Top level talks The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has produced a discussion document for proposed changes to building regulations for conservatories. There has been much speculation about what will be enforced and how that will affect the conservatory market. But until something actually changes no one knows what impact they will have on the industry. Synseal appreciates how important conservatories are to fabricators and installers. Not just for the roofs, but also for the PVC-U window market too. The total market including bases is estimated at between £2.7- £2.8 billion. And between 11,000 companies over 300,000 employees are directly involved in the market. Because we recognise the importance of conservatories, Dave Bingley, our Conservatory Operations Manager is a Director of the Conservatory Manufacturers Association. But Synseal's commitment to conservatory fabricators and installers doesn't stop there. The dynamics of the conservatory industry are dependent on smaller installation companies. These companies individually don't have the clout larger companies do - nor the additional time and resources to become involved. Synseal understands the potential pitfalls of 'overlegislating' that make it difficult for smaller companies to compete with larger regional and national installation companies. So we invited Geoff Hoon, Leader of the House of Commons, to Synseal to discuss these proposals and the potential affects they could have on our customers. Geoff Hoon was keen to hear our concerns and has agreed to take them up directly with John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister.
industry oscars
times thethe times
West Yorkshire Windows invests in the future Conservatory Outlet, the retail arm of West Yorkshire Windows, has just completed filming its new 30 second advert to be released on Yorkshire Television in a campaign starting in August. “We have invested £50,000 in the making of the advert and another £250,000 on airtime,” explains Matthew Glover, Managing Director of West Yorkshire Windows. “The last campaign worked well for us and generated lots of interest. This advert will be ready to go on air in late summer. Part of the advert was filmed in our showroom and stars my four-year old twin boys, George and Harry, and nieces, Ella and Lilly. Our showroom has thirteen full sized conservatories for customers to see. We use the Shield and SynerJy from Synseal to give our customers choice and the best quality, all in the same colour - something our customers say they want.
The G05 awards are the equivalent to the Oscars in the window industry. They celebrate and reward the best of the best. Synseal was one of the main sponsors of the awards and Kevin Harvey, Director of Sales, attended the evening to present the award for Glass Company of the Year. “The evening was excellent,” enthuses Kevin. “Bradley Walsh was entertainingly irreverent. The organisation of the whole event was first class and everyone had a great time. It's also an opportunity for Synseal to show our commitment to the industry. Our sponsorship reflects our recognition of best practice, forward thinking and innovation qualities that have underpinned Synseal's approach since we began. And we were delighted to play our part in the evening.”
West Yorkshire Windows latest TV advert
“We are moving our fabrication factory and we have new machinery on order to give us more space to keep ahead of demand. With sales increasing fast it's important for us to maintain the high standard our customers expect from us.”
From left to right, Malcolm LeMasurier, Nick Dutton, Geoff Hoon and Gary Dutton
Synseal's conservatory sales are up 38% in the financial year ending March 2005. And a bigger proportion of our window sales go under a conservatory roof.
see page 3
synseal launch
new 2 systems But while sales are up for Synseal and our customers, others are facing problems. We can draw parallels with the car industry. The market is down and cars are more difficult to sell. Fiat is up against it, and even mighty Mercedes is reporting falling sales due to quality issues. The losers in the automotive industry have failed to keep customers happy. New products have not impressed customers, or they don't work so they have to be returned to the factory to be fixed. But not everyone is doing badly. BMW, Audi, Toyota and Honda are all doing well.
