’ at the Derbyshire spa town. All the main reception rooms are dual aspect, including the living room which has several arched windows.

Keen to retain the original windows with their original Victorian glass, the Shipleys wanted secondary glazing “that would, as far as possible, complement and not spoil the look of the existing glazing.”

Granada’s technical team worked with Brocklehurst Property Maintenance Ltd, specialists in conservation and renovation of historic buildings, to devise the best secondary WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 93

ON-SITE

Profile 22’s Optima Windows Help Transform

Iconic Cemetery Lodge Profile 22 fabricator, A & D Joinery Ltd, has recently manufactured and fitted 43 new arched Optima windows for the sympathetic landmark refurbishment of Hindley Cemetery Lodge in Hindley, Greater Manchester.

The sensitive importance of Hindley Cemetery Lodge meant the new windows needed to complement the existing historic building design. Furthermore, the homeowner was keen to preserve the original building architecture and

the windows needed to fit into the double-arched stone façade of the building.

Following a detailed feasibility study undertaken by A & D Joinery Ltd, the decision was made to upgrade the ageing timber windows, replacing them with architecturally sensitive double-glazed versions.

Profile 22’s award-winning Optima windows with arched top design were quickly identified as the window that would deliver the solution required. In this case, the windows

94 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

were manufactured in black external and white internal foiling to replicate the heritage aesthetics and enhance the building’s appearance.

Attention to detail and exacting standards were evident at every level. Dave Smith, Director of A & D Joinery, said: “Due to the building’s historic build, the job was complex as we needed to re-line the windows inside the aperture with timber batons to ensure the character of the property could be maintained. We also fitted the windows with low-e argon filled double glazed units to improve energy ratings and soundproofing.”

The new Optima arched top windows have transformed the building capturing many of the key features of traditional design and delivering all the benefits that a modern replacement window should offer.

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All-Round Glass Solutions With TuffX

Design and installation of the 43 windows was completed within the scheduled four-week timeframe, with works meticulously planned to minimise disruption for the homeowner. Dave said: “We pride ourselves on delivering our projects to exacting customer briefs on time and on budget. And Hindley Cemetery Lodge was no exception.

It was a pleasure working on this landmark property.”

The finished result has upgraded the appearance of Hindley Cemetery Lodge, restoring its stunning heritage looks. It has also improved the thermal efficiency of the building and reduced maintenance requirements too. It is the perfect example of how Optima windows can combine modern day benefits with heritage authenticity to deliver an outstanding end result. www.profile22.co.uk

A private residence in Great Yarmouth recently required a balustrade solution for two adjoining outside balcony areas – one large, exposed and sociable open first-floor terrace and an attached smaller, more private, covered space. A glass balustrade provided the perfect answer, with safety glass specialists TuffX chosen to supply the glass.

TuffX supplied 25 panels of 15mm clear toughened safety glass with dubbed corners for the job.

The finished balustrade extends around both balcony areas of the property, leaving the delighted occupants able to enjoy natural light from three different directions as the sun moves around the property throughout the day.

The extensive glass balustrade makes the most of the home’s fantastic views over rolling countryside, and is topped with a safety handrail for additional comfort.

Not only great for unobstructed views, the toughened glass also protects residents from the ele-

ments, while being easy to maintain for long-lasting minimalist good looks.

The smaller private balcony area is set back in brickwork and sits outside huge floor-to ceiling glass with sliding doors. With these doors open or closed, the clear glass balustrade ensures neither the light nor the views are interrupted for those inside. The completed outside area combines glass, steel, wood and brick finishes to create a stunning, contemporary space filled with complimentary textures that add to the luxury look and feel.

“Oudoor space has never been more of a premium. And whether it’s for large, open spaces or smaller more private areas – or both at the same time, as this property shows – our toughened safety glass is ideal for great looking, safe and practical balustrades,” said TuffX’s Managing Director Graham Price. http://www.tuffxglass.co.uk/

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ON-SITE

Managing the complex phased construction of multiple buildings as part of the same development is always demanding, particularly in prestigious locations like Canary Wharf. Ensuring that management of the built assets is efficient throughout the lifetime of the development is equally important and, at a current mixed use development across 32 buildings in Canary Wharf, the key control strategy has been designed for ease of management and maintenance once the buildings are fully occupied.

