MARKETING & INTERNET

Freefoam Supporting Independent Stockists

line range, as well as external cladding and internal panelling, Jayplas have a broad customers base, from small to medium sized builders, though to double glazing and conservatory companies. In the video Jaime explains that he chose Freefoam as his supplier over others because of both the brand loyalty from his installer customers and Freefoam’s route to market – to predominantly supply independent suppliers. Jaime explained “I’d previously sold Freefoam products before I set up my own business so I knew that installers liked the product. They are loyal to the Freefoam brand, and are used to installing it. We like that Freefoam have added products to their range over the years, including external cladding and internal bathroom panels as it gives us other markets to tap in to.”

Freefoam has released a new video as part of it’s ongoing Helping Customers Grow campaign, featuring Nottingham based business Jayplas Building Supplies.

The campaign is part of Freefoam’s strategic marketing plan to shine a light on it’s customer base and show how both supplier and manufacturer are working together to build long term relationships and grow business. Freefoam’s route to market is to predominantly supply independent stockists. Companies who are specialist PVC suppliers with extensive knowledge of this specific part of the building trade, and who have strong local connections. Often owner managed, with an entrepreneurial spirit to make things happen, the campaign provides the platform to showcase these businesses and explain how Freefoam works with and supports its customers.

Jayplas Building Supplies is one such business. Started in 2010 by Jaime Nield, Jayplas is a typical example of a Freefoam customer who has grown year on year. Selling the core roofJaime receives regular visits from his area sales manager Simon Parkes and also benefits from the knowledge and expertise of Richard Jackson,

Freefoam’s sales director. He explains “They have always helped us out, and I have always felt I can go to them and they’ve always done their best to help. I can only see a positive future. We’ve been dealing with Freefoam for 12 years and I can’t see why that wouldn’t continue” Colin St John, Freefoam commercial director summarised “We are proud to be the main supplier to so many successful businesses. And this campaign, that uses a variety of mediums including video, PR, social media and print advertising, gives us a powerful platform to highlight the benefits of partnering with Freefoam. This latest video with Jayplas is a great example of a local business who have grown into an established and well respected Freefoam supplier. It’s a sure fact that no business has gone backwards with Freefoam, the growth or our customers is our growth.”

Carl F Groupco Launches New

Product Catalogue

Independent hardware distributor Carl F Groupco has just launched its latest product catalogue. Marketing Manager Clare White said: “This is our first major printed hardware publication since the pandemic began. It’s part of a huge investment in marketing during 2021 and 2022 and will help to take our brand presence to the next level.”

The catalogue features the most up to date hardware innovations from Carl F Groupco’s manufacturer partners including, Cotswold, FUHR, Glazpart, Greenwood, Hoppe, Kenrick, MACO, Roto, RW Simon, Siegenia, Strand and Yale. Clare commented: “Our catalogue is a comprehensive reference source for all the stocked products that Carl F Groupco offers.”

The new catalogue is now A4 in size in response to customer feedback. Clare said: “It’s important to give our customers what they need. They told us that A4 size was best for them and we listened. The extra space on every page has allowed us to clearly and concisely display product information, so it’s very easy to use.”

The catalogue is the latest in a series of strategic marketing investments for Carl F Groupco. In Autumn 2021 the hardware distributor overhauled its digital presence when it relaunched the Carl F Groupco, SmartSecure and Carl F direct websites. Clare said: “Our marketing investments are all designed to create a seamless narrative for Carl F Groupco brands and help our customers with the information they need to deliver an exceptional experience. We will also be launching our new bespoke customer portal, My CFG, which is coming on stream later this year and will further strengthen the customer experience.” Carl F Groupco provides an extensive range of premium quality window and door hardware components and has long-standing relationships with Europe’s most innovative manufacturers. It operates nationally, including to the Scottish Highlands and offshore islands, from distribution centres in Peterborough and Cumbernauld. The company was established in the 1950s and has a strong track record of providing the support their customers need to succeed, as its impressive new catalogue demonstrates.

To request a free copy of the catalogue, visit the Carl F Groupco website or call the sales office on 01733 393330.

www.carlfgroupco.co.uk www.smartsecure.co.uk www.carlfdirect.co.uk

The content emphasises the heritage and quality associated with a Distinction Doors product. There’s a brief guide to composite doors before consumers begin their journey of discovery. Starting with the bespoke paint range, readers are advised on colour trends and options.

