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Welcome to the Digital Magazine EDITION 2

From the industry’s leading independent fenestration media

38 F E AT U R E D

Lewis Walters: A Rememberance Donation To Lauren’s Legacy

Pilkington To Reintroduce Energy Surcharge

A Slowdown May Be Coming

Aluminium Commodity Prices Spike Higher, UK Fenestration Will Feel The Effects

Big Boost For Business Micros TOUCH Vendor Quoting Software

Kolorseal & Hurst Doors - Working Together For A Brighter Future

Record June Delivers Record-Breaking Sales For Merchants In Q2

Berkshire Installer Transforms Homes With Freefoam

Certass: Letter To The Editor

Epwin Group Reports Healthy H1 Results

Open Letter: Could Your Business Get Through ‘Another 2021’ In 2022?

Timber & Joinery Fuel Strong Builders’ Merchants Growth In July

Deceuninck Aluminium Named Finalist At G21

Kolorseal Gains NFA Nomination For Colour Specialist 2021

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CHARITY

Lewis Walters: A Remembrance Donation To Lauren’s Legacy

Please join Masterframe Windows in supporting a wonderful cause in memory of Lewis Walters who sadly lost his five year battle with cancer a year ago on the 18th of September 2020. Carol Slade, Managing Director of Masterframe says “As our very valued customers and indeed as our friends, we came to know Lewis through our relationship with the Walters family. Lewis was an amazingly spirited young man who quietly braved the many challenges that this awful disease threw at him. He somehow found a truly remarkable strength to cope with the tireless rounds of invasive surgery, chemotherapy and the daily battle of living with cancer.

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A devoted Nottingham Forest supporter along with his Dad and Grandfather, he loved the game, and all the ups, and downs of supporting a championship team, aiming for the top. He also loved playing golf with his Dad Rob, Brother Reece and his Uncle Alister. Rachel his mum said of him that he was brilliant company, a fantastic listener and a wonderful son.

encounter, we need to face them head-on with dignity and resilience. In a tribute to his son, Rob said, “We could all learn a lot from Lewis”.

Carol continues “In Lewis’s memory we wanted to support a charity close to the family’s heart. Rob and Alister have been valued long-standing members of the Bygone Network since 2002 and as a company, we want to support them and the charity of their As you can imagine, Lewis was choice which is Lauren’s Legacy.” an irreplaceable part of his family’s life, and they will always treasure About Lauren’s Legacy the 19 years they had with this most admirable individual. The courage The charity supports teenagers he displayed during his short life and young adults going through certainly taught us all that whatever their cancer treatments by granting the daily challenges we may wishes. This may involve a family

holiday, concert tickets to see their favourite band, sports events or a simple IPad. All funds raised go directly towards the teenagers and their families. There are no wages, employees or admin costs associated with Lauren’s Legacy. Read more about Lauren and the charity here https://laurenslegacy.co.uk/

How Does Lauren’s Legacy Raise Funds? Lauren’s Legacy raises money through its annual Old Goats Grumble music and beer festival, the Grumble

motorcycle Run, its annual note that you need to be logged auction and individual donations. into Facebook to click on the ‘Donation’ button or log in when How Can You Support prompted to do so.

The Lewis Walters Remberence Fund For Lauren’s Legacy?

Alternatively, you can make a donation through Lauren’s Legacy Pay Pal account at: l aurenslegac y 99@gmail .com.

Masterframe will be making a substantial donation and would No matter how big or how appreciate your own donation small, all donations are welcome! towards this wonderful cause. If you wish to donate, please kindly submit your donation to Lauren’s Legacy directly by following this link to their Facebook page: https:// w w w.facebook .com/L aurensLegacy-108661163813012/. Please

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Pilkington To Reintroduce Energy Surcharge

The price pressures on the supply All deliveries to all customers chain only continue to grow as on or after 1st October 2021 will Pilkington has announced that also include the additional Energy they are going to reintroduce their Energy Surcharge, which was Surcharge. dropped in 2014. Glass has been one of the fenestration sector materials most affected by the current supply chain problems and has seen some of the most dramatic increases over the past 12-18 months.

Pilkington statement This is the official statement from Pilkington via their website:

Pilkington UK are facing exceptional cost pressures in many areas impacting materials, manufacturing and logistics. Energy (Gas and Electricity), plus Carbon allowances, will add many millions of pounds of additional costs to the business throughout this year. We are required, in the current market conditions, to temporarily re-introduce special measures in the form of an Energy Surcharge (ES). The scheme will use Brent Crude Oil (in $) as an indicator of energy prices and apply an exchange rate factor. The closing value of IPE Brent Oil Price on Thursday 15th July was $ 73,29/barrel. As a consequence of this rate and taking into account the currency exchange rate factor, the Energy Surcharge rates are set as shown below. These will be held until end January 2022 and then reviewed.

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Energy Surcharge for Upstream Customers

of the Energy Surcharge to the price of oil, but also the currency markets. It means that even if the price of oil drops $10-$20, the surcharge may not be lowered if the value of the Pound Sterling changes too. It allows Pilkington to keep to the higher price brackets.

At the moment it’s is not clear whether Guardian or Saint-Gobain Surcharge per Load (1st October will introduce something similar. 2021 – 31st January 2022) As we know, both companies are in the middle of upgrading their 18 – 30 Tonnes - £1,800.00 float lines, which are still works in progress. It is not clear when 15 – 18 Tonnes - £1,499.96 both will be back up and running. However, as there are only a 12 – 15 Tonnes - £1,200.04 handful of glass systems houses in the sector, it is fair to assume 9 – 12 Tonnes - £963.96 that if one company brings back in the Energy Surcharge, then the Energy Surcharge for Downstream rest may follow before too long.

Customers

These new price increases, on top

Surcharge per kg (1st October 2021 of previous material cost rises, – 31st January 2022) will only add further inflationary

pressures down the supply chain. There will be growing concerns as to how much more the public Energy Surcharge for Downstream is willing to pay for new windows Customers – IGU Products Only and doors. As I mentioned in a previous post, there is a ceiling Surcharge per kg (1st October 2021 at which homeowners will hit. We – 31st January 2022) just don’t yet know how far away we are from it.

18p

The changes take effect on October 1st, meaning companies that have placed orders before then, but will be getting delivery after the 1st October will likely lose money on those purchases. Pilkington has pegged the price

Sponsored Content Pilkington Glass

Saint-Gobain Sells Two Glass Processing Businesses Saint-Gobain has sold two of their European glass processing companies. One in France, to a former manager of Saint-Gobain, and one in Germany. This is the official statement from the company:

Saint-Gobain Divests Certain Glass Processing Businesses In France And In Germany Saint-Gobain announces the sale of the French company Aurys, which specializes in shaping and processing of flat glass, to a former manager of Saint-Gobain. The Group has also sold the German company GVG Deggendorf, which specializes in tempered glass, to the Swiss Arbonia group. Aurys employs around 145 people at its Carentan-les-Marais (Manche) site and generated around €20 million in sales in 2020. The Deggendorf site in Bavaria employs 160 people and achieved a turnover of around €20 million in 2020. This transaction is part of Saint-Gobain’s continued portfolio optimization strategy to enhance the Group’s growth and profitability profile. The company is seeking to streamline their portfolio and increase their profitability. SaintGobain is one of the worlds largest construction materials companies and employs more than 167,000 people in over 70 countries. In 2020 the company turned over €38.1 billion. Saint-Gobain is currently in the process of upgrading its site at Eggborough that started earlier in the year. Once the plant is back online it is hoped that the extra supply from the Eggborough site will help to relieve some of the pressures on the supply of glass in the UK fenestration sector.

GLASS DGB MAGAZINE

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Do We Need To Stop Selling? That sounds an odd question. In the world of business, you never stop selling. It’s literally what you exist to do. But as we all know, we are operating in extraordinary circumstances. And in the various conversations, I have every week with you find industry folk, the idea that we need to put a brake on the selling of windows and doors for a bit is one I am starting to hear a bit more often.

hardware and polymer. Add to that transport costs going through the roof, international shipping has just gone insane, there’s an acute lack of labour and I have seen reports of one systems company slapping very high double-digit price increases on steel. All that combined makes for a supply chain that is close to being on its knees.

Steady, But Cra

Here is the thin about. And I am capacity as an in well as someone installations bu keep selling in hug orders and then p

Given the extreme environment within UK fenestration, would a pause in sales be helpful right now?

Emergency Brake Here’s another thing I am hearing more of, and that is how navigating lockdowns was easier than this period we’re in right now. That sounds bizarre but I can see the point people make when they say this. During lockdown, no one was buying. Everyone was at home and we were all in the same boat. No one buying, no one making. Everyone planning. Now, we’re trading knowing full well that deliveries promised on a certain date probably won’t arrive, there are product shortages in every direction and communication is grinding to a halt. This makes for an incredibly high-pressure trading environment, which is causing huge amounts of stress and tension between clients and colleagues alike. The fact is though, the supply chain is struggling, and it’s getting worse. Glass supplies are seriously crippled, especially toughened and laminated products, as well as tinted and decorative glass. We’re being warned about coloured profile shortages,

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No one is operating smoothly. Nothing is guaranteed and by all accounts, it’s going to get worse towards the end of the year. Yet, knowing all of the above, we’re all continuing to sell our products across the supply chain, knowing full well that orders places may well not be fulfilled. Is it time to pull an emergency brake? Fabricators I speak to are running on empty. Struggling to get product, deliveries in chaos, irate installers giving abuse down the phone. Do we need to start taking stock of where we are and stop selling for a period? Perhaps one month. Maybe two?

their suppliers. In full well that the what they ask f nowhere near wha

We’re all going a to sell our goods that they might n worst case. This lead to further fr B2B side of this awkward and an with homeowner

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nstallers also know chances of getting for right now are at they should be.

around continuing s in the knowledge never arrive, in the is only going to rustrations on the sector, as well as ngry conversations rs when they get

told they’re going to be delayed time after time. As we know, demand is way higher than supply can keep up with. The supply chain is being hit from all angles with a multitude of problems. Companies are unable to build upany kind of stock levels. As soon as something is made it is sold and

that manufacturers can build up some level of stock and resilience. At this current rate, the supply chain is likely to continue breaking down. So, let’s ponder on that idea for a moment. Christmas is coming up soon. We’re already in September. We close for a fortnight as an industry. Is there room to close a couple of weeks earlier? Can installers for this year only press pause and stop? Fitting doesn’t have to stop. Most should have plenty in stock. But sales could be held off for a few more weeks. This would give fabricators a bit more breathing room. Time to get deliveries of orders placed out of the door, and more time to build up stock levels in the background. It was suggested to me that the industry could actually do with two solid months off. Whilst I understand the yearning for such a thing, the reality is that we won’t stop selling, even if it’s not the best thing for us right now.

straight out of the door. No reserves are being built up. This is a car crash waiting to happen, and we can all see it. The question is, are we prepared to try something else which might make our lives easier in the long run? It has been suggested to me recently that the sector really needs to close down for a month, maybe two, so

Companies will always say yes to new sales, it’s in the blood of people. But whilst we do, we must be honest with our clients and explain that things are likely to be delayed, parts are going to be missing and prices are going to keep going up for months to come. It’s less than 100 days to Christmas by the way!