The task of co-ordinating the developer’s key control requirements with design, manufacturing and coordination across all buildings fell to Elite Architectural Ironmongery, a well-established specifier and supplier of architectural ironmongery to major projects, both in the UK and overseas, for almost 50 years. Working collaboratively

A Grandmaster

Secures Maintenance And Management

Simplicity At Canary Wharf

with Locking Systems, part of UAP, and a locking cylinder solutions and bespoke masterkeying specialist, Elite has supplied Secure by Design approved TS007 3* security rated locks for the project. So far, the locks have been installed in six buildings, with a further two currently in progress.

need the security and convenience of a bespoke lock for the occupier, while allowing landlord access with the use of a master key. In addition, there are a number of maintenance locations that must remain locked for safety reasons, while remaining accessible to authorised staff with a master key.

Developing the Specification

The client’s requirement was for 10 keyed alike groups across all buildings, categorised for the type of access requirement, such as lift motor rooms, mechanical risers, electrical risers, roof access etc. This will enable maintenance personnel to carry just one key to access all the required areas

The new buildings combine commercial office space, ground floor retail and luxury apartments, some of which will be privately owned.

For management and maintenance of the building, all areas that remain the property of the landlord

96 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

ON-SITE

Image ©Canary Wharf Group

across any of the buildings. There will also be a single master key for each building, which will operate all maintenance locks and rented residential or commercial units within the specific building. Finally, there will be a grandmaster key that will operate any lock across any of the 32 buildings.

Steve May from Elite Architectural Ironmongery explains: “The goal is to make the key control hierarchy as simple and convenient as possible for the building owner, allowing maintenance teams to quickly identify which master key they need and providing a grandmaster key as an added secure access measure.

“Our fully Guild of Architectural Ironmongery qualified staff attended site meetings to discuss the locking strategy and scrutinise the

architectural drawings during the build phase. By understanding the general arrangement plans, door schedules, door elevations and specifications, we were able to develop a full specification, allocating each door to a keyed alike group and/or master key.”

The specification process involved understanding the door schedule to ensure the size and type of each lock is correct and that any offsetting requirements are factored into the design process. A master chart was then devised for each building and Elite was able to pass this information to Locking Systems for design and manufacture of the locks

Precision Manufacturing The buildings are being constructed in a phased project and the locks are being manufactured at Locking Systems’ Gateshead factory for installation aligned to the build programme. The design process needed to be carried out for all locks, keys and master keys as a single project, however, to ensure the keyed alike groups and master keying solutions incorporate every lock included in the schedule for correct and accurate installation by the multiple contractors.

The Locking Systems team inputted in the information from Elite’s specification into the com-

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 97

ON-SITE Image ©Canary Wharf Group

pany’s software to produce a detailed design and production schedule.

General manager of Locking Systems, Bill Murray explains: “The software accurately designs each lock and its unique key, while ensuring that the lock can also be opened by the relevant master keys in the hierarchy. Achieving this across 32 buildings with a grandmaster key is extremely complex.”

All locks manufactured by Locking Systems to Elite’s requirements meet all the necessary European/ ANSI standards, comply with rigorous fire ratings and are suitable for installation in PAS24 doorsets, ensuring peace of mind for the developer and the tenant.

Each lock is supplied with a key patented to 2032, which further enhances security because it prevents duplicate keys from being cut by anyone other than UAP. With a wide variety of joinery subcontractors installing the locks across multiple buildings, accuracy of lock and key manufacture are critical to the success of the project. Locking Systems manufacturing process includes hand-pinning of every lock to ensure that it will open smoothly with both its bespoke key and with the keyed alike group key, building master key and grandmaster key.

Bill Murray adds: “Manufacturing the keys and lock cylinders by machine provides the consistency and accuracy needed for the project but we believe the precision required for the pins can only be achieved by hand. Every detail of every lock and key for the project is now securely stored on our database, ensuring we can provide reliable information for any future maintenance, refurbishment or retrofitting requirements.” www.uapcorporate.com 98 WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021

ON-SITE face of the wall.