The door ranges are then broken down into three sections – nxtgen, Signature and Contemporary, highlighting popular door styles within each range.

Distinction Doors has launched a brand-new product brochure. It is the first marketing tool to be released following the company’s re-brand. Echoing the ethos of the new brand identity, the brochure acknowledges how the business has solidified its position as a premium composite door supplier, says the company. Bethaney Larkman, marketing manager for Distinction Doors explains further: “It’s a brave new design that’s very different from our familiar product directory brochure. The content is radically different, and we have focussed on our USPs to target strongly against the competition. “Factors such as design and packaging are vital elements in the buying psychology of premium products so it’s essential that we arm our fabrication customers and their customers with the right tools.”

Distinction Doors Unveils New Product Brochure The new brochure has been designed to enhance the consumer experience. This comes after independent research revealed that the company’s sales tools must increasingly work for customers of Distinction Doors, their customers and end-users. “We have switched to a larger, reader-friendly A4 format. It has been printed using vegetable-based ink on uncoated FSC certified and carbon balanced paper for a premium look and finish. We have also been selective in our choice of printer to minimise the environmental impact of our printed literature.” The company’s new brand identity includes a clean and sharp logo using a modern typeface in 100% black. To preserve the premium identity, Bethaney and her team permit only subtle colours in neutral tones when enhancing other design items such as literature. The product brochure is the first example of this. As there are 300+ door styles to choose from, consumers are directed to the full door range, expressed in a table on pages 60-61 or to view online using the company’s most valued and well-used tool – the door-designer configurator. This too is being updated and will be re-released very soon. Decorative glass and glazing options feature throughout. For inspiration, alternatives are presented for each door style. Once again, consumers are directed to the online door-designer for the complete range of glass. The brochure also highlights key benefits including Secured by Design (SBD) approval of the 44.5mm nxt-gen and Signature door ranges. Distinction Doors was the first and remains the only stockist and distributor of GRP composite door blanks in the UK to be granted prestigious SBD status, claims the company. For those who utilise the Distinction Doors design boutique, they too will receive a brochure update in due course. In addition to the online door-designer, a new Distinction Doors website is due to launch later this summer. The company also announced the introduction of six new colours to its paint colour palette on 1st April. www.distinctiondoors.co.uk

New Amended Part F Summary

Document For Window Ware Customers

Independent hardware distributor Window Ware is on a mission to make sure its customers have a good handle on the upcoming new Part F guidelines.

The company, which has successfully served the window and door industry with hardware, tools, and consumables since 1987, has created a summary document that outlines the key revisions to Part F (ventilation) of Building Regulations in England for both new builds and refurbishments.

Ahead of the new regulations, which come into force in England on June 15, Window Ware’s succinct summary aims to break down the changes in layman’s terms and put customers in the know about how best to comply.

Commercial director Richard Bryant said: “At Window Ware, we have always made sure our customers receive the very best guidance on the latest regulations so they can take any changes all in their stride.” “It’s important that fabricators and installers know exactly how the updates to Part F will affect both them and their customers going forward.”

“We really hope they’ll find the summary quick to read and easy to digest, with all the key points set out plain to see. Like any regulations, there’ll always be exceptions to the rule, but the guidance contained in this document should apply to the vast majority of build projects. By giving our customers a solid grasp of the fundamentals, we can help bring them one step closer to Part F compliance, and that’s a win in our books!”

In a nutshell, the revised standard in England for new builds calls for greater background ventilation, with the airflow requirement in habitable rooms increasing from 5000mm2 EA to 8000mm2 EA.

Likewise, in the refurbishment market, vents must be fitted to replacement windows as standard. More specifically, if the existing windows already have vents fitted, then the replacements windows must incorporate vents with the same airflow or higher. If the existing windows do not have vents, then the replacements units must have vents fitted to meet the revised Part F requirements.

Window Ware’s extensive range of vents, developed by the likes of RW Simon, Greenwood and Glazpart, means they can always provide customers with the right ventilation solution to meet specifications.

www.windowware.co.uk/partf

Not Your Usual Fabrication Table

Gary Smith, a supervisor at Rehau trade fabricator Euroglaze, found a novel way to recycle offcuts of profile by creating two new coffee tables for the company’s reception area.

Working in his spare time, Gary even added foil samples to the tops of tables so that they can be used to demonstrate colour options to customers.