We continue to listen to what customers want and
In the window industry some systems companies
unsightly.
have shut up shop, merged with other companies or
section, capable of spanning up to 4.8m without any
been put up for sale. And for the same reasons as the
additional support.
products to meet the needs of a changing market. This year we brought you SynerJy, the fully sculptured fourth generation system that seamlessly integrates
windows,
doors,
patios
TEL: 01623 email:
443 200
sales@synseal.com
FAX: 01623
550 243
www.synseal.com
© Synseal Extrusions Limited 2005
If you would like extra copies of The Synseal Times for your sales teams, showrooms etc. call Phil Else on 01623 443 200
now available in blue-white too. To find out more
failing.
see page 5
WITH THIS ISSUE A sample of XT4 the biggest and best glazing bar ever.
www.synseal.com/ bolsterbarremovalkit
about SynerJy-blu see page 4. We have also announced a new concept in low pitched conservatory roofing, Global 600. Many system companies often ignore installers' needs for technical information. In this issue of the Synseal Times is a sample of one of our latest product innovations, a bolster bar removal kit. Underslung bolster bars, or even steel reinforced glazing bars can be costly to source, time consuming to fit, and appear That's why we have developed this new
The biggest cost for customers is it stops them growing. But, as in the car industry, not everyone is
and
conservatories, and are happy to announce that it's
so customers are carrying the costs of disruption.
SYNSEAL EXTRUSIONS LIMITED, COMMON ROAD, HUTHWAITE, NOTTS. NG17 6AD
see page 4
are committed to innovation and new generation
products and services are not working as they should BS7950/7413 KM 41324
increases in sales
Synseal increased sales by £14m to £80m in the financial year to 31 March 2005.
car market. New products have failed to impress, or
FM 31451
record
Nick Dutton Sales & Marketing Director
rs to ct ries w s s
and finally.....
ISSUE NO.17 2005
e u m d o t s pro e u c n
changing times... When big companies pull out of the market, buy and sell companies or merge, customers often get overlooked. Accountants and administrators who squash companies and brands together to reduce overheads forget that business is built on relationships between people. If companies cut back on front line staff - the people who
take the order over the phone, technical and sales staff who visit, and delivery drivers - the people you deal with on a day-by-day basis, the culture of the company can change and relationships are strained. And when relationships break or are put under pressure customers start to ask questions and reassess what each is putting into the relationship and what they are getting out of it.
Synseal increased sales by £14m to £80m in the financial year to 31 March 2005.
Changes in the market When
Northwich
Glass
was
established in 1959 no one could have predicted all the changes the industry
would
“Northwich
Glass
experience. is
a
second
generation family business so we've seen lots of developments in the market,” explains Managing Director
Six recent new customers explain why they made the change to Synseal:
Freedom to choose Synseal Trade fabricator Maintenance Free Homes and installation company Freedom Windows had been with their previous supplier for nine years. “We had always been happy with our previous supplier but we felt it was time for a change,” explains Paul Allen, Managing Director. “We weren't happy with the new European style window, so we looked at what else was available. Synseal has the best systems for our customers. We'll be fabricating both Shield and SynerJy so our customers can choose either the chamfered or sculptured suite. Both have roofs to match. Synseal has the right products for today's market, and because it’s a forward thinking company we know our customers have a bright future with Synseal.”
offering both Shield and SynerJy to give maximum choice to our customers. The systems are designed to fit together perfectly. We fabricate 500 frames a week. Making the decision to switch to Synseal was easy - we looked at other systems - but in today's market nothing
A4 windows offer SynerJy and global as a total package
Anthony
Hereford based A4 Windows has switched to
of our roofs and window systems. The
SynerJy and Global. Dean Powell, Partner of A4,
compares to the innovation and thought behind
explains: “We offer our trade customers a total
the products. Since switching we've already
package
won two new customers.” Working with
conservatories. The Global roof is the strongest
Synseal has been a breath of fresh air.”
we've ever made - and we've fabricated all the
including
windows,
doors
and
leading brands. It's easier for us to fabricate too.
New focus for Reliant
We also have a retail division and our installers
Taylor.