OPINION DGB MAGAZINE

ANY NEW HOME RE

UTTERLY P SOLV

UNTIL THE LAB

In the past decade two Governments, the coalition and this current Conservative Government, have tried to launch schemes that intended to encourage homeowners to take out loans and grants to insulate and retrofit their homes. Both failed. They failed for a number of reasons, all very similar to each other. The most recent version of this scheme, the Green Homes Grant, was axed after a matter of months. There remain whispers that the Government is still intent on finding another scheme to take its place. Sadly, this will be utterly pointless until another pressing issue is resolved, and that is the labour shortage.

Sort The Labour Shortage First One of the many reasons why both of these retrofit schemes failed is that participating in them, be it an installer of windows and doors, or a consumer was just far too complicated. The issue this time around with the Green Homes Grant was there was very little real-world incentive for UK fenestration to take part. We were operating in a very high demand part of the economy so didn’t need any new business that came from it. Signing up was very hard. And labour was already short and is now worse. The skills and labour shortage has been around UK fenestration for well over a decade now. There are more people leaving the profession than there are joining it. There is a similar situation across other trades within construction.

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ETROFIT SCHEME IS

POINTLESS VED

BOUR CRISIS IS

Yet, the Government is intent on building at least 300,000 new homes per year, retrofitting tens of millions of homes with energy efficiency measures and reaching net-zero as quickly as possible. All admirable aims. Also all utterly pointless until we sort out the one thing that is holding back nearly every supply chain in the UK at the moment, and that is a shortage of labour. None of the above is even remotely possible until we get the right number of people working. It really is as simple as that. So to even be considering a third scheme to encourage people to insulate their homes is ludicrous at this point. The UK fenestration is all too acutely aware of this problem. This is something we have been talking to ourselves about for well over ten years, but little action has been taken. If we’re going to wait for the Government to fix it, we’ll be waiting a very long time.

Change In Education As someone put it to me on Twitter today, all of the predicted problems are now coming home to roost. We know for at least three decades, governments of all colours have been telling school kids their futures lie solely at University. This is wrong. And

decades later we are seeing the results of the neglect shown towards trades. We are short on every key trade this country needs to build what we have to build. A recent report said that in construction alone we needed over 200,000 new workers. Whilst we are short by such huge numbers we’re never going to get close to hitting any of our selfimposed targets. But any changes have to come from the education sector. Schools have to start talking to kids in a meaningful way about their options and not brainwash them all into thinking University is the only path they should consider.

change. Money is too powerful an influence. So the hard truth is this: things are going to get worse before they get better. Labour and skills shortages are going to continue for a long time and will only put more pressure on supply chains. If UK fenestration specifically wants to change this, then it is going to have to move beyond words and meaningless PR and collaborate together, across supply chains, often with competitors and those who don’t usually work together. This is going to require a collective effort the likes of which we have not seen. Double Glazing Blogger

Schools and colleges need to start giving kids who are at an age where they need to start thinking about a career a balanced view of the world. Showing them that there are good ways to a great living down other paths, such as trades, including fenestration, and that these are just as important as any other route of life. And certainly not to be looked down upon. Do I think that a wholesale change is going to happen at the education level? No. Until financial incentives are reduced or removed for colleges and sixth form centres with regards to how many they send to University, that won’t

DGB MAGAZINE

How Did We End

Double Glaz

See the background image? That is what the supply chain feels like to me right now. The UK fenestration sector is in a mess. Not through lack of demand. The exact opposite. With stress levels going beyond acceptable, lead times being measures in months and not weeks, prices going up constantly, how did we end up in this position?

Perfect Storm

been used to a certain amount of business being done each year. It meant that when demand suddenly rose by a significant degree, we were unable to scale up to cope. We now find ourselves running very low on certain products, delivery schedules that are as fluid as water and lead times for installers that are now comfortably beyond Christmas, and that was back in August. Demand shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, unlike last year, there are signs that the regular seasonal push at the start of September is back. So if anything, we’re all about to get a whole lot busier!

Normally, phrases like that wind me up. They’re used far too often by all sorts of portions of society to spell doom and disaster. However, in the case of UK Lack Of Glass fenestration, we really have been hit by a perfect storm of conditions One of the very acute issues right which are all contributing to the now is glass. There is a shortage of extreme trading conditions we it and it’s affecting our industry as have all been facing since Q2 of well as many others. For example, 2020. car manufacturers, as well as lacking semiconductor chips, So let’s try and pick apart the are also lacking glass for things various calamities that have led like windscreens and sunroofs. to where we are right now. First, No glass equals no cars. In UK let’s start with a positive reason. fenestration, we are really starting Demand. As the sector woke to feel the bite of very severe back up in May 2020, many were shortages of glass. predicting a short, sharp boost as we all returned to the work that In particular, we are running was on pause, coupled with some pent up demand that was thought low on laminated glass products, as well as toughened glass and to last a couple of months, maybe other non-float glass options. We three, then settle back down to had one email last week from a normal levels. How wildly wrong supplier of glass conservatory we all were. We find ourselves in roofs that have had to suspend September 2021, riding a wave of indefinitely seven lines of product, record demand from consumers that shows absolutely zero signs of choosing to focus on the few products they can get a regular slowing down. supply of. This is a remarkable and We are two plants down. One at very fortunate position for UK Guardian and one at Saint-Gobain. fenestration to be in. You only need to look at other sectors which We’re down to Pilkington. Both plants that are down at the same have been in a prolonged state time are undergoing upgrades and of stasis for much longer than maintenance. The last conversation we have to see how lucky we are. I had with people with knowledge That being said, it is clear that the say that these are running behind. supply chain from top to bottom At a time of insane demand, this was not ready for this amount could not have come at a worse of spending to be unleashed. time. As soon as these plants come As a result, we were all caught back online we should start to see on the back foot. Our sector has 14

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some relief in this area, but it won’t be immediate and it will take some time to build back stock levels. I can see glass shortages lasting into the start of 2022.

Labour This one is not a new one. We are desperately short of talent and skilled workers in all areas of the sector. The installation side of things is well known and has been for over a decade. New fitters are needed and in big numbers. Installers are being held back and growth is being stifled because we cannot access the talent pool we need to make it happen. But it’s not just installers. Fabricators and systems companies are looking for people in all sorts of roles, including on the factory floor, in production, transport, loading, quality control and much more. If we can start to fill the huge number of vacancies in this sector then it would go some way to spreading the workload better. As it is, like most other sectors, we’re struggling to recruit workers, which is leading to increasing rates of pay to make our sector look more attractive to job seekers. We have to solve this problem. Once we move past the supply chain problems, which may not be resolved until the end of next year, the skills gap is going to remain. This is a problem not borne out of the pandemic or Brexit. This is one we have known about for a long time and we have to turn it around.

Driver Shortage I have to be honest, of all the issues our sector is talking about right now, I’m not hearing this one come up often. That’s not to say it’s not affecting us either. I am sure systems companies, major glass suppliers etc are in the same boat as many other sectors and are struggling to get hold of lorry

d Up Like This?

zing Blogger

drivers. In the last few weeks, we have seen what this shortage of drivers has affected. No milkshakes or bottled drinks at McDonald’s. Nandos ran out of chicken. Ikea is 1000 product lines short. That is to name the most famous examples. The construction sector is facing problems too with transport. Brexit and the pandemic are being blamed for this. However, this may not be the full truth. I was listening to a radio interview with a lorry driver last week on BBC Radio 5 Live and he was explaining that whilst these were acute instances that manifested accelerated change in the sector, the trucking industry has been warning of shortages for a lot longer than the pandemic and Brexit has existing for. Poor pay and working conditions, according to this driver, has been pushing people away from the sector for the last decade, and Government has been warned about shortages of drivers for a while.

Shipping Where to start with this one. With commercial air freight still nothing like what it used to be, global sea shipping and demand for containers continue to go through the roof. The problem is, there are only so many ships, so many containers, and they’re all in the wrong places in the world to service the areas of demand that really needs them. As a result, shipping costs have increased ten to fifteen-fold in the space of a year. That has trickled down into price increases throughout the supply chain, with the homeowner being the one to pay the higher costs. Luckily, the public seems able to swallow the higher costs for now. How long that situation will continue remains to be seen, as inflation spikes quickly higher. Then there was the Suez canal

blockage. One enormous cargo ship called the Evergreen ran aground in the canal and held up traffic both ways for weeks. They also held up ships with products destined for the UK fenestration sector. Not great timing. We’re not done there. The recent spike in COVID cases in China lead to a partial shutdown of ports in Ningbo, one of the largest ports in the world. And yes, you guessed it, products that UK fenestration uses come out of that port, and yes, some suppliers are already warning of disruption to supplies later on in the year.

Price Increases It doesn’t feel like big news anymore, but since May of last year prices in UK fenestration have risen by the week. Remember the days when you’d get one price increase per year? I think those days are gone for a while. Product shortages, labour shortages, rising shipping costs and intense demand have all come together at the same time to force prices upwards, in some areas by the week. This has lead to inflation-busting rates of increases in our sector. Now, arguably, prices in the window and door industry have needed to rise for a while. But the idea was to raise them slowly and sustainably. I don’t think anyone expected to be selling windows and doors 20-30% higher than they were at the start of 2020. This is the situation, however, and at the moment the public finances do seem to be able to cope with these higher prices. There will be a ceiling at some point and we have to be mindful that prices can only go up so far before it starts to put people off from buying.

used all over the world to keep the virus in check has forced a perhaps permanent change in people’s spending habits, especially towards big-ticket items like home improvements. I do sense that people’s priorities have been refocused on homes, with owners wanting their own four walls and gardens to be as nice as possible. This is great if you’re in the world of windows and doors. But as we have seen, the sudden jump in demand is not something our sector has been able to cope with very well, and we have not had the capacity to scale up quickly enough to meet that demand. Some predict that we’re in a four-year cycle of higher levels of home improvements. I think that is pretty optimistic to be fair. I think we could be in this current situation for much of next year, then see a levelling off a slight fall thereafter. But even so, we are going to need to find ways to either work smarter or increase output because the public will only stomach extending lead times for so long. Many installers are at four months right now. I suspect though that at five or six month waits it will start to put some people off and make them think again about where they spend their cash. I think we’re headed for a preChristmas rush towards the end of the year, with lead time extending further. 2022 looks set to be another year of high demand. It does look like the conditions we have been operating in since May of 2020 will persist for some time yet.

Pandemic Last but certainly not least is the pandemic itself. The lockdowns DGB MAGAZINE

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A minimum order value is a figure an installation company will charge as the absolute lowest limit they would accept for work to be done. The subject matter of minimum order values came up via a tweet from a company called T And R Home Improvement Specialists. This is what they said:

Work is work For clarity, I am not a fan of minimum order values. At our place, we will engage with a client whether it is one window or one hundred. To us, work is work. That one window you bother to spend time over may open the door to larger orders in the future from the same client, or they may pass your name and number on

single-window is not w or effort. They have a that doesn’t really allo kinds of sales.

But for a smaller comp how relationships are window today can turn maybe ten a year or tw line. Or a set of doors, a glazed extension. On establish that relations customer the chances more business in the f increase. Turn that cus because the immediat is deemed too small a turning away a much l of their business.

There is an advantage smaller, more agile co will take on smaller or minimum order. They caring, more agreeabl and more helpful. A co tells a client that they anything under a certa will come across as gre company following the have a minimum orde their job of winning th been made that little b

A way to manag business?

Although personally, I of minimum order valu couple of reasons as to used. It started a debate around the use of minimum order values and their worth. In these extreme trading conditions, this is perhaps a good time to talk about it, and whether they have any merits.

