Window News October / November 2016

TruFrame Launches A Frame Finish Challenge!

12

REHAU AGILA Door Achieves PAS24 Approval 48

Glazing Is Central In Iconic Art Deco Building Refurb 73

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CONTENTS WINDOW NEWS

W INDOWNEWS THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS

TRADE NEWS 4

INDOW NEWS W INDUSTRY DIRECTORY PEOPLE 34 AWARDS 28

WINDOW

DEAR GERALD 42 DOORS 44

W INDOWNEWS

MACHINERY 54 THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS PRODUCT NEWS 59

W INDOWNEWS THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS

W INDOWNEW W INDOWNEW W INDOWNEW

THE LATEST INDUSTRY N

THE LATEST INDUSTRY N

THE LATEST INDUSTRY N

ON-SITE 72 MARKETING 78

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WINDOW NEWS SEPTEMBER 2015 3

TRADE NEWS

Stevenswood’s Acquisition Of Polyframe Trade Centres Limited Accelerates National Trade Counters Strategy

utive experience in procurement, merchandising, brand strategy and digital marketing for building materials and home improvement firms such as Kingfisher and Home Depot.

As part of this transaction, Stevenswood has bought out the minority investment held by Business Growth Fund (BGF).

Ron Hepburn, MD of Stevenswood.

Stevenswood has announced the successful acquisition of Polyframe Trade Centres Limited (PTC) from Polyframe Group Limited (Polyframe). The purchase of PTC accelerates Stevenswood’s ambition to build a national trade counters business.

trate on its core manufacturing base. Strategically, the location of Polyframe’s 11 trade centres presented the perfect opportunity for expansion, with stores based across England and Wales, and clusters in the north of England and the South East.

Established in 1997 and headquarted in Livingston, Scotland, Stevenswood operates a network of 15 trade centres across Scotland, with a total showroom space of 70,000 square feet, distributing windows, doors and kitchens to the installer market.

The new combined group will continue to be headquarted in Livingston. Nicholas Summers, Managing Director of PTC will join the Stevenswood leadership team to contribute to the growth strategy. Additionally to support this initiative, Stevenswood have strengthened its board with the appointment of John Declerck as a non-executive director. He brings over 15 years global exec-

The acquisition was triggered by Polyframe’s decision to exit the trade centres business to concen-

4 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

Ron Hepburn, Chief Executive of Stevenswood said, “Our goal is to increase our network of trade centres over the next five years, to become the leading trade counter distributor in the UK. Although we aim to achieve this through a mix of acquisition, new sites and organic growth, we view acquisition as the major contributor to our plans. We are interested in further opportunities that might arise, whether they are single sites, small chains or large chains and are well positioned to act. Finally I would like to thank our previous investors, BGF, for their support which enabled the firm to develop to this stage.”

Jon Gatfield, Polyframe’s Group Managing Director, commented “This sale allows us to focus our attention and investment to increase our manufacturing capability, strengthen product development and expand Polyframe’s product range for the benefit of our customers. We are confident that the former PTCs, employees and customers will thrive as part of the Stevenswood group.”

For further information, please contact Katherine Ritchie on 020 8347 6183 or 07941 040021 www.stevenswood.co.uk

Polyframe

TRADE NEWS

Announces Sale Of Its Trade Counters Business And The

Acquisition Of A Sixth

Manufacturing Site Ultrasky Polyframe Group Limited (Polyframe) announced today that it has sold its trade centres division, Polyframe Trade Centres Limited (PTC), to Stevenswood Limited and has acquired the 55,000 sq. ft. manufacturing site in Livingston from Ste­venswood.

business. Nicholas Summers, Managing Director of PTC will join the Stevenswood leadership team to help deliver this. The sale of its manufacturing operations to Polyframe allows Stevenswood to focus entirely on its core trade centre distribution activities.

Polyframe began serving trade customers in 1992 with the vision of offering an unrivalled level of reliabil­ity, flexibility and customer service, together with the most extensive product range of windows and doors. It has grown to be one of the largest manufacturing companies of PVCu and aluminium windows, and com­posite doors within the UK, with six major manufacturing facilities across the country. Following the man­ agement-led buyout in June and subsequent strategic review, it was decided that these values would be best sustained by separating the trade centres business from its core fabrication activities.

Jon Gatfield, Polyframe’s Group Managing Director, commented “Our stated aim is to be the market leading trade fabricator of high quality windows and doors in the UK. This transaction allows us to focus our attention and investment to increase manufacturing capability, strengthen product development and expand Poly­frame’s product range for the benefit of our customers.”

Established in 1997 and headquarted in Livingston, Scotland, Stevenswood operates a network of 15 trade centres across Scotland, with a total showroom space of 70,000 square feet, distributing windows, doors and kitchens to the installer market. The acquisition of Polyframe’s 11 trade centres, which will all be rebranded as ‘Stevenswood’ by the end of December, accelerates its ambition to build a national trade counters

Ron Hepburn, Chief Executive of Stevenswood said, “Our goal is to increase our network of trade centres over the next five years, through a combination of further acquisition, new branches and organic growth to become the leading trade counter distributor in the UK. The purchase of the PTC network from Polyframe is the first step towards achieving this.”

Investors, Cairngorm Capital will retain their existing holding in PTC, which will be combined with the Ste­venswood group and ensures Stevenswood has access to deep capital resources to fund its continued growth.

Sales Through The

Stratosphere When Ultraframe launched its new roof lantern UltraSky last year, they knew they were on to a winner, but the success of the new product has been remarkable for the roof system manufacturer.

“The Ultraframe design and development team knew we had designed a winning product, but we weren’t expecting the sheer scale of success we have experienced,” comments Andrew Thomson, Design and Development Director at Ultraframe.

“Sales have considerably surpassed our expectations with our fabricators and retailers enjoying great, continued success. And whilst, as always our marketing and technical support has underpinned the success with the usual industry leading standards, the ‘less bars’ design has been well received by our customers.”

Available in both aluminium and PVC finishes, UltraSky is proving to be incredibly popular.

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 5

TRADE NEWS Following the sharp falls in the construction sector after the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote, the residential sector in October unexpectedly reached a massive £2.3 billion worth of construction contracts on the month. (See fig 1.1) According to the November edition of the Economic & Construction Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI, the residential sector monthly contract value increased by 34 per cent in October when compared to September.

Builders Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon both also reported growth in its order books, with the latter reporting a sales rates increase of 19%.

Overall for construction, contracts were up in October reaching £5.9 billion, a 5 per cent increase on the previous month. However several sectors have not recovered from the Brexit vote slump in the same way that residential construction has – in particular infrastructure, with contract values down 42 per cent in October compared to the same time last year. Commercial & Retail, Industrial and Medical & Health have all also struggled to gain momentum since July.

Commenting on the figures, Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, said: “The turnaround for housebuilding this month will give

Surge In Housebuilding Across October Boosts

Construction

industry leaders, investors and the government well needed breathing room. However the majority of the other construction sectors continuing to lag after the post-Brexit vote is a cause for concern, particularly infrastructure and commercial & retail, two sectors that are usually accurate indicators of how the overall economy is performing.”

“Housebuilding now beginning to thrive is no major surprise, as the

strain on housing stock and government targets have become a matter of national attention. What did actually surprised was the significantly large value of residential construction contract this month, reaching £2.3 billion, the highest monthly figure ever recorded for residential construction since Barbour ABI reporting began back in October 2010.” www.barbour-abi.com

The Autumn Statement – Comment from Ben Brocklesby, contracts that previously Sales and Marketing Director at Origin bigger seemed unattainable.

Philip Hammond’s Autumn Statement had no real surprises for us and included everything that what we expected. Overall, it was a glass half full announcement, and those naysayers must remember that it could have been worse.

trade partners, especially those with ambition to grow locally. We would have hoped for a small caveat in the Statement that specified the work must done by UK businesses, but you can’t win them all.

We are thrilled that the Government is going to provide funding to help deliver 100,000 new homes in high demand areas, and 40,000 extra affordable homes.

This will give a major boost to our

It was also pleasing to hear support for UK businesses that export overseas, although we would have liked to have seen a little more. This support will allow us to move further afield and pitch for

6 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

Although there was no direct mention of manufacturing in the Statement, which might be due to the uncertainty of Brexit still lingering over us, there was still a glimmer of confidence throughout. UK businesses might have hoped for the releasing of tax, allowing us to reinvest in ourselves, but if companies continue to spend I am sure we will start to see some growth.

TRADE NEWS

Rise In ‘Change Of Use’ Projects Contribute

To An 11% Increase In UK Housing Stock don was empty but the area has since seen a frenzy of office conversion activity.

The boom is partly down to new “permitted development rights,” which allow developers to proceed without conventional planning permission.

Michele Wietscher, Director at Newview Windows & Conservatories, says this trend has been an opportunity for the business, but it is not without its downsides.

An increase in the number of offices and shops being converted into flats has led to a surge in England’s housing stock.

Figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), reveal there were 189, 650 dwellings added to the housing stock in England between April 2015 and March 2016, up 11% on the year before.

Traditional new-build properties rose by 8,860 units to 163,940. But the most marked increase was ‘change of use’, with 30,600 new units compared with 20,650 the year before. Of these, 12,824 were offices converted into flats.

The Centre Point building in London has been the highest-profile case of office to flat conversions. But many 1960s concrete office blocks in Croydon that no longer fit for modern commercial use have also been converted.

Four years ago, around half the office space in Croy-

“There are lots of conversion projects happening in and around the London area, where old office blocks are being transformed into studios and apartments.

We are tendering for more projects like this as we are in an ideal position to supply and install high-volumes of products.

“There are downsides to the trend though. Critics say many units fail to meet minimum space standards.

We need affordable living but not at the expense of quality of living. Another con is the reduction in office stock, which is driving up prices for businesses looking to relocate to serviced office space.”

The report went on to say that although housebuilding figures are up, the total number of new-builds remains short of the 200,000 units a year target.

Michele concludes: “Although the government pledge of a million homes by 2020 seems unlikely now, Britain is building again. It’s encouraging to see increased activity in the construction sector and it all contributes to a stronger economy going forwards.”

Family Firm Celebrates ‘Very Healthy’ Year Of Trading A Stockport based window, door and conservatory manufacturer is celebrating ‘very healthy’ end of year trading figures.

Lauren has been working alongside her father and Managing Director Steve Wood for nearly 10 years and is fiercely ambitious for the business.

Alexander Windows’ Associate Director Lauren Tutton says that the family run business is benefiting from growth across both its retail and trade divisions, with sales of Guardian Warm Roofs and Rock Door composite doors particularly strong.

Lauren comments: “We’re starting to see green shoots in the industry after a few difficult years for everybody. Consumer demand is holding up and our trade customers are busier than ever, so we’re not yet seeing any negative impact from ‘Brexit’.

The business, which turns over £5million, is up 5% percent in sales compared to the previous twelve months.

“Clearly we don’t know exactly what the long-term impact will be, but I’m confident going forward. The feeling is that our economy is becoming more robust and productive, and we’re focusing very much on the positive” www.alexanderwindows.co.uk

A Kömmerling fabricator for over twenty-five years,

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 7

TRADE NEWS

Titon Trickle Vents Meet Recently Revised Scottish Regulations

Morley Glass Confirms Late Pre-Christmas Order Deadlines Morley Glass & Glazing is once again offering its industry-leading late-Christmas order cutoff for any installers looking to complete integral blinds installations before the big day.

With the festive period already upon us, installers can still benefit from pre-Christmas deliveries, with most ScreenLine systems available to order in December for delivery before December 25th.

The firm, which is well-known for its industry-leading delivery times at every time of year, has confirmed that its Uni-Blinds® products for residential doors and windows can be ordered up to 10am on Thursday 8th December for delivery by Friday 23 December.

Meanwhile, all orders for 27mm cavity commercial blinds should be with the business at the slightly earlier date on Thursday 27 November for a similar delivery date.

Click here to see A full rundown of order deadlines To find out more please visit www.morleyglass.co.uk

Titon has updated its range of trickle ventilators to include additional versions which comply with the recently revised Scottish Technical Standards – the equivalent of the England & Wales Building Regulations.

The Scottish Technical Standards were amended in 2016 to alter the method of measuring background ventilation from the traditional ‘Free Area’ unit (the geometric area of a ventilation device) to the more widely recognised ‘Equivalent Area’ (EA) unit (based on the rate of air flow through the ventilation device).

As a result, all background ventilators in the UK now use the same EA unit, as determined using BS EN 13141-1, ensuring a simpler system can be employed throughout the supply chain.

However, the Scottish Technical Standards stipulate more background ventilation is needed per dwelling; this means a higher number of ventilators are required in Scotland than in England & Wales. This has led to Titon redesigning its trickle ventilator sizes where possible, ensuring the ranges have denominations of sizes which comply with the average EA totals stipulated in the revised Technical Stand-

8 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

ards. These changes have been made throughout the company’s mainline plastic and aluminium ventilator ranges – including its newest and high performing SF Xtra model. This surface-mounted slot ventilator is now available in a version which supplies 5,500mm2 EA (or 6,000mm2 depending which canopy is used), meaning the average 11,00012,000mm2 EA required for new build projects in Scotland can be achieved with just two vents in a room, as opposed to three.

In order to reflect and explain the implications of the revised Standards, Titon has also updated its Scottish Ventilation Regulations CPD (Continuing Professional Development) presentation accordingly. Specifiers seeking to understand the new Standards as they take effect can now arrange for Titon to visit their offices and present this CPD seminar free upon request.

Titon is very active in Scotland, which remains an important market for background ventilators.

The company has an established presence, with local representation and a network of distributors in place to assist customers. visit: www.titon.co.uk

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TRADE NEWS

Sector

Growth Welcomed By

Vista

Fast-growing composite door specialists Vista have welcomed a new report revealing continued growth in the UK’s residential door market, and predicting continued expansion throughout 2016.

The study, authored by long-standing construction industry analysts AMA Research, suggests that the total market for residential doors grew 7% in 2015, attributing the rise to an increase in house-building and growth in home improvement more generally. The report also cited the importance of the continued trend towards higher-end products, driven both by the popularity of stylish, bespoke doors and a raft of legislation requiring improved security, thermal performance and fire resistance.

Keith Sadler, Vista Managing Director, commented: “This is obviously fantastic news – and clearly borne out by our own experiences on the ground. We’re seen phenomenal growth over the past few years at Vista, driven by surging demand for robust, high-quality composite doors with an extensive range of aesthetic options. In 2015 alone, we saw a 30% rise in coloured composite door sales, and an 11% rise in contemporary style composite door sales. We’ve also benefitted from significantly increased demand for fire doors, seeing a 50% rise in fire door sales the same year.” www.vistapanels.co.uk

DW3 Products Group Hits First

£1m Week In October DW3 Products Group has achieved its first ever £1m sales week in October. DW3 brands include Solidor, Residor, Window Widgets and Residence Collection (R7, R8, R9 and R2).

After two major launches this year of R7, R8 and R2 in Residence Collection, and Residor, DW3 sales are soaring.

DW3 Products Group specialises in premium and super-premium quality products and are designed to be the best in the market. The group invested heavily in all the brands this year – in product development, improving factory and distribution capabilities, people and in lead generation tools and online branding.

DW3 CEO Gareth Mobley says: “This year has been a big year for DW3 brands. The launch of Residence Collection and three new window systems at the FIT Show was a mile stone for the industry.

It’s a systems company that’s

10 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

completely different to other systems companies because it’s been designed with a clean slate so they look perfect and have top of the market performance. The new systems are winning fabricators and installers nationwide.

“We also launched Residor at the FIT Show. It’s the most secure GRP composite door and is already popular with Solidor customers who want to sell a GRP composite door that doesn’t compromise on security.

“We’re just heading into peak season, so this sales achievement is a sign of great momentum for the group,” adds Gareth. “We’ll keep making quality products so our customers can keep using them to grow their businesses.”

For more about DW3 Products Group and its brands visit www.dw3group.co.uk or follow @ DW3Products on Twitter.

TRADE NEWS

Allow Councils National

Window To Borrow To Systems To Build New Homes Open New Conservatory Village

Allowing local authorities to borrow to build homes could both help tackle the housing crisis and mitigate any emerging economic uncertainty, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said ahead of the Autumn Statement.

National Window Systems, a trusted and experienced family run business which has been servicing Darlington, the North East and North Yorkshire for approaching 30 years, will open its new Conservatory Village on Saturday 26th November 2016, and its trade counter the day before on Friday 25th November.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: ‘The Autumn statement presents an opportunity for the new Chancellor to think creatively about how to address the country’s growing housing crisis. We simply aren’t building enough new homes to meet current demand which is why we’re calling for the Chancellor to empower local authorities to borrow money to build thousands of new social homes.”

Berry continued: “The Government clearly recognises the extent of the housing crisis we face and has signalled its willingness to bring forward a wide-ranging package of measures to tackle this, many of which we expect to see in a forthcoming White Paper. Nevertheless, the gap between the number of homes we are building and the 250,000 a year figure widely accepted to be necessary in order to address the housing shortfall remains significant. Local authorities, who are well placed to identify local housing needs, can play a critical role in financing an increase in housing output in a safe and sensible way. We currently spend £1 on house building for roughly every £4 spent on housing benefit.

Investing in a longer term solution would therefore make sense even in more certain economic conditions.”

Berry concluded: “At a time of political and economic uncertainty, a sensible programme of investment like this could both significantly boost housing output and provide a welcome shot in the arm to a sector that is still jittery over its prospects for the next few years. The construction industry is amongst the first major areas of the economy to be affected during an economic downturn and even a minor dip in confidence could be disastrous for the Government, if it is to meet its target of one million new homes by 2020. The Chancellor has spoken of a fiscal ‘reset’ ahead of his statement. In this spirit, we hope he seriously considers a policy that would both act as a simple low-risk stimulus and would help the Government achieve its housing targets.” www.fmb.org.uk

Steve Bell and Kevin Stephenson, who have been managing National Window Systems since the company was first established, invite customers, both new and old, as well as residents of Darlington and the surrounding areas to visit the extended showroom and toast its opening.

Showroom Advert CollageSteve said, “National Window Systems means a lot to both Kevin and myself, as well as all of our employees and families. The company has experienced significant growth in recent times, and this has resulted in us increasing our staff numbers, as well as expanding the number of products that we offer. It is great that we can now show off our full range ‘in-situ’ in our new Conservatory Village.”

