PEOPLE

Cornwall Manufacturing Board Strengthened

With Two Appointments

Cornwall Glass Manufacturing has promoted two members of its team to board level: Steve Bunney becomes production director; and Steven Marques is the new sales director.

Cornwall group chairman Mark Mitchell explained that the promotions not only recognises the impact both colleagues have had on the business, but they reflect the faith in their potential to help drive the company forward as Cornwall Glass Manufacturing expands and adapts to the current economic climate.

“We have some extremely ambitious developments in the pipeline, and it is important that we have a board of directors that has the experience and vision to make them a success,” Mark said. “Both Steve and Steven have decades of experience under their belts, and they have demonstrated that not only can they work extremely well under pressure, but they are great ambassadors for the Cornwall Group in general.”

New production director Steve Bunney joined Cornwall Glass 20 years ago, originally in a production role at the St Austell factory before working his way up to general manager across multiples sites: St Austell, Plymouth and Highbridge.

“Steve is a popular manager because is able to bring a sense of synergy and harmony across the different locations,” Mark said. “As we look to expand our operations further north and east, having those skills at board level will become increasingly useful, especially if we acquire other businesses.”

New sales director Steven Marques joined Cornwall Glass Manufacturing in 2018 having joined from Saint-Gobain Glass. Employed originally as a sales representative, Steven progressed to manager level and proved invaluable as the industry returned to face-to-face meetings following the lockdown period.

“Steven shows a real aptitude for forming, developing and nurturing relationships,” Mark said. “Coupled with his 20 years of glass experience, we decided that he would be a perfect addition to the board, and is only the third sales director we’ve had at Cornwall Glass in 25 years, with the previous two still on the board!”

Steve Bunney

Steven Marques

Steve and Steven join technical director Angus Herdman, and joint managing directors Mark Knight and Mark Norcliffe on the board of Cornwall Glass Manufacturing which, with Mackenzie Glass and Cornwall Glass & Glazing, forms the Cornwall Group.

www.cornwallglass.co.uk

Yale Appoints Sales Manager

Yale has appointed Paul Balfe in a role that will see him drive sales across the northwest of England.

Paul, who has 36 years of experience in the door and window industry, has been appointed as sales manager northwest. with the company’s fabricator partners, as well as its strategic distribution partners.

Discussing his appointment, Paul commented: “I’m very excited to be joining the Yale business. The brand has such a strong heritage and reputation for quality. I can’t wait to get out in the field to meet with customers and will ensure that we deliver the best possible service.” www.yaledws.co.uk

Leadership Success Sets Hurst Up For Future

(L-R) Kevin Wheatman, Sarah Van Der Eykyn, Sarah West, Bob Halls, Lee Gray, Aide Page, Steve Pullen and Mark Atkinson.

Hurst Doors commitment to investing in its workforce has been demonstrated with five of its factory and office team achieving Highfield Level 2 certificates in Team Leadership.

Sarah West, Steve Pullen, Bob Halls, Aide Page and Lee Gray have been equipped with the skills they need to lead a team successfully. This included learning motivation techniques to get the best from people and methods for resolving disputes, giving them the confidence to tackle difficult issues and the tools to develop as a leader.

Training for the qualification was carried out by Sarah Van Der Eykyn, managing director at Ideal Training Solutions & Leadership based in Hull.

Mark Atkinson, Hurst’s sales director, said: “The team put in a great effort and several of them are now progressing onto the diploma level. All are being encouraged to implement what they’ve learnt into practice in the work-place.

“Sarah was extremely supportive and adapted the training for those that didn’t work on PCs, using workbooks and running question and answer sessions where needed instead. We’d like to thank her for all her help.”

The company’s investment in upskilling its employees is not stopping there, with several members of its customer services team working towards their Highfield’s Level 2 Diploma in Customer Service. www.hurstdoors.co.uk

FIT Show

Makes Triumphant Return

FIT Show, the UK’s only dedicated trade show for the window, door, glass, hardware and components industry, has made a triumphant return with its delayed 2021 event taking place last week (Birmingham NEC, May 10 – 12, 2022).

Organisers reported record visitor pre-registration numbers, with over ten percent of these being made on the day before the show opened. The atmosphere within the halls at the NEC reflected the appetite that the industry had to get back to face-to-face business, and to support its trade show.