Impermeable to driving rain at a minimum of 1,000 Pa and 66% more reliable than most conventional joint sealing tapes, ISO BLOCO will provide a longer-lasting window seal and installation compliance to BS8313-4:2016. The tape offers an internal air-tight seal that has been tested at 1000 Pa pressure difference (20 times more than UK Building Regulations) and gives less than 0.1 m³ of air loss while offering a U-Value of 0.55 and sound reduction by 63 dB. ISO Chemie’s feature in the University of Cambridge’s refurbishment of Entopia Building

ISO-CONNECT VARIO SD humidity regulating foil has also been specified for additional year-round high-performance sealing and improved UV resistance.

Retrofit For ISO Chemie,

Andy Swift, ISO Chemie’s sales and operations manager – UK and ROI, said the products have been specified because they are Passivhaus certified and meet long term sustainability requirements.

Sustainable Office

Winframer And Sealant Tapes New foam sealant tapes and a thermal insulating and load bearing bracket support system from ISO Chemie have been specified for a world-first sustainable office retrofit at Cambridge University.

The move sees WINFRAMER units and ISO BLOCO tape being installed at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Entopia Building in Regent Street, Cambridge in an initiative to bring the property in line with current zero-carbon Passivhaus and BREEAM energy efficiency standards.

This is the first-time that retrofitted windows are being installed as part of an office refurbishment to ensure compliance with some of the lowest emission standards in the world, says the company.

The 1930s built Entopia Building is currently being transformed into an ultra-low carbon sustainability hub designed to provide a new home for CISL as it brings together Cam-

bridge’s academic and innovation communities with the university’s own network of companies to develop solutions to global sustainability challenges.

ISO Chemie is partnering with Internorm windows on a project that will see its WINFRAMER prefabricated installation frames, which can accommodate cavities up to 250mm, fitted internally around 50 windows, enabling them to be supported independently from the

He said: “this is the first time that we are aware of that an office retrofit rather than newbuild is being carried out to the lowest emission standards anywhere in the world.

So this is another world first for our products, which are ideal for high performance installations that must deliver long term energy efficiency. Passivhaus and BREEAM are as good as it gets when it comes standards of efficiency and are products are certified.”

WINFRAMER brackets can bear heavy windows loads to provide a reliable support frame. Installation is quick with windows attached directly and secured mechanically using either standard fixing screws or fixing lugs in the usual manner.

A hinged insulation core combines with the composite wood structural bracket to become an integral part of the overall wall structure, providing compliance with window energy saving regulations (EnEV) and the RAL quality assurance association. www.iso-chemie.eu/en-GB/home

WINDOW NEWS | JULY / AUGUST 2021 99

MARKETING & INTERNET The existing ‘tudor’ style timber boards were very discoloured and needed replacing. The front aspect of the property faces Northwest, so the living room often felt cooler that than the rest of the house. Russell Skellett, Managing Director Tru Plastics, explained “We removed the existing boards and the style of the house enabled us to fit insulation behind the new cladding. We took the boards around the sides of the house to create a really smart façade – the green complements the colour of the brick and looks good with the Rosewood windows too.”

Sage Green

With Envy!

Freefoam Building Products recently visited a homeowner to see how PVC cladding has both updated the property and ensured it is warm and comfortable for years to come. Using Freefoam Fortex Double Shiplap cladding, in the very popular Sage Green, Tru Plastics have transformed this home in Coalville, Leicestershire.

The couple had lived at the property for over 10 years, and had both recently retired. They wanted to improve the look of the house and install insulation but also wanted to ensure they fitted a low maintenance solution allowing them to spend more time away with friends and family.

Turning online they researched various cladding options and came across Freefoam’s consumer focused website, mycladding.com.

The homeowner explained “If we’re

having work done on our house we like to find out what’s out there and make sure we have all the options.

We liked the mycladding site, it gave us all the information we needed, with product options and colour choices. I also noticed that the Freefoam cladding could be fitted with insulation, so completed the Quote Request form to find out more” Freefoam manage every lead received to the site, and put the homeowners in touch with local installation company Tru Plastics.

“We were really pleased with Tru Plastics. They came out to quote, bought some samples and explained how the job would be completed. We felt really confident in their straightforward approach and although we’d had other cheaper quotes we chose them to do the work.”

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PVC cladding is fast becoming the ‘ultimate’ home improvement product. Installers are finding it is lighter and easier to handle than other cladding products. It requires no surface preparation or treatment saving time and expense on repeat visits and extended scaffold hire – install and go!