National Window Systems specialises in the supply and installation of windows, doors and conservatories, with old fashioned values focusing on great workmanship and quality to deliver the best product possible for customers.

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 11

TRADE NEWS

TruFrame Launches A

Frame Finish Challenge!

TruFrame has launched a frame finish challenge, to scour the nation for a better finished standard uPVC window frame, than those carefully produced using their unique 4-step hand finishing process, at their manufacturing facility in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.

Now approaching a regular 4,000 frame per week output, the company continues to employ a 4-step hand finishing process that has served them so well over many years. This process involves the checking and refinishing of the corner contours, levelling off the outside edges, ensuring uniformity of the corner grooves and the cleaning of all apertures for weld-build up, by 15 full-time, skilled craftspeople. Careful quality control procedures and a tight ISO9001:2008 certification also add value to this important finishing process.

While the company still harnesses the latest cutting and machining centres, they believe that it is in the very finer detail of frame finishing that makes all the difference, as managing director, David Firmager points out: ‘It would be easier from a production and quality control point of view to eliminate this additional process. But I, along with our valued customer base, value the attention to detail, added quality and the fact that it’s part of our

unique proposition at TruFrame.

He continues: ‘Despite capital investment by many, I still know of poor frame finishing and quality in this industry. I fully stand by the quality of our products and would challenge any installation company to find a better finished frame!’

The company also boasts a dedicated software development team for developing customer software that ‘talks’ to the backend systems at the manufacturing end of TruFrame. Plus, as part of a TruFrame complete package, there’s a dedicated marketing team putting customer’s business plans in place, growing them and helping make them more profit.

See the ‘Complete Package’ video on TruFrame’s YouTube channel.

For marketing information call 01664 410 140 or email the team directly on marketing@truframe.co.uk You can also add to their growing following on Twitter @TruFrame.

New Touch Screen Presentation Brings REHAU

Products To Life At The Building Centre products available.

Whether that is renewable energy, district heating, fenestration, railway infrastructure, furniture, cable management or any type of heating or cooling, REHAU has a product in that sector. PR754 Visitors can zoom into any area of the new touch screen presentation at the REHAU Hub in the Building Centre London f you haven’t visited the impressive REHAU Hub in the Building Centre, London for a while or if you’ve haven’t made it there yet, now is definitely the time because REHAU has just produced a brand new touch screen presentation for visitors which brings its complete product range to life.

Running on a large screen in the REHAU Hub, it allows visitors to simply tap their area of interest from a giant city scape and zoom in to see the range of REHAU 12 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

Specifiers, consultants and end users can find out about REHAU’s innovative technologies from Thermally Activated Building Structures (TABS) to acoustic furniture components and Passivhaus products and can see the typical applications available.

The presentation also allows visitors to find out some of the latest events that are happening, see the newest case studies and get more information about REHAU. www.rehau.co.uk/hub

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TRADE NEWS

Polyframe Announes

Acquisition Of WB Group Polyframe Group Limited (Polyframe), the leading manufacturer and distributor of trade windows and doors, announced that it has successfully acquired The Window Bureau Limited (WB Group).

Established in 1981, WB Group is a leading manufacturer of a proprietary range of PVCu windows and doors, GRP composite doors and PVCu door infill panels, which it supplies to the UK trade sector. The company operates from a state-of-art 70,000 square foot production facility in Birtley, Co. Durham employing just over 100 people.

This acquisition, which was prompted by the retirement of WB Group’s founder and chairman, Kevin Craggs, aligns perfectly with Polyframe’s stated strategic goal to be the market leading trade fabricator of high quality window and doors.

WB Group is Polyframe’s first acquisition since its management led buy-out in July this year. Supported by specialist investment firm Cairngorm Capital Partners LLP, the acquisition facilitates opportunities for further innovation and growth, by increasing manufacturing capability, strengthening product development and expanding Polyframe’s product range. WB’s attractive Virtuoso entry door range neatly complements Polyframe’s leading window range.

WB Group’s Managing Director, Tony Craggs, will join Polyframe’s senior management team to run the expanded door division, which will provide a comprehensive range of composite and PVCu doors from the expanded Birtley facility, plus a specialist door service that will be based at Polyframe’s Mansfield facility.

14 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

Ian Macdougal, chief executive of Polyframe said, “The outlook for our industry is strong and extremely positive, particularly in the composite door sector. Our goal is to make Polyframe best in class by offering the broadest range of high quality windows and doors in the market place. WB Group and its Virtuoso door range complete a gap in our offering, allowing us to make Polyframe the definitive trade fabricator of choice.”

John Naylor-Leyland of Cairngorm Capital commented, “This sector is forecast to achieve double digit growth over the next 3 -5 years and Ian and his team have solid plans to capitalise on this. WB Group has an outstanding reputation in the industry for supplying high quality branded composite and PVCu doors, which together with the quality of its operations and the calibre of its staff made it the natural strategic partner to expand Polyframe’s leading window range. We are pleased to invest further in Polyframe, and are delighted to have the continued support of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank Group in providing funding for the acquisitions and organic growth that are so key to our strategy.“ Kevin Craggs, founder of WB Group added, “The coming together of WB Group and Polyframe represents our mutual commitment to become the leading supplier of windows, composite and panel doors to the UK installer market and is a logical progression for the strong business that Tony and I have developed over many years. I am confident that WB Group is in good hands and wish the enlarged group every success going forward.”

TRADE NEWS

Win A Trip To See The 2017 Monaco Grand Prix

With Anglo European

Brian Baker presents Membership certificate to Peter Crittall of Crittall Installation Services

GGF Welcomes

Crittall Installation

Services

WIN the chance to jet off to watch the F1 Grand Prix and experience the thrill and excitement of the legendary FI track. To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is increase your order value.

Anglo has already experienced a big take up on this, as it doesn’t matter whether you are a super fabricator or just producing 20 windows a week. Everything is based on the percentage of the increase in order value between the 1st October 2016 and the 31st January 2017. The top 20 will go into a prize draw and the winner will have the experience of a lifetime with an all expenses paid trip to the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix.

One customer added aluminium bay poles and sections to their order as well as their normal steel reinforcement. It increased their order value by 4% and put them in the game.

A second customer was using two different profiles, with one reinforcement product supplied by the systems company; they simply switched to Anglo for both. Not only are they now saving money, it also puts them into a strong position on the Anglo F1 starting grid.

Anglo offers a unique service and is one of the few steel reinforcement suppliers who offer a cut to size service. They are the only supplier that offers this service with minimal lead-time and delivery to your door by their own dedicated transport fleet. Add to this the chance to experience the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix; it’s hard to find a reason not to use Anglo.

What are you waiting for? Increase your order now.

For further information call: 0161 231 2354, or visit www.angloeuropean.net

The GGF welcomed Crittall Installation Services into Membership during GGF Members Day in Birmingham on 29th September.

Nigel Rees, GGF Chief Executive, commented: “We are happy to welcome Crittall Installation Services into Membership and I am sure they will not only bring a lot to the Federation but will also get great benefit from being part of the industry’s main trade body.”

Peter Crittall, Proprietor of Crittall Installation Services, commented: “Crittall Installation Services has been established for nearly 40 years, we are pleased to have joined the GGF as Members and share and gain industry expertise, knowledge and experience.”

Crittall Installation Services is a conservatory specialist and window and door replacement company covering all of Kent and Sussex. The company was established by Peter Crittall in 1979 and has been trading in Kent continuously since. www.ggf.org.uk

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 15

TRADE NEWS

24% Of Installers Still Record Breaking 2016 Use Pen And Paper For Novaseal To Produce Quotations: 2016 has been a record-breaking year for Novaseal. The Hampshire-based trade manufacturer says sales at the end of the company’s financial year were 11% up on the previous year. In addition, October sales finished a staggering 37% up on 2015.

Managing Director Gary Grundy says Novaseal’s focus on quality products, extensive choice and customer service has fuelled the company’s growth. New products like the Slim 60 Lantern Roof, a Novaseal exclusive, have been particular strong sellers this year.

Gary comments: “Novaseal sales have soared in recent years thanks to our wide product range and customer-first approach.

We give customers the products they want backed up by a reliable service which includes free surveys, free deliveries and tailored customer support. This year’s financial results are outstanding and I’d like to thank the team for all their hard work over the past 12 months”.

Novaseal is a ‘one stop shop’ for a wide range of home improvement products including Deceuninck PVC-U windows and doors; K2 conservatory roofs; ALUK aluminium windows and bi-fold doors and Synseal’s new Warmcore folding sliding door. The company has grown quickly since its launch in 1998 to become one of the leading home improvement specialists on the South Coast. To meet growing demand Novaseal recently appointed Richard Peters as Sales Processor, and is opening a new state-of-the-art factory in early 2017. www.novaseal.co.uk

Windowlink Survey Reveals How Installers Sell that could help them win more business.

Gloucester-based Windowlink has helped to lead the way in fenestration industry sales and presentation software solutions for over 30 years – and now the respected firm has commissioned a survey to learn more about how installers sell.

The study, completed in conjunction with industry data specialists Insight Data, asked installers a range of questions about their business, what products they sell, what challenges they face during the selling process, and what would make securing new business easier.

When asked how they produced quotes for homeowners, 38% of installers said they used independent specialist software, 38% said they used software provided by their fabricator, and 24% said they still relied on pen and paper.

In citing the main issues they faced during sales pitches, 77% of installers named competitors selling products too cheaply as the key obstacle. When asked what would make the sales process easier, 23% said the ability to show end-users how products will look once installed in their home, and 15% singled out the ability to be able to produce quick, accurate quotes on the spot as a key factor

16 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

Mark Dudley, Windowlink MD commented: “We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to complete our survey – it produced some really interesting results.

A huge number of installers are clearly feeling the pressure in the current market, citing tough competition as one of the main challenges they have to overcome when trying to make sales.”

“At Windowlink, we designed Vector and Focus to make selling as easy as possible, enabling you to produce instant quotes and create an extremely professional first impression. During a sales pitch, you can use the software to calculate a price right in front of your customer’s eyes, making them far more inclined to trust and accept the cost.”

“One of the most popular features is the ability to superimpose product images onto a photograph of the prospective customer’s property. This enables the customer to visualise what the finished installation will look like, making them more likely to go ahead with the sale. The software is incredibly easy to use and prices start from as little as £1.51 per day.”

Mark concludes: “The survey highlighted that 24% of installers still use pen and paper to produce quotations, although I suspect the actual figure is higher than this. If you are still using pen and paper and you want to improve the way you sell, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.” www.windowlink.com

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TRADE NEWS

Frames Conservatories Direct Gains Suffolk Trading

Standards Approval Network VEKA Award for Best Newcomer in 2014 and Overall Winner in the two years since.

Adrian Lewis, Managing Director of Frames Conservatories Direct commented: “In an industry where consumer trust is paramount and the shadows of shady salesmen from the 1980s and 90s still loom large, we are proud to be accredited by organisations that offer homeowners an informed and trustworthy choice.

(L-R): Network VEKA MD John Ogilvie, Gisela, Matthew and Adrian Lewis of Frames Conservatories Direct, MD of The VEKA UK Group Dave Jones

Suffolk-based Network VEKA member, Frames Conservatories Direct has further bolstered its reputation for high standards and quality service by attaining Approved status from Suffolk County Council Trading Standards.

The Bury St Edmunds company underwent a thorough vetting process from Trading Standards and online trusted-tradespeople directory Checkatrade to demonstrate its credentials in a number of crucial fields. The two organisations are collaborating on a scheme that will help consumers find traders they can trust and

rely on throughout Suffolk.

Network VEKA similarly ensures companies meet a high and exacting set of standards to gain membership, and continually monitors homeowner approval and other indicators to ensure those levels are maintained.

Presently, customer satisfaction scores average around 97% compared to an industry norm of just 83%.

Frames Conservatories Direct joined the pioneering installer support organisation in 2013; soon being recognised with the

18 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

“Our Trading Standards Approval shows customers that we are financially stable, appropriately insured, and have all the necessary accreditations and qualifications to deliver an impeccable and dependable service. We look forward to supplementing the sales leads we receive through Network VEKA with the Suffolk-specific queries this will generate. The assessment was rigorous, but – as it shares so many of the criteria integral to our Network membership – I’m proud to say we took it in our stride.”

To learn more about Frames Conservatories Direct, including its community and charity work in the Suffolk area, visit www. fcdhomeimprovements.co.uk.

The new Network VEKA website, with dedicated areas for trade and consumer visitors is now live at www.networkveka.co.uk

TRADE NEWS

Majestic Designs

Enters Its 15Th Year Of Trading In

Morley Glass 2-Part

Investments For

Future Growth Morley Glass & Glazing Ltd at Bruntcliffe Way in Leeds has recently loaded its new £1 million premises with new equipment to manufacture its highest quality insulated glass (IG) sealed units with Kommerling 2-part Polysulphide Sealant from Thermoseal Group.

As one of the Region’s largest glass merchants and manufacturers of IG units, Morley Glass has seen 30% year-on-year growth due to the focus on quality, customer service and its dedication to staff.

Morley Glass’ Managing Director, Ian Short told us: “We decided to change to a 2-part Polysulphide sealant to meet Kite Mark approval for our customers. Our main proviso in our choice of sealant was an established industry-leading brand delivered by a reliable supplier. Our new building gave us the space for a range of additional IG manufacturing equipment from Best Makina, which includes: a complete production line with Robot Gun; 2 spacer saws; 2 PIB machines; a static mixing machine and a new 2-part machine for use with Kommerling

GD116 Polysulphide supplied by Thermoseal Group.”

Ian continues: “We only work with the best suppliers and have been really impressed with the commitment and support we have received from Best Makina in setting our equipment up to work with our chosen IG components. And because of their commitment, we will now showcase their machinery for other UK manufacturers to view.

“Following the testing of Kommerling GD116 in their 2-part machinery, Best Makina engineers were impressed with how great the sealant is and how well it runs through their machinery, so much so that they are now recommending this brand to other customers.

“We chose to purchase our sealant from Thermoseal Group to guarantee the reliable delivery of a premium product from a leading UK supplier who has a friendly, supportive and dedicated approach to meeting our business needs.” www.morleyglass.co.uk

October 2016 Launched in November 2002 by Steve Harris the company has gone from strength to strength, riding the wave of tough times through recession to come out on top as the leading Duraflex window installer for the Somerset region employing a significant number of employee’s across the group.

The company has achieved some significant milestones over the course of its 15 year history; not least the move to a 20,000 square foot purpose built premises. This move enabled the group to not only scale up their manufacturing capabilities but also provide comfortable office space for staff alongside a dedicated showroom facility for customers to view their wide range of products.

Steve Harris comments “We have achieved a lot during the course of the last 15 years and are delighted to have made significant contributions to the local economy over the years, our staff are our biggest asset and we are lucky to have many long standing members of the team who’ve helped us achieve our growth and contribute to the large numbers of happy customers” The team at Majestic Designs are very much looking forward to the next 15 years trading.

For more information, visit: www.majesticdesigns.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 19

TRADE NEWS

AluK (GB) relocates

UK Headquarters to Monmouthshire

AluK (GB), a leading designer and engineer of aluminium building systems, has today announced that it has acquired a major site in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, to enable significant expansion plans.

The multi-million pound investment, one of the largest industrial deals to take place in Wales this decade, follows three years of substantial business growth in the UK market.

The new 350,000sq ft facility will increase assembly and production capacity, enabling AluK to meet the growing demands of its customers efficiently and effectively. The decision to move premises and acquire this larger site was essential to the continued expansion of the business and demonstrates AluK’s commitment to the UK market.

Solidor

Russell Yates, Managing Director, AluK, comments: “Over the past three years we have significantly expanded our business and have outgrown our current facilities in Newport. We are pleased to confirm that we have been able to acquire new facilities in South Wales, and are planning to move to the new premises in the first quarter of 2017.”

Recent investment in the business has included the opening of a London Design Studio to bring AluK’s products closer to its customers, whilst also providing a space for industry discussion and debate. Continuing this investment in the UK, the new South Wales Headquarters will include R&D, training and state-ofthe-art manufacturing facilities, as well as warehousing, offices, and a showroom displaying the complete range of AluK systems.

Russell continues: “The new site provides us with a fantastic platform for delivering continued innovation and exceptional product design, which will result in the launch of a range of new products to the Commercial and Trade & Residential markets early next year. To support these introductions, and our future business strategy, we have restructured our business, which is now split into two divisions to focus and specialise on each of the market sectors.

The relocation to new premises marks the next stage in AluK’s growth and business expansion strategy. It presents the company with an opportunity to bring new and innovative ideas to both their direct and indirect customers, as well as provide expertise and support to the industry.

Solidor CEO Gareth Mobley says: “Homeowners want a door that keeps their home secure, but that also looks fantastic doing it.

While Solidor is certainly the most secure composite door on the market, it also looks sublime.”

Best Ever Sales Week

Solidor customers sold a record number of quality composite doors in the first week of October, then did even better the following week, smashing the record set in November 2015. The maker of one of the most secure composite doors is going from strength to strength as it perfects the tools that help its customers grow.

Investment in world-class manufacturing and people has improved

Available in a choice of 20 colours and a huge range of contemporary and traditional door designs, there’s a Solidor to fit every home.

Solidor’s service to world-class standards. Together with investment in marketing and lead generation it has helped Solidor customers sell more of its quality composite doors. Solidor generated over 1600 leads for its customers in September – another new record!

20 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

“Solidor customers are loving it, and we’re doing everything we can to help them grow,” adds Gareth. “We’re now offering consistently world-class service, and our lead generation is regularly breaking records. We’re really proud of our customers, and look forward to many more record weeks in the future!” www.solidor.co.uk

TRADE NEWS

Warm Edge for Windows Celebratory Champagne and cupcakes were presented to Directors David Burles and Heidi Sachs.

20 Years Trading With The VEKA UK Group? – It’s A

Piece Of Cake For Modplan!

VEKA fabricator Modplan is celebrating a successful two decades in partnership with The VEKA UK Group.

Modplan2To celebrate this long-standing relationship, The VEKA UK Group delivered two bottles of champagne and celebratory cupcakes for all the staff.

As well as being a long-standing fabricator of VEKA systems, Abercarn-based Modplan is also a proud member of Network VEKA and an Approved Fabricator within the Group’s Approved Installer Scheme.