FIT Show was due to take place in 2021 but was delayed three times due to the impact of the global pandemic. Reopening this May without restrictions, the event delivered over 170 brands as part of its exhibitor line-up and more than 30 hours of CPD approved learning content.

FIT Show event director, Nickie West comments: “I’m still absolutely buzzing after returning from a very successful three days of FIT Show. We were anticipating strong visitor numbers based on our pre registration data, but I don’t think anything could quite prepare us for the atmosphere, goodwill and camaraderie in the halls throughout the show.

“Our exhibitors were consistently busy, our seminars reached capacity on more than one occasion and our late night parties saw people quite literally dancing in the aisles. It was everything the team and I hoped that it would be, and more.”

A number of brands used FIT Show as a launchpad to market, with debuts from the likes of Compdoor, Solar-Calibre, DAKO, Rockdoor, UK Doors Online, Checkatrade and Google Nest. The event also saw the return of a number of legacy FIT Show brands including Haffner, SmartReady Veka, Ultraframe, Selecta Systems, Brisant-Secure, Business Pilot and Made for Trade.

xhibitors went to great lengths to deliver a first class event for visitors, with ambitious and innovative stand builds supported by strong marketing campaigns. Morley Glass, FIT Show first timer Strongdor, and Britmet Lightweight Roofing won awards for driving and converting the most visitors with their campaigns.

Hot on the heels of its May 2022 event, FIT Show organisers have confirmed the dates of the next show, which will return to the NEC Birmingham from 23 – 25 May,

2023. FIT Show will continue to follow a biennial frequency, placing the show in Fensterbau Frontale’s ‘off year’. The May 2023 edition will be followed by FIT Show 2025 and return every other year thereafter.

It is an exciting time for FIT Show with 2023 marking the ten year anniversary since its launch, and its seventh outing. Organisers are already receiving a strong amount of support for its return next year.

Nickie continues: “We have already had strong support for our 2023 event with 45 brands, including the likes of Haffner, ODL, Morley Glass, Selecta Systems, DAKO, Bel’M and Comar – amongst others – rebooking for next year. We’re also having positive conversations with a number of brand leaders who weren’t quite ready to exhibit in 2022 but who are planning to return in 2023.

“It’s going to be a very special event as we commemorate ten years of innovation, growth and success for the whole industry and we hope they’ll join us to celebrate this special FIT Show landmark.”

FIT Show brings every link in the fenestration supply chain together under one roof across three days. Exhibitors include fabricators, systems houses and suppliers of the leading products and services across windows, doors, flat glass, hardware and components.

ODL Europe Is One Of

The First To Sign Up For FIT 2023

Following an exceptional FIT 2022, ODL Europe has become one of the first companies to sign up to exhibit at the show next year. FIT 2022 was the first for the company’s new managing director, Bryan Bultema, who said: “This was a great show for ODL Europe, with a high-quality footfall and a large pipeline of new business opportunities. It was a great opportunity to meet customers and potential customers, as well as network with industry peers. It was the first time the industry had got back together for a face-to-face exhibition, so there was a great atmosphere – it was a fantastic business event.”

ODL Europe says its stand showcased the company’s strength as a business that adds value to building products. And that the depth of its door offering was particularly notable, in particular the quality and reliability of the Capstone composite door slab. Also attracting a great deal of attention was the Guardsman Fire Door, which won Best New Product of the Year at the G21 Awards.

The company was happy to sign up for FIT 2023 at the end of the first day. Bryan explained: “The FIT Show is the UK’s leading trade exhibition for the industry, so it made good business sense to sign up at the earliest opportunity. We had a great first day and it was clear the show was going to be a success so we had no hesitation in signing up for next year.”

Nickie West, FIT Show’s event director, commented: “ODL Europe put on a brilliant display for our visitors this May and I am delighted that they will be joining the exhibitor line-up for 2023. Our visitors flocked to the ODL Europe stand with high expectations for both the breadth and quality of products on display and they were not disappointed. I’m excited to see how ODL Europe builds on its 2022 success at FIT Show next May.”

Bryan concluded: “The professionalism of the show was amazing. I’d like to thank all the organisers for working on such an impressive event. A huge thank you must also go to the ODL Europe team and our marketing support partner for an exceptional stand that showcased our range of doors so well. We’re already looking forward to next year!” www.odleurope.com