The homeowner summarised “We’re really pleased with the new look. It is certainly a transformation. We’ve noticed it’s warmer at the front of the house, and we can now relax in the knowledge that we won’t have any more on-going maintenance. We’ve had lots of comments from neighbours about how nice it looks, so much so that a house nearby has also had Freefoam cladding fitted after seeing ours.”

Cladding may not be on every installer’s radar, but it’s a great way to add value and help installers stand out from the competition by creating stunning home transformations either as a standalone project or as part of a window and door installation.

Not sure where to start? Take a visit to your local Freefoam supplier where you’ll be able to pick up brochures to share with your clients. Our stockist customers are also on hand to help calculate how much cladding board and trim is needed for each job.

MARKETING & INTERNET

Ultra Installers Benefit From Free Dashboard Upgrade

Ultraframe has announced the launch of exciting new functionality within its Ultra Installer dashboard. Members of the Ultra Installer Scheme can now create beautiful, branded email campaigns and send them to their homeowner contacts and prospects at the click of a button. The email campaigns are available for conservatories, orangeries, extensions, and replacement roofs.

Explaining further, Ultraframe Marketing Director, Alex Hewitt, said: “We’re excited to announce the launch of the new email campaign functionality within our Ultra Installer dashboard. As with all of our online marketing solutions, we have tried to make the new email campaigns as easy to use as possible. They can be accessed from within the dashboard that Ultra

Installers already use to access and manage their leads, and the system automatically customises the chosen template with company logo and a link to the installer’s website. The installer then chooses their contacts and sends at the click of a button – it’s that simple.

While we have designed the content thoughtfully to provide useful

information presented alongside stunning imagery, there is also the option to customise the templates if required.”

The email campaigns are a fantastic tool to help Ultra Installers keep current leads warm, as well as contacting past customers to tempt them to upgrade. Available to use now within the dashboard, the new email campaigns are FREE of charge and are extremely simple to use.

Other online tools available to Ultraframe customers include a live chat/chatbot, a quoting engine, a virtual appointment system, interactive content blocks and proposal generators. All Ultraframe customers also have the option to use an advanced ICAAL CRM system at a subsidised rate, where leads can be managed, categorised, and allocated to users, as well as scheduling callbacks so they never miss a lead. www.Ultraframetrade.co.uk

New Online Shop Option Available From Glazing Vault If any of the industry’s online specialists can claim to know the installer market better than the rest, then it’s Glazing Vault, which already has more than 650 installation businesses using at least one of its software products.

Having built its reputation on developing low-cost glazing product websites and simple to use product designers, it has now added the option of an online shop which installers can purchase as a fully functioning e-commerce website or as an upgrade to their existing site.

Katie Phillips, Account Manager at Glazing Vault, says it’s the ideal product for installers, as well as fabricators and stockists who supply direct to self-builders and homeowners. She says: “Adding an online shop gives installers another dimension to their online

lockdown eases, businesses with no e-commerce capacity at all really are at risk of missing out.”

presence and a potentially valuable source of new business.

“We all know that the pandemic has really accelerated the shift online and that’s been reflected in soaring demand for our online lead generation products. However, it’s also transformed the online shopping market, with the 2021 Online Nation Report showing a massive 48% increase in online shopping last year. For many consumers, buying online has now become their default option and, even as

Glazing Vault has concentrated on making its new online shop option as easy to set up and use as its popular product designers. Customers can either choose the new website theme created specifically to be a stand-alone online shop, or they can add a bespoke online shop to their existing Glazing Vault website theme. Whichever option they choose, they can populate their shop with their own products and prices and keep it updated themselves with stock availability and lead times.

The e-commerce store facility is also available as an option on bespoke website designs developed

by Glazing Vault’s sister company The Consultancy. https://bit.ly/3xbYize

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MARKETING & INTERNET

High Lead Volumes Set To Continue Thanks To

Buoyant Home Improvement Market

According to Barclaycard, home improvement spending rose 34.4% in March – the biggest surge since July 2020, when the first lockdown lifted.

And with the home improvement boom showing no signs of slowing down as we reached ‘Freedom Day’, installers will continue to benefit from consumer demand.