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to their family and friends. We generally come up against companies who have minimum order values that are larger regional or national installation companies. I imagine to them one door or a

The first is mentioned companies set up to d volumes won’t be inte single door or single w

But the second is that used to manage a bus allow that business to selectively who they w

worth their time business model ow for those

pany, this is built. One n into six, wo down the , or perhaps nce you ship with a of you winning future greatly stomer away te business and you risk larger portion

e here for ompanies that rders without look more le, less greedy ompany that won’t sell ain amount eedy. For the e one that does er value then hat business has bit easier.

I am not a fan ues, there are a o why they are

For example, if they believe the customer is going to be a nightmare, they may choose either to submit a higher-than-normal price in order to put them off using them, but not look like they are ignoring them either. Or they may just choose to say that they won’t entertain any work under a certain amount, effectively cutting the conversation with the customer dead. During these incredible times that we’re operating in, businesses in UK fenestration are having to make decisions on who to deal with, as they seek to better manage their company in extreme conditions. Installers are no different. Many are under great strain, with the supply chain letting them down and staff working under huge stresses. You can imagine that some installers are looking at what they choose to take on because of the circumstances. Using minimum order values will cut down on having to service certain clients and let them focus on the larger jobs with healthier profit margins.

Let’s Talk About Minimum Order Values Double Glazing Blogger

That is a very short-term way to view things, and I do have some sympathy as we’re all in a very tough time at the moment. But I do maintain that work is work and that one window or one door order, while not a big order right now, can spawn much bigger orders in the future that you might not otherwise have had if you chose to not take on that client.

d above, in that deal with larger erested in a window.

t they can be siness and choose more work with.

DGB MAGAZINE

The Supply Chain Can Return To Normal If Two Things Happen Double Glazing Blogger

The one question everyone is asking is when the supply chain will return to normal. For over a year our sector has had to cope with steep and constant price increases, product delays, shortages and ever-extending lead times. But there is a way, even two, for the supply chain to return to normal.

Reduction In Spending One of the main reasons for the problems in the supply chain is both domestic and international demand. It’s very high. After multiple lockdowns and hundreds of billions in government support, there is a lot of money in people’s pockets. Depending on the report you read, it’s anywhere between £150bn-£350bn. That is going to take a significant amount of time to spend. Even if people do up their spending on big-ticket items like cars, kitchens, doors and holidays, it may not drain their accounts. The other boost in spending has been on infrastructure. Homebuilding is a good example. The Government has a target of 300,000 new homes per year for the next five years. That is going to take significant resources and materials. And with builders both catching up from delays caused by lockdowns and attempting to meet demand from the public, housebuilders are sucking up a great deal of the material demand. If, however, spending in these two areas suddenly drops, or levels off at a more sustainable level, the pressure on the supply chain will alleviate. Demand for materials will drop to more manageable levels and will give companies more time to build back stock levels as well as reduce stress on the workforce. The bad news? There are no signs right now that this is about to happen. One systems company in the UK fenestration sector even believes that we’re at the start of a FOUR-year cycle of higher levels of demand for home improvements. Personally, I think that’s a tad optimistic. Speak to others and the consensus is that this level of demand is likely to last until at least Q2 or Q3 of this year, maybe to the end of the year, then it drops off. If this is the case, then it means the strains we’re under now are going to be here for at least another year.

Immediate Increase In Capacity The other way the supply chain can return to normal is if we can find a way to immediately and significantly increase output and capacity. One of the reasons we’re in this state is that in most parts we’re at capacity. We have a bizarre scenario where most major suppliers are NOT looking for new business. How many ever thought we’d be in that position? Yet here we are. We’re all full and we cannot take on any new customers in any significant way. I am aware of a number of fabricators actively looking to increase both storage and production capacity to be able to meet current high demand. That is easier said than done. New units aren’t always available and the money needed to invest to buy new machinery and storage facilities isn’t cheap. But fabricators are under pressure to find ways to ease the strain. If you’re a machinery company right now you’re perhaps in the only part of the sector actively taking on new customers. This really is boom time. On the whole though, the ability for the entire sector to be able to scale up quickly isn’t there. Not only that, wider global supply chain problems with polymer, glass, hardware, transport and labour makes that ability to scale up even harder. So in the end, unless the above two scenarios manifest quickly, what we have now in the new normal and we’re simply going to have to get used to it. 2023 may be the year we might largely return to normal working paradigms, but that is a way off yet. 20

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Nelson Graham – Obituary Bohle Ltd is sad to announce that former National Sales Manager, Nelson Graham, passed away on the evening of Monday 20 September. Nelson was well known and respected throughout the UK and Irish glass and glazing industry. In a career spanning twentysix years, Nelson was initially employed in April 1987 as Commercial Manager for Berlyne Bailey & Co, and following the subsequent acquisition by Bohle Group served as National Sales Manager of Bohle Ltd until his retirement in March 2013. Nelson was born in Cambuslang, a coal and steel town where his family ran a haulage business. As a talented artist, he had received an offer to join the prestigious Glasgow School of Art but with pressure to join the family business Nelson decided to make his own future in sales. His early career saw him selling plant and equipment in the Middle-East. Nelson later applied his strong technical background and great negotiating skills to the business of selling machinery for Bohle. Very much a people person, he forged strong relationships with glass processors throughout the UK & Ireland but, in particular, his home country of Scotland, where he would say ‘I speak their language.’ Talking about Nelson, Bohle Group COO Arne Klöfkorn said, ‘Nelson was a very special person and for sure one of the figureheads of Bohle. For those who got to know him, he left a permanent impression.’ Dave Broxton, MD of Bohle Ltd added, ‘My lasting memory of Nelson will be of his last exhibition at Glasstec 2012, where we were celebrating his career with a party on the stand but all the time he was still trying to sell a drill to a customer. He was a great salesman but also a true and loyal friend who will be sadly missed.’ Nelson’s wife Dorothy passed away three years ago and he is survived by their daughter Heather and Dorothy’s family. Funeral arrangements are still to be confirmed at this time.

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A Slowdown May Be Coming A self-made fuel crisis. A CO2 crisis. Food shortages. A gas supply crisis with prices skyrocketing and suppliers going bust. Universal Credit cuts are coming and the end of furlough is this week with a million still on the scheme. Oh, and inflation is rapidly rising. The UK is facing a severe barrage of imminent cost-of-living increases, and this is not good news for sectors like ours.

Hitting The Brakes

high profile nature of these problems, this is going to hit consumer confidence hard. Anecdotally, I have been seeing signs that business activity might well be slowing down. I can say that at our place the pace of leads has slowed somewhat, and sales haven’t been flooding in the same way they were a couple of months ago. It does feel to me that consumers are starting to hit the brakes. Remember, Christmas isn’t that far away and if people are worried about money and being able to afford presents at Christmas, they’re going to start looking at where they can cut back. Big-ticket items like new windows and doors are on that list.

The pace of the rebound was not always going to be as fast as it has been over the last 15 months or so. For over a year we have all been running at 110% as our sector, among many others, has sought to keep up with consumers Planning For A Downturn spending their extra cash on their homes. This has provided UK fenestration with a period of How people spend is as much to do with growth the likes of which very few of us have confidence as it is actual money in people’s ever seen. pockets. If people feel good about things, if they feel confident about the economy and Speculation about when this period would their own personal finances, they will spend end has been wide and varied. One systems quite freely. This is what we have seen over company think we’re at the start of a four- the past 15-18 months with spending on year cycle of higher demand for home home improvements far higher than we could improvements. Others think that at some have predicted. point in 2022, somewhere around Q3, things will start to fall away again. Now, the environment has changed again significantly in the last couple of months. After seeing the array of crises the UK now A shortage of HGV drivers is resulting in finds itself in, all of which will directly affect food shortages on shelves, fuel supplies not the cost of living for all of us, I think that the making it to forecourts, and now warnings slowdown we were all expecting at some about Christmas being disrupted. The point will be coming far faster than most of Government has announced a temporary visa us had hoped. for foreign drivers to come to the UK, but the number announced is paltry and won’t make I appreciate that this may sound odd a difference. considering the circumstances we’re all still The various problems we have, along with the working in. Glass shortages are rampant, cost of living shooting skywards, is pushing deliveries are under strain, fitting lead times inflation up far higher than predicted. I have are being measures in months and not weeks, been talking about this for a while and what I and most of us are incredibly stressed and have talked about is coming to the fore. drained after such a sustained period of trading. However, looking at the various crises Inflation is now predicted to be at 4% by ongoing right now, these are about to start the end of the year according to the Bank of hitting the pockets of the public imminently, England. I still think this is behind the curve if they haven’t done so already. And given the and they should be looking at something

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closer to 5%, maybe higher. The point is, the higher the inflation, the less money in people’s pockets which again impacts spending habits. Everything going on right now is hitting people where it matters, in their bank accounts. Add to that Universal Credit cuts and then the end of the furlough scheme later on this week. One million people are estimated to still be on that scheme. With all sectors now open and running, you have to fear for those on furlough and question why they haven’t returned to work. A big jump in unemployment will contribute further pressure to the UK economy. To demonstrate how all of this is having an effect, UK GDP growth was just 0.1% in July. This was below estimates. We are at risk here of slipping back into recession unless the Government can get a serious grip on the swathe of problems disrupting the UK right now. The headlines predicting a winter of discontent may not be that far from the truth. For UK fenestration, I would say it’s time to plan for a downturn. There is no doubt that the economic problems taking place at the moment is changing the landscape once again and the boom period we have been operating under may be about to come to a fairly abrupt end. If you’re an installer with 4 months of work booked in, there’s no need to panic. There is plenty of work ahead to keep the cash coming in. But for installers, and indeed the entire sector, it’s time to step up the marketing efforts back up again. It’s time to become more visible, more active, more engaging. The fight for people’s money is about to get a lot harder than we’re used to. There are still plenty of paths of opportunity out there, but the free ride we have all been enjoying over the past year or so I feel is about to come grinding to a halt.

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ALUMINIUM Aluminium Commodity Prices Spike Higher, UK Fenestration Will Feel The Effects The price of pretty much everything continues to go up, putting pressure on the argument that inflation is only going to be a temporary story. Last week the price of aluminium on the commodity exchanges spiked 14% to reach multiyear highs. We operate in a global supply chain and this spike is only going to add further pressures to prices which will also affect the UK aluminium fenestration sector in the weeks and months to come.

Aluminium Prices Jump There are two reasons aluminium has been rising in recent weeks and months. The first is the reason everything else has been rising. High demand coupled with supply problems. The second reason is geopolitical. There has been a coup in Guinea. Why should that matter you ask? Guinea is the world’s second-biggest exporter of bauxite, the raw material needed to produce alumina, which is the start of the aluminium production process. Though Guinea’s biggest customers are Russia and China, it contributed to prices spiking higher. Prior to this aluminium prices on the commodity markets were already at multi-year highs. At the close of trade last week the price of aluminium stood at $2916.07 per tonne. For context, the 52-week low is $1730.35. There are fears the political situation in Guinea will affect exports of bauxite, which will add further disruption to a global supply chain that is already being crippled. At just under $3000 per tonne, the price for aluminium is about to test all-time highs, when it peaked at $3115 per tonne in 2008. Any further shocks or potential disruption is likely to send the price above that record high.