Heidi Sachs, Director at Modplan said: “We’ve always been committed to quality, and that’s why The VEKA UK Group has been such a fitting partner for so long.

The products are second-to-none and the systems are backed up with a host of additional support services.

“Being a Network VEKA Fabricator means we are authorised to supply Network VEKA installers, which brings in valuable work for us and maintains the quality of the supply chain that the Network VEKA insurance-backed guarantee relies upon.

“As for being part of the VEKA Approved Installer Scheme, we’ve seen a considerable uptake to the scheme from our installer customers and, I’m happy to report, we regularly hear stories of how the marketing support available is a huge help to those in the scheme.

Dave Jones, MD of The VEKA UK Group congratulated Modplan on the company’s ongoing success. “It’s always great to see that our customers are thriving.

Modplan is a great example of a fabricator that takes advantage of all the additional support services we offer in order to grow their business. www.vekauk.com

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TRADE NEWS

Investment pays off for SafeGuard There’s often a reason for companies not to invest – talk of a market downturn or political uncertainty to name just two – but when a proactive company gets it right, it can be good for the business and even better for customers. Peterborough-based glass and glazing specialist SafeGuard is pleased to report that business is on the up following a £1.3m investment into its manufacturing operation and a move into larger premises last year.

“Key to our success has been our continued desire to evolve and develop in order to improve our offering,” explains Nick Welsh, Managing Director at SafeGuard. “Last year saw us move to 28,000ft2 premises as well as extend our manufacturing capabilities. As a result we have gone from strength to strength and with customers at the centre of everything we do, we will always strive to continuously improve our offering. Most recently our investment has been in product development and we were delighted to bring to the market our fully certified EN1279 Parts 2 and 3 compliant range of heritage IGUs. This is something we have worked on for the last 18 months and are delighted to be the first company in the UK to offer a fully certified solution.

“The achievement pays testament to the depth and breadth of technical, glass know-how SafeGuard has acquired during our 21-year heritage. Our philosophy has always been to provide Clear Solutions in Glass, with the focus being on Solutions. This philosophy has served us well over the past 21 years and we trust it will for many more to come.” www.safe-guard.co.uk

Network VEKA Driving Sales For BMW Building Products BMW Building Products – one of the latest companies to join pioneering installer support organisation, Network VEKA – has wasted no time in making the most of the benefits now available to it.

The Chester-le-Street company was recognised at 2016’s Network VEKA Awards as Best New Member (North); an accolade that illustrates its commitment to quality products from The VEKA UK Group, flawless workmanship and attentive service.

John Jefferson, Managing Director at BMW Building Products explains: “Over the past few years, we’ve taken several steps to further capitalise on more than three decades of success throughout the North East.

“An investment of over £300k in a new showroom and factory expansion saw our turnover increase by 22% over a three-year period, allowing us to create several new jobs. We’ve continued that growth with a new site in Stockton, showcasing our conservatory range to the homeowner market.

“Network VEKA has provided the support to take our already flourishing business to the next level.

Our marketing, for example, now has increased impact thanks to the Network’s professional designs – personalised to incorporate our logo and contact details, etc.

Combine that with the assurances we are now able to provide,

22 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

and our offering to consumers is formidable.”

A famed 10 year insurance-backed guarantee is among the most significant advantages for Network VEKA customers – honoured in the unlikely event that their installer should unexpectedly cease to trade.

“The financial aspects of Network membership were some of the most attractive to us when joining”, John continues. “Customers know their investment is protected by a comprehensive indemnity guarantee from the moment they pay their deposit. It all serves to build confidence in our provision, and the All Checked online review portal further strengthens that trust.”

Dave Jones, Managing Director of The VEKA UK Group commented: “BMW Building Products have proven fantastic ambassadors for Network VEKA within a short time of joining. They completely embody the organisation’s Networkmanship code of conduct, and their continued growth illustrates how customers feel complete peace of mind with them. I congratulate them on their awards success this year – here’s to many more in future!”

To learn more about BMW Building Products and take a virtual tour of their showroom, please visit: www.bmwwindows.co.uk

TRADE NEWS

‘Best Of Its Kind’ Part Q Manual From Liniar In characteristic Liniar style, the in-house technical experts at the innovative systems house have reviewed the legislative requirements for Document Q compliance and produced a flawless guide for the benefit of its fabricator customers.

Described as ‘the best of its kind’ by several of the first fabricators to get their hands on a copy, the Liniar Part Q Manual uses detailed illustrations and instructions to explain how to achieve compliance for every Liniar product in the range.

The full-colour document makes it easier for Liniar fabricators to ensure compliance with Part Q security regulations for windows and doors, as well as helping them build their own products for testing.

The strict requirements of Document Q refer to all easily accessible windows and doors installed within new build dwellings and flats in England, together with excepted energy buildings in Wales – including extensions to existing properties and material change of use of a building, or part of it.

For compliance, windows and doors need evidence to demonstrate the product has been “manufactured to a design that has been shown by test to meet the security requirements of British Standards publication PAS 24:2012/PAS 24:2016”, or equivalent enhanced security testing.

Paul Garforth, Technical Manager for Liniar, said: “We’ve already undergone the rigorous process of testing, so the new guide has been designed to save our customers time, cost and effort – providing they use the exact same components we used in testing.

“In many instances this will mean that no further testing is required – so all fabricators need to do is request a copy of thePAS 24 test

certificate for each of the product types, which can then can be used to show compliance.”

“Of course, if customers also wish to carry out their own product testing, perhaps with slightly different components, then the multi-purpose details within the new manual may also be used for guidance in this situation,” comments Paul.

The Part Q Manual is intended to raise quality standards in the marketplace by offering clear guidelines to the components and manufacturing techniques necessary to meet the strict testing process.

Specifying the correct positioning of components, such as glazing platforms and run-up ramps, in a simple pictorial format, the guide includes cross section drawings to explain the internal elements and screw locations.

Covering panels, standard and triple glazing options, the latest hardware solutions will be added to the guide on an ongoing basis to ensure that the manual contains the most up-to-date information.

Liniar customers requiring a copy of the new Part Q Manual can email marketing@liniar.co.uk or call the Liniar Technical team on 01332 883900.

Spaceage PVC Signs Up To Deliver

Composite Wood To Dorset “I’ve been searching for a product exactly like Composite Wood for a long time,” says Steve Bonner, Managing Director, Spaceage PVC. “As soon as I picked up a sample pack and took a look at the Composite Wood Company brochure, I knew this would be a popular product with my customers.”

“We’re adding the Composite Wood decking, fencing, balustrades and garden rooms to our range. The material is so versatile that it will allow homeowners to achieve a range of design possibilities. We’ve even used it to clad a water feature in our showroom and it looks great.”

Poole based Trade plastics suppliers Spaceage PVC has joined Composite Wood Company’s growing network of installers around the UK to bring the versatile benefits of Composite Wood to homeowners in Dorset.

Composite Wood Company has already begun sending leads through to Spaceage. “We have received a large number of leads from the guys at Composite Wood and it just shows how popular the products are as we have already sold 50 percent of the stock we bought.

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 23

TRADE NEWS

The Window Outlet Helps

Customers Sell With Stylish

New Showroom

Fast-moving aluminium fabricator the Window Outlet was already known for its quick lead times and quote turnarounds – but now, the West Country firm has taken its customer service commitment a step further, opening a stylish new showroom designed to help its trade clients sell.

letting them see a selection of the extensive range of products The Window Outlet has to offer for themselves. In the room itself, they’ll find windows, doors and bifolds from AluK, Reynaers lift and slide patio doors, and Schueco bonded panel doors, as well as an Altas glazed roof.

Situated at its Bristol headquarters, the welcoming space has been made available for installers to visit with potential customers,

“At the Window Outlet, we want to do our utmost to help our customers sell,” commented Ben Warren, Window Outlet MD. “Our new

showroom has been specifically designed to showcase our products in the best possible light.

When it comes to boosting conversion rates, there’s no substitute for a slick showroom experience – and our premium aluminium solutions are sure to make a fantastic first impression”.

The showroom is just the latest in a string of new developments from the fast-growing fabricator.

With the popularity of high-end aluminium door systems continuing to rise, The Window Outlet has recently added Schueco’s stylish Adeco doors to its range.

Designed to deliver sleek, minimalist aesthetics and excellent all-round performance, Adeco doors feature a highly insulating form core and double glazing for exceptional thermal efficiency.

What’s more, The Window Outlet was recently named Start-up of the Year at the prestigious Business Leader Awards, recognition of phenomenal growth that saw the firm reach £1m turnover in year one, and be well on the way to £2m by its second birthday.

For more information visit www.the-window-outlet.co.uk or call 0117 405 8488

Bluesky Certification recognised by Secured By Design

Bluesky Certification has achieved recognition by Secured By Design for its certification for its Enhanced Security Door and Window schemes to PAS 24. This follows Bluesky Certification achieving accreditation for product certification to ISO/IEC 17065:2012 with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Simon Beer, Managing Director, Bluesky Certification said: “Our aim is to provide a one stop shop for companies manufacturing or installing doors, windows, glass and fire resistant products. Acceptance

by Secured By Design is crucial for a certification body operating in the door and window industry and therefore achieving this recognition was key.”

More details of the services offered by Bluesky Certification can be found at www.blueskycert.com or by calling 01753 303828.

24 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

TRADE NEWS

Wintech First UKAS Accredited

Laboratory

To Test To PAS 24:2016

Independent UKAS accredited testing laboratory and certification body Wintech Testing & Certification, is delighted to announce that following an update on September 12th, it became the first accredited laboratory to test to PAS 24:2016.

As part of our commitment to investment, we have recently added further test rigs in preparation for PAS 24:2016

Technical Director Mike Wass explains more: “PAS 24:2016 is the latest version of the test methods and acceptance criteria for the enhanced security performance of windows and doorsets intended to resist attacks normally associated with a casual or opportunistic burglar. It is one option specified for compliance with Secured by Design requirements and product certification schemes such as the WinMark. As with all Standard updates, PAS 24:2016 introduces a range of changes to reflect updates in market requirements and legislation.

“Companies will need to test windows and doorsets to PAS 24:2016 at a UKAS Accredited Test Laboratory to ensure ongoing compliance. We’re delighted that Wintech is the first laboratory to gain UKAS Accreditation to carry out this test and are currently taking bookings for those looking to meet the latest requirements.

Ongoing investment has seen us increase our number of test rigs with the capability to test windows and doorsets up to a height of 3.2m and a width of 3.5m, meaning we can test a vast range of products available on the market.” www.wintechtesting.com WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 25

TRADE NEWS

Spaceage PVC Signs Up To Deliver

Composite Wood

To Dorset “I’ve been searching for a product exactly like Composite Wood for a long time,” says Steve Bonner, Managing Director, Spaceage PVC. “As soon as I picked up a sample pack and took a look at the Composite Wood Company brochure, I knew this would be a popular product with my customers.”

Poole based Trade plastics suppliers Spaceage PVC has joined Composite Wood Company’s growing network of installers around the UK to bring the versatile benefits of Composite Wood to homeowners in Dorset.

“We’re adding the Composite Wood decking, fencing, balustrades and garden rooms to our range. The material is so versatile that it will allow homeowners to achieve a range of design possibilities. We’ve even used it to clad a water feature in our showroom and it looks great.”

Composite Wood Company has already begun sending leads through to Spaceage. “We have received a large number of leads from the guys at Composite Wood and it just shows how popular the products are as we have already sold 50 percent of the stock we bought.

The company says Composite Wood is the fastest growing home improvement product; it’s low maintenance so it doesn’t need staining or painting, splinter-free and waterproof with a fantastic natural look.

These benefits have driven the surge in popularity of Composite Wood Company’s products which now has more than 11,500 likes on its Facebook page www.compositewoodcompany.co.uk

One Of UK’s Fastest Growing Fabricators To Roll Out REHAU One of the UK’s fastest growing suppliers of windows and doors has announced it will start manufacturing REHAU products in 2017.

TWR Bifolds – which is part of the TWR Group – has two factories in Peterlee and Sunderland and is currently investing in the required tooling and machinery, ready for the beginning of next year.

It will continue to manufacture and supply bi-folds and commercial aluminium from its 25,000 sq. ft Peterlee factory and REHAU Calibre and Total 70 will be produced at its long-standing headquarters in Sunderland; where it also manufactures Stratus Roofs and Warmcore.

TWR Bifolds is part of the TWR Group, which started fabricating aluminium and PVC-u windows and doors fourteen years ago, with the aim to supply high-quality products to installers across the UK.

70 aluminium bi-folds a week; and this year also added Warmcore and Stratus aluminium roofs to its portfolio of products.

Terry comments: “We never stand still at TWR and we are constantly evolving our product range to ensure we have one that gives our customers a distinct advantage in the marketplace. There is strong demand for high-quality PVC-u products and we’re delighted to be rolling out a new product range with REHAU. On the economy, Terry comments: “There is a lot of talk from socalled experts about confidence in the UK economy and tough times ahead; but unless we chose to talk ourselves into a recession, I believe there is an abundance of opportunity ahead for our industry and country.”

Terry says the move has been prompted by increasing demand across the UK for premium PVC-u products.

2016 has been a whirlwind year at TWR, with a move to a brand new factory; new senior sales appointments; new products launches and the roll out of its fast-track service, which allows installers to achieve a three working day turnaround on coloured aluminium bi-folding doors.

TWR has seen exponential growth in the last couple of years and now manufacture an average of

For more information visit www.twrbifolds.co.uk or call 0191 565 2200

26 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

TRADE NEWS

Fab Frames Completes Optima Changeover With 500K Investment

Long-standing Epwin customer Fab Frames, has recently invested half a million pounds into new machinery. The investment also coincided with the South West trade supplier’s changeover to Profile 22’s new Optima system.

Fab Frames Managing Director, Mike Taylor explains: “As we made the changeover we invested heavily into our machinery, with 500k worth of new machines coming

over from Germany. These have now spread us over six factories and covers 11,000 square feet.

Covering every aspect of the fabrication process, from welding to CNC machines, the new machinery has seen our capacity increase to 600 frames per week, and we can now offer a one day turnaround on emergency windows as we are open 24 hours a day, six days a week. We have also increased our employees from 80 to

110, which has been a real boost for the local area.”

Fab Frames supplies PVC-U windows, doors and conservatories to the trade from its Newton Abbot headquarters and is an exclusive supplier of Solidor for the entire South West region. Fully Kitemarked and Secured by Design on their product range, Fab Frames has recently been awarded a further five year contract with their local council.

The company also prides itself on only using the best quality components from reputable suppliers, including Optima, Mike explains: “We were really looking forward to changing over to the Optima system; technology continues to evolve and move at a fast pace, and the new system has addressed the issues that have arisen within the industry. So far it has been very well received, not only by ourselves but installers and homeowners alike. Optima offers a much better quality and precise profile, and it is extremely easy to install.”

Contact Fab Frames on 01626 333713 or visit www.fabframes.net

Aluminium Timber Composite Windows Soaring In Popularity A recent Palmer Market Research report puts the value of the timber aluminium composite window market at £77 million with significant growth set to continue to at least 2019.

Specialist aluminium clad timber window systems company, AluWood, isn’t surprised by this prediction and sees this as the perfect opportunity for fabricators and installers to win sales in this market.

“The soaring popularity of the timber aluminium composite window market makes this a prime opportunity for fabricators to enhance their product range,” says Callum Grant, Commercial Director at AluWood.

“Reports including Palmer show a continued increase in sales of wood windows with aluminium clad a significant percent of this growth. We believe much of this growth is driven by homeowners and self-builders looking for windows which look great and are lower maintenance.

“We have engineered a window system which provides the modern look and low maintenance of aluminium on the outside, with the warm cosy effect timber provides on the inside. Homeowners are demanding more sophisticated window systems to bring style to their home.”

AluWood is looking to grow its network of fabricator partners around the UK to bring the benefits of its aluminium clad timber window system to homeowners. The system can be used to fabricate top, or side hung flush casement windows, as well as reversible windows. It’s design makes it easy to manufacture and install.

Callum adds, “Whilst the price of a PVCu window has stagnated since the year 2000, the price for wood windows has doubled, this shows how wood windows can bring real value to fabricators.” www.aluwoodwindows.co.uk WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 27

AWARDS

The G-Awards 2016

(L-R) Sponsor Matt Buckley, Managing Director of Pilkington UK&I Architectural Glass, Richard Gyde, Managing Director at Mila, Sarah Gyde, Head of Marketing and Customer Experience at Mila, Paul Pearson, Product Design Manager at Mila, Milton Jones.

Mila Wins Marketing Award For Second Year In A Row Mila’s marketing team were once again in the spotlight at the G-16 Awards when their campaign to launch the innovative GRIP espag handle was named Trade Marketing Campaign of the year.

Picking up the trophy from Milton Jones, Sarah Gyde, Mila’s Head of Marketing and Customer Experience, said: “We won this same award in 2015 for the launch of our ProSecure door hinge and we never imagined that we could repeat that success. It was a wonderful sur-

prise and a fantastic endorsement of all our efforts at Mila to create strong and distinctive campaigns.”

Few in the industry can have missed Mila’s launch of the GRIP handle – the campaign included the ‘handles grown on trees’ advertisements illustrating the fact that the handle is endorsed by the Carbon Trust, the multi-coloured Mila stand at the FIT show to launch GRIP in 210 RAL colours and the powerful PR campaign communicating the anti-microbial properties

28 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

of GRIP CleanTouch.

It is three marketing awards in a row now for Mila, since they also picked up the Digital Marketing Campaign award at the FIT Show Awards as well.

Sarah Gyde added: “All of Mila’s marketing is a reflection of the quality which runs throughout this business. We always aim to be the best and to set the very highest standards in this industry and I like to think that our award-winning marketing demonstrates that.”

AWARDS

Thermoseal Group Multiple Award Winners

icantly increase export sales in 2017. We also have a growing number of UK customers opting for our UK-manufactured spacers and in-house injection moulded accessories.”

For the second year in a row, Thermoseal Group is the winner of the coveted Glass and Glazing Industry’s G-Award for ‘Component Supplier of the Year’ as announced at the prestigious Gala Dinner held at the Hilton on Park Lane Hotel in London on Friday 18 November 2016.