That’s the view of Andy Royle, co-founder, and Director of Leads 2 Trade, provider of double qualified sales leads for companies operating in the home improvement industry.

Between March and August 2020, mortgage comparison site money. co.uk estimated that UK homeowners spent a staggering £55bn on home improvements. And with households estimated to be sitting on some £180bn of savings, home improvements such as replacement windows or conservatories and conservatory roofs are set to continue to be in high demand.

“Demand for home improvements has seen us generate a huge number of leads for our Trusted Local Supplier Network from our comparison websites, and that looks set to continue,” said Andy.

“We are currently generating around 550–600 enquiries per week for conservatories alone, for example, and that is a 25% increase in lead volume on this time last year. And as windows are a relatively cost-effective thing to replace compared to changing a kitchen or bathroom, it’s no surprise that our lead volume for them is just as high.”

“It was thought that foreign holidays would take consumer focus away from home improvements but with many people still unsure about going on expensive trips abroad, they will have surplus cash to spend.

“And with a shift towards higher saving through the pandemic, the enormous stored up purchasing power should mean homeowners

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have enough to spend on holidays and home improvements even when confidence to go abroad returns. It all adds up to a golden opportunity for installers to continue to take advantage of the thousands of leads we are currently generating.”

To make sure its installer members have the best chance of winning work, instead of a sales lead Leads 2 Trade supply a confirmed, pre-arranged appointment which is delivered to just one company, and an installer only pays for the lead if they sit and pitch it.

“Our confirmed appointments premium lead service with is a real differentiator for us and gives our members the best opportunity to convert leads into revenue,” added Andy. “And our ‘no pitch, no fee’ service represents real value for money with our fenestration clients achieving an average 8–10% cost of sale.

“We know how busy installers are in the current climate so being able to offer them a pre-arranged meeting with a consumer who is ready to buy is important. And, as we offer full UK coverage, when an installer joins our network they can the postcodes that they want to cover.” www.leads2trade.co.uk

MARKETING & INTERNET

FLiP Brochure Now Available DOORCO has launched a new brochure to showcase the wide range of options available for FLiP, their exclusive new door glazing cassette system that has revolutionary ‘Foam in Place’ technology and unrivalled aesthetic freedom, says the company.

Ben Aspinall, IT & Marketing Manager at DOORCO explains more about FLiP and the new brochure: “When we started exploring the options for a new glazing cassette, we knew we needed to create a system that was not only easy to install, but also offered customers choice.

With FLiP the possibilities are endless and the best way to showcase this is in a brochure.

Rather than adding FLiP to our already extensive door catalogue, we’ve created something bespoke to help our customers really understand the new options available to them.

“FLiP offers the freedom to choose the design, finish and colour to suit any style of house and to make a unique statement.

The three design options include clean, modern profiles through to traditional bevels, and each has its own range of sizes which are illustrated. We also offer the customer the chance to explore the texture/ finish of each design option. There is Standard – a redesigned traditional bevelled option with a woodgrain finish; Flat Stipple – the new modern choice that offers a squaredoff profile with a smooth finish; and Flat Grained – the eclectic choice that combines the modern squared-off profile with a woodgrain effect.

“The brochure also explains FLiP’s key features, such as the revolutionary Foam in Place

technology – pre-applied foam that offers a superior seal preventing any water ingress and offering significant savings during installation. FLiP also has moulded connectors for strength and stability that are flexible to use with 24-26mm glass ensuring a flush fit, a unique tilting head that adjusts to the thickness of the glass, and an innovative angled corner protector that reduces flare.

“FLiP has been launched in familiar shapes and sizes to suit our current product range, but we’re already working on what’s comes next! We have the opportunity to explore how we can really take door design – contemporary, traditional and beyond – to the next level.”

The new FLiP brochure is available online via https://bit.ly/2VmBqQg. FLiP designs can also be seen in the new GRiPCORE brochure which is available online via https://bit.ly/3yiz6by www.flip-uk.com

COASTAL launch Their New BLU Book for door and window hardware, thinking beyond products and today’s needs, and our latest BLU Book of 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel Door and Window Hardware certainly exemplifies that” comments Coastal’s Marketing Manager, Neil Jones.