Prices Will Affect UK Fenestration It’s not just the PVCu side of our sector that is being hit, the aluminium side is too. Whether you’re commercial or residential in the UK

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fenestration market, these higher prices are going to make their way down to you and it’s going to have an effect. The obvious place to look is at aluminium systems companies. Some may have hedged and bought three months ahead of time. But with no signs these prices are going to come down any time soon, there is no getting away from the fact that when systems companies have to negotiate their contracts for the raw materials they need, they’re going to be at a significantly higher price than before. As with the rest of the price increases we have all had, these will make their way down the supply chain, from systems companies to fabricators, then to installers, then to the endusers which are homeowners or those who the commercial units being worked on. Whilst the public purse seems to be able to afford it, these prices do have to be passed down each time. Profit margins have to be kept intact and preserved. Absorbing it all is only going to eat away at the profitability of any business. It’s not just the systems companies that will be hit. Hardware and component companies are going to feel this too. Aluminium is used in almost every component our sector used. Locking strips, handles, brackets, even fixings. We’re going to notice prices on goods such as this climb further too. Whilst the public has been willing and able to pay for new windows and doors at these higher prices, our sector does need to be keeping an eye on where the public may begin to draw a line. Whilst prices may continue to keep rising in the medium term, the willingness of the public to keep shelling out higher and higher prices may not be that resilient. Higher inflation is causing all prices to rise. The public is already wary of this and may begin to start becoming more cautious in their spending on big-ticket items. There is a limit, we just don’t know yet where that limit is. Double Glazing Blogger

IUM

Deceuninck Aluminium Expands Customer Support Team and it’s great to be part of a rapidly growing and very dynamic business.” Decalu by Deceuninck Aluminium’s aluminium was launched in the UK in January 2020, gaining traction on the strength of manufacturing efficiencies of up to 40%, plus major installation gains, including the use of a pre-inserted co-extruded gasket and knock-in glazing bead. The range includes the ultra-energyefficient Decalu88 Bi-folding Door, the Decalu163 Lift-and-Slide; aluminium entrance doors; casement windows; turnand-tilt; and reversible windows. Deceuninck Aluminium has expanded its customer support function with the appointment of Klare Dean as Customer Service Coordinator. Starting out in the banking industry, Klare took a career break to raise her family, returning to work in an order processing role in the printing industry in 2016. She joined Deceuninck in 2018 as a Customer Service Administrator, within the PVC-U side of the business, later training as an internal auditor. Klare joined the Deceuninck Aluminium team in July, becoming a key point of contact for its rapidly expanding customer base.

Nigel Headford, Director, Deceuninck Aluminium, said: “Klare is passionate about service and that’s absolutely key for us because from day one we’ve always said that if our service levels are the same as everyone else’s then we’ve failed. We want to be the best. “Klare’s appointment is a key part of the jigsaw and she’s going to be instrumental in taking us to where we want to go. We’re delighted to bring her on board.” For more information call 01249 816 969, email deceuninck.ltd@deceuninck.com or visit www.deceuninck.co.uk Sponsored Content Deceuninck

She said: “The enthusiasm here is infectious, the team, the customers. Everyone is behind this product. Whenever I’ve spoken to anyone about Decalu, it’s been a positive. “As Customer Services Coordinator it’s my job to make sure that that offer is underpinned with the right levels of service and support. “Even in the short time that I’ve been here, we’ve brought on a number of new customers DGB MAGAZINE

HWL Introduces Sheerline Prestige Aluminium Range Sponsored Content Garnalex

HWL Trade Frames has introduced the new Sheerline Prestige aluminium range from Garnalex, bolstering its existing portfolio of premium, PVC-U heritage and flush products.

compound, used in the manufacture of polyamide thermal breaks, has resulted in a force majeure from suppliers that are expected to remain in place until the start of 2022. This has severely impacted the ability of numerous system companies that rely on polyamide strips to respond to ongoing high demand for aluminium products. “We’ve already had a lot of interest from customers in our Sheerline offer, particularly for the bi-fold,” continued Graham. “That includes those who are frustrated with lead times on their existing aluminium

The specialist trade fabricator will be offering its customers the complete Sheerline Prestige range of windows and doors and is now taking orders for its much anticipated bi-fold option. Graham Howatson, Director, HWL Trade Frames, commented: “Sheerline is an outstanding system, it’s going to have a big impact on the market. That’s due to its design, its choice of finishes but also because it is highly innovative. “One of the standout features for us is the new design of thermal break,” he continued. “Called Thermlock, it helps to deliver exceptionally low U values, but importantly, it does so without the need for a traditional polyamide insert.” A global shortage of PA66 26

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supplier, but also because with Prestige, we can now offer a combined, high-quality PVC and aluminium solution. “Prestige perfectly complements our PVC products,” said Graham. “That incorporates our Residence Collection range, including our non-glass bonded Timberweld R9, and our new 70mm Kommerling Timberweld flush casement.” Prestige is available from HWL Trade Frames as a casement and tilt and turn window as well as an entrance door, French door or bi-fold.

Offered with PAS24:2016 as standard, it achieves Secured by Design accreditation when

optioned with laminate glass, delivering U values as low as 1.3W/m2k for double glazed and 0.9W/m2k for triple glazed windows. Available in eight powdercoated matt colours, with options for a high gloss white finish and for contrasting interiors as well as a further three anodised finishes, Prestige can be specified with a choice of two opening sash styles; ‘Stepped’ – which mimics a traditional steel window – and ‘Contemporary’. Both styles are available as a standard or as a flush option. For more information email sales@hwlwindows.co.uk call 0113 2449006 or log on at www.hwlwindows.co.uk

Sheerline Builds A Grand Designs Lead Engine For Customers Sponsored Content Garnalex

Sheerline, the ground-breaking aluminium window and door system, has invested in its first consumer campaign to create awareness, interest, and premium quality leads for Sheerline fabricators and installers. Targeting top-end homeowners and the booming premiumquality home improvement market, Sheerline’s first consumer adverts are appearing in Grand Designs, the magazine based on the hit television programme of the same name. A pipeline of activity including digital guides, newsletter features, and social media adverts are also planned in the coming weeks and months. Sheerline is also investing in a strong in-house consumer support team to produce a sustained level of consumer marketing that will build the Sheerline brand with premium audiences and generate a stream of quality leads for customers. The company is recruiting a dedicated consumer PR copywriter and a graphic designer to create stunning consumer adverts for Grand Designs readers. A special landing page has been designed to manage enquiries from consumers – www.sheerline. com/balance.

aluminium systems companies aspire to. Roger Hartshorn, CEO at Garnalex, says: “The home improvement market is extremely strong at the moment and there’s a huge demand for premium quality aluminium windows and doors. We expect the consumer campaign to generate quality leads for our fabricator and installer partners across the country. Our beautiful high-performance windows and doors are in a class of their own, and as they’re Made in Britain, and sitting in our warehouse, we can deliver reliably in five working days. That gives Sheerline fabricators and installers a powerful competitive advantage when their competitors are wondering how many weeks they’ll have to wait, and delivery dates are all over the place. Sheerline Classic and Sheerline Prestige windows and doors are delivered from stock and available in 12 colours. With bespoke colours

also delivered in 10 working days, we have something to suit every discerning homeowner and project.” For more information about the range of Sheerline products available, visit www.sheerline.com and www.sheerlinevideo.com. Call 01332 883960 or email info@sheerline.com. Follow @SheerlineSystem and @GarnalexSystems for the latest news and updates.

Sheerline Classic, Sheerline Prestige and the S1 Roof Lantern have received enthusiastic feedback from customers who love the innovative range of products. Most of all, they love the outstanding, reliable service that enables them to sell in real-time because all products in all colours are supplied from stock. And bespoke colours are delivered in half the time most DGB MAGAZINE

Sheerline’s New Trailblazing Sheerline has launched a new range of bi-fold doors, which extends its popular range of Sheerline Prestige aluminium windows and doors. The new Sheerline Prestige bifold combines style, security, innovation and sustainability in a ground-breaking range of bi-fold doors. Unfettered by legacy design restrictions, the company has pushed the performance boundaries, future-proofing it against the proposed tightening of Part L of the Building Regulations. Sheerline’s new bi-fold achieves extremely low U-Values – 1.4 W/m²K double glazed and 1.0 W/m²K tripled glazed. This remarkable performance, exceptional for aluminium bi-folds, is down to Sheerline’s unique Thermlock® technology. Closed-cell multi-chambered cores ensure greater thermal performance compared to other aluminium bi-folds that use polyamide thermal breaks. With four different threshold options, including one with an integrated cill, all featuring fully weather-sealed rebates, it offers up to seven pane configurations. With both inward and outward opening options, the bifold has a maximum height of 2.6m and a maximum width of 6.5m. Bespoke hardware, based on proven ‘tried and tested’

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designs is supplied by VBH, with a custom-made Winkhaus ‘Thunderbolt’ lock. It includes one-piece keeps and an integral finger-pull passive door for configurations that feature ‘French door’ style sashes with an uncluttered single handle. The new bi-fold also comes with the option of an Ultion 1* Plus 2* lock and handle combination and a unique folding Ultion key, that protects the frames from damage. There are 10year mechanical operation guarantees on all hardware. A one-piece stainless-steel track with integral drainage allows for controlled, reliable rolling, as well as being easier to fit and cut, and tri-material Garnalex gaskets feature low friction coatings, ensuring smooth operation. Bringing many other benefits for fabricators and installers, the ancillaries used on the bi-fold doors are the same as for the standard Sheerline Prestige window and door system. This allows for simplified stock holding and fewer hold-ups. Fabricators also save time and money using the same milling cutter as the rest of the Sheerline Prestige range. Incorporating Sheerline’s standard patented corner cleat construction, fabricators can adjust the mitre for a perfect joint every time. No

Prestige Aluminium Bi-Fold more misaligned frames. Clip-in beads, an installer favourite from Prestige, are used on the bi-fold allowing for quicker, easier installation. The integral cill and ramped low threshold options also feature unique, one-piece end caps which act as frame jointers, saving time, and incorporating concealed drainage. Outer frames can also be supplied to installers as a flat pack, to make onsite assembly easier when access is difficult. Roger Hartshorn, Garnalex CEO, says: “Aluminium is the ideal material for bi-fold doors as it’s inherently strong and looks fantastic. Our technical experts injected innovation at every level, and because we started from a clean slate we avoided legacy design restrictions. For example, the bi-fold door suites perfectly with the Sheerline Prestige range so the same clean balanced sightlines run right through from windows and doors to the bifold. The result is a beautiful bifold for beautiful whole-house installations. It’s only when you see these lines matching up that you realise nothing else in the market can do that. Homeowners love that, even if they don’t appreciate why until you point it out. That’s why we say it’s a trailblazer.

systems that are imported from the other side of the world. Again, because we supply our standard range of colours from stock, and bespoke colours are made on-site, the Prestige bi-fold is available in our standard range of 12 stocked colours within five working days, with bespoke colours in just 10 working days. That’s also pretty remarkable for aluminium.” The full Sheerline range includes Sheerline Classic and Prestige windows and doors, S1 Roof Lantern, and the new Prestige bifold. Call Sheerline on 01332 883960, email info@sheerline.com or visit www.sheerline.com. Follow @SheerlineSystem and @GarnalexSystems for the latest news and updates. Sponsored Content Garnalex

“We listened to our fabricator partners and then we designed a bi-fold to exceed their expectations and wow installers and homeowners. And because we make every major part here in Britain, our carbon footprint is reduced compared with aluminium

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Considering video marketing? From design to online distribution, we can help.