This was a great day for Thermoseal Group who were also announced winners at two other awards events held that day resulting in an ‘EEF Future Manufacturing Award for Export’ for the North West Region and also a Wigan Business Award for ‘Exporter of the Year 2016’.

“We were delighted to receive these awards”, says Samantha Hill, Group Marketing Manager. “It was a great buzz for our team on Friday who saw group messages: ‘We’re a winner!’…

‘And again!’… ‘And we won AGAIN!’ The continued investment into our Innovation Centre, manufacturing facility, business

infrastructure, staff training and development, and drive into the export market at Thermoseal Group is an amazing environment to be part of. We are a hard-working and dedicated team who all play our part in its continued success.

The Group’s Managing Director, Gwain Paterson added: “A big thank you to all of the staff at Thermoseal Group and thanks to our UK and International customers and industry contacts who continue to work with us to help develop exciting new products. We now manufacture over 50% of the components we supply and intend to continue to manufacture further products over the coming years.

“In 2015, there was a 95% increase in export business coming from our expanding network of customers – many of which are distributors in 22 countries within: Asia; Australia and Oceania; Europe; North America and South America. We will achieve 100% growth in export sales in 2016 and plan to signif-

30 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

Sam continues: “We are also a finalist for ‘Spacer Bar Manufacturer of the Year’ in the National Fenestration Awards, Amazon’s prestigious Growing Business Awards ‘Export Champion of the Year’ and another coveted award we’re not yet allowed to talk about so we look forward to the results. We have our fingers crossed for these awards and will of course sing from the rooftops if we are to win.

“Please vote for Thermoseal Group for Spacer Bar Manufacturer of the Year 2016 at www. fenestrationawards.co.uk before voting closes on Wednesday 30thNovember.”

Thermobar Warm Edge Spacer Tube achieves a 0.14W/mK and Thermoflex Warm Edge Spacer a 0.135W/mK Bundesverband Flachglas (BF) rating. Both spacers also achieve a Passive House phA+ rating.

To find out about Thermoseal Group and its comprehensive range of insulated glass components and machinery for glazing manufacture, call +44(0)121 331 3950 or visit www.thermosealgroup.com.

For full information about the Group’s warm edge spacers see www.thermobarwarmedge.com and www.thermoflexwarmedge.com

TRADE NEWS

A Momentous Year For

Profile 22 As Optima Takes New Product Of The Year At G Awards

Composite Wood Company wins the G16 Award for Promotional Campaign of the Year – Retail, accepted by Andy and Sarah Ball

G Award

Win For Composite Wood In the perfect celebration of the company’s 40th anniversary and what has now become the most momentous year in the company’s recent history, leading window and door systems brand Profile 22 has won the New Product of the Year category at this year’s G Awards.

Award to cement that success,” said Clare. “It was a great occasion for our team and many of the customers that worked with us to help deliver Optima; it was the ultimate 40th anniversary present.”

The prize was awarded for Optima, Profile 22’s ground breaking new window systems launched to widespread acclaim at this year’s FIT Show in April. In making their decision the G Awards judges commented: “An incredible achievement to get from concept to production in such a short time.

This suite of profiles seems to provide an answer to most window needs.”

According to the company, Profile 22 Optima represents the largest and most significant launch by a window systems company for at least a decade. This is true in terms of the size and complexity of the product offer; of the comprehensive systems and support facilities provided for customers and users of the products; and of the investment in manufacturing infrastructure, all of which were key issues considered by the G Awards judges.

Clare O’Hara, Managing Director of Epwin Window Systems Division, which owns the Profile 22 brand, said the G Awards New Product of the Year title was a tribute to the teamwork that delivered the most comprehensive suite of new systems the industry has witnessed, in record time. “Our sales figures and other professional KPI’s tell us that we are way ahead of our expectations for Optima but there is nothing like winning a G

The launch of Optima signals a commitment by Profile 22 in respect of its customers but also the market per se and its belief in the future of the UK window and door industry, especially the home improvement sector. In fact every one of the brand’s fabricators has converted to Optima from the systems they replace in less than 8 months, an extraordinary achievement in wider industry terms. www.profile22.co.uk.

Retail Campaign The window industry’s biggest recognition, the G Awards, has looked beyond glass and glazing products to celebrate the amazing work done by Composite Wood Company, helping installers sell the fastest-growing home improvement to homeowners.

Composite Wood Company scooped the G16 Award for Promotional Campaign of the Year – Retail, beating finalists Solidor, the Veka UK Group and the Glass and Glazing Federation.

Social media is at the heart of Composite Wood Company’s vibrant, ongoing campaign to build awareness of its brand. Making Composite Wood into a ‘musthave’ lifestyle product, with regular posts, offers and competitions, the Facebook page now has nearly 12,000 fans and has generated around 5 million page impressions in 2016.

The entry included information about how the campaign benefits the glazing industry. Andy and Sarah Ball of Balls2 Marketing picked up the award on Composite Wood Company’s behalf.

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 31

AWARDS and we’re really proud of what we’ve all achieved this year.”

Solidor has invested in almost every area of its business, from factory processes, to people and marketing. The result is record breaking sales and 99.7% of orders delivered on time and in full. That’s world-class.

Solidor Wins G16 Fabricator

Of The Year Award

Solidor won Fabricator of the Year at this year’s G16 Awards, the premier awards ceremony for the glass and glazing industry.

Solidor CEO Gareth Mobley says: “Winning Fabricator of the Year is amazing. It’s fantastic to be recognised by the G Awards,

“We’ve given Solidor customers a solid competitive edge and they’re growing rapidly,” Gareth continues. “Our aim is to create the best service we can for them now and in the future. Our policy of continuous improvement means we’re only going to get better. We’ll make sure our customers have everything they need from us to make the most of the opportunities, so we can keep growing with them.”

Dual Seal Glass Named Glass Company

Of The Year

appointment of a new-look board, a major site expansion and celebrations for its 21st anniversary.

The event, which recognises the achievements of the glass and glazing industry, took place at a glittering awards ceremony at The London Hilton on Park Lane on 18 November.

Dual Seal Glass, a finalist for two years running, was awarded the coveted winner’s title and presented with the trophy by awards’ host and TV’s ‘Mock the Week’ regular Milton Jones.

(L-R) Brian Baker, Glass & Glazing Federation, Nigel Meredith (Dual Seal Joint MD and Owner), Richard Morris (Dual Seal Joint MD), John Pearson (Dual Seal Technical Director) and awards host Milton Jones.

Dual Seal Glass has triumphed at the prestigious G16 Awards, where they were named Glass Company of the Year.

The accolade is sure to be the crowning achievement for the business after a year that has included the 32 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

Dual Seal’s joint managing director and owner Nigel Meredith said: “It’s an honour to be named Glass Company of the Year. I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished to date and would like to thank all our staff for their hard work and commitment. Their efforts have undoubtedly helped secure our position at the forefront of the commercial glazing sector”.

Fellow joint managing director Richard Morris added: “It is great to see that our core values of customer focus and service have been rewarded by the G16 judges. Sometimes it takes someone outside of the business to remind you of what you do well!” www.dualsealglass.co.uk

AWARDS

G16 Top Trainer Quickslide

Teams Up With Dale Carnegie

G Award

Winners

The best of the best in glass and glazing have once again been recognised at the G16 Awards held at a special Gala Dinner and Awards evening at the London Hilton Park Lane on Friday (Nov 18).

Winner in the Best New Product category this year was Epwin Window Systems with the Optima PVC-U system from Profile 22.

The other winners were: The victorious Quickslide team collect their G Award. From 2nd left: Michael Connor, Tom Swallow and Jason Scrivens.

G16 Training Award winner Quickslide is reaping the benefits of taking its Quickslide Academy training programme to a higher level thanks to a partnership with the world-renowned Dale Carnegie organisation.

The Yorkshire fabricator not only picked up the prestigious award at this year’s event, but has also seen profits rise to record levels, cash flow significantly improving and even accident levels – and insurance premiums – dropping since teaming up with Dale Carnegie, as MD Michael Connor explained: “It’s more about mindset than making windows but the benefits are very real. It’s about stepping right outside your comfort zone and thinking about behaviour and relationships with colleagues, customers and everyone you deal with.

“We have always put great emphasis in training at all levels but this has been a complete transformation.”

More than 40 of Quickslide’s staff have already undergone training with Dale Carnegie via tailored

courses at its Brighouse HQ as well as at centres run by the organisation.

The fabricator already operates its Quickslide Academy training programme of performance and improvement courses. Last year, it set out its aim to create “100 problem-solvers” in its workforce with a series of courses up to a year in length, aimed at quality, efficiency and continuous improvement.

Dale Carnegie Training, founded over a century ago, operates in more than 80 countries, delivering workplace learning and performance training to companies of all sizes, including some of the world’s biggest and best-known corporations.

Quickslide has so far invested over £35,000 in courses with Dale Carnegie, including: How to Win Friends and Influence People Relationship Selling Leadership Training for Managers Sales Bespoke in-house course Away Days – Strategy and Strategic thinking 360 Degree individual appraisals

Fabricator of the Year: Solidor Installer of the Year: Sheffield Window Centre Conservatory Installer of the Year: Sherborne Glass Company of the Year: Dual Seal Glass Commercial Project of the Year: Glassolutions Training and Development Initiative of the Year: Quickslide Promotional Campaign of the Year (Retail): Composite Wood Company Promotional Campaign of the Year (Trade): Mila Component Supplier of the Year: Thermoseal Group Customer Care Initiative of the Year: Roseview Windows The Unsung Hero, in the new category launched last year, was Jude Knowles of Business Micros.

The Derek Bonnard Award for Excellence was awarded to the Glass & Glazing Federation.

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 33

PEOPLE

New Despatch

Manager At

Euroglaze Targets

Even Better

Customer Service

Wayne Elkin is the new Despatch Manager at REHAU trade fabricator Euroglaze, promoted as part of the company’s commitment to continuous improvement.

With 25 years’ experience in the window industry, in a mix of sales, installation, technical and delivery roles, Wayne understands exactly how important it is to get deliveries to customers on time and in full, and is putting in place a series of initiatives to help Euroglaze improve its already excellent performance.

This includes the new online imaging system which records all ancillary packs being filled and sealed before despatch so that customers can be reassured that they have all the right fittings for every job, and barcode scanning of frames at despatch.

Wayne’s promotion comes as a result of a complete systems review carried out at Euroglaze which looked at ways of streamlining the operation to make every department work even more efficiently for customers and identified talented individuals within the business who could implement the changes required. www.euroglaze.co.uk

Mark Richmond Is Back In

Style At Victorian Sliders You can’t keep a good man tied down! Mark Richmond is back in action as Sales Director at specialist sash window fabricator Victorian Sliders.

Mark is a very well-known figure in the UK fenestration industry and his irrepressible character and dynamic approach is already making a big impact with customers at Victorian Sliders, Europe’s largest specialist manufacturers of PVC-U vertical sliding sash windows.

“I visited their headquarters in South Wales and was totally blown away by the operational investments and forward-looking vision at Victorian Sliders”, says Mark. “I wanted to be part of this exciting success story, so after discussions I agreed to join the company as a member of the senior management team, in charge of sales.”

Victorian Sliders fabricate made to measure ECOSlide PVC-U sash windows in a purpose-built 100,000 square foot production

34 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

facility in Capel Hendre, Carmarthenshire. Every aspect of product manufacturing is carried out in-house, including engineering and design of window profiles, specialist profile bending, woodgrain foil or colour spray surface finishing of the window frame components, toughened sealed double glass unit making and final assembly of complete CE Marked sash windows ready for despatch.

Brendan McCambridge, Managing Director at Victorian Sliders, comments: “We have enjoyed significant sales growth every year for the past 5 years, but there is no doubt that Mark Richmond’s appointment gives us an additional impetus to drive even more success, thanks to his passion for delivering customer service. CEO Scot Starkey and I are delighted that a proven sales professional and team leader of Mark’s calibre has joined our business, to serve our Trade installer customers across the UK and generate increased sales of ECOSlide sash windows.”

PEOPLE

New Managing Director At CDW Systems Limited

Mike Davis has been unveiled as the new Managing Director of Gloucester-based aluminium specialists CDW Systems Limited.

He takes over from Jerry Webb, who becomes Group Chairman. Mike will be focusing on driving the business forward in the coming months and years.

He has been working in the industry since the 1980s and has been employed at CDW Systems for 11 years, where he joined as Sales Administration Manager before rising through the ranks to become a Director.

He will be responsible for overseeing CDW’s operational tasks; as well as the day-to-day management of the business.

Mike comments: “During my time at CDW, I have seen the business go from strength to strength in the commercial market and, more recently, become the front runner in the revived domestic aluminium market. I’m excited to be given this opportunity at such a pivotal time for CDW and I aim to continue Jerry’s excellent work and play my part to ensure the continued success of the company.

“I am looking to grow the business with the help of our existing customer base, new business across the UK and by launching new, innovative products that will really benefit installers. As we expand, I am also keen to uphold our long-standing company values such as our unrivalled customer service as well as our ongoing commitment to local employment.”

Talking about his new role, Jerry stresses that he is not stepping down or moving aside and will still connect with key contacts and customers.

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 35

“

I believe that integrity & truth inspires long-lasting partnerships.

“

Mike Davis (Front) and CDW Systems Senior Team

Partnerships with our customers are about more than just hardware.

They’re about understanding each unique fabrication or factory set-up, tailored product & delivery solutions, achieving long-term business goals together, listening, caring & providing a service that goes beyond the sale.

Integrity & truth defines our partnerships. It’s in our DNA. - Vicki Sanders, Head of Sales, Mila

PEOPLE

Promac Strengthens Sales Team

of parts and machinery services, including successful management and sales roles.

Most recently this has included his role within the Promac Group as its Spares and Consumables Manager.

This has become a growing part of the Promac Group business, which now offers more than 3,500 parts and consumables with more than £1.8m of products in-stock and immediately ready for shipment.

Promac Group has appointed Rob Hopper as its new National Sales Manager for aluminium Machinery.

Having entered the industry in his early twenties, Rob has decades of experience in the supply

Rob said: “It’s a really exciting time for the Promac Group and the industry as a whole with some really innovative new products coming onto the market, which deliver some great efficiencies and new capabilities.

“This includes 3-4 Axis CNC ma-

chining centres, the Adir C, Modus and Dali, from FOM, plus some very high specification double mitre saw systems, which deliver exacting tolerances, greater cutting ranges and overall output performance.”

Rob’s appointment follows the promotion of business improvement specialist Alison Benson to a new role as Group General Manager earlier in the summer.

Joe Hague, Managing Director, Promac Group said: “We have been working hard to identify opportunities to drive higher levels of customer service and support and are developing some key personnel to support that process.

“Rob has done a fantastic job building our consumables offer and with those systems in place and now established, it’s a great time for us and for him to move back into and bring that expertise and insight into a national sales role.” www.promac.co.uk

Mila Customers Benefit From

New Appointment In China

Mila customers are benefiting from the appointment of Steve Johnston as the first Head of Global Sourcing for its parent company Arran Isle Ltd. Based in the Ningbo region of China, right in the heart of Mila’s biggest manufacturing area, Steve is working with the company’s dedicated team there to ensure the consistent quality of all Mila products supplied into the UK. Steve is an expert in his field, having spent 15 years earlier in his career working directly for Mila in the Far East, and most recently having enjoyed a successful spell with merchant giant Travis Perkins.

He has already been instrumental in the setting up of a new joint Quality Improvement

Task Force across the Arran Isle group to share the vast amount of knowledge which exists about how the suppliers operate, with the aim of reducing the costs and incidence of non-compliance.

Steve said of his new role: “Mila already has a very impressive quality performance set up here, built on the fact that it has 10 year partnerships in place with many of its suppliers. Moving forward, I’ll be looking at ways in which we can help those suppliers to perform even better and deliver the incremental improvements in quality which will make a difference to customers.”

Mila has a team of 16 operating directly in China and has

36 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

Matt Elener

its own testing facilities enabling it to check everything from material specification to plating finishes before products are shipped to the UK, so already puts its suppliers under intense scrutiny. However, Steve’s appointment will strengthen this still further and his focus is very much on driving Mila’s continuous improvement agenda. www.mila.co.uk

PEOPLE

Dual Seal Glass Makes New Board

Appointment As Its Site

Expansion Continues

Bringing with her over 20 years of experience in both manufacturing and financial sectors, Diane joins Dual Seal from Leeds-based stainless steel manufacturer, Pland Stainless Limited, where she was Financial Controller. Prior to this she was Head of Financial Reporting at insurance broking and financial services group Oval Limited, at a time when the business was investing heavily in its acquisition strategy and expanding rapidly.

Diane joins at an exciting time for Dual Seal Glass as it continues to grow its market share through its single focus on manufacturing IGUs solely for commercial glazing customers. Already this year the company has doubled the size of its production site, implemented an industry-leading people strategy and made several key senior appointments, bringing a wealth of glass and broader industry experience to the table.

Richard Morris, Dual Seal Glass Joint Managing Director said: “We’re delighted to have Diane on board as her financial experience and knowledge will be invaluable as we continue along our growth strategy.

Her role will be instrumental as we drive the business forward in ways that give us the competitive edge, not least through our operational efficiency, technical knowledge and production excellence.”

Commenting on her appointment, Diane said: “I am delighted to have joined the team at Dual Seal Glass.

I’ve watched the business grow with interest over the years and being involved in the next phase of its development will be an exciting challenge. Whilst a key focus will be increasing operational capacity, there are many projects in the pipeline that I’m looking forward to being involved in.”

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 37

“

“

Commercial IGU manufacturer Dual Seal Glass has welcomed a new addition to its senior team with the appointment of Diane Swift as Finance Director.

I believe that quality is at the heart of Mila. Quality in our award-winning hardware, in our partnerships with governing bodies, in our relationships with suppliers, in our friendships with customers & in our market-leading services delivered company-wide by our knowledgeable team.

Quality defines our values. It’s in our DNA. - Richard Gyde, Managing Director, Mila UK

PEOPLE

Toby Hodgkinson, Senior Developer at Business Micros

Adam Wade, Field Programmer at Business Micros

Elliot Chadwick, Installations and Support Engineer at Business Micros

Business Micros Expands Team

With Three New Graduate Appointments There’s more good news from Business Micros as one of the industry’s leading software providers has expanded its programming and installations teams yet again.