“We
started
fabricating PVC-U in 1986 but recent changes made us look at the suppliers market for conservatories is important to us with 20% of the windows we supply going under a roof. wanted
a
supplier
with
We a
comprehensive roof system. We needed to look no further than Global. It is a technically advanced roofing system and innovations, like the tie bolt, gave it a big advantage over others
Sales up for Window Options
tell us how easy it is to install. SynerJy is the
that we looked at. Our installers tell us that it's easy to
“Our conservatory was £1,000 more expensive than
perfect match for the Global roof and we offer
install too, making the whole process trouble free. We
our nearest competition and we got the order,” raves
we've only changed twice,” explains Nick Allen,
both as a complete conservatory package. We
made the decision to change the roof first. Then when
Mark Styler, Managing Director of Window Options,
Reliant's Marketing Director. “Things were
talked to our customers before making the switch
our current profile supplier told us of future changes to
fabricator-installers based in Glossop, Derbyshire.
getting stale with our previous supplier and we
and they were behind us in our decision. And
our supply, it made sense to switch profile company
“Ironically our competition was selling the system we
knew it was time to change. When we saw the
since switching they tell us they're impressed
too. We didn't have to look far because we already
recently changed from. The customer wanted the
knew the benefits of Synseal. It was important for us
SynerJy-Global conservatory because 'they absolutely
Switching profile suppliers is a big decision. “Since Reliant Windows started 23 years ago
synseal
This is an increase of over 21% across the board, and conservatory sales are up 38%. “These figures would be good at any time – but in a difficult and demanding market,” explains Managing Director Malcolm LeMasurier, “these results are very pleasing. While other companies are struggling or shutting up shop we are continuing to increase our market share. We have grown by listening to our customers and giving them what they want. As they grow, so do we. Some companies complain about a weak
adored it'. I
A breath of fresh air Changes in the market prompted Genesis to switch to Synseal. “In a changing market we need a competitive edge with new and innovative products backed up by good service,”
explains
Keith
Jones,
Genesis'
Managing Director. “So after years with our
complete SynerJy system, we looked no further.
with the new system. “It's been a tight market for
Synseal has the right products for the UK
many of our competitors this year but we are still
market and it was important for us to work
growing fast. Our strong marketing campaign on
with a UK manufacturer. We believe it's the only profile company moving forward. Our trade customers and internal sales staff got a preview of what was in store for them when EVie,
to work with a UK company to give our customers
wasn't surprising to us as the system is designed to fit
a product that's right for the UK market. That's why
together. Synseal is a proactive company - they really
we chose SynerJy. And it's a perfect match to the
listen to their customers. We switched to Global 12
Global roof.
months
the domestic side is paying off with more orders for windows and conservatories and we've picked up more business on the trade side this year too. Adding Global and SynerJy means we
t
“We discussed the changes of system with our customers and they were supportive of our decision. As the industry faces difficult times we feel we've made
ago.
Our
experience
of Global was so good it was an easy decision to switch profile to SynerJy as soon as it came out. It's a perfect colour match to the Global roof.
previous supplier, when they announced a
Synseal's exhibition vehicle, came to visit. The
reduced product range and changes to key
reaction to SynerJy was positive from our trade
personnel, we decided to switch. We wanted to
customers. Our sales staff are excited about the
deal with a UK company who could provide the
new range and it's boosted their confidence
right products for the market. I wish we'd made
when talking to homeowners. Switching to
us it's an absolute dream to install. The total
the change two or three years ago. Our
Synseal has been good for our trade and retail
package from Synseal has already made a difference to
customers now have the choice of window,
customers and has given the whole company a
our business. My gut feeling is that Synseal offers as
doors, patios and conservatories in white,
new focus.”
near a perfect system as you can possibly get.”
mahogany, cherrywood and light oak. We are
have the best products for our customers and gives them a competitive edge.”
a positive move, and with Synseal committed to
“Of course we were worried about the change over,
constant innovation we're confident we'll keep ahead
but everything went smoothly and we hardly lost any
of the changing market and that together Northwich
time at all. We have already installed our first
Glass and Synseal will make a winning team.”
windows and conservatories and our installers tell
conservatory market but our sales are still surging ahead. We continue to dedicate our resources into the development of window and conservatory products for the UK market. Recent changes in the market have helped us strengthen our position and we are on track to be the market leader in both windows and conservatories.”
synseal Nick Dutton, Sales and Marketing Director of Synseal, looks at the value of simplicity.