Web: www.videoproduction4.co.uk | Call: 07437 854225

The biggest awards the UK fenestration sector has ever seen. Every single vote counts!

NFA21 VOTING IS LIVE! DEADLINE: NOV 4TH 9PM VOTE: www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/nfa21

01924 911234 | info@fenestrationawards.co.uk

TECHNOLOGY Building Customer Trust With Onsite 7

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OLOGY Onsite 7 has rapidly developed a reputation for being the most user-friendly and comprehensive job management system on the market today. But many installers are also reporting other benefits beyond the job management system. One of these is the professional polish it gives a business and how it helps to build consumer trust. Rhys Hoddinott, CEO at Onsite 7, comments: “We designed Onsite 7 to help installers manage their fitting teams, customers and jobs effortlessly. It’s fantastic to hear how it’s delivering these crucial functions but also adding even more benefits beyond that.” Onsite 7 holds details on every stage of a job: sales, survey, installation, and service and maintenance. It can also be used as a Customer Relationship Management system, allowing all customer details, documents, notes and job information to be stored in a single place. And because all the information is held on the cloud, it can be accessed anywhere there’s an internet connection. Rhys explains why this helps to create a professional polish: “Installers can pull up every piece of information about a customer’s job in an instant whether they’re in the office or on the customer’s premises. As a consumer, it’s very reassuring to have the sense that your installer has got everything to hand and in doing so, creates a premium experience. In addition, consumers are often investing thousands of pounds when they purchase fenestration products and it’s little things like professional job management software that elevate the experience for a further level of professional reassurance.” Alongside the customer-facing information, Onsite 7 also helps installers get valuable insight into their business. Features include end-to-end supply chain accountability to help installers keep track of their orders, reports, including job costing and profit reports and integration with Xero and QuickBooks accountancy packages. It’s been designed to be easy-to-use and can be tailored to meet precise requirements so it can reflect an installer’s unique workflow. Rhys concludes: “We are increasingly seeing that Onsite 7 adds value to every area of an installer’s business. It’s a simple but powerful business solution.” Onsite 7 costs £20 + VAT per month per licence. However, the value it delivers for all areas of an installer’s business means it provides exceptional return on investment from day one. Sponsored Content Onsite 7

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Big Boost For Business Micros T The Business Micros Group has added some valuable new features to its TOUCH Vendor software for installers, ahead of the upcoming launch of its accompanying TOUCH Portal software for fabricators and fully integrated TOUCH Connect option. TOUCH Vendor is a lead generation and quoting tool for installers, packed with useful features to help them close the sale. It already includes a window and door designer which installers can add to their website to generate warm leads from homeowners, a quote and survey tool, and a lead and quote management system. Now though, Vendor has taken a giant leap forward with the addition of live, automatic pricing options. Subscribers can set up their own pricing grid in Vendor based on the products they quote on, what they buy in at and what they sell out at. They can then include uplifts for colours, glass,

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hardware and ancillaries, and even add on prices for any extras they need such as installation, skip hire, plastering, sills and rendering. What’s particularly useful about the pricing is that users have the option of quoting with automatic pricing turned on or off, or just using it for certain products on a quote. If they want to send a separate price request form to a supplier, they can do that as well from within Vendor, and they always have the option of running a test quote on every enquiry to validate the total before they send it to the customer. Installers can also choose to display live product pricing on their website via the window and door designer and effectively price-condition potential customers with a subject to survey, supply only price before they enquire. Graeme Bailey, Managing Director of the Business Micros Group, says that the pricing option makes Vendor an even more valuable tool for installers, particularly in the current hectic market: “Being able to price automatically means installers can

TOUCH Vendor Quoting Software

save loads of time on every quote, and being able to pre-qualify retail enquiries with a ballpark figure means they are saving even more time not dealing with potential timewasters. “As you’d expect from the Business Micros team, which includes the web development experts at The Consultancy and Glazing Vault, the pricing set up is intuitive and user-friendly and comes with an online deployment wizard so subscribers can be up and running in no time. They only need to fill out their price grid once and if they need to add on a price rise from a supplier, they can set that to update automatically.” As well as the new pricing option, TOUCH Vendor also now includes aluminium and timber products for the first time and a vastly expanded range of composite door styles and PVC-U options. It’s now arguably the most comprehensive quoting and surveying tool on the market, with a vast library of products and datasets which subscribers simply turn on or off in their Vendor setup depending on what they sell and install.

They can quote on and survey as many different products as they like on one enquiry, and there is no limit to the number of products they can access within their monthly Vendor subscription. The product imagery for the aluminium, timber and composite door products matches the outstanding quality of the PVC-U imagery already in Vendor, and it all works seamlessly with the Virtual Home visualiser supplied as standard. This clever sales tool makes it easy to overlay window and door designs onto an uploaded photo of the customer’s home – with views from inside and out. It can be used for lead generation, in a face-to-face sales meeting or in a virtual sales call and the visual can be added to the quote sent to the customer in response to their enquiry. TOUCH Vendor is still available with a month’s free trial. Installers just need to register their details at: https://store.bm-touch.co.uk/ to access the demo. Sponsored Content Business Micros DGB MAGAZINE

DOORS

Endurance Introduce The Rose Gold Standard As one of the most vibrant brands in the composite door sector, Endurance Doors have been designated as the official launch partner for the new Hardex Rose Gold finish from ERA, which includes handles, letterplates, finger pull and escutcheon, along with a striking bullring knocker. This exceptional new finish has been inspired by the on-trend colour of Rose Gold which is seen with influential consumer lifestyle brands including Habitat, John Lewis and Swoon. It’s also backed with a 10-year function and finish guarantee from ERA,

colours and hardware. He continued: ‘As a launch partner with ERA, it also shows the strong relationships we have with our supply partners in this industry, working together to offer new and better products. Hardex Rose is a perfect example of this and we’re expecting strong demand from this from consumers and Installer Partners eager to upgrade existing showroom doors.’ For further information on the Endurance Solid and Secure composite door range, including the latest colours and finishes, please call the sales office on 01652 659259, visit https://endurancedoors.co.uk, or e-mail marketing@endurancedoors.co.uk. You can also add to the Twitter following @EnduranceDoors. Sponsored Content Endurance Doors

one of the most trusted hardware brands in the sector. The Hardex Rose option has also been added to the online door designer from Endurance, helping to inspire consumers with the latest style influences. Bold colours such as French Navy, Racing Green, Rich Red and the latest Brilliant Blue are perfectly suited to this premium new finish, along with heritage-inspired hues such as Duck Egg Blue, Elephant Grey and the newly launched Sage finish. Scott Foster, Head of Group Sales and Marketing for Endurance Doors commented: ‘We’re in the business to inspire consumers from a product design aspect and the introduction of Hardex Rose Gold fully verifies this claim and is yet another important product development for us. It’s important for us to be seen and be trusted to launch well thought-out products for our Installer Partners including new 36

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Endurance To Go Ultra-Premium With Avantal Endurance Doors have just launched the ultrapremium Avantal composite door, which boasts all the features and appearance of a powdercoated aluminium door yet based on the proven solid timber core chassis from their marketleading bespoke door offering.

and finishes, please call the sales office on 01652 659259, visit https://endurancedoors.co.uk or e-mail marketing@endurancedoors.co.uk. You can also add to the Twitter following @EnduranceDoors.

This is clearly a door that’s aimed at the contemporary and urban market thanks to the introduction of the ultra-matt black, anthracite grey and signal grey finishes, along with the woodgrain inspirations of Anteak and rustic cherry. The edgebanding also benefits from a textured finish, with all options enjoying an ultra-matt, premium white internal finish, while the door frames have been laminated in-house within the Rocal Group for a perfect match.

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Berkshire Installer Transforms Homes With Freefoam

Freefoam Building Products recently visited and filmed Freefoam Registered Installer Glen Young in Reading, Berkshire, to see how he regularly transforms homes using Freefoam PVC products. The visit took in three properties, all of which had PVC Fortex or X-Wood cladding installed. The first two properties had previously featured hanging tiles above the ground floor elevation. Both homeowners were undertaking refurbishment inside and out and wanted a more modern feel. Glen fitted Fortex Weatherboard style cladding, in Storm Grey and Misty Grey, to tone in with the existing brickwork and complement the white windows and black doors. The third property had been built originally with a white wood cladding to the front and the homeowner wanted a maintenance-free option. He chose X-Wood cladding in white to create a smart, neat finish. Over the last 12 months, Glen has seen quite an increase in cladding enquiries, with requests to replace hanging tiles, render and pebble dash a common theme. Glen finds that installing external cladding really can drastically change, modernise and improve the appearance of a home. He explained “ I use both Freefoam’s Fortex and X-Wood cladding ranges. Fortex has a large colour range and it features an embossed wood effect finish, which is very popular with customers. I think X-Wood cladding is amazing, it has a woodgrain finish which means it’s a great option where wood might typically be chosen. It has by far has the nicest finish and more customers are choosing it.” Glen also fits insulation behind the cladding to help improve the heat retention of homes. He said, “The difference fitting insulation can make to the heating costs and comfort of customer’s homes is lifechanging.” Another benefit to installers like Glen is that the Freefoam cladding system is it’s quick and easy to fit. Glen finds that he can complete the front of a property in a few days, giving the homeowner an almost instant makeover, transforming the look and create that all-important kerb appeal. Glen took over the family business established by his father three years ago and has had 30 years experience of in fitting UPVC products including fascia, soffit, guttering and cladding. He works in and around Berkshire on a wide variety of properties and buys the Freefoam range from local Freefoam stockist Willmotts Plastic Building Products in Reading. Glen explained “The owner Scott is amazing! Willmotts are always there to help, and the effort they made throughout the COVID lockdown to keep my 50

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business going was phenomenal. The delivery drivers are always on time and they will always try to get deliveries to me the next day! I couldn’t say enough about how fantastic Scott and his company are.” As a Freefoam Registered Installer Glen receives support from Freefoam, including marketing materials and sample packs, which help him sell to customers easier. He also receives free homeowner leads for cladding and roofline work, which he finds a valuable addition to his business. Glen summarised “Hopefully I’ll be fitting Freefoam for many more years to come. Combining great products with a quality installation has always made homeowners happy.” VIEW VIDEO HERE Sponsored Content Freefoam

Certass: Letter To The Editor

Dear Jason The recent industry news that GGF Group has collated data from its knowledge hub into a ‘Glazing Market Knowledge Report and is charging for copies may well rightly raise some alarm bells with local SME Installers. When your data becomes a product, that is either distributed as a member benefit or sold for a profit, the key questions are – who benefits and who loses? Obviously, the first beneficiary will be the party selling or sharing that information. Then there are the companies being given or purchasing the information, who can potentially use it to gain a commercial advantage. The argument likely will be that as the data is anonymised to comply with GDPR then there is no harm to provide it. However, I firmly believe that any report which takes local knowledge and delivers it in an easily digestible format (for data miners) to large companies could cause definite harm to the SME Installer who already knows their local market. It is the typical contrast between the local installer who operates on reputation and local knowledge to larger companies who have big sales and marketing budgets. The data in the GGF report is likely to be of little to no use to a local installer who can tell you which products sell best probably estate by estate; they know what they quoted for a job and know which jobs they lost. But the report promises to expose that key regional data on window and door installations over the last few years, including the number of installations, broken down by the number of windows and doors per job as well as average costs per job and per unit. In the IT world, data is king, so a local SME installer should guard theirs closely. Even anonymised data has the potential to do great harm to local markets. The question for SMEs is, who do you trust with your data and are you aware that reports like this could use your data in this way? It’s situations like this that led Certass to form the Installer Protection Committee (IPC), to create a platform where SME installers can have their voice heard. We meet every other month to discuss what’s happening in the industry and get real-world views from installers, who tell us what support they would like to see from the industry. We believe this is a much more valuable way of supporting the industry and our members. As for Certass members’ data, it remains protected at all times. We only use the data that is given to us for the purpose it is given to us for – certifying installations, so installers have full control of what their data is used for. Jason Clemmit Managing Director, Certass