Toby Hodgkinson has joined as a Senior Developer, Adam Wade is a Field Programmer and the newest recruit is Elliot Chadwick who is now an Installations and Support Engineer.

All three are experienced graduates with varied backgrounds in IT and software development and all three are based at Business Micros’ Newton le Willows instal-

lations office.

Toby and Adam are largely behind the scenes creating bespoke software for customers who are using existing applications including EvoNet, while Elliot is very much customer facing both on the phone answering queries and visiting customers for machinery installs and to set up CNC links.

Elliot Chadwick, Installations and Support Engineer at Business Micros Elliot Chadwick, Installations and Support Engineer at Business Micros Customers will see the results of

much of Toby’s work next year when Business Micros reveals the new website and a number of new software interfaces which he is currently working on.

Managing Director Graeme Bailey is delighted with how the business is growing. He says: “We’ve broken all of our sales records this year with lots of record months helping us to hit our highest ever turnover. Our strategy is always to reinvest though and with Toby, Adam and Elliot we’ve got three highly motivated young graduates whose skills will really make a difference to customers.” www.businessmicros.co.uk

Modplan Appoints Ian Lewis As Sales Manager VEKA trade fabricator Modplan has just appointed Ian Lewis as its new Sales Manager. Heidi Sachs, Modplan’s Managing Director, said: “We are delighted that Ian has joined us. He’s got a wealth of experience and a strong track record in the industry.”

to have joined Modplan because it has a great reputation in the industry for delivering what installers need. This is a great opportunity to work with a company whose product range is second to none and customer service adds further value.”

Ian commented: “I’m delighted

www.modplan.co.uk

38 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

PEOPLE

Deceuninck

Expands

Commercial Team

Andy Haynes Celebrates

30 Years At Mila Mila’s technical salesman Andy Haynes has just celebrated his 30th anniversary with the company and on the way has become one of its most popular and valued members of staff.

Although he started out working in Mila’s warehouse, Andy proved himself a natural salesman very early on and has spent almost all of his time at Mila out meeting fabricators and installers, talking to them about hardware and helping them to get the very most from the Mila range.

Andy thrives on building relationships with customers – finding out about their businesses and working out how he can solve a problem they are having or help improve their way of working. His product knowledge is unrivalled and, as well as knowing the intricacies of Mila’s complete hardware range, he can also claim to know many hundreds of different profile and hardware combinations.

For this reason, Andy has long also been responsible for prod-

uct training within Mila, passing on his knowledge and enthusiasm to new members of staff.

Mila’s Managing Director Richard Gyde congratulated Andy on his anniversary saying: “Our customers all know that they can rely on Andy. If he can help, he will. If he hasn’t got the answer, then he’ll find it, and he won’t rest until he’s come up with a solution to fix any problem.

“We launched our ‘Celebrity Service’ programme at Mila earlier this year aimed at empowering everyone within the business to deliver service which puts a smile on customers’ faces but, in truth, that’s exactly what Andy has been doing for 30 years already.”

Andy is Mila’s fifth longest serving member of staff, just pipped

by Richard Gyde who has celebrated 35 years with the business, Robert Gyde who is close behind with 34 years and Chris Harding and Dave Horton who between them have been with Mila for 65years. www.mila.co.uk

Deceuninck has expanded its commercial team. Following strong sales in the commercial sector, the company has appointed Steve Matthews as Commercial & New Build Business Development Manager.

Steve works closely with Deceuninck’s Commercial Manager John Duckworth developing the commercial side of the business. Sales have doubled over the past three years. Steve is responsible for growing new business and supporting contractors and specifiers in the South of England. With a strong commercial background in PVC-U and timber windows, Steve brings experience and a strong network of contacts to the role.

Steve says: “Deceuninck’s products and technical support are second-to-none so it’s a fantastic company to work for. I’m really enjoying my new role and I’m looking forward to growing the commercial business even more.”

Visit www.whydeceuninck.com and follow @DeceuninckUK

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 39

PEOPLE

Sovereign

‘Investment

In Youth’ Sovereign Group Limited one of the UKs largest and longest established window and door manufacturer and installers, has taken on two new members of staff to meet the increased demand in business.

Daniel Slater 24, from Barrowford, has left behind his career as a former NVQ Level 3 Joiner to be part of the estimating team, whilst studying part time at The University of Central Lancashire, Preston to be a Quantity Surveyor.

George Schultz also 24, from Trawden leaves behind his position as a former window and door fitter bringing hands on and technical expertise to the estimating team.

Coastal Specialist Ironmongery

Managing Director Frances Austin said; “We nurture our talent, giving young people the opportunity to be a part of our business, and develop and grow with us.

This, combined with internal and external training, means they will play an integral part in our future growth.”

Window and door hardware specialists, Coastal Group, have added further strength and expertise to its team with the appointment of James Powell as Technical Sales Manager.

Established in 1973, Sovereign Group was one of the original innovators of windows and doors and operates out of its Lancashire based 180,000 square foot production facility employing around 200 people. Operating throughout mainland UK, Sovereign Group is a specialist in providing external envelope solutions into the public sector.

Sovereign supply a range of highly efficient windows and doors to a wealth of commercial contracts, including; local authority, housing association, mixed tenure new build, health trusts, the MOD and further education accommodation providers and education authorities. www.sov-group.co.uk

Adds To Its Growing Team

James joins Coastal having built a 15-year career in the construction industry, initially as a fully qualified engineer before moving to a technical role with one of the World’s leading lock manufacturers.

Joining Coastal as the Technical Sales Manager, James will spend much of his time developing relationships across the Coastal and bluTM customer base, providing a range of technical advice and support, supporting sales and developing the growing reputation that Coastal and bluTM has developed within the sector for market leading customer support.

Developing a keen interest in the hardware aspect of the industry, prior to moving to Coastal, James had leading sales and technical roles with bi-fold door manufacturer Slide N Fold and also hardware manufacturer Winkhaus, where he was able to build his technical knowledge further.

“We are delighted to welcome James to the Coastal and bluTM team. His knowledge and interpersonal skills will be a major benefit for our customers and enhance the support, advice and expertise that we are able to offer our customers, aligned to providing the best products available in window and door hardware,” said Coastal and bluTM MD Loren Jenner.

Covering the South of the UK, with a particular emphasis within London, James was responsible for leading contract wins for both organisations.

For more information on Coastal Specialist Ironmongery visit www.coastal-group.com & www.blu-performance.com or call them on 01726 871025.

40 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

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DEAR GERALD

Dear

Gerald Dear Gerald A Price Cut As Promised Britain’s Brexit vote sent sterling into a spin. Since then its value has fallen by around 16% against the dollar.

Some companies banged prices up immediately to gain extra margin. Brisant took on all supplier price rises in the first three months after the referendum, then absorbed half the increases – something we continue to do. We also promised that when the value of sterling rises or falls by a whole $0.05, our prices would change too by 2.5%.

Now, with sterling over $1.25 our prices have come down immediately and automatically by 2.5% this Monday 14th November, as promised.

Brisant customers can monitor sterling’s movements, and its impact on prices in real time at www. brisant-secure.com/currency.php. It’s fair, transparent and there’s no hiding extra margin.

Sincerely Nick Dutton Joint CEO

Dear Gerald The latest report from Palmer Market Research makes for compelling reading and highlights a clear trend towards higher end products, but also importantly for the patio door sector, an impressive reported growth of 6% in 2015. The market is also seeing an increase in product assessment, yet some companies are disappointingly taking a diluted approach with indicative desk-based testing, rather than one of a physical nature.

A patio door offers a far greater passage of light than a typical French door combination and now the same 42 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

level of security, through successful testing to PAS 24 and the achievement of the Secured by Design standard. In the past patio doors have been typically weak at the interlock and it’s at this important part of the door that Kömmerling has focused its research and development efforts.

We’ve done much to develop what we believe was the industry’s first ever PAS 24 certified patio door that didn’t require unsightly plunge bolts, when our PremiLine PRO was launched back in August 2015.

This was just before the impact of Document Q, which came into effect on the 1st October, 2015, raising security standards across the entire new build sector.

Twelve months on and sales are strong, with the security benefits sold not only to security-conscious homeowners, but also into the important new build market. PremiLine PRO not only meets Document Q, but also the important criteria of Lifetime Homes and we’d like to see these collective standards adopted in all residential door applications. We’ve even recently gone on to physically test a 4-pane variant, which like the 2-pane variant flew through the testing with considerable ease.

The patio door market is back into a period of growth and with a number of exciting foiled finishes and hardware options, the product development invested by companies is now returning in the form of strong sales. This eagerly demonstrates that even in relatively mature market segments, life cycles can be extended with clever product engineering and the latest PAS 24 PVCu patio doors certainly satisfy this premise.

A word of caution though, I would suggest that both the trade and indeed consumers would like to see physical testing of all products as we have done at Kömmerling for a number of years. From a moral standpoint we couldn’t promote the security merits of our window and door systems without a physical test and we’re now offering a fully transferable, 10-year £1,000 security guarantee with PremiLine PRO to back this up.

DEAR GERALD But ultimately, wouldn’t the equivalent of Document Q and the Lifetime Homes standard in the private sector be a good thing for consumers and the industry as a whole, assuming we all physically test to PAS 24?

Yours sincerely Kevin Warner Head of Sales and Marketing Kömmerling Dear Gerald I have been in this industry long enough to remember the days when the boundaries within the supply chain were much more blurred than they are now.

Lots of systems companies used to fabricate, it was routine for fabricators to install and some hardware companies even manufactured their own doors. As far as I was concerned though, that model had largely been discredited as the industry had given up the idea that it was good business to compete with your customers.

Instead, over the last ten years in particular, the industry has tended to reward those companies who are specialists at what they do – whether that is in system design, fabrication, hardware manufacture or installation. We’ve even seen a new type of specialist emerge – the third party distributor focused on trade supply.

Until the last few months, I firmly believed that the Euroglaze approach of growing our business by actively helping our customers to grow theirs had become the accepted norm.

However, in the trade fabrication sector, there is growing evidence of suppliers once again starting to encroach on their customers’ territory – whether that is setting up trade counters in competition with them or competing with them for installation contracts.

As a specialist trade supplier, I can absolutely understand the frustration which is currently being felt.

Trade customers surely want to feel that their supplier is standing shoulder to shoulder with them, not that it is jostling to get them out of the way.

I would certainly be interested to hear from trade outlets and from installers who feel actively threatened by their supplier or who are struggling to overcome this new challenge.

Martin Nettleton, Managing Director, Euroglaze

Dear Geral The Law of Diminishing Returns?

I read with interest the letter from Euroglaze MD Martin Nettleton, in which he asks for views on whether upstream suppliers are increasingly encroaching downstream into their customers’ territory. Martin refers specifically to fabricators competing with installer customers, but this is a trend we’re seeing across the entire supply chain. Heading up the Sales & Marketing for a system’s company, I come across examples of other profile suppliers competing with customers every day. And it comes down to our industry’s elephant in the room – price pressure.

Catch 22 The further up the supply chain you are, the more you’re expected to – and indeed relied upon – for innovation and investment in new products and services that add value downstream. But there isn’t a finite pot of money to make this happen. The more that customers squeeze their suppliers for pence per metre savings, the less capex is available to invest in innovation. In the short term this may not seem significant, but longer term as in our industry now, the consequences become clear. Markets become crowded with more ‘me-too’ commodity products, trying to be sold on price alone because that’s the only point of differentiation left available. Suppliers are also then forced to compete with customers as they try to increase volume in the face of lower value.

While Deceuninck has not and never will compete with our fabricator customers, I do understand why some of our competitors have found themselves forced to do so. Whether at system company level or downstream as Martin points out, I believe we need to focus on the longer-term, sustainable health of our industry by maintaining realistic prices that allow for re-investment and innovation. In this way, we can all reap the benefits of a vibrant, growing market place rather than fighting on price in a diminishing market.

Yours Sincerely Rob McGlennon, Sales Director, Deceuninck If you want to get involved in the discussion, or would like to air your views on a particular industry subject, then Email me at gerald@windownews.co.uk We cannot guarantee that we will publish everything, but we will do our utmost to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard.

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 43

DOORS

Spitfire

Opens Doors To Exclusive Premium Aluminium Range Spitfire Doors’ (Spitfire) S-500 Series, the range of luxury residential aluminium entrance doors in the UK and Ireland, has been launched in ten new Design Partner showrooms in the last 12 months to meet the surge in demand for premium door systems.

The selected S-500 Series Design Partners, some of which already install Spitfire’s S-100 and S-200 Series’ products, are located throughout the UK and have been assigned a dedicated sales area, with supporting Spitfire sales and communications literature, tools and guidance to maximise profits.

Assisted by Spitfire’s design application and quotation tools, Design Partners have access to Spitfire’s full range of 600 door styles of entrance door, allowing end users to design their bespoke entrance that can be up to 1.25 metres wide and an imposing 2.7 metres in height. The S-500 Series offers options of fingerprint recognition, automatic locking,

built-in LEDs as well as a choice of luxurious wood or carbon fibre effect finishes.

Spitfire, which is the exclusive supplier of Europe’s aluminium residential door systems, has launched the new range to bring the desired security, engineering, technology, insulation, durability and style requirements to its growing UK and Ireland audience.

Manufactured with substantial aluminium sections from Schüco and combined with German-engineered precision locking systems, Spitfire’s premier S-500 Series is exceptionally strong, 105mm front to back with no less than three layers of security glass.

Northwich Glass Grand DesignsMichelle Owen, sales director, Spitfire Doors, commented: “The aluminium entrance door market is rapidly increasing. With the quality engineering and state-ofthe-art options, our products have established an enviable repu-

44 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

tation in the uncompromisingly demanding markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They are in a high end league of their own and we are delighted to be able to offer our Design Partners the product.”

Mark Patrick, managing director, Northwich Glass Ltd, said: “Spitfire Doors are the future of high end entrance doors, we are proud to be associated with them. As a window and door designer and installer, we needed a product that offers our repeat and prospective clients the level of quality and options they demand.

So far, the doors are attracting customers looking for exclusivity, bespoke style and security. All of which, Spitfire’s products are guaranteed to provide.”

For further information about Spitfire Doors and its entrance door ranges, visit www.spitfiredoors.co.uk or call 01625 412570.

DOORS

Distinction Glass Range Features Exclusive Contemporary Designs

that complemented contemporary door styles have been limited.

We’ve changed all that with the introduction of our contemporary glass range which is really setting the bar in glass design.”

One of the highlights of the Distinction Glass range, launched by Distinction Doors in October this year, is the contemporary glass designs that have been specially designed to suit contemporary door styles. Chantel Roach, Distinction’s Marketing Director, comments: “Until now, glazing options

The Distinction Glass contemporary glass range comprises 12 unique designs: Breeze, Glacier, Bloom, Odessa, Canvas, Radiant, Cubic, Echo, Eclipse, Tidal, Matrix and Nevis. Each design has the sleek, striking, modern looks that are needed to truly enhance a contemporary door style. Chantel says: “We know from our customers that homeowners are more discerning than ever. We are confident our contemporary glass range will have something for even the most design-conscious consumer.”

The contemporary glass designs are part of the Distinction Glass

range. The range, which has been branded to place the spotlight on Distinction Doors’ market leading offering, has 12 glass design families. All glazing units are triple glazed, making them easy to maintain as well as improving thermal efficiency. Additionally, all feature 6.8mm laminated glass as standard, allowing fabricators and installers to upsell to the Secured

by Design option on Distinction’s doors without needing to place an order for special glass on an extended lead time.

Chantel concludes: “We know from our customers that door glass is just as an important decision for homeowners as the door design and colour. The Distinction Glass range features bestsellers from our previous range as well as the classics of the future. And in the contemporary glass range, we’ve created something genuinely new that fabricators and installers can use as a point of difference.” www.distinctiondoors.co.uk

Mind The Gap – Coastal Extends Its Hollodeen® Threshold Range Coastal Specialist Ironmongery has extended its highly popular and innovative Hollodeen® threshold range to incorporate standard door thresholds.

Originally launched to use in tandem with Bi-fold thresholds, the expansion of the range for standard in and out door thresholds enables the company to significantly widen the benefits offered by Hollodeen® removing the traditional issue of rotting timber cills.

Manufactured in Germany from a high quality resin that looks like stone and comes in four different finishes – Arduin Grey, Black, Silver Grey and Steel Grey, the new Hollodeen® threshold which

provides a lifetime of durability, removing the need to buy, machine and finish timber before fitting track.

Created from 90% recycled material, the Hollodeen® thresholds can be quickly and easily fitted by a single person, providing significantly increased lifespan and more efficient operation of door sets.

The Hollodeen® thresholds also meet the Part M Disabled access requirements and come with the option of a jamb kit which not only speeds up the fitting process but prevents the Jamb from rotting.

The resin used to create the new thresholds also offers thermal advantages, the low heat conductivity preventing thermal bridges, reducing the linear heat losses that are unavoidable with other threshold options. It is sold in 9 lengths up to 3 metres.

Recesses for shootbolts can be easily made on site where required, once installed the threshold is maintenance-free and never needs painting. www.coastal-group.com/ Products/Hollodeen-Composite-Door-Threshold

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 45

DOORS

Panels Direct

Adds 70mm GRP Compoite Door To Its Range

Trade supplier Panels Direct has just added Distinction Doors’ 70mm GRP composite door to its range. Steve Miller, Panels Direct’s Sales Manager said: “We’re delighted to be adding the 70mm composite door to our range because it’s an excellent upselling opportunity.”

The 70mm door is claimed to be 25% more thermally efficient than other composite doors and also offers excellent noise reduction as well as a twin seal that improves weather performance.

The company says the door also offers beautiful aesthetics that means it has stunning kerb appeal. It features authentic woodgraining and a slim glazing cassette. It’s available in 14 door styles and four glazing styles plus a huge range of colours too.

But Steve thinks that installers will find the 70mm door particularly attractive because of how easy it is to fit. “Because it is over-rebated it becomes a direct replacement for the PVCu equivalent,” he said. “And it’s very tolerant because the airspace is concealed so any slight variation is hidden, unlike on flush fitting single sealed doors.” www.panelsdirectltd.com

Dekko Grows Premium

Door Range With Deceuninck’s Slider 24 Fast-growing fabricator Dekko Window Systems has expanded its door offering with the addition of Deceuninck’s Slider 24.