NICK’S IN THE CHAIR
KEEP IT SIMPLE Two thousand-five hundred years ago Confucius said: “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” The principle of simplicity, keeping life simple, applies with equal force to product design, manufacturing, management and systems. In fact almost anything you can think of works best when it's kept simple. But even simple designs and structures get complicated over time. People add extra bits and pieces to cope with market demands and to do things the designers never dreamed of. Something that starts out clean and well designed and fit for purpose can soon become cluttered and clumsy.
Computers Experts say we use only 5% of what our computers are capable of. This is probably a wild overestimate. Take spreadsheets. They can do all sorts of clever and sophisticated things, and get more and more complex as more and more functions are added to please everybody. But most of us never use them. Having all these extra functions doesn't make it better for us - it makes life more complicated. Yet what we really want is to do a simple job quickly, cheaply and easily. An enormous amount of memory is used just to operate these complex systems. The operating system gets bloated and becomes more important than the operator. We tend to accept it for the most part, whatever the inconvenience, because there may not be an alternative. But when the iMac burst on the scene PC users who switched got a shock. There were no drivers to load before they could use it. There was no set up, and little to go wrong. They just took the iMac out of its box and plugged it in, pressed the on button and it worked. Plug and play.
Cars Cars too have suffered from complexity. The newspapers have been full of it. Mercedes was synonymous with quality and reliability. It was the best. German taxi drivers drove nothing else. But then Mercedes added a computer system, then another and another. Now there's one to take the temperature, one to
glass age/2005
manage your telephone calls, another to pick up the traffic alerts, one for your sound system, and another for heating and climate control. There's even one to help you park, and another to stop you from hitting the car in front. Then when you're on the M25 at 7.30 in the morning the screen in front of you goes blank. You haven't a clue how fast you're going. The car goes back to the garage to have the computer system analysed and diagnosed - but unfortunately not fixed. It's too complex. J D Power, the international car ratings agency, report that Mercedes has plummeted from the top to near bottom for quality and reliability. German taxi drivers vote with their money and now choose older Mercedes or new Japanese models. Large numbers of its cars were recalled. It's not the only upmarket carmaker to suffer, and the firm says the problem has been addressed in its new cars, but even Mercedes has been humbled by complexity.
Conservatories The same thing is happening in conservatories. Manufacturers boast of 6,000 bits in their roof system - indeed some now have up to five systems where one used to do. Having so many products means mistakes are more likely. It's a picking nightmare with so many products and codes to choose from. More out of stocks; more mis-picks. Quality control for 6,000 products is a headache, especially if they are outsourced. Having made life more difficult for customers you then need to help them. They need a bigger technical manual and much more technical support to help customers find their way around the maze. The cost and pain of the suppliers' lack of clarity and discipline is borne by customers who are required to adapt to the complexity foisted on them. Good design should be simple, for customers rather than suppliers. The onus is on the designers to think through the challenges and difficulties and design out the complexities. Like iMac or the phenomenally successful
iPod you judge the product by what you don't see. If something can be done in the factory, it should be. Whether it's a DVD player, a PC, a car or conservatory we all want products which are plug and play. So we can get on with making sales and making profit.
Companies Nick Dutton, Synseal’s Sales and Marketing Director
Over time companies can become bloated and full of overheads. The energy and the simple ideas that created the company become swamped and the purpose of the organisation forgotten. Customers who were once seen as the lifeblood of the company are now expected to accept what's handed to them and make it work.
A simple philosophy Our approach to running Synseal is to keep things simple. It's the basis of our product innovation. We listen to what our customers want and whether its SynerJy, global or SHIELD we aim to make the design simple to make our products easier to fabricate, and easier and quicker to install. But keeping things simple isn't easy. Over a period of time, systems, company organisation and products have a natural tendency to evolve and become more complicated. And complexity creeps in by different routes. For example, although it's over thirty years since metrification our housing stock hasn't changed much. It's still based on the old imperial system in feet and inches, and we tend to use 300mm, 600mm, 1,200mm in place of 1ft, 2ft, and 4ft and so on. But they are not the same, and pretending that metric 'equivalents' fit neatly into imperial based buildings just makes life more complicated. Design should be kept simple. It takes time and energy to make things simple. But we think it's worth it, and our customers agree.
thorough decision making process puts synseal on top Well known industry name, A C Yule Ltd has switched to Synseal. “The Elgin factory is up and running with SynerJy,” explains Bryan Yule, Managing Director. “And our Tayside factory is now in the process of implementing the change.