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Bostik Is New BMBI Expert For Adhesives & Sealants Sponsored Content Bostik

Bostik, a leading global adhesive specialist in construction, consumer and industrial markets, joined the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) Expert Panel in August. Marketing Director Mathew Whitehouse speaks for the adhesives & sealant market. With annual sales of €2 billion, Bostik is one of the largest adhesives and sealant companies in the world with a product range designed to meet the highest standards of quality and innovation. Mathew has three decades of experience in the adhesives industry and has been the UK Marketing Director for Bostik since 2017. He brings a wealth of experience and business acumen to the BMBI panel. Each Expert speaks exclusively for its market, commenting on issues, trends and opportunities. The BMBI, a brand of the Builders Merchant Federation (BMF), is a monthly index of builders’ merchant sales, with summary reports published each month and more in-depth reports, including Expert comments and analysis, every quarter. Developed and produced by MRA Research, the Index is the most reliable, up-to-date measure of the UK’s Repair, Maintenance and Improvement (RMI) market. The reports and data are based on GfK’s definitive Builders Merchant Point of Sale Tracking Data, which analyses sales out data from over 80% of generalist builders’ merchants’ sales across Great Britain. BMBI is widely used and referenced in construction, and more widely by economists, investment companies, advisors, the media and Government. The panel of 15 leading brands are an integral part of the Index. MRA Research CEO Mike Rigby comments: “We’re delighted to welcome Bostik representing Adhesives & Sealants. BMBI fills an important gap in the UK’s construction statistics with the quarterly reports including expert analysis of market trends and issues. The BMBI Experts who comment are leading voices in their sectors, speaking for their markets. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) includes BMBI reports in its Monthly Construction Update alongside the ONS, Bank of England and IHS Markit reports.” Bostik UK Marketing Director Mathew Whitehouse adds: “There’s no doubt that BMBI platform provides fantastic insight into the construction sector and joining the Expert panel is recognition of our position in the market. We look forward to sharing insights into the adhesives and sealants market as well as contributing to the BMBI debates”. Mathews’s first comment is published in the Q2 2021 report, available to download here. For all other reports, Expert commentary, or round table debate videos, visit www.bmbi.co.uk.

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DECEUNINCK FABRICATOR, FASTFRAME, COMPLETES £2M FIRST PHASE OF GRAND UNION

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Deceuninck fabricator, Fastframe, has supplied a total of 1,385 windows and doors for Affinity House, the first of six phases scheduled for the Grand Union development in Alperton, Northwest London. Working with Deceuninck approved installer, APW Glazing, supply and installation was completed over an 18-month period at a total cost in excess of £2million. Designed by architect, Building Design Partnership, for main developer, St George – a member of the Berkeley Group – Affinity House is located within 11-acres of landscaped gardens, meadows and waterside pathways and overlooks the historic, 137mile Grand Union Canal. The Grand Union Development, which is set to transform a previously derelict 22-acre site, will deliver over 3,000 new homes, providing residents with close transport links to Central London, a mix of community facilities and 135,000ft2 of flexible workspace. For Affinity House, which comprises 146 1,2 and 3-bed apartments, Fastframe manufactured a combination of Deceuninck’s contemporary 5000 Series Linktrusion doors and Fully Reversible Windows (FRW), finished in Decoroc Balmoral Grey on white. Designed for medium to high rise developments, Deceuninck’s Fully Reversible Window comes as standard with PAS24 accreditation and achieves Class A4, 600Pa Air Permeability; Class E1050 water tightness and Class AE2400 PA wind resistance. An ideal solution for modern buildings that demand large apertures, the FRW can be manufactured as a single opening window to a maximum size of 1,400mm x 1,400mm and delivers U values of 1.3 double glazed and 0.96 triple glazed. The 5000 Series is Deceuninck’s flagship commercial system, available in a suite of Tilt and Turn, residential door and French Door options. Compatible with Linktrusion technology, the 5000 Series offers maximum door frame sizes of 2,500mm x 2,200mm. The use of Deceuninck’s Linktrusion technology and the Decoroc coating system, which delivers an extremely durable, micro-sprayed finish that is designed specifically to match the aesthetics and performance of aluminium powder coating, was a key element of the specification for Affinity House. Linktrusion, which is suitable for commercial and residential applications, combines glass fibre reinforced PVC profiles and an extruded reinforcement profile with embedded steel wires in a low-density insulating foam core. As a result,

windows manufactured using Linktrusion are as strong as steel reinforced windows but are 30% more thermally efficient with 40% savings on materials and weight. They are also 100% recyclable. Decoroc, which is applied by Fastframe in-house on its £150,000 paint line, produces a tough, matt finish in a comprehensive range of RAL colours and comes with a 10-year guarantee. “The door heights at Affinity House were 2,400mm, which would normally have required a steel-reinforced PVC product or a more expensive aluminium solution,” commented Fast Frame’s Commercial Director, Paul Moody. “With Deceuninck’s Linktrusion technology we were able to manufacture the 5000 Series system to the required sizes without the need for traditional steel reinforcement. “Combined with the flush finish Fully Reversible Windows, and the Decoroc coating system, the finished result delivered all the aesthetics of aluminium, at a lower cost, and with all the performance advantages typically associated with PVC.” “We have a well-established working relationship with the Berkeley Group,” he continued. “Being able to successfully demonstrate the aesthetic and technical advantages of Linktrusion and Decoroc combined with Deceuninck’s world-class recycling facilities and our strength as a UK manufacturer, played an important part in securing the contract for the Grand Union development.” John Duckworth, Head of Commercial Sales, Deceuninck, concluded: “Grand Union is a landmark project for London and one of the highest-profile developments in the country. As phase one, Affinity House presented a number of complex technical specifications with additional on-site challenges due to Covid. “Fastframe, which has a deserved reputation as one of the UK’s leading commercial fabricators, has done an outstanding job of overcoming those challenges and is now in an ideal position to tender for the next phases of the development as a result.” Call 01249 816 969 or visit www.deceuninck.co.uk for more about Deceuninck’s commercial range and commercial work. You can also download Deceuninck’s full product portfolio from the NBS National BIM Library at www.nationalbimlibrary.com/deceuninck-ltd Sponsored Content Deceuninck

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Epwin Group Reports Healthy H1 Results Double Glazing Blogger

It is earnings season in UK fenestration and some of the biggest companies are dropping their financial results for H1 of 2021, and as was to be expected, Epwin Group’s H1 results are very healthy. Here are the key findings from their report.

What you need to know

Profit margins have returned to near-2019 levels and way above 2020 levels. Net debt has risen in H1 of this year which is in relation to their new facility at Telford.

The table below is your brief overview as to the Epwin Group performance in H1 of 2021. It also shows this year’s results compared to 2020 and 2019. Last year was such a pointless year in which to make comparisons due to the disruption that many companies are also demonstrating their performance compared with 2019 as is it a more reliable comparison than 2020.

Earnings per share have recovered almost to 2019 levels and dividends per share are also back to 2019 levels after no dividends in H1 of 2020.

See the full report here: http://otp.investis.com/ clients/uk/epwin_group1/rns/regulatory-story. aspx?cid=910&newsid=1508756

◌ Site consolidation programme:

Revenues were up massively in comparison to 2020 (69%) and still up significantly (13%) compared to 2019. This is to be expected as the industry is still

operating under incredibly high demand. I expect H2 and full-year 2021 to be comfortably above 2019 levels.

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Operational and strategic headlines: • Health and safety remains a priority • Continued strategic progress:

and

rationalisation

• Construction completed on new Telford distribution and finishing facility, with final payment of £5.2 million received during H1 2021 • Full relocation of inventories to the new facility in 2022 after exceptionally high demand levels

in 2021 ◌ Value enhancing acquisitions - SBS acquired in January 2021 and PBS in June 2021: • Both well-established regional independent distributors of plastic building products, increasing access to the Group’s product offer • Adds 12 trade counters in Cumbria, Northumberland, Southern Scotland and Norfolk ◌ New product development: • Aluminium window profile and PVC decking sales building encouraging momentum • Ongoing development of ESG framework and sustainability agenda Current Trading and Outlook: • Trading in line with analysts’ forecasts increased at the July 2021 trading update • Strong demand from customers serving the RMI market, which represents around 70% of historic Group revenues, is expected to continue for the foreseeable future • Continue to actively manage ongoing supply chains and logistics pressures: ◌ PVC raw materials in particular impacted, exacerbated by supplier plant issues restricting availability and driving up the price of resin ◌ Steps have been, and continue to be, taken to recover these costs in the market in an equitable manner ◌ Labour availability and wage inflation presenting some challenges • Medium and long-term drivers for the RMI market remain positive • Further potential bolt-on M&A opportunities continue to emerge • Well-positioned as operating conditions improve and pent‐up demand takes effect

CEO Comment: This is what Epwin Group CEO Jon Bednall had to say in the statement: “I would again like to recognise and thank all of our people for their continued effort and hard work during the ongoing pandemic disruption. Our trading performance during the first half has been encouraging and we have continued to make good strategic progress. This has been underpinned by

ongoing strong demand from our key RMI markets, together with proactive management of raw material cost inflation and supply chain issues. We are optimistic for trading prospects in the second half and expect to make further gains in market share, whilst continuing to manage the challenges that the pandemic presents. Looking further ahead, we remain confident that we can take advantage of future opportunities, supported by the positive medium and long‐term drivers for the Group’s products.”

Future resin problems? In what was overall a very positive report for Epwin Group, there was a paragraph in the report on page 4 which did catch my eye:

We expect supply chains to remain under pressure and high raw material costs to continue for the remainder of 2021 as businesses continue to experience very high demand and inventory levels recover from the closure of operations and exceptional demand seen since 2020. PVC resin prices, in particular, are expected to remain high for the remainder of 2021 as further force majeure events and planned plant maintenance at the large PVC resin producers continue to restrict capacity and supply. The restrictions on supply experienced in the final quarter of 2020 have continued throughout H1 2021. The Group’s strong relationships with the PVC resin suppliers have ensured it has been able to secure material supply; albeit the market price of PVC resin has increased by in excess of 80% from 2019 and early 2020 levels. The Group is passing on these increased costs to its customers in an equitable manner through price increases and surcharges and remains confident of its ability to continue to work with its customers to manage further cost inflation fairly. They explain about the current supply chain pressure which we’re all fully aware of, but then go on to mention that there are other force majeure events in the pipeline as planned maintenance at resin plants are going to continue to restrict supply. We know glass is of particular concern right now, but I think there is also a risk that resin problems could be a real risk in the short to medium term as well. This is a set of very good results, and I suspect most systems companies will also be looking at very healthy H1 results themselves. H2 and full-year results from all our major companies should be just as good. We will head into 2022 however with the same operational challenges we have now, and the task for 2022 will be to continue to perform and deliver for customers despite a wide and varied range of difficulties.