Martin Nettleton, Euroglaze’s managing director, is impressed: “This is a typical example of how so many of the team here go ‘above and beyond’ what we ask of them. Gary came up with the idea, sourced the spare materials here and fabricated the tables outside of his normal shift. They’ve become a real talking point amongst visitors and customers love them.”

When they are not being used to fabricate furniture, Euroglaze routinely sends all the PVC-U offcuts from its Barnsley manufacturing plant for recycling. It also has recycling collections in place for the rest of its waste to help to keep its environmental impact to a minimum. www.euroglaze.co.uk

Members Meet

Angus Mackie

The first ‘hybrid’ members meeting of the year was held at the Arden Hotel, Solihull in March and was well attended by members both in person and online. Besides the continued growth of Qualicoat in the UK & Ireland, the main topic of discussion was the upcoming ‘Future Proofing Facades’ event that is to take place on the 14th June at the Building Centre, Store Street, London.

Aimed at facade specifiers, the ‘Future Proofing Facades’ conference aims to offer both an update as to where architectural powder coating is today and an opportunity for members of the Association to hear from specifiers and their needs, especially on issues of safety and sustainability. An impressive line-up of speakers has now been confirmed placing the event as a ‘must attend’ for any specifier of architectural powder coatings, says the company.

Following the awarding of a Qualicoat licence to Bradleys Metal Finishers, applications for new licences continue to be received by the secretariat. One Midlands based powder coater has recently undergone their second pre-grant inspection of their plant and processes and is close to being awarded their licence confirming their adherence to the latest Qualicoat specification. With this licence granted, there will be twenty licensed applicators across the British Isles who offer architectural powder coating meeting the Qualicoat standard. A further four coaters across are in the process of working towards the standard and will be undergoing inspections by the independent

tests house IFO based in the Netherlands.

It was raised that some specifiers still request coatings to meet a fire rating of A1 where architectural powder coatings fall into the A2, s1-d0 classification. It was agreed that this is an educational issue as significant tests have been undertaken that prove the safety of a A2, s1-d0 classification. This issue will be discussed in detail at the forthcoming ‘Future Proofing Facades’ conference in June.

On environmental issues, the ‘National Resource Wales’ are considering tightening tolerances on industrial discharge to surface water, but the UK agencies feel that the tolerances being discussed will damage general industry at this time. The secretariat will keep members informed of any pending changes.

Training of laboratory technicians in the most up to date production recording and testing requirements is a prerequisite of holding a Qualicoat licence. A training day for for 2022 has been set for the 8th November, venue yet to be confirmed. Training will be undertaken by Qualicoat UK & Ireland’s nominated independent test house IFO; all laboratory technician’s must attend a standards update course at lease every two years.

The global Qualicoat standard is incrementally revised in realtime with regular update sheets and is revised to include all updates each year end. The standard and any update sheets are freely available for download at www. qualicoat.net. For details on the availability of various colours and finishes contact any QualicoatUK & Ireland member for more information. For updated information about the use and specification of Qualicoat in the UK and Ireland, please visit the UK & Ireland Association website at www.qualicoatuki.org. Aluminium and PVCu fabricator Unique Window Systems is sponsoring the Glazing Summit Dinner for a third year.

Taking place this year on Tuesday, October 18 at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham the Glazing Summit is set to attract over 400 business leaders again for a day of debates, discussions and insightful presentations on the challenges facing the fenestration industry.

Unique Window Systems Sponsors Glazing Summit Dinner For Third Year

Angus Mackie

The one-day conference traditionally finishes with the exclusive Glazing Summit Dinner in the Edgbaston Banqueting Suite, an evening of fine dining in a relaxed setting, including a headline after-dinner speaker.

Unique Window Systems’ joint MD Sunil Patel said: “Last year’s Glazing Summit offered an excellent opportunity to reconnect with our colleagues across the fenestration industry following the necessary lockdowns and restrictions brought on by the pandemic.

“The event itself is distinctive and constructive in its nature – bringing the industry’s most influential business owners and directors together in one space. We are delighted to be supporting important forums such as the Glazing Summit which we feel contribute to the evolution of our industry.”

Andrew Scott, Glazing Summit founder, commented: “We are delighted that Unique Window Systems, one of Britain’s fastest-growing fabricators, is sponsoring the Glazing Summit Dinner again.

“The feedback from delegates and sponsors on last year’s Glazing Summit Dinner last year was hugely positive and we are once again looking forward to welcoming around 250 industry leaders and providing them with a space to relax, meet with colleagues and make new business contacts.”