“synseal is number one in roofs” Co Durham based independent roof specialists TA Plastics say Synseal is number one in roofs. Steve Averre, TA
Kevin Harvey and Bryan Yule
“We changed suppliers because we wanted a fully sculptured suite for our customers but changing suppliers is a big decision for us and not one we took lightly. First we put together a list of companies to talk to. Then we invited our previous supplier and five others to show us what they had to offer our customers. This was narrowed down to a shortlist of three and we arranged factory visits for these. The criterion for our final decision was based on sales support, technical support, delivery dates and consistency, price, profile quality and accreditation. And because we know the back up service is vital to the smooth running of the business, it was important to meet the people who we would be dealing with on a day to day basis. Synseal was a clear winner. The changeover at the Elgin factory was smooth and we expect the same for Tayside. From the Tayside factory we will fabricate SynerJy and Shield so we can supply both the domestic and commercial markets. “We've been in business 59 years so our customers know what to expect from us. We've built up a good reputation for high quality products with a superb back up service. The switch to Synseal reflects our commitment to our customers through top quality products and service.”
Plastics' Director, explains: “Synseal is probably market leader and we're not surprised. We have been in business since 1977, and fabricating roofs for the last 15 years so we know what makes a good roof. When Synseal first launched the Shield roof we could see the advantages in the system, but because we are an independent roof specialist we had to wait until Global was released. We were one of the first Global fabricators and we haven't looked back since. Synseal continues to make constant innovations to Global to keep it at the cutting edge of conservatory roofing. We pride ourselves on giving our customers the best conservatory roof available. With this in mind, once the 35mm polycarbonate option was available, we introduced it to our customers with great success. All our roofs are fully fabricated and delivered by our own transport, usually within three days of order, but recently we were asked to make one in a day for a customer as he'd forgotten to order it! The ease of fabrication of Global makes this possible. And our customer feedback is that Global is easy to install too. There's nothing to compare with the Global roof. That's why we believe Synseal is number one in roofs.”
to switch to Synseal, we did. We believe they're a safe, secure and stable supplier. They put their money where their mouth is on customer service and continuous new product development. And they're not scared of innovation. SynerJy is proof of that. Earlier this year, we decided to switch to SynerJy and we've been manufacturing the system since March. At first, like any supplier we were concerned about how our customers would accept the new system.
After all no one likes change. But our customers' reactions have endorsed our decision to switch. They tell us that it cuts installation time because it's a fully gasketed system and the J-bead is a massive bonus making the window quick and easy to install. They tell us too that homeowners like the appearance of the window. Everything fits together and customers who install conservatories find the fact that the roof and frames are manufactured to match perfectly as a whole structure - instead of separate components - is a great selling point. When homeowners understand the benefits of having the whole conservatory from one manufacturer it's hard for them to choose anything else. “Not only have we been impressed by the way our customers have reacted, we have also been well supported by Synseal during the changeover period. We monitor our efficiency on a day to day basis and it's by doing this we keep ahead in the market. We know Synseal shares the same values.”
ten year celebrations for pyramid profiles Ten years ago father and son Ron and Paul Bailey of Pyramid Profiles Ltd knocked on the door of Synseal. “We started with nothing,” explains Paul Bailey Director of Pyramid. “We had previously been property developers but saw a future in window fabrication. Together with my sister Vivienne and Sales Director Keith Evans we make a winning team. Keith had worked with Synseal before and
Good design should be simple, for customers rather than suppliers. The onus is on the designers to think through the challenges and difficulties and design out the complexities.