The Slider 24 was the result of exhaustive research carried out

by Deceuninck’s R & D division.

The resulting door delivers A+-rated energy efficiency, PAS24-accredited security, and weather resistance performance – Slider 24 achieves Class E8A water permeability with a rating of 450Pa, Class A3 wind resistance of 1200Pa and Class A4 air permeability with a rating of 600Pa. Kurt Greatrex, Sales Director for Dekko commented: “Over the past few years, we’ve invested extensively in expanding our premium door offering, to the extent that it’s now one of the most impressive in the UK. First, we introduced our Räum collection of top-of-the-range doors – and

46 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

now we’ve increased customer choice even further, with another great patio door that offers superb weather resistance, robust security, and comes in a stunning range of colours. There’s huge appetite out there for this kind of product, and we predict Slider 24 will go on to be one of the most popular products in its class.”

Dekko’s much-celebrated Räum collection is comprised of a number of luxurious high-end doors, including the Glieten range of aluminium bifold doors and the Terassi range of patio doors. The Glieten 77 is the most premium bifold door in the Räum range, boasting PAS24 Secured By Design accreditation, along with air, wind and water resistance up to 600Pa, balancing performance with a sleek, stylish premium design.

For more information contact Dekko on 01614060055 or visit www.dekkowindows.com

DOORS

AluFoldDirect Goes European With The New

Technic-AL RD1 Entrance Doors For installation companies looking to offer contemporary design and innovative engineering to customers, the new Technic-AL RD1, is a striking new residential door range from AluFoldDirect.

“Consistent customer demand for a beautiful, top quality entrance door was the inspiration behind this new range,” explains Craig Miller, Managing Director at AluFoldDirect. “We wanted to create an entrance door that could match the design and quality values of our aluminium bi-folding and sliding doors and slimline windows.

“Too often, installers have not been able to source a main entrance door to perform like their new aluminium bi-folding door.

Our research also found that aesthetics is crucial for our customers, so we then set about building a product that looked stunning and matched top security expectations and exceeded regulation on energy efficiency.”

The result is the new Technic-AL RD1 Residential Door range, a collection which meets customer demand for high-end design and superb performance.

This contemporary range of entrance doors is completely unique. The slimline, thermally broken, aluminium frame is filled with an engineered, thermally insulated timber door blade, available in nine stunning designs.

There are multiple colour options and a five-stage paint process for a beautiful finish to satisfy even the most exacting requirements.

Modern pole handle options complete the look.

RD1 has full Secured by Design accreditation and features the Winkhaus AV2 lock and an SBD Yale Platinum 3-star cylinder for total security. Building regulations are fully catered for with U-Values ranging from 1.3 to 1.6W/m2K, dependent on door blade design.

There are nine distinctive de-

signs available, each named after a cosmopolitan European city, including Bonn, Bruges and Maastricht.Made to measure RD1 residential doors are available on a three-week lead time in the seven most popular colour choices, with fully bespoke colours and dual colour options taking a little bit longer.

“The RD1 range offers extensive design options to homeowners and a new opportunity for our installer customers. There are no stock sizes – each Technic-AL RD1 Residential Door is a handmade piece of furniture, designed and manufactured to each individual order for a completely bespoke solution,” continues Craig.

“Our installer customers have built their aluminium offering reliant on our fast, competent expertise in aluminium bi-folding, sliding doors and slimline windows. We have listened to what customers want to add to their product range and created Technic-AL RD1 to fill this niche, for end users looking for something extraordinary, but not wanting to wait for months or pay an exorbitant over the top price.”

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 47

DOORS

REHAU AGILA Door

Achieves PAS24 Approval

even achieve Secured by Design certification if required and offers end consumers the option of a 10 year guarantee.

What makes REHAU’s enhanced security option really stand out is the fact that a single AGILA sliding door passed all three elements of the PAS24 test – mechanical loading, hard and soft body impact and manual intervention, rather than different doors being submitted for each element as is sometimes the case.

Product Manager Clare Higgins explained the significance of this: “Achieving PAS24 accreditation with a single door really does show just how well the whole installation would actually perform under a sustained attack. Even more significantly maybe, we achieved it without the need for additional top or bottom dead bolts at the interlock, making our enhanced security option a really cost effective choice.”

PR2134 Product Manager Clare Higgins and Technical Applications Engineer Dean Franklin with the PAS24 approved REHAU AGILA door

The enhanced security version of REHAU’s new AGILA sliding door has achieved PAS24: 2016 accreditation, making it the ideal choice for installers in the new build sector looking for a stylish door to satisfy the requirements of Document Q. The AGILA sliding door is the first REHAU product in the UK to be supplied with bespoke REHAU branded hardware, giving customers the opportunity to offer a complete REHAU door solution for the first time.

There are two hardware options available within AGILA – ‘standard’ and ‘enhanced security’. The standard level option with 6 point locking meets the demands of the volume market, while the PAS24: 2016 ‘enhanced security’ option with 12 point locking and additional corner hooks can 48 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

REHAU’s AGILA door made a big impact when it was previewed at the FIT Show and customers liked the contemporary aesthetics and the fact that it can be used to produce up to six pane configurations for the growing sliding door market.

It has the benefit of large maximum sizes (up to 2.4m high and sash widths up to 2m) and, with a triple track option for openings of almost 6m, it allows a maximum amount of light into the room and ultimate panoramic views.

The AGILA door is being offered in white and a range of laminate options including Rosewood, Golden Oak, Smooth Slate grey, Anthracite grey and Black/brown. Other woodgrain and solid colour laminate options are available to order.

Leading trade fabricators Climatec and Polyframe have just started manufacturing the AGILA sliding doors, and a number of other companies are lined up ready to join them, so installers will have a choice of suppliers across the UK. Further details are available at www.rehau.uk/agila

DOORS

Dempsey Dyer Strengthen Door

Offering With Deceuninck’s Slider 24 better them. As a result, it’s a door that excels on all levels – delivering A+-rated energy efficiency, PAS24-accredited security, and huge aesthetic choice, available in 26 colourways. What’s more, the door offers market-leading weather resistance performance – achieving Class E8A water permeability with a rating of 450Pa, Class A3 wind resistance of 1200Pa and Class A4 air permeability with a rating of 600Pa. Dempsey Dyer, the long-established fabricator of uPVC and timber, has expanded its Deceuninck offering with the addition of the company’s Slider 24 door.

Designed as a best-in-class sliding door solution, the Slider 24 came after Deceuninck extensively tested a number of existing products on the market, then sought out to

“We’ve been working with Deceuninck for more than 30 years,” commented Dempsey Dyer MD Peter Dyer, “and by now we know to expect something special when they bring out a new product.

With the Slider 24 they’ve shown their typical dedication to product development – producing an all-round exceptional door that’s easy to install, looks fantastic, and boasts market-leading weather

resistance.”

The fabricator has also recently begun offering Deceuninck’s Heritage flush sash – a vintage-look uPVC sash window that balances A+-rated thermal efficiency with PAS24-compliant security, exceptional weather performance and convincing traditional aesthetics.

Launched at this year’s FIT Show, the flush sash comes with the option for fully welded or mechanical joints, and, uniquely for a sash window, night vent functionality.

Founded in 1977, Dempsey Dyer has expanded to become one of Yorkshire’s foremost provider of timber and uPVC doors and windows. The company’s relationship with Deceuninck stretches back over 30 years, with the two firms collaborating to produce Dempsey Dyer’s signature Beaumont window range, mechanically-jointed uPVC frames with an authentic woodgrain appearance. www.dempseydyer.co.uk

Entrance® Composite Doors Are Fully Approved Document Q Compliant Entrance continues to support its fabricator partners by giving them the option to manufacture Approved Document Q compliant composite doors. Entrance is the totally-tailored composite door solution for fabricators wanting to make their own composite doors without the hassle and hidden costs.

Entrance Managing Director Gregory Kelly says: “We want our fabricator partners to grow their composite door business and to do that they need to comply with all the latest standards. Our doors have been tested extensively at a UKAs accredited test lab, and have been awarded certification that make them Q compliant. That means they can be installed in new build and extensions where it is required. Many social housing providers expect Q too. Now fabricators using Entrance to make their own composite doors meet the standard at no extra cost.”

package from Entrance. All they need to do is make the frame and assemble their Entrance composite door.

Fabricators who want to make their own range of composite doors can buy everything they need in one

Visit www.entranceway.co.uk or follow @EntranceCDS on Twitter.

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 49

DOORS

Apex Aluminium The Latest To Sign

Up To Supply Stunning Üni_Slide Apex Aluminium, the Kent-based Architectural glazing company that’s built a reputation for quality products and exceptional customer service across the SouthEast of England, has become the latest company to offer Üni_Slide, the high-end aluminium door system from Fenster Fabrications.

Over the past few months, the team behind Üni_Slide has been busy assembling a countrywide list of approved distributors– dedicated, experienced businesses licensed to supply Üni_Slide in their area, and it’s this growing network that Apex Aluminium have now joined.

“In recent years we’ve seen a massive shift in consumer demand in glass and glazing, with end-users looking for stylish,

high-end aluminium products that provide both exceptional all-round performance and value for money” commented Daniel Clarke, Apex AluminiumMD. “Üni_Slide is exactly the sort of product this demographic is crying out for – stunning to look at, incredibly easy to use, and the result of a clear commitment to quality design.”

Fenster Manging Director Tony Drake commented: “It’s fantastic to see another company signing up to begin offering Üni_Slide – especially a business of Apex’s calibre. What we want to ultimately achieve is to have a quality distributor like Apex supplying Üni_Slide in every part of the country, and it’s hugely satisfying to see that beginning to take shape. I’d like to invite any glazing

50 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

business with a love of quality design to get in touch with us today, to learn more about how you can begin offering Üni_Slide too.” Üni_Slide is an ultra-slim aluminium sliding door, equally suited to commercial and residential applications. Offering exceptional thermal efficiency, build quality, and desirable minimalist aesthetics, Üni_Slide can achieve frame sightlines as slim as 20mm, and a slim central interlock, while being able to support sliding panels of up to 3m high and 2.2m wide.

The product can be assembled in a limitless run of units, with each panel capable of holding up to 320kg of glass.

For more information call 01626 334455 or visit www.uni-slide.com

DOORS

REHAU’s Agila Fire Door Now Available Nationwide

Stedek Stops Composite Door

Manufacturing REHAU has announced that its AGILA fire door, which attracted so much interest at the FIT show, is now officially available from a network of fabricators.

Barnsley based Euroglaze and Shepley in Manchester have all been fully trained in the manufacture of the doors and have successfully completed their fabrication trials, while Hart & Co in Skelmersdale will be completing training early in 2017.

As a result, REHAU’s specialist commercial sales team are already working with specifiers to win project specifications for the AGILA fire door and installers now have a choice of manufacturers to supply them.

Since the FIT show, the AGILA fire door has been fully tested and accredited at Exova BM Trada to a 30 minute fire rating in a full range of configurations including top and sidelight combinations.

This has been achieved using a choice of Distinction door slabs, Lorient intumescent, Yale locks, Fullex hinges, and Kerto laminat-

ed timber, Exitex low threshold and an Astra self closer.

REHAU says that the AGILA fire door is quicker and easier to fabricate than its original RAUFERNO branded fire door and has been successfully value engineered so that it is a more cost effective option for specifiers.

Gareth Jones, REHAU’s Marketing and Technical Director, said: “All of these fabricators have been carefully selected based on their previous experience in manufacturing fire doors and have been fully supported on site by REHAU’s technical team throughout the process.”

REHAU is committed to offering a complete range of fire rated products to specifiers in the commercial sector and, alongside the AGILA fire door, also offers the 30 minute fire rated RAUFERNO window and, what is believed to be, the first PVC-U window complete with an AOV which complies with the mandatory EN12101-2 governing natural smoke and heat exhaust ventilators. www.rehau.uk/agila

For Residor Stedek has stopped manufacturing its own GRP composite doors and switched to Residor.

The fast-growing Midlands fabricator needed a GRP composite door that’s PAS24:2016 certified – not PAS24:2012 – and Approved Document Q compliant, with very good thermal performance to win new build contracts.

Stedek Sales Director Richard Hammond says: “We were manufacturing our own composite doors, but recent changes to security standards meant our door wasn’t up to the right standards. We wanted to tender for new build developments, so we approached Residor.”

Residor is Approved Document Q compliant, Secured By Design, and PAS24:2016 certified.

With 13 designs and 5 colours there’s a great choice, and its foam core achieves a 1.3 U Value too.

For more about Stedek visit www.stedek.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 51

DOORS mercial projects cover a number of sectors – shops, offices, schools and hospitals – and range from new builds to retro-fits. Finding a aluminium system that will work across all of these types can save valuable time and resource when specifying. Rather than starting from scratch on a project-by-project basis, it means that specifiers can develop long-term relationships in the confidence that the system will do what it needs to, every time.”

Four Steps To Specifying The Right

Commercial Door Commercial aluminium systems specialist Jack Aluminium has made it easy for architects and specifiers by creating four steps towards specifying the right commercial door for every project.

“There are lots of factors to consider when choosing a commercial door, but by looking at a few fundamentals you can balance legislative requirements, style, functionality and cost to achieve a great-looking, high-performance door that is built too last,” says Jeff Pearson, Sales Director at Jack Aluminium.

1) Achieve security and efficiency in performance. “There are increasingly stringent demands for thermal efficiency and security – not only from the law but also from building owners and users who want the very best from their premises.

“A well-engineered aluminium profile needs to be thermally broken while remaining strong enough to withstand the attentions of burglars. The only way to be sure is through independent test data, so only work with systems suppliers who have invested in rigorous testing.”

2) Versatility in design. “Com-

52 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

3) Convenience in manufacture and installation. “Having the right system on paper is one thing. It must also be easy for the fabricator to make and for the installer to fit, otherwise there’s a risk of adding time and cost to a project to iron out issues in the factory or on-site.

“When in doubt, ask to see examples of existing projects and speak to the people who had first-hand experience of using the system.”

4) Harmony with the environment. This last step underpins all of the other elements, and extends from sustainable manufacturing to the long-term durability of the door itself. “The most sustainable commercial door is one that is built too last.

By making the best use of materials upfront, a good system will reduce long-term wastage by minimising the chance of repair or replacement.

These four steps should be at the heart of all commercial door specification. Jack Aluminium is happy to discuss everything from design and testing, through to fabrication, installation and long-term aftercare, to help architects and specifiers make the right choice. www.jackaluminium.co.uk

DOORS

Imago Makes The ‘Big Decision’

Easy For Timber Doors sions or cutting-edge architecture.

That’s why AGB Hardware has engineered its Imago Lift & Slide system to make the most of this versatility.

With today’s engineered woods, anything is possible. In Vancouver, construction has just finished on the world’s largest timber building – and architects believe that wood will become the key construction material of the 21st century.

For homeowners, too, timber allows huge flexibility as anybody who has watched Grand Designs will know. Timber looks equally impressive for refurbishments, exten-

“Timber lift and slide doors are the ideal way for homeowners to fit wide-span glazed doors to their home,” says Marco Zen, UK and Ireland Sales Manager for AGB Hardware.

“We developed Imago to meet modern demands for homes that are filled with light and offer impressive panoramic views into the garden. With advances in engineered timber such as Accoya, there are even more opportunities for architects, joinery manufacturers and fabricators to make the decision to think big with their designs.”

The cleverly engineered Imago

Euroglaze Adds REHAU

AGILA Fire Door To

Extensive Range Euroglaze has begun fabricating the new REHAU AGILA fire door at its factory in Barnsley, and is now supplying to customers across the UK. Already an accredited manufacturer of the REHAU RAUFERNO fire rated window, Euroglaze is now offering a complete package of fire rated products to installers working on commercial projects where they are specified.

Euroglaze’s technical and fabrication teams received training from REHAU in preparation for the manufacture of the new AGILA fire doors, and it has now been successfully integrated into the company’s lean manufacturing operation.

Martin Nettleton, Euroglaze’s Managing Director, first saw the potential of the new AGILA fire door at the FIT

hardware enables the creation of timber frames as slender as just 2cm, for large glazing areas that frame the view. This is combined with a light-touch, sliding door mechanism for fluid, silent opening and closing.

AGB manufactures Imago is proving a popular choice with architects, thanks to the ability to extend the glazed area of the door.

The architects behind CentroSoranzo, a social health facility near Venice, chose Imago because it meant they could fit even more glass into the area, so that guests to the centre can feel the benefits of being at one with nature even when they’re inside.

In the UK, Imago Lift & Slide doors can be ordered by the trade as a ready-made, installation product.

Marco confirms: “Several Imago Points, our network of joinery manufacturers, are making Imago doors to supply direct, helping ambitious installers to grasp the opportunities of timber doors.” www.chooseimago.co.uk

show back in April and was keen to start manufacturing as soon as the door had completed its accreditations to 30 minutes fire rating in both top and sidelight combinations.

He said: “We pride ourselves on providing the most complete range of REHAU products to our customers. Whether they want a Heritage vertical slider, a fully reversible window or now a fire rated door, installers know that they can order that from Euroglaze and enjoy the same manufacturing quality across the range and the same attention to detail all the way from order to despatch.”

The REHAU AGILA fire door utilises the design and security benefits of the REHAU TOTAL70 system but incorporates an intumescent strip which expands in heat to combine with the reinforcement and the door panel to create a fire rated barrier.

It is an affordable door system ideal for social housing and commercial projects and combines a 30 minute fire rating with all of the inherent benefits of PVC-U including thermal performance, low maintenance and high security. www.euroglaze.co.uk WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 53

MACHINERY

Kombimatec Beats Out The Competition

For Planet Partitioning Kombimatec continues to prove it’s one of the best machinery manufacturers in the UK by impressing aluminium partitioning and door company, Planet Partitioning, the sister division of Planet Products Limited (PP). After reviewing a number of other manufacturers Kombimatec came out on top for the West Sussex-based company, choosing to purchase not only a DGS534 Electronic Double Mitre Saw but also an AMC602 Machining Centre.

“Kombimatec came out as the preferred choice,” said Fraser Green, Director of PP, after shopping around looking for the best machinery available with good functionality, a solid support network at a reasonable cost. “The ability to generate programmes for the CNC router from the office at the order entry stage so that it

can then be run on the CNC simply by scanning a barcode is very impressive,” he added.