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Freefoam Appoints Richard Jackson As UK Sales Director Freefoam Building Products, a leading manufacturer of a wide range of innovative products for the building industry in Ireland, the UK and Mainland Europe are delighted to announce the appointment of Richard Jackson to the new post of UK Sales Director. Richard has been with Freefoam for the last 16 years as National Sales Manager, and as a result of the companies exceptional growth over that time, the senior management team have introduced this new post to meet the business needs in the future and to ensure continued sales development and commercial success. Richard has worked in the industry for over 25 years in sales and business development roles and has built up an exceptional level of knowledge, expertise and commercial acumen. Whilst at Freefoam he has continuously developed and grown the evolving sales team in line with the needs of the business. Alongside the sales growth, Richard has been the driving force behind the diversification and development of the customer base, with the continuous support of existing customers and the introduction of new customers, both independent stockists and national merchants. Richard commented, “I’m looking forward to working with our sales team and customers to maximise market opportunities and ensure Freefoam stays at the forefront of the PVC roofline and cladding market.” Aidan Harte, Freefoam Managing Director summarised “Our sales in the UK have consistently grown year on year, and Richard has been a key part of that. The appointment of Richard to the role of Sales Director will help Freefoam achieve the ambitious and challenging strategic sales goals we have set ourselves.” Sponsored Content Freefoam

Honesty Really Is The Best Policy! At Masterframe, it is one of our most core values, to always do the right thing, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us or how difficult the situation is to navigate and regardless of the cost or outcome. Things in business as in life do not always go as smoothly as planned and human error, product shortages and the changing landscape due to the pandemic has thrown us all many challenges. In spite of this, we continue to believe that the bond of trust between ourselves and our customers is the most important asset we can acquire, building a solid foundation of loyalty and mutual respect for the future. We lead by example and ask all our colleagues in the manufacturing facility and in our offices to take personal ownership of their activities, both their successes and failures. We encourage them to be honest in spite of the consequences so that we can take immediate and positive remedial action, to prevent any further inconvenience for our customers. Because this is exactly how we conduct our business, with transparency and accountability, you can imagine how thrilled we were to receive the following feedback sent to our Customer Care Advisor by a customer who took the trouble to share his opinion on his experience of dealing with Masterframe. Please be advised that this consignment has arrived within the last few minutes. Permit me to say how impressed I was to be told that someone had missed sending the balances out originally; that you were very apologetic; and that you would arrange for next day delivery (by ParcelForce). Honesty in commercial dealings is a rare animal. When met, it is most refreshing and I rather wish that our esteemed politicians would take a page from your instruction manual. If/when I meet one; I will direct him/ her to Masterframe. Thank you Sponsored Content Masterframe Paisha 58

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Freefoam Hits The Mark With Weatherproof Systems Sponsored Content Freefoam

A wide range of colours and ease of installation are just two reasons why Weatherproof Systems has chosen Freefoam cladding to transform homes across Devon and beyond. Terry Luscombe, Director of Weatherproof Systems, has been fitting roofline products and cladding in and around the Plymouth area for 15 years. His company, Weatherproof Systems, was established in 2017 and has been fitting Freefoam cladding since the beginning, buying from local stockist Plastics Southwest Ltd. Terry Luscombe says: “We have seen an increase in the amount of cladding we’ve fitted over the past 18 months. It’s getting very popular in the South West. We even had two new apprentices join the company due to the increase in cladding work.” While most of the Freefoam cladding Terry and his team installs are for home renovations, they’ve also seen growth in garden rooms being built across the area, often clad on the exterior. Terry adds: “We’ve been involved in a lot of projects recently that include cladding new extensions on customers’ properties too. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, people are choosing to spend their money on renovating their property instead of going on holiday. Using Freefoam cladding, we can totally transform the look of a customer’s home. “We’ve used other products in the past, but Freefoam cladding is easy to install and the wide range of colours they offer has helped us win many contracts. The most popular colours with homeowners at the moment tend to be the grey shades – especially Slate Grey. “Being an officially Registered Installer of Freefoam products certainly helps. I always take a sample box, supplied by Freefoam, on my first visit to customers and tell them about the 10-year guarantee the company offers on cladding products. To be honest, we fit most products that Freefoam supply, and especially like to fit Freefoam’s ogee gutter system to the properties we work on.” Learn more about Freefoam’s products, service and support by visiting www.freefoam.com or calling 01604 591110. Follow @freefoam. For more information about Weatherproof Systems, visit weatherproofsystems.co.uk and to see a video showcasing their work, click below. LINK TO VIDEO HERE

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Open Letter: Could Your Business Get Through ‘Another 2021’ In 2022? We knew the road back from COVID and Lockdown would be bumpy but the challenges we and the window and door industry have contended with in the past year, have far exceeded our expectations. It’s been incredibly tough, everyone’s expended a massive amount of energy, and people are tired, if not exhausted. Trying to manage suppliers, customers, and exponential growth in demand has been challenging in the extreme.

the answers. We are subject to the same forces for good or bad as everyone else. What I would go as far as saying is that I believe that we have managed those challenges as well as anyone, if not better than most.

and say that going into the new year we are more adapted to the challenges that we have seen. We have made a multi-million investment in our UK plant, in our foiling capacity, and in our recycling capability as a group.

We are in short stronger than It’s been no walk in the park, but we have ever been. We would we have maintained our OTIF at encourage fabricators to take 90%. That’s down 7% on where time out now to reflect on the last we were pre-COVID, and 10% on 12-months and the service levels where in an ideal world we would that they have seen from their want to be – but it’s not bad going, systems and wider supply chain. given the challenges we have seen. We’re now at the tail-end of this As I’ve said, no one’s been perfect, year and are no doubt looking We’ve seen our foils offer continue but if they’re not going to get forward to a better year ahead. to grow. We hold 30 colourways better, could you survive another It is, however, worth noting that in stock with 20 additional colours quarter, six months, a year, of the some of the challenges that we available in just 15 working same? have seen in the last year are likely days. Deceuninck fabricators sell to be with us for some time to twice as much colour as their We can’t control the impact of come. competitors, while this year foil COVID or labour shortages, but it sales have made up 60% of our is in our gift to change suppliers Resin and glass supplies remain turnover. if we believe we’re not getting the under pressure, steel prices service that we need. Recognising remain high. The cost of shipping We’ll also hit £50million turnover that in time is going to be very containers continues to escalate this year. That includes new important. – up $6,000 since April this year – customer wins. More importantly, disrupting the supply of anything it reflects the gains in market share For more information call 01249 delivered in them, from hardware seen by our pre-existing customer 816 969, email to composites. base in the last year. deceuninck.ltd@deceuninck.com or visit www.deceuninck.co.uk That’s before you build a shortage I can’t guarantee that we will be of labour, particularly lorry drivers, able to improve, and the impact of COVID into the or deliver the equation. same service levels again, The fix to those problems isn’t next year. That going to be delivered overnight. would be pure If you have encountered issues speculation given with your supply chain this year the continuing (and let’s face it, everyone has), the COVID-generated odds are that the start of 2022 is flux and probably not going to feel so very uncertainty. different, however much we hope it will. I can only point to what we I’m not going to pretend to have have delivered

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QANW Receive Positive Member Feedback

Insurance provider Quality Assured National Warranties (QANW) has received an 89 percent member satisfaction rating for overall customer service. The results, which came from a survey sent out to all their members, received nearly 600 responses. QANW’s customer service was measured in four areas: response times, solving problems immediately, the communication from the service team and giving realistic time scales for problems to be solved, asking respondents to measure each area from ‘very poor’ to ‘excellent’. QANW received consistently good feedback in all of these categories. 90 percent were satisfied with the response times, 87 percent with the ability to solve problems straight away and give realistic job timescales and 88 percent were pleased with the level of communication, with all of the scores being voted as good to excellent by respondents. There was also glowing feedback in the comments, with one respondent saying: “They offer the best IBG currently on the market from a reputable company and are good value for money, regardless of the project value,” and another customer saying: “Customer service is brilliant. QANW are helpful and always go the extra mile to resolve anything or explain things.” Gemma Swankie, of QANW, says: “To receive such a positive response from our members has been fantastic. With customer service being such a key

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part of what we offer, it is crucial that we are performing well in these areas and an 89 percent satisfaction score is a very positive result. “Surveys also provide us with useful feedback on our business, allowing us to improve in other areas. So, although we scored highly in customer service, the survey also helped us recognise the places where we can improve to make registering for IBGs and DPIs even easier.” The member survey also asked respondents to rate the members area. 86 percent of people said it was easy or very easy to register jobs as well as accessing invoices, with 83 percent saying it was easy or very easy to download documents, and 78 percent saying it was easy or very easy to access member benefits. Gemma adds: “Our members area is there to support installers, helping them register jobs, access invoices and more. We know how important it is to make sure this area is easy to use and functioning as best as it should be, so all the feedback we have received is being incorporated into the next development stages of the members area, which will be coming soon.” For more information on IBGs and DPIs, visit www.qanw.co.uk Sponsored Content QANW

UK Growth Slows To Just 0.1% In July The “pingdemic” and supply chain problems have seen UK growth dribble to just 0.1% in July. This was after June saw GDP growth of 1%. Though COVID restrictions were lifted in July, rules on self-isolation did not change until August. It meant that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people had to spend extended periods of time at home.

For example, UK manufacturing data has begun to show a decrease due to supply chain pressures:

This clearly had an impact on business and spending. But as we move forwards, there are new and equally pressing challenges that the economy, and indeed UK fenestration needs to navigate.

UK Growth Slows The rate at which the UK economy was expected to grow was always predicted to slow. Think of the economy like a rubber band or a spring. Like a spring, the UK economy was suppressed during lockdown. Then, as restrictions were lifted, the spring that is the UK economy bounced back up. Initially the speed of that bounce back was strong, which is where we saw double-digit growth figures for the UK. Then as the energy of that first phase of recovery waned, growth slowed to a more steady pace. I don’t think, however, anyone expected to see the pace of growth slow to almost nothing. The figure of 0.1% for July is an initial reading, and further revisions could see it moved up or down in the weeks to come. Either way, 0.1% growth is hardly growth at all. The “pingdemic”, where huge numbers of people were told to self-isolate after being pinged on their phones via the NHS COVID app is being blamed for the slowdown in growth. But as we well know in the UK fenestration sector, acute problems with labour and supply of materials is also beginning to bite. So I suspect there is an element of that in the figures that we see. Of course, we’re now into September and selfisolation rules have been changed for almost a month. But the problems around labour, skills and the supply chain have only continued to get worse. Economists are now warning that the continued strain on the supply chain will now begin to start having an effect on growth.

The UK fenestration sector is really beginning to feel the pinch now as materials such as glass, polymer, hardware, coloured foils and more are all under strain. Manufacturing lead times extend, deliveries are delayed or missing items, prices continue to rise, labour is a genuine problem. All of these combine to limit the capacity of any company to grow. We are in the odd position where it is the sheer weight of demand and availability of product which is now holding back the true growth potential of our sector. Usually, a slowdown is initiated by external economic factors, people cutting their spending or politics. It would be inaccurate to say that the UK economy as a whole is now booming, as we’re still 2.1% smaller than pre-pandemic. But if we can solve the labour and materials problems, there remains a huge reservoir of unspent potential to tap.