continued from page 5
recommended we talk to Gary Dutton. We only made one call and took on Synseal immediately. We haven't looked back since. We've seen some big changes. Synseal has grown from £5 million turnover to over £80 and we've been part of that. As one of the first fabricators to take Shield and the Shield roof, we'll also be one of the first SynerJy fabricators too. Averaging over 400 frames a week and 10 roofs we're on target to double conservatories this year. To support our sales growth we've just invested £400,000 in a state of the art computerised cutting and machine centre, a transom and corner cleaner and an automatic bead saw. We pride ourselves on being a forward thinking company.”
product update Fabricators and installers tell us SynerJy is having A part of the industry likes to offer something a
Fabricators
bit different. They see the colour of the profile
suppliers they can trust to meet the
as an important point of differentiation when
needs of their customers. For Synseal's
is not resting on its laurels. Global 600, a
selling to homeowners. Because the colour of
customers we now offer a complete
contemporary roof designed specifically for the UK
profile is not the same as others they can
package to include a blue-white
market, will be available in the Autumn.
maintain a higher selling price.
profile. So fabricators and installers who
and
installers
need
a positive impact on their businesses. But Synseal
are committed to blue-white can When installers go into a house they are often
continue to offer it as a point of
up against other companies. There's a beauty
difference. And they can service existing
parade of different systems - but they are often
customers who may wish to do the back
the same colour.
of the house, a kitchen window or add a conservatory with SynerJy and Global in
At Synseal we understand how important blue-
blue-white.
white is to some installers. If a homeowner has blue white windows they are not likely to accept a standard white roof to top their conservatory. That's why we offer Global Blue, the blue-white conservatory roof system.
We know the UK housing stock is designed on imperial measurements, so we designed a conservatory roof to match. The 600mm (2ft) glazing centres perfectly match standard UK window sizes making the overall structure easier on the eye. It allows more light in too. The 2.5° pitch makes this the most versatile roof for quick,
Recent industry changes have seen some profile
simple, secure and good looking installations even in the most difficult spaces. The
companies stopping blue-white. For their
prepared components will come in environmentally friendly single or double packs
customers it's another upheaval they dont
ready and complete for quick and simple onsite installation.
need. So in addition to offering our customers Global Blue we are now offering SynerJy Blu, our fourth generation system for windows, doors, patios and conservatories, in blue-white.
Synseal continues to listen to what our fabricators and installers want. We invest in future products to support our customers. We are well on the way to becoming market leader in both profile and conservatory roofs because we are committed to the future of the industry.
And fabricators who want to offer their customers the choice can supply SynerJy in our standard colour and SynerJy Blu without the upheaval of new tooling.
600mm (2ft) centres
boxed roof kit
a new glazing bar concept
coming in 2005
2.5 degree pitch
quick to install
synseal Tony Marsden, Director of Absolute Windows and Classic Trade Frames explains why they made the switch to SynerJy.
An Absolute Classic for SynerJy “Fellow director Jim Dance and I had both been working in the industry for several years when we made the decision to establish our own window company in 1995. Ten years later, we've come a long way and now have two companies: Absolute Windows in Bolton, for larger trade customers, commercial contractors, housing associations and councils, and Classic Trade Frames in Worsley, Manchester, for cash and carry customers. Between the two sites we now fabricate 1,000 frames a week 2 from 37,000ft of factory space and 65 employees looking Tony Marsden after 400 customers. “Absolute has been supporting contractors for six years. It's been good for us as it keeps the factory busy at traditionally quiet times like Christmas. The contractors still keep working. We have a good customer base and our customers stay with us because they tell us we look after them well. We saw a gap in the market for cash and carry frames so we started Classic Trade frames last year. Classic offers a four day turn around on frames - order Monday and pick up on Friday. When we started Classic Trade Frames we chose Synseal's Shield system as we already supplied Global to our customers at Absolute. So we already knew Synseal as a company. It's difficult in the current market and the future looks likely to become more difficult. So when we saw the opportunity
continued on page 7