As Henry Ford’s famous quote goes “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. “Here at Coastal we believe in pushing the boundaries

With today’s homeowners spending more time than ever in their home, they’ve become more discerning than ever before. They not only want doors and windows which are better quality, but they want something which looks and performs better as well. They want to stand out from their

neighbours and their doors and windows are a perfect way to do just that! It’s why the more premium end of the door and window is experiencing such a growth surge and it comes down to the finest detail such as the hardware fitted to their doors and windows, claims the company.

BLU is a suited range of ironmongery for aluminium, composite and timber doors and windows which is proving to become increasingly popular with manufacturers and homeowners alike. sales@coastal-group.com

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MARKETING & INTERNET And due to homeowners having spent the bulk of their time in their homes for the last 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic, conservatories are in high demand as the perfect way to add extra living space.

We are currently generating around 550– 600 enquiries per week for conservatories/orangeries from our comparison websitesconservatoryonlineprices.co.uk and conservatoryprices-uk.co.uk.

That is a 25% increase in lead volume on this time last year and we are expecting that volume to increase.

Andy Royle

Average Conservatory

Order Value On Rise Great News For Installers, Says

Co-Founder Of Lead Generation Company

The home improvement boom coupled with consumers increased aspirations has seen conservatory sector become even more valuable for installers.

And as Andy Royle, co-founder and Director of Leads 2 Trade, explains, it means leads are becoming even more valuable.

The UK conservatory market has experienced periods of growth over the last 40 years thanks to consumer spending habits, perception changes, more sophisticated designs, and better materials.

Having progressed from functional to social space, conservatories have always had a big role to play in the home improvement market.

Indeed, conservatories have been our most sought-after home improvement service and we have been leading the way in

matching conservatory installers with homeowners looking to have a conservatory added to their property.

With many conservatories in the UK now outdated compared with the technology, performance, and aesthetic possibilities of the latest innovations currently on the market, homeowners want a conservatory refurbishment and upgrade, particularly as they inherit older conservatories.

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CHANGING TRENDS Conservatory fashion and taste has changed from the traditional 3m x 3m white plastic, u-PVC box, Victorian conservatory with polycarbonate roof to more of extension to the home which can add value to the property.

A wider range of ‘glazed extensions’, including orangeries, verandas and solid roof systems has meant an increase in the number of homeowners expressing an interest in having a single-storey extension, often specified with a roof lantern or higher specification products such as wide span bi-fold doors, for a more luxurious, contemporary all year-round living space.

We have also seen an increasing trend for replacing a worn-out glass or plastic conservatory roof with a new, lightweight tiled conservatory roof thanks to their increased energy efficiency and their ability to retain warmth in the winter months and keep a conservatory cool in the summer.

A HIGHER VALUE With a desire for conservatories to become an integral part of the house as a single-storey extension rather than an afterthought,

MARKETING & INTERNET the average order value for a conservatory has been higher than it ever has.

One of our members, Ideal Homes Orangeries & Conservatories Ltd, wrote £250K in business from our conservatory leads in the first quarter of the year thanks to our premium lead service.

Bespoke App Provides

Live Project Updates Company (Contracts) and for its clients right across the social housing and new build sector is that the data recorded on site is automatically added to its database, which holds the records of every property where work is planned, ongoing or completed.

For any business, enquiries and appointments are the biggest factor and since Ideal came on board with us they haven’t looked back. Our guaranteed appointment booking service has been incredibly successful and time saving for them and writing £250,000 from those leads in a very short period is testament to that – and to the kind of high value leads we are generating daily.

Katie Thornton, Director of Compliance and Administration who has been responsible for scoping and implementing the app, explained the benefits: “Previously, we had to manually input the data on risk assessments and snagging which was time consuming and had the potential for human error. The new system is much more efficient and has the added benefit that photos taken on site are automatically allocated to the relevant address and available to view instantly.

NO PITCH, NO FEE Our guaranteed appointment booking is part of our ‘no pitch, no fee’ premium lead service. Instead of a sales lead, we provide the installer with a confirmed, pre-arranged appointment which is communicated to both parties with reminders sent to the consumer prior to the agreed meeting.

Scrapping the traditional model used by other lead providers of supplying a consumer with up to four no obligation quotes, the lead will only go to one other installer, meaning a greater chance of winning the work, and an installer only pays for the lead if they sit and pitch.

