VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY
Lis Clarke Operations Director GGP Group, BFRC 2019 has been one of our best years yet. We’ve reinvigorated the BFRC brand to strengthen our visibility whilst laying foundations for exciting plans next year. We’re delighted to have attracted a lot of new business this year, but interestingly we’ve noticed our existing client base has also been very keen to extend their certification to cover new products. 2020, it’s difficult to judge what leaving the EU will have on our industry. The government are introducing ambitious regulatory plans to drive improvements in energy efficiency and applying pressure on businesses to reduce waste, recycle and encourage consumers to choose energy efficient products. It’s absolutely key our industry is prepared for those regulatory changes and seek guidance from industry bodies through potentially difficult market conditions. We still see plenty of opportunity to serve the supply chain however. Consumers are particularly focused on energy efficiency and climate change and BFRC supports businesses in promoting performance over selling on price alone which subsequently encourages consumers to reduce their carbon footprint.
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Frank Allain Operations Director GGP Group, Installsure
Chris Beedel Director of Membership GGF Group, FENSA
2019 has been an interesting year. We have felt some resonance from the continued uncertainty surrounding Brexit, seen capacity reducing within the wider insurance market and some Insurers leaving the market altogether.
We started the year with the same uncertainty that we’ve had since 2016, so it was business as normal for the FENSA community! We’ve obviously kept a close eye on any political ramifications but the broad outlook for FENSA is that the market has performed as we had expected it to in 2019 which is what we’ve heard across the wider industry also.
Nevertheless, we have pushed forward with several positive measures including our full rebrand. Our core IBG business has remained buoyant and we are seeing record numbers of installers register with us for their insurance needs. On balance, I’d say 2019 has been a pretty good year in many respects! As for 2020, personally, I don’t see the Brexit situation being resolved cleanly any time soon. We could see a decrease in consumer confidence/ spending and of course, the home improvement industry often takes the hit. That said, the wider political and economic backdrop has been in a state of uncertainty for several years now yet both the glazing and insurance sectors within the UK continue to lead the way globally. So, whilst the general forecast may be a little gloomy, Installsure will enter 2020 with a renewed energy and focus to ride out the storm.
On a personal note, my 2020 diary is already filling up with exciting opportunities to explore new products and services for FENSA Approved Installers. FENSA will be 18 years old in April and by then our installer community will have completed its 14th million installation. So we head into next year with big landmarks ahead and a really positive outlook for the next 12 months. As an industry, and the UK overall, I cannot predict the future other than to say we are a very resilient sector with great products for which there will always be consumer demand. That’s not going to change anytime soon.
Adrian Barraclough Chairman Quickslide
Simon Scholes Managing Director VEKA Recycling
Danny Williams Managing Director Pioneer
Like most I suspect that whilst sales have been more stable than we might have expected, it has been difficult to accurately predict. Our focus for 2019 has been on retaining volume and increasing the specification for foiled, painted and enhanced products, which has resulted in a positive year overall.
2019 has been complicated. During our first year at the company’s new HQ in Wellingborough we have had to combine the establishment of what will be the most advanced recycling plant of its type in Europe, with the dayto-day needs of running an established business.
2019 has actually been positive for Pioneer although the market overall has been flat and difficult to predict. We decided early on to go on the offensive and not wait around to see what the idiots running this country decide – or otherwise – to do with Brexit. We therefore embarked upon an aggressive marketing and sales strategy with new PVC-U and aluminium product ranges added, and delivered through an increased sales team. It’s worked, with some excellent gains with installer customers that take a similar attitude to ours – we cannot afford to wait and see what Brexit brings.
Government uncertainty is always an issue but we’ve used the year to rework much of our operation including investment in new machinery and premises, backing this with increased staff development and with new IT systems now fully operational. Crucially, we have some excellent new products, including a new VS, which of course remains at the heart of Quickslide’s product offer. Brexit? Well we’ll still have holes in our buildings that need filling and as long as we do then we’ll have a business and we are anticipating a positive 2020. Much of what we have done has been to ensure we are in a position to take advantage of any market conditions, subject of course to anything the new government throws at us of course. Everyday there’s something exciting happening at Quickslide, which we love.
Against this backdrop we have seen growth compared with 2018 and expect our strongest ever year in 2020, as the systems and processes come fully on line and we settle in to doing what our business is intended to do, to fully recycle PVC-U window and door frames and return the material to the market. The decision to make the investment in the UK was taken in the full knowledge of Brexit, although nobody anticipated the trials and tribulations. VEKA Group continues to see the UK as a significant and positive market, a view taken for the long term. Inevitably the market will embrace recycling but in the meantime we must position ourselves as a business to be as flexible as possible to remain resilient until stability returns. Either way, 2020 will be a great year for us when everything drops into place.
Whilst we will finish 2019 on a positive note, for 2020 the industry needs conditions that will create a positive market, that will give the industry overall a positive trading environment and one that will allow us all to plan and budget reliably. The dithering by the selfserving politicians of all political persuasions has cost us dear and has hurt industry incalculably. Once we know what is happening I predict a very positive effect in the marketplace.
December 2019 | www.glassnews.co.uk