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Timber & Joinery Fuels Strong Builders’ Merchant Growth In July

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The latest report from the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) reveals that builders’ merchants’ July sales were 14.5% higher year-onyear, with two fewer trading days. Average daily sales in July were up 25.5%. Total merchants value sales were helped by Timber & Joinery Products (+42.4%) recording its highest ever monthly sales since the BMBI report began. Kitchens & Bathrooms (+13.9%) chalked up its highest sales for 12 months. Plumbing, Heating & Electrical (+10.4%) and Heavy Building Materials (+8.9%) also performed well compared to the same month a year ago. Only Tools (-1.5%), Landscaping (-1.6%) and Workwear & Safetywear (-29.5%) sold less, although the latter two categories saw significant Covid-related growth this time last year. Compared to July 2019, a more normal prepandemic year, total merchant sales in July 2021 were 13.1% up, with two fewer trading years this year. Much of this growth was driven by just two categories – Timber & Joinery Products (+44.6%) and Landscaping (+23.4%).

shippers’ capacity to the limit. Supply shortages and lengthening lead times in particular product categories are constraining project starts and completions, and the supply chain has sustained a wave of significant product price rises. However, with no sign of an easing in these unprecedented levels of demand, merchants are exceptionally busy and positive while they keep Britain’s builders building.” 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. July’s BMBI report, published in September, is available to download at www.bmbi.co.uk.

After a bumper June, total merchant sales were 3.8% lower month-on-month with one less trading day in July. Kitchens and Bathrooms, and minor categories Services and Miscellaneous increased marginally (+1.1%), while Timber & Joinery Products was flat (+0.1%). Other categories sold less than the previous month including Heavy Building Materials (-4.2%), Plumbing, Heating & Electrical (-8.1%), Landscaping (-12.9%) and Workwear & Safetywear (-17.0%). July’s BMBI index was 151.1 with strong performances from Landscaping (204.8) and Timber & Joinery Products (199.8). Seven other categories exceeded 100, including Heavy Building Materials (136.8), Ironmongery (129.2) and Kitchens & Bathrooms (126.5). John Newcomb CEO of the Builders Merchants Federation comments: “The year-on-year figures show the post-Covid recovery continuing strongly, but historically high levels of demand are testing the supply chain and manufacturers’ and

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Awards Super Six For Morley Glass In 2021 NFAs Uni-Blinds® integral blinds manufacturer Morley Glass has been nominated for more National Fenestration Awards (NFAs) than ever after being shortlisted for six awards in the 2021 programme. The company, which is the UK’s largest manufacturer of Screenline® blinds integrated within double glazed units, hopes to build on its 2020 NFAs success when it picked up four awards, including in the Covid Heroes category, as well as receiving a special mention. Three of the 2021 nominations for Morley Glass are for awards that the company won last year: Best Use of Video, IGU Manufacturer and Integral Blinds Company. This time round, Morley Glass is also in the running for Digital Marketing Campaign of the Year, New Product and Recycling Company, reflecting the depth of its proactive approach to sales and marketing, R&D and sustainability. And in addition to being a finalist in these corporate awards, two members of the Morley Glass team have also received nominations for individual awards. Marketing assistant Charlotte Gilbert has been named a finalist in the Social Networker and Young Person categories, along with Bryony Shaw, sales advisor, also on the shortlist for the Young Person award. The NFAs are awarded based on the number of votes received. Anyone working in the UK door and window industry can vote online at www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/nfa21 until 4th November at 4pm. The winners will be announced at a presentation event at Doncaster Racecourse two days later. Ian Short, MD of Morley Glass said: “We’re really excited to be nominated for so many awards and look forward to the 2021 NFAs presentation on November 6th. Congratulations to everyone who has been shortlisted and the very best of luck! “Being shortlisted matters hugely because it provides important external recognition that we are on track with our business. The whole Morley Glass team works hard every day to create the highest quality products backed with outstanding service, but the best way to gauge how well we are doing is through industry awards – that’s why the NFAs are key to the fenestration industry.” In the past 12 months, Morley Glass has experienced an upsurge in demand for its range of integral Venetian and pleated Uni-Blinds®, all of which are produced in its state-of-theart factory near Leeds using the world-renowned Screenline® blinds systems from Italian manufacturer Pellini S.p.A. In tandem with increased production volumes for its established integral blinds range in 2021, Morley Glass has launched several new products and developed its glass recycling operation, which takes post-consumer glass back from installers working on replacement projects to be recycled – raising funds for good causes in the process. Find out more about Morley Glass at www.morleyglass.co.uk.

AWARDS & EVEN

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Decalu by Deceuninck Aluminium has made the short-list in the Best New Product Category at this year’s G-Awards. It means that Decalu will go through to the finals night at a special gala dinner, which will be held at the Hilton in London’s Park Lane November 26th. It represents a significant achievement for a system launched at the beginning of 2020 and only weeks before the UK entered the first of three national lockdowns. “Was a few weeks before lockdown the best time to launch?”, says Nigel Headford, Director, Deceuninck Aluminium. “It certainly increased the stakes but in a sense, people had time to look at and understand what we’re working to achieve, and the response has been incredible. “Decalu has a rapidly growing fabrication and installer base and I think that’s because we are offering something different. “We’re a new system in the UK but a proven one, and we have the brand. “With some big manufacturing and installation efficiencies and a commitment to redefining levels of service in aluminium supply, people are listening, and I’m delighted that that’s been recognised with a finalist spot at this G21.” The Deceuninck Aluminium offer includes its flagship 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. It also features an entrance door range, including a flush option, plus the Decalu 88 Steel and New Steel, designed to replicate steel commercial windows; plus, a hidden sash, retro and turn-and-tilt options. This is underpinned by a commitment to simplifying manufacture with 40% efficiency gains and lower stock holding. Dual colour, marine grade and textured finishes are also offered as standard. Nigel continued: “Like everyone, we’ve worked really hard over the past year and a bit, so to have that recognised by industry colleagues and the judging panel is brilliant. “We have an offer that we genuinely believe in and which is delivering some big commercial gains to those fabricators and installers who are making and installing it.” For more information call 01249 816 969, email deceuninck.ltd@deceuninck.com or visit www.deceuninck.co.uk.

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Deceuninck Aluminium Named Finalist At G21 Sponsored Content Deceuninck

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Kolorseal Gains NFA Nomination For Colour Specialist 2021 Kolorseal has once again been nominated for Colour Specialist in the National Fenestration Awards (NFAs). Kolorseal can proudly boast about the recognition both nomination and winning bring to a business, with two awards now received from the industry. While never complacent about nominations, the Kolorseal team are delighted to have been recognised by the sector for the colour coating and spraying services they offer. Deborah Hendry, Managing Director, Kolorseal Ltd comments, “Everyone at Kolorseal cannot emphasise enough how very grateful we all are for the support, loyalty and recognition our customers have given to us over the years.” The NFAs reflect quality and service throughout the industry and to be acknowledged by those who work so hard in the industry themselves, makes this award very special indeed. Debbie continues, “Every nomination has been important and has reinforced our company values. The NFAs have been such a positive development for the fenestration industry, as it is the industry speaking out and recognising all they consider good in the sector.” Kolorseal aims to provide not just the best colour coating service to the domestic, commercial and architectural sectors, but also provides new and interesting ways to give excellent customer support, which is the foundation of the company’s success. Debbie concludes, “We have been very grateful for every vote given to us so far and we hope that we can once again reflect our high standards with another NFA accolade. If anyone feels they would like to offer the Kolorseal team their support then please do follow the link below. Very many thanks in advance.” https://www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/nfa21/ For more information on Kolorseal Ltd please visit: www.kolorseal.co.uk

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ASSA ABLOY To Acquire Arran Isle Ltd

Mergers and acquisitions have been pretty quiet this year. However, this morning the M&A sector has sprung back to life as ASSA ABLOY announce that they are to acquire Arran Isle Ltd.

Statement This is what ASSA ABLOY had to say this morning via press release: ASSA ABLOY has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Arran Isle, a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of door and window hardware in the UK and Ireland. “I look forward to welcoming Arran Isle into the ASSA ABLOY Group. This acquisition delivers on our strategy to add complementary products and solutions to our core business,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY. “Arran Isle is an excellent addition to our business and in particular EMEIA’s UK and Ireland market region. The acquisition brings well-known architectural and fenestration hardware brands to our portfolio. Arran Isle have built a reputation developing innovative products and a market leading approach to customer service with a passionate and experienced team,” says Neil Vann, Executive Vice President of ASSA ABLOY and Head of EMEIA Division. Arran Isle has some 560 employees and was established in 1971. The company has manufacturing and distribution sites in the UK, Ireland, Europe and China. Sales for 2020 amounted to about MGBP 100 (approx. MSEK 1,200). The acquisition will be accretive to EPS from the start. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2021. Arran Isle Ltd are one of the larger window and door hardware suppliers, owning a number of high-profile brands: ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌

Carlisle Brass Carlisle Brass Collection Eurolite Eurospec Mila Serozetta Xpert

Arran Isle operates out of the UK, Europe, China and the Middle East. There has been no statement from Arran Isle yet on their website. Whether this is a flash in the pan in terms of acquisitions for the rest of the year remains to be seen. It has been quiet this year for M&A, likely down to troubles with supply chains, very high demand and continuing uncertainty. But if things start to settle and the outlook becomes more normalised, then perhaps mergers will take more of a front-seat role in the coming 12 months. DGB MAGAZINE

Deceuninck A Double F Deceuninck UK is a finalist in two categories at this year’s prestigious G21 Awards, receiving nominations for Best New Product for its Heritage Flush Door and Best Sustainability Initiative. With one of the most advanced recycling and compounding operations in the world, Deceuninck has the capacity to reprocess up to 45,000 tonnes of post-consumer and post-manufacturing PVC-U per year – the equivalent of preventing 2-3 million windows from going to landfill. Deceuninck has invested €15million in its recycling capability since the beginning of 2019 and now boasts the largest dry blending facility in Europe. “As we emerge from Covid, the industry will see a fundamental shift towards operating more sustainably,” said Rob McGlennon, MD, Deceuninck UK. “At Deceuninck, sustainability is embedded as a core value within our organisation, it’s becoming a key driver for product innovation, it presents new opportunities for our customers and a better, more desirable, product to the user. “I’m delighted that our commitment to sustainability has been recognised for this year’s G-Awards and also for all the hard work that has gone into the development of our Heritage Flush Door.” The result of a comprehensive R&D programme, Deceuninck’s Heritage Flush Door builds on the success of the G17 winning Heritage Flush Window. Completing the Heritage Flush Collection, it combines outstanding performance, ease of fabrication,

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Finalist At G21 Awards and class-leading aesthetics. Available in Deceuninck’s range of 30 different colourways from stock, with 20 additional options also available, the Heritage Flush Door is designed to be a perfect match for both period and contemporary properties. “Demand for premium flush products and for colour has never been higher – our customers have been exceptionally well placed to benefit from that with our Heritage Flush Collection,” said Rob. “It’s great to see that so many of them have also been nominated as finalists at the G21 Awards! “A huge congratulations to them, and all the other finalists. The entire industry has been through an extremely challenging period and the G21 Awards in November will be a fantastic opportunity to recognise all their outstanding achievements and hard work.” For more information, call Deceuninck on 01249 816 969, email deceuninck.ltd@deceuninck.com or visit www.deceuninck.co.uk. Sponsored Content Deceuninck

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The National Fenestration Awards invites you to:

THE NFA21 WINNERS EVENT Nov 6th 2021 | Time TBA Doncaster Racecourse

01924 911234 | info@fenestrationawards.co.uk

The party of the year!

QUALITY CONTENT

FAR REACHING