The ability to provide confirmed appointments is a real differentiator for us and gives our members the best opportunity to convert leads into revenue. Our ‘no pitch, no fee’ service represents real value for money with our fenestration clients achieving an average 8– 10 % cost of sale.

To find out more about Leads 2 Trade’s premium lead service visit www.leads2trade.co.uk

The Window Company (Contracts)’ mission for continuous improvement has just had another boost with the launch of a brand-new app which allows fitting teams to provide live project updates from site.

The commercial window and door specialist has made a significant R&D investment in a bespoke mobile solution linked directly to its project database.

Fitters on site simply log into the app to record and log their Point of Work Risk Assessments (POWRA) and installation checklists. They can also take and submit before and after photos of every job and record any snagging issues directly from the app.

The big benefit for The Window

“It’s a huge leap forward and gives us much more flexibility on the kinds of reporting we can provide to clients. It also, of course, has the potential for further additions in the future – from time sheets to accident reporting.”

The Window Company (Contracts)’ SQL/Access database is already a powerful tool in the company’s service offering. For instance, it includes a bespoke caller ID system which identifies any resident who calls up and brings up their customer record so that the call handler can greet them by name and see exactly what work is being carried out at their property.

Katie Thornton added: “We continue to invest in the database because we see real returns not just in terms of our own efficiency but in how it enhances the resident experience and makes us an even easier partner to work with.” www.thewinco.co.uk

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EVENTS

Industry Challenges To Be Tackled Head-On

At Glazing Summit

Despite many companies seeing record sales months and record demand, the industry is bursting at the seams, with one crisis following the next.

As a result, there will be plenty to discuss at this year’s Glazing Summit, which take place on Thursday, October 21 at Edgbaston Stadium and Conference Centre.

The popular yearly event will feature a mix of debates and discussions on the biggest issues facing the industry from an array of business leaders and experts from the sector, as well as keynote speakers, and how to build for the future.

From facing the impact of lockdown, businesses griding to a halt, and the floodgates opening to an under-prepared industry, to the short-lived Green Homes

Grant scheme, a creaking supply chain, and shortages of both materials and labour, the challenges have been unparalleled.

Andrew Scott, Glazing Summit founder and CEO of organisers Insight Data and Purplex Marketing, said: “This has been one of the toughest years in living memory; on the one hand demand has gone through the roof, but that has caused problems of its own across the whole supply chain.

“There are more challenges on the horizon too. The forthcoming revisions to the Building Regs could be a disaster for the aluminium industry, while companies will need to look at how they can ensure current volumes are sustainable in the short and medium term.

“In many ways the industry is in crisis, so there is a huge amount to discuss. It’s why this year’s

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Andrew Scott, Glazing Summit founder

Glazing Summit takes on an even more significant role this year and is a must attend event.”

A high demand for tickets in the last month indicates that there is a desire from industry leaders to come together and discuss the burning issues.

Attendees can get in touch with organisers now to suggest a topic they think should be on the agenda to discuss by emailing hello@ glazingsummit.co.uk, and they will also be able to put questions to panellists throughout the day using the interactive Q&A and polling platform Slido.

“We want everyone to be part of the discussions this year, so let us know what you’d like to talk about,” added Andrew.

“The Glazing Summit provides a vital space to discuss the challenges the industry is facing and help shape its future. It’s why it is an essential fixture in the fenestration calendar; these conversations need to be had.”For tickets visit www.glazingsummit.co.uk

EVENTS

Deceuninck UK & VBH (GB) Host

Seventh Annual Golf Day

First place honours went to Bristol Windows who finished with a total of 85 points, just three ahead of second placed team, Window Warehouse and M&S Windows, on 82. Coming home in third place was Garrard Windows with a final tally of 80 points.

The prize for the ‘Nearest the Pin’ competition was claimed by Matt Kelly of Bill Butters Windows, with the trophy for Longest Drive going to Window Warehouse team member, Dan Reader.

The day concluded with a dinner, prize giving and evening drinks at the Bowood.

L-R: Mark Hutchinson (Tradesmith) Adrian Phillips (Nolan uPVC) Brian Webb (Fenster) Jason James (Nolan uPVC)

Chris Jones, Deceuninck Sales Director, commented: “It was absolutely fantastic to be able to get together with friends, colleagues and our co-hosts VBH for this year’s annual golf day.