Aside from being impressed by the machinery functionality offered, Fraser admitted to being a fan of the Luton-based company’s customer service: “The communication and willingness to provide further information on any queries raised was another reason we chose them over the competition – their customer service has been very good.”

Kombimatec offers a wide range of electronic saws, of which Planet Partitioning selected the DGS534 Electronic Double Mitre Saw. The DGS534 supplied has a cutting length of four meters although, with the double stroke facility, the length of cut is extended to eight meters. It also has a

54 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

short cut facility for cleat cutting and such. The heads swing inside and out to 45 degrees delivering great flexibility while the complete optimised cutting lists are downloaded to the saw via an Ethernet connection from a computer.

The AMC602 Machining Centre has been designed to process extruded aluminium and utilises advanced CNC control combined with CAD software to position the electro spindle and selected tool to work on the selected profile. It includes four controlled axes, four adjustable pneumatic clamps and comes with an industrial control unit for accurate positional control and a PC interface with CADCAM software. It also has an automatic tool changer to accommodate up to seven different tools. As a result the machine can drill, rout, tap and mill without operator interference. www.kombimatec.com

MACHINERY The other addition to Hanley’s set-up was the SBA-2 Machining Centre, an essential machine for large scale fabricators. Steve says: “We invested in the SBA-2 to drive quality and efficiency and reduce wastage. It’s improved processes right across our fabrication and we’re very pleased with the difference it has brought.”

Hanley Trade Frames

Investment Delivers Earlier this year Stoke-on-Trent’s Hanley Trade Frames invested in two new pieces of machinery from Haffner Murat to support continued growth. Six months on, the company is reaping the rewards of the investment in the SBA-2 Machining Centre and the SMR-4 Four Head Welder. Steve Thomas, Director at Hanley Trade Frames, comments: “Our investment has ensured that we can continue to

deliver the quality and reliability we’re known for. We’re delighted by how much the machines have brought to our business.”

Steve comments: “We invested in the SMR-4 because we knew it would deliver reliability, alignment, accuracy and quality. That’s proved to be the case and it’s adding great value to our fabrication process.”

Hanley says it chose to invest with Haffner because the team knew they could trust the advice they’d receive. Steve explains: “Over the years we have purchased numerous Haffner machines and we have always been impressed.

Dave Thomas of Haffner is upfront, reliable and honest and we trust his approach.”

Hanley Trade Frames currently manufactures around 250 frames per week from their Stoke-onTrent premises, a figure that has grown steadily over the past couple of years. The company has developed a reputation for its quality products and proactive service. www.haffnermurat.com

can machine in any of Express Bi-Fold’s aluminium Express Bi-Folds Chooses Itsystems with little or no profile related tooling required

High Volume Emmegi Quadra Machine

Express Bi-Folds has invested in a brand new high volume Emmegi Quadra L1 sawing and machining centre to keep pace with its dramatic growth.

The 12 axis Quadra L1 can cut, machine and notch window, door and curtain walling profiles all in one operation so it is faster and more efficient than the existing machining centres at Express. It also provides extreme levels of precision and accuracy, with 360º machining of profiles and continuous processing and automatic profile rotation reducing the amount of handling required by operators.

and is freely programmable from its own software system without any specialist set up. Changeover between systems is minimal and, with a rotary machining head featuring up to six spindles, it is even possible to process bars of different profiles in the same loading and machining operation. The motors automatically adjust to profile size as well and, because each item is processed before it is cut, there is no minimum size.

Emmegi boasts that the Quadra L1 can do the work of a team of men and at Express it has been easily integrated into the manufacturing operation with only limited amounts of training required.

Express Bi-Fold’s Managing Director Stephen Bromberg said: “We have relied on Emmegi machines here for many years and have always been impressed by their quality and durability. We currently have two Classic Star saws and have replaced a Phantomatic machining centre with this bigger and more capable Quadra L1.

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 55

MACHINERY

Polyframe Drives Efficiency And Service With Promac And FOM PolyFrame Composite Doors has invested in a new CNC machining capability as it builds new efficiency, quality and service into its composite door offer.

Supplied by the Promac Group, the new FOM Adir C CNC Machining Centre, was installed at Polyframe’s 15,000 sq ft Mansfield composite door facility earlier this year.

Featuring a three axes worktable with -90°, 0° and +90° positioning, the Fom Adir C has supported Polyframe in achieving a 90 per cent labour saving – also significantly reducing the manufacturing time of frames.

Stewart Peat, Managing Director, said: “The new Fom Adir, has strengthened our production facility further, with labour efficiency reducing by as much as 90% within the prepping facility area, allowing more control and accuracy.

“This has allowed us to deliver improved quality and perhaps most significantly, lead times, which we have now reduced to just five days, inclusive of delivery nationwide.”

FOM Adir CNC standard features include the pneumatic rotation of the worktable; 4 pneumatic vices with manual positioning and double pressure, with safety valves and manually adjustable profile reference stops on the right and the left of the worktable; plus perimetric guard and 56 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

front receding guard.

The Adir CNC comes with manual tool change as standard with tool-holder deposit while an automatic five position tool change is available as an option.

The machining centre is operated from an adjustable console with PC, Touch screen 15” keyboard and mouse.

Stewart continued: “I first started working with Promac in 1996 and every time the support has been fantastic, not just in terms of identifying the right machinery but also the installation.

“Invariably you encounter one or two teething problems while the machine is optimized. With Promac, the support is always there to put them right. The engineering service, alongside the rest of the support and installation package has been genuinely superb.

“This included the pre-order and delivery schedule put together by Jamie Munday to the installation lead by Chris Curran. These guys worked within a short timescale, pulling out all the stops to ensure the install went ahead within the time frame we needed.”

For more information log on at www.promac.co.uk email sales@promac.co.uk or call 01788 577 577.

MACHINERY

Norwich Aluminium Calls Upon

Reliable Kombimatec Once Again

Being reliable is a valuable trait to have – especially in the aluminium glazing industry. It’s valuable because it provides the opportunity for repeat business, just ask Kombimatec. The Luton-based machinery manufacturer who specialises in supplying machinery for processing UPVC and aluminum profiles impressed Norwich Aluminium so much so that they were called upon for their services for a third time.

Alerted to the reliability of Kombimatec having seen their machines at work in various other window factories, Alex Warren, Norwich Aluminium’s Managing Director, got in touch and it was at this point that the working relationship began.

On the market for a new CNC

Router, after shopping around Norwich Aluminium decided to revisit its relationship with Kombimatec.

Acquiring one of its AMC308 Automatic CNC Machining Centres, besides the fact that the machine was reasonably priced and could be delivered within two weeks Alex was most impressed with the continued high level of customer service.

“We were shopping around for a new CNC Router but in the end it made sense to go with Kombimatec because we had dealt with them previously,” Alex stated.

“Aside from the machines always being reliable and good value for money, their customer service has always been good. Not only that, we received the machine within two weeks and it was installed in a single day.”

Commenting on the function he favours the most, Alex added, “The biggest benefit for us is that it allows us to router very close to the edge of the profile without fear of drills slipping.”

Kombimatec’s AMC308 Automatic CNC Machining Centre features a colour touch screen, USB port and comes with four adjustable pneumatic clamps. With electronic variable speed control that ranges from 0-12000 rpm, its more technical features include a precision 8mm collet, pneumatic rotating of the work piece 90-00-90 degrees with adjustment for immediate angles, longitudinal stroke 2600mm, width stroke 180mm, and depth stroke 140/90mm two hand safety control. www.kombimatec.com

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 57

MACHINERY

PR2134 Product Manager Clare Higgins and Technical Applications Engineer Dean Franklin with the PAS24 approved REHAU AGILA door

First-Class Service Leads

To Second Machining Centre

For Vale Garden Houses

ments Vale’s Operations Director, Dave Cheney. “Extremely reliable and accurate, it brought significant advantages to our production schedules – and is still in everyday use. .

“The expansion of our business into a new manufacturing facility just a few years ago, however, saw us place even greater demands on the Mecal. As a result, earlier this year we decided the time was right to invest in a second machining centre, to take on board 50% of our Bronze Department’s machining requirements and ensure we are well equipped for future business growth.”

With a number of potentially suitable machines on the market, it was the reliability of their Mecal MC 305 model and the high levels of service provided by Addison Saws over the years that persuaded Vale Garden Houses to stay loyal to Addison and invest in a second Mecal machine from them.

“Not only has our original Mecal CNC machine more than proved its worth, with an absolute minimum of downtime, the service from Addison Saws has also been outstanding,” adds Dave Cheney.

The Mecal MC 305 Kosmos CNC machining centre from Addison Saws.

Vale Garden Houses, the Grantham-based manufacturer of high quality orangeries, conservatories, bronze casement windows and bronze doors, has purchased a second Mecal CNC machining centre from Addison Saws.

The machine, a 4-axis Mecal MC 305 Kosmos, will be used in Vale’s

highly specialised Bronze Department to drill, mill, slot and prep architectural bronze extrusions of up to 3.5 metres in length and from 3.5mm to 12mm in thickness.

“It was around ten years ago that we invested in our first Mecal CNC machining centre from Addison’s – an MC 305 4-axis model,” com-

58 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

“Any machine is only as good as the level of support provided and, in our opinion, Addison’s clearly set the bar in terms of customer care and after-sales service. Their response times, knowledge, attitude and commitment to getting things sorted are all second-tonone. For that reason, Addison Saws has been chosen to service and maintain some of our other metalwork machines – they know how to problem solve and get things up and running again as quickly as possible.” www.addisonsaws.co.uk www.bronzecasements.com www.valegardenhouses.com

PRODUCT NEWS

Trojan Adds Two New

Door Knockers To Its Stainless Steel Range The AGB Tour R Pivot

Window System Exclusively From BJ Waller

Hardware company Trojan Manufacturing Group has just added two new door knockers to its popular Stainless Steel range.

The Slim Urn Door Knocker and the Contemporary Door Knocker increase the number of design choices on offer and help to bring Trojan quality to a wider audience.

Tony Chadwick, Group Managing Director, said: “Our Stainless Steel range adds value to every fabricator and installer portfolio and these two new designs increase the value even further.”

The two new door knockers offer a slimline contemporary design that will appeal to today’s discerning consumer. Both are face fixed, meaning there is no need to drill through the door, saving time in the installation process. Both suite with all the other products in the Stainless Steel range to provide a totally coordinated approach. Both are available in a full choice of finishes including Polished/Brushed Gold (PVD), Polished/Brushed Stainless, White and Black. And, perhaps most importantly, like

all the products in the Stainless Steel range, both new products come with a 25 year anti-corrosion guarantee.

Trojan’s Stainless Steel door hardware range has seen unprecedented sales growth in recent years and this has continued throughout 2016. The range solves the problem of failing zinc and aluminium-based hardware that leads to disappointed customers and callouts that are costly to a fabricator’s or installer’s bottom line.

Tony says: “The Stainless Steel construction means no corrosion and it’s something our customers really value.” The range consists of door handles, letterplates, knockers, numerals, pull handles, central door knobs and escutcheons for a complete door hardware solution.

Trojan is renowned for its quality and innovation. By extending its door knocker range it’s also demonstrating that it has its finger on the pulse when it comes to design trends too. www.trojangroup.com

Round pivot windows often cause problems for Joinery manufacturers, builders or installers. The advanced multi-point locking Tour R system from Italian hardware giants AGB, is simple to assemble and provides better functionality for pivot window systems. It is exclusively available from BJ Waller, architectural ironmongery specialists for architects, specifiers, joinery manufacturers and installers.

“The Tour R is a product that sells itself as soon as you see it,” explains Luke Piper, Managing Director at BJ Waller.

“The system is unlike anything else on the market for round pivot windows. It is designed to provide clean and smooth movement and it’s easier to maintain than other pivot window systems. It uses a friction pivot hinge combined with multi-point locking all around the circumference of the window, which makes for an all-round better performance.”

The Tour R system’s hinges are equipped with friction and the hinge is independent from the window movement, so they do not require any milling on the sash or the frame. Its rapid coupling system makes it possible to put together and disassemble the sash without removing the hinge. The pivot hinge friction is easy to access and adjust simply with an Allen key http://www.bjwaller.co.uk/

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 59

PRODUCT NEWS

Titon Strengthens Security With

New Overture Fh Flag Hinge Titon has introduced the new Overture FH flag hinge to its range of high security hardware products, which meet the requirements of the PAS 24 security standard and complies with Part Q of the Building Regulations.

Designed for PVCu doors, the hinge is available in standard and deep body versions, each with 3D adjustability. Capable of accommodating profiles with a step rebate of 14.5mm-26.5mm, each model is non-handed, as well as suitable for open-in or open-out doors.

Designed and developed at

door furniture available from the company, including Overture stainless steel handles and letter plates, as well as the Asterion 3-star cylinder and Maco range of door locks.

The Overture FH provides excellent levels of security, is easy to use and built to withstand a heavy workload. Available in a wide range of standard finishes, the new flag hinge is also supplied with fixing screws, while there is a spares pack available in the event of pieces being mislaid on the shop floor or on site, all at a competitive price.

Titon’s in-house AREA 24 hardware research & development facility, the new Overture FH supplements the full range of

The AREA 24 website can be viewed at www.titonarea24. co.uk, while more information about Titon and its range of products can be found at www.titon.co.uk

Don’t Let The Winter Weather Affect Your

Bottom Line Any More Than It Has To offers a corrosion-free solution and comes with an impressive 25 year anti-corrosion and 10 year mechanical guarantee as standard.

For many installers, the onset of winter means an increase in callouts as a result of failing hardware. Zinc and aluminium-based hardware will start to fail sooner or later because the damp weather we experience in winter speeds up the corrosion process, resulting in disappointed customers, callouts and replacements that are costly to your bottom line.

But rather than accept corrosion as a fact of life, the Trojan Group’s Stainless Steel door hardware range 60 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

Tony Chadwick, Trojan’s Group Managing Director says, “Failing hardware as a result of corrosion was becoming an increasing problem in the industry. Returning to replace hardware has a direct effect on an installer’s bottom line, so needs to be avoided wherever possible. Our Stainless Steel hardware solves the problem because of its corrosion-resistant properties. It seems that more and more of our customers are seeing the benefits of our Stainless Steel range for themselves as sales continue to increase rapidly and costly call outs are becoming a thing of the past.”

Trojan’s Stainless Steel range includes door handles (available at three price points so there is a product for every budget), letterplates, door knockers, door numbers/letters, escutcheons, T-bar pull handle variants and a central door knob. Products are available in Polished Gold (PVD), Brushed Gold (PVD), Polished Stainless, Brushed Stainless and White or Black powder coated over stainless, offering a perfectly suited solution. www.trojangroup.com

PRODUCT NEWS

Reach ‘3 Star Security’ Says UAP Door Hardware UAP’s second combination also uses their 1 star cylinder but in conjunction with their 2 Star Kitemarked High Security Handle which is both easy fitting and attack resistant.

The TS007:2012, 3 star BSi Kitemark is the highest security rating for door hardware, and here is how you can achieve it.

David continued, “Our High Security Front Door Handle has both cylinder and handle snapping protection. Once fitted to the door the handle has been designed to defend against the most common break in methods, which is why it has achieved a 2 star rating and Secured by Design approval.

UAP MD, David Jennings explains, “The TS007:2012 2 Star Cylinder Guard combined with the UAP Zero Lift 1 Star Cylinder, is the most affordable way to get the benchmarked 3 star rating and is ideal for door manufacturers who want a low cost, high quality route.

“Alternatively to the door handle is the High Security Escutcheon which also has a 2 star rating.

It has a bevelled edge which makes it extremely difficult for burglars to pull off; likewise the tensile strength fixing bolts secure the lock to the door so it cannot easily be removed.

“The cylinder guard can be used with any door handle and is compatible with most locking systems. The guard fits inside the door and acts as a shield around the cylinder itself. It comprises of features such as a distinguishing hardened steel anti-drill plate, and an anti-axial rotational lug.

“The handle or escutcheon alongside the UAP zero lift cylinder offer an attack resistant system. The cylinder has the unique ability to protect the lock from drilling attacks. The high security handle has an integrated cylinder guard, making it a tough lock for thieves to crack. “

UAP Limited explains how you can achieve the coveted 3 star security rating on your doors by installing their hardware in one of 4 combinations.

“The UAP Zero Lift 1 Star Cylinder is also packed full of security features which include sacrificial cut lines on either side of the cylinder which break away when force is applied – protecting the locking mechanism and keeping it intact. This along with anti-drill pins, hardened steel anti-pick pins and the unique and patented anti-bump system creates an excellence defence against attack.”

UAP’s fourth and final solution to 3 star security comes from just one product – their 3 star Kitemarked cylinder. The cylinder meets growing demands to have maximum security in just one product, as fabricators understand more and more the consumer need for greater door security.

For more information on ultimate door security go to: www.uapcorporate.com

Fit and Forget Ingenious Guarantee from Carl F Groupco A ten year ‘Fit & Forget’ guarantee offered by Carl F Groupco for Ingenious’ Duplex and Professional multi-point door locks supports the distributor’s emphasis on service, reinforces the quality of the products and underlines the hardware supplier’s confidence in the range.

As part of the guarantee for Ingenious’ lines, comprehensive support includes a dedicated on-the-road technician, in-house training for fabricators and fitters, if required, full guidance or management of testing requirements and complete support through change over.

Expanding on the company’s commitment to the guarantee, and its benefits to customers, John Mitchell, Technical Manager for Carl F Groupco said: “We go the extra mile to differentiate our service and offering a ten year guarantee for the Ingenious lines supports this philosophy. Customers have been particularly impressed by our capabilities which, in conjunction with Ingenious, provide full guidance and project management if security testing is required.

Barriers to adopting a new lock are often the corresponding paperwork and hurdles such as testing. By assisting in processes we are increasing the appeal of Ingenious’ locks. ” sales@carlfgroupco.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 61

PRODUCT NEWS

Mark Rushton, UAP Operations Manager, in charge of product quality control says, “All of our fire resistant products have been both quality and fire tested to make sure they are as safe and effective as possible.

UAP Hardware

Is Hot Stuff For Hurst Plastics

Composite Fire Doors The choice of components within a composite fire door is important. Hurst Plastics, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of high quality door panels and composite doors has been choosing UAP to supply the hardware for their composite door ranges since 2008. They favour UAP for their quality and affordability and the effectiveness of their fire resistant products makes them the perfect choice of supplier for their fire door range.

Howard Wilson, Composite Manager, Hurst Plastics says, “The fire rated letter plates, door viewers and numerals that we source from UAP are of a high standard and are competitively priced. This enables us to produce a high quality finished product and remain competitive within the market-

place. As a high volume manufacturer, we rely on a robust supply chain and UAP satisfies our requirements to help us to maintain a consistent output of composite fire doors.”

UAP supply a range of hardware solutions that have been made with fire durability in mind. All of the products in their Fire Check range use the most innovative materials to slow down the spread of fire through a door. All products have been stringently tested and materials have been handpicked for the best results.

Howard continued, “Our high performance composite fire door is widely specified within the commercial sector and it is essential that each component meets our strict quality criteria.”

62 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

“Boththe fire resistant door viewers and letter platesinclude revolutionary features which slow down the speed in which a fire can spread through a door. Intumescent lining is used, which has the unique ability to expand against heat radiated directly from a fire. The intumescent lining expands to 50 times its size, sealing any gaps in the door hardware meaning less smoke is able to get through.

“The non-heat absorbing washers hold the letter plates’ metal fittings. They are extremely important as they act as a heat sink, keeping the metals screws away from the plastic and in turn the heat. We want to stop the screws from getting too hot as if they do the plastic surrounding them will melt and the letter plate will collapse – but with these patented washers this doesn’t happen.”

The suite of Hurst composite fire doors includes FD30, FD30S and FDSBD. Each offers a full half hour fire rating and conforms to BS476: Part 22: 1987. An FD60 door is also available for more demanding applications. UAP fire resistant hardware can be installed with a number of Hurst composite fire doors.

For more information about UAP door hardware please go to: uapcorporate.com For more information about Hurst Plastics composite door range go to: www.hurst-plastics.co.uk

PRODUCT NEWS

KM120 Adds Even Greater Quality To The Blu Handle Range products with the launch of the KM120 square door knob.

The square door knob features both bolt through and back to back fixing methods suitable for door thicknesses of up to 70mm as standard or larger with special fixings.

Mairne Grade 316 stainless steel window and door hardware manufacturer bluTM has added to its growing range of contemporary

Designed to compliment the company’s recently launched KM056 square escutcheon, the chunky 80mm by 80mm design benefits from the same build quality and attention to detail that goes into every product in the bluTM range.

Ideally suited to exposed and

coastal locations where salt and corrosion levels are high, the Marine Grade 316 stainless steel construction, coupled with the bluTM lifetime guarantee means the KM120 is built to withstand the toughest environments.

“The popularity of the bluTM range is growing significantly and we are working on a number of really exciting projects, creating and developing new products to add to the range. The KM120 widens the design choices of door hardware we are able to offer and we are delighted to be launching it,” said bluTM MD Loren Jenner.

For more information on the KM120 visit www.blu-performance.com/product/square-doorpull/ call 01726 871724 or email sales@blu-performance.com

The Window Outlet Introduces Venice

Inspired Purity Door Handle By Reynaers Fast-moving Bristol fabricator The Window Outlet has expanded its aluminium selection with the introduction of the new state-of-the-art Purity door handles from Reynaers.

Conceived by Italian designer Leo De Carlo, Purity takes inspiration from his home city of Venice for its innovative and minimalist design. The hypoallergenic door handle is crafted from a recently developed, highly durable alloy called PURA, and coated using the BIOV (Bioecologic Ion Overlay) coating process.

This means that it doesn’t use galvanic chrome like traditional coating methods, and therefore doesn’t create toxic waste, making Purity handles environmentally friendly to produce and 100% recyclable.

Clive Uppington, Window Outlet Sales Director, commented: “Aluminium has boomed in popularity thanks to its ability to balance sleek, elegant looks with world-class performance – and as these stunning new handles from Reynaers prove, that’s not limited to just the core window and door products themselves. With Purity, we’re delighted to be able to offer a premium handle product suitable for use on the most high-end doors.”

The Purity door handle can be found on Reynaers

bi-folding doors and lift and slide patio doors, manufactured and supplied by The Window Outlet. They are available in a range of colours including Black, White, Gold and even Belgian Chocolate.

The Window Outlet offer a 24-hour quote turnaround and quick lead times on all aluminium products. After only two years in business, the company is rapidly approaching the £2M turnover mark and has been awarded ‘Start-up of the Year’ at the prestigious Business Leader Awards 2016. The company supplies installers across the South West of England and beyond. www.the-window-outlet.co.uk WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 63

PRODUCT NEWS

Managing Director of Bebington Glazing Kay Finlay and Director of Bridgestone Construction Dave Knight.

Luxury Chester Apartments Draw To Completion Courtesy Of

Bebington Glazing And Bridgestone Construction Bebington Glazing has teamed up with renowned building contractor Bridgestone Construction to produce a series of luxury apartments in Chester.

Having struck up the prominent affiliation, the Wirral based glazing firm is responsible for fitting balustrades and internal glass partitioning throughout the highend residential property located in Roman Gate, Commonhall Street.

The impressive £2.5m development is now in its final stages of completion, whereby all eight state-of-the-art apartments and duplexes have welcomed such high demand that they have already been sold.

Managing Director of Bebington Glazing Kay Finlay said: “It is fantastic to collaborate with Dave, Kevin and the team at Bridgestone Construction to help

shape a development that combines a striking contemporary design with practical living.

“As part of our collective efforts, our remit is to fit glass balustrades to allow residents to step out into the open and enjoy the scenery from the comfort of their own homes. We also carried out interior work, which consisted of glass partitioning to create designated living spaces, whilst maximising room to complement the open-plan design.”

Located in New Ferry, Bebington Glazing specialises in bespoke glass installation and repairs on both residential and commercial properties. In addition to glazing services, the independent firm also fits safety glass, lead lights, glass balconies and balustrades.

Operating across the North West, Bridgestone Construction is an East Manchester based building

64 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

contractor, renowned for covering all aspects of construction work from individual extensions to large scale developments.

Director of Bridgestone Construction Dave Knight added: “We enlisted the help of Bebington Glazing to enable us to create a contemporary residential property that reflects its cosmopolitan postcode. Not only does the various glass work provide practicality, its carefully considered placement goes on to create stunning features with visual appeal both internally and externally.

“With the Roman Gate development almost through to completion, we hope to continue the longevity of our relationship with Kay and the team further down the line.” www.bebingtonglazing.co.ukbridgestoneconstruction.co.uk

PRODUCT NEWS

A Star For TuffX Glass

Distinction Doors

Launches New

Glass Range Specialist toughened safety glass manufacturer TuffX has most recently given an old High School in Rhyl a revamp. A more modern vibe was given to the school’s floors by creating glass balconies to act as hallways for the staff and students. The school no longer needs to be closed off when walking through the main entrance so looks and feels more contemporary and welcoming.

Installers contacted TuffX and explained they needed glass that was suitable for balconies and completely safe for pupils and staff. TuffX recommended that their 11.5mm clear Toughened Laminated Glass would be perfect for the job. They supplied approximately 80m2 of the glass in various shapes.

This particular toughened safety glass was suggested as it is safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, the glass shatters into small particles and is held in place by an interlayer cast between two other layers of glass.

This would be ideal for a school as if broken, the glass can be easily replaced and will reduce the risk of injuries. Toughened Laminated glass does not shatter

like annealed glass.

TuffX manufactures their toughened laminated and laminated heat strengthened glass in-house on state-of-the-art machinery to meet all current industry standards and produce the glass up to a maximum size of 4000mm x 2200mm.

Head teacher of Rhyl High School said “We wanted it to be about learning on view, so there’s loads of glass, nothing’s hidden…you can’t walk through here without seeing through every classroom and through every area.”

As well as its specialist toughened glass expertise, the company is also renowned for its customer-oriented approach. This is demonstrated in its nationwide delivery service with a standard turnaround time of four to five working days. Express service can also be requested on application.

For further information on the range of products from Tuff X please visit www.tuffxglass.co.uk or alternatively call 0845 3 400 200 to discuss project requirements.

Distinction Doors has just launched its new impressive glass range. Comprising 23 designs across four collections, the range offers a wealth of choice for homeowners. Chantel Roach, Distinction’s Marketing Director, comments: “We are very excited about our new glass range. Our customers tell us that the decorative glass panel is one of the most important decisions that homeowners make because, alongside the colour, it’s the element that most personalises a door. Our new range spans everything from traditional to modern so there will be something for all tastes and styles and really raises the bar in glass design.”

Distinction’s glass range is renowned for its quality and attention to detail. Each design is triple glazed, something that offers two major benefits. Firstly, thermal efficiency is maintained. And because the decorative panel is enclosed within two clear panes, keeping it clean and pristine is much easier too. All the panels have slim sightlines so attention is focused on the beauty of the panel. For the first time, Distinction Glass will be offering a new range of Contemporary glass which has been perfectly designed to enhance the new contemporary door styles offering a sleek, sophisticated finish. www.distinctiondoors.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 65

PRODUCT NEWS

A Master Class

In Glass

Bohle’s highly flexible belt grinding machine, Versalux+; Pico drilling machine and Aqua Power Drill+, plus its Liftmaster B1 lifting system.

Bohle’s sedimentor offering also attracted significant interest with visitors flocking to the live demonstrations to see firsthand how the coolant cleaning technology can save them time and money whilst increasing output and improving quality. One visitor bought the demo Sedimentor on sight stating it would pay for itself within six months by avoiding cleaning downtime alone.

The days also featured master-classes in manual glass cutting from Ursula Bayer, one of Bohle’s master glaziers, [see twitter @BohleLtd for video].

Dave Broxton, Managing Director, Bohle Ltd, said: “The turnout that we have seen over the past few days is indicative of the appetite that exists among glass processors for new technologies.

Bohle has showcased the latest innovations in glass-processing technology during a series of Innovation Days.

Held at Bohle’s Greater Manchester HQ, the ‘drop-in’ event pulled in visitors from all parts of the UK and Ireland over twodays, as the glass processing consumables, machinery and tools specialist, profiled a raft of new technologies and cutting-edge innovations.

This included practical installation demonstrations of Bohle’s Slidetec Optima 80 internal sliding door system, which supports weights of

up to 80kg, while eliminating pre-drilling of glass, using smart clamping technology.

One of the highlights of the event was Bohle’s new freeto-use, shower configurator, which simplifies shower specification. Customers can simply log on to the Bohle website and design professional shower enclosures with a complete list of components, 3D illustrations, cut out details and even export files suitable for CNC cutting equipment.

Other product highlights included the Scratchaway scratch removal system;

66 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

“The sector has always evolved and it continues to move forward at pace as innovation delivers new possibilities and applications.

“What’s been great about the Innovation Days is that our customers have had the opportunity to try first hand, some of the systems, tools and machinery that we offer, but also to catch up with other colleagues from the industry and to share experiences.

For more information Bohle’s glass processing consumables, tooling and machinery ranges please visit the website www.bohle-group.com/en-gb email info@bohle.ltd.uk or call the customer services team free on 0800 616151.

PRODUCT NEWS

SGG WAVELINE FLUID: The New Design

Glass The Third Dimension Of Light from Sascha Urban, Franziska Mamitzsch and Bernd Benninghoff, and is now ready for market launch.

Wave-shaped, flowing and featuring a rhythmical design: FLUID, the new design glass from SaintGobain Glass, enriches cast glass with an extra dimension. The motif, created by a team of designers, produces a fascinating depth effect, making it an ideal design element for interiors and facades.

Play of transparency and translucence, play of space, depth and light: with its dynamic structure, the new FLUID design glass transforms cast glass into an extraordinary perceptual experience. In FLUID, glass as a material, which is always in flux, has found a particularly apt expression.

The special feature of FLUID is its

three-dimensional effect: the glass structure brings clear and matte areas into a rhythm with a gentle, wave-shaped momentum that allows for a hazy transparency. The effect is based on an innovation in glass production: molded areas of the glass alternate with transparent areas, different from normal cast glass. In this way, the glass suggests material depth and is worthy of appreciation as a design object in its own right.

The design process behind FLUID is also new: FLUID was created by a team of young designers who responded to the manufacturer’s invitation to develop a design glass line inspired by natural structures.

FLUID is the first design in this line

This month TuffX have supplied 25m2 of glass to a new build home in Coverack, Cornwall. The homeowners had specific plans for their new build and desired an external balcony surrounding the front of the upper level of the house. The vision was to create a modernised home that fits in with the other houses in the area. Adding the balcony gives their home a contemporary feel and allows the homeowners to sit outside and be able to soak up the views of the Cornwall beachfront, which the house faces. Tuff X manufactures their toughened laminated and laminated heat strengthened glass in-house on state-of-the-art machinery to meet all current industry standards. They produce the glass up to a maximum size of 4000mm x 2200mm. www.tuffxglass.co.uk

The glass combines a unique design with fascinating light and spatial effects, and good privacy.

It lends spaces a distinct character and encourages experimentation. This makes it an attractive, high-quality alternative to satin glass. The motif can be arranged horizontally or vertically, each to a different effect. FLUID can be used for standard applications, such as insulating glass, divider walls, showers, doors entirely made of glass, or light cutouts.

Yet it is also the ideal material for a new trend in architecture: design glass in facades.

FLUID provides a cast glass product that embodies an entirely new interpretation of the traditional material, thereby setting trends in the application of design glass. It is currently available in thicknesses of 4 and 6 mm, is relatively resistant to fingerprints and can be easily processed into single-pane and laminated safety glass with minimal wastage. www.saint-gobain-glass.com

Sky’s The Limit

With TuffX Glass

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 67

PRODUCT NEWS

Exlabesa Launches Steel Replacement Window Doncaster-based aluminium systems house Exlabesa has just launched the KS59 Window Suite, which has been designed with the steel replacement market in mind. Derek Hodgson, Exlabesa’s General Manager, said: “The KS59 offers a technically advanced framing system with slim sightlines and is perfect for a wide variety of commercial applications.”

The KS59 Window Suite is claimed to be perfect for a wide variety applications and can be used in punched hole, composite and ribbon window refurbishment schemes as well as new build projects, which gives it great flexibility.

The system is fabricated using a mechanical corner cleat which means easy and fast

production. To speed up production still further, it can be dry glazed using clip in beads, something that also means quicker glass replacement.

The system uses 28mm glass as standard and is suitable for top and side hung applications.

Easy clean and egress options are also available.

The KS59 has an impressive set of credentials to its name.

It has polyamide thermally broken aluminium frames for improved thermal efficiency and offers excellent weather resistance because it is fully drained using either a cill section or an innovative face drain cap that features an internal baffle that stops wind noise and minimises the build-up of water. Trickle ventilation to Building Regulations can also be integrated.

68 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

The system is weather tested to BS 6375-1, security tested to PAS 24 and operation and strength tested to BS 6375-2.

Exlabesa is one of the country’s most experienced aluminium systems houses. It has two extruders, two ageing ovens, a vertical powder coating plant and is one of the few companies in the UK to have an in-house anodising plant. This means the company can guarantee the quality of all its items as well as offer excellent turnaround times. Mill finish items typically take four working days and paint finish items typically take seven working days and all orders are delivered using its own transport for further reliability. www.exlabesa.co.uk

PRODUCT NEWS

Elephant Makes Seventeen to choose from, all on standard delivery.

By adding Elephant Grey and Slate Grey to its in-stock colour range, Shepley customers now have seventeen colour options for REHAU 5 chamber windows and doors

Shepley, the UK’s largest fabricator using exclusively REHAU PVCu frames offers one of the biggest in-stock foiled colour ranges available. “Homeowners want more colour options to suit their tastes, but installers still need to turn jobs around quickly,” says Ian Griffiths, Sales Director, Shepley. “We listen to our customers and track colour trends to make sure we keep more frame colours on the shelf and installers ahead of the curve.”

“Our complete foiled range of REHAU sculptured or bevelled frames

are made from five chamber profile which achieve WER A ratings with cost-effective glass,” adds Ian, “so there’s no compromise on energy performance with our coloured windows.”

Shepley’s large range of frame colours includes woodgrain or smooth foil finishes to create seventeen options in colour on white or coloured both sides. This offers more possibilities for both domestic and commercial installations.

As grey continues to be a popular choice for homeowners and architects, the addition of Elephant Grey and Slate Grey reinforce Shepley’s commitment to provide customers with the flexibility to offer more options. www.shepley.com

Dekko’s Infinity Frames Help Emerald Windows Go From Strength To Strength Swindon-based Emerald Windows has quickly established itself as one of the leading home improvement brands in the South of England – and now, the fast-growing firm has begun offering Dekko Window System’s ground-breaking Infinity range of seamlessly-welded uPVC. Unlike normal uPVC window and door frames that feature a 3.5mm corner groove, Infinity frames are manufactured using a state of the art graph welding machine to achieve a choice of superior finishes – a totally smooth, seamless corner join on all laminated profiles, Martin continued. “Demand for coloured frames is inand a thinner, more subtle 1.5mm line on all non-lamicreasing all the time so the combination of a wide colour nated ones. choice and fast turnaround is very appealing.”

“With its sleek-looking smooth-cornered frames, Infinity provides us with a valuable USP that really helps us stand out in the increasingly crowded uPVC market,” commented Emerald managing director Martin Brett.

The decision to adopt Infinity comes as Emerald cements its relationship with Dekko – most notably by beginning to offer Deceuninck uPVC products through the Ashton-Under-Lyne based fabricator.

“Deceuninck always carry 26 colourways from stock, and this in turn means Dekko are able to offer us a very fast turnaround on coloured windows and doors,”

Dekko Sales Director Kurt Greatrex commented: “Emerald are a fantastic company to work with, and a natural fit for our business. We’re delighted they’re now offering Deceuninck and our exclusive range of Infinity windows and doors, and we’re looking forward to working with them more closely in the weeks and months ahead.”

For more information on Dekko Window Systems call 01614 060 055 or visit www.dekkowindows.com For more information contact Emerald Windows call 01793 700 142 or visit www.emeraldupvcwindows.com WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 69

PRODUCT NEWS

Profile 22’S Optima

Flush Casement Is Perfect For Providing High Performance In Heritage Properties The market for flush casement windows is booming as owners of period-style homes and other buildings understand that they may also enjoy the performance offered by the latest windows whilst protecting and complementing the key heritage aesthetics of their property.

Now Profile 22 offers the perfect solution for this