“After being forced to cancel last year, and following an exceptionally challenging period for us all, it was a real treat to be able to get together with friends and colleagues to enjoy the outstanding Bowood course once again.”

L-R: Will Parker (Birmingham Glass), Chris Jones (Sales Director Deceuninck), Wez Taylor (CB Solutions); Rob Judd (Birmingham Glass)

Deceuninck UK and VBH (GB) hosted their seventh annual Golf Day in July, returning to the stunning Bowood Golf Resort in Wiltshire.

After missing out in 2020 due to Covid, this year’s Golf Day was an extra special occasion, marking the first major industry social and networking event in more

than 12 months.

Bathed in glorious sunshine, beautiful Bowood set the scene for a highly enjoyable – and closely contested – day of golf around the PGA Official Golf Course for the South West, with just five points separating the top three teams at close of play.

Simon Monks, Managing Director, VBH, added: “Everyone has been under a huge amount of pressure since the start of the first lockdown in March last year, so we were delighted to be able to finally co-host the seventh annual Golf Day alongside Deceuninck.

“The Bowood Resort is a world class venue and the perfect setting for what is now an established and highly anticipated event on the industry calendar.” www.deceuninck.co.uk www.vbhgb.com

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CHARITY

91 Riders Sign Up For GM Fundraising’s

GMF100 Cycling Challenge Industry charity fundraiser GM Fundraising has announced that 91 riders have now signed for their new GMF100 cycling challenge, which is taking place on Sunday 8th August, 2021.

All funds raised will go to Hope House Children’s Hospices, which provides palliative care for children with life-limiting conditions and support for their families, both on site and in their homes.

Gary Morton, GM Fundraising’s founder, said: “We’re delighted so many people have signed up for this new challenge and it demonstrates the strength of this industry in coming together to help raise some vital funds for Hope House at this time. We’re all looking forward to the event.”

The 91 riders represent thirteen companies: Epwin Window Systems, Central Window Systems, Liniar, Glazerite, Mila, Window Widgets, Quickslide, Kubu, Reynaers Aluminium, Window Ware, ERA, Zoo Hardware and Kelly’s Heroes. Each team will cycle 100 miles between them on Sunday

8th August from their factory or premises.

Fundraising for the event is now open and donations can be made at https://bit.ly/3rNo1gk The event is being sponsored

by Epwin Window Systems.

Clare O’Hara, Managing Director of Epwin Window Systems, said: “It’s been a challenging 18 months for Hope House Children’s Hospices during the Covid pandemic with various fundraising events either being postponed or cancelled. We are therefore delighted to be able to sponsor this new event and help raise some much-needed funds at the same time.”

The mission of Hope House Children’s Hospices is to ensure that no one should face the death of a child alone. It costs £6.5 million every year to run its services and 86% of this is spent on care. Over 95% of Hope House’s annual costs are met through charitable donations and GM Fundraising is its largest single donor. Since it was established

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in 1995, GM Fundraising has raised over £2 million for Hope House Children’s Hospices.

Gary concludes: “The GMF100 cycling challenge is a new event for us, but it’s proving popular.

More importantly, it gives us a way to continue our mission of putting the fun into fundraising whilst generating a vital stream of income for our charity.”

The

Sponsored by

Epwin Window Systems

100 Cycling Challenge

COULD YOU:

GATHER a team of 6 riders?

CYCLE 100 miles in a day?

FUND a £1,000 per company entry fee?

RAISE a minimum of £1,200 in additional sponsorship per team?

GIVE UP a day on 8th August 2021 to take part? in aid of

Hope House Childrens Hospice Proud Sponsors

Epwin

Window Systems

Think you’ve got what it takes to enter a team?

Email Gary now

gary@gmfundraising.co.uk Terms and Conditions

Company entrance fee of £1,000 A minimum of £1,200 from individual/team sponsorship Minimum of 6 people per team 100 mile(s) cycle ride. This can be done collectively or individually or both Just Giving pages will be set up for your company representation T Shirts and drinks bottles for riders and photography Share your training and the actual event on social media channels Certificates for Company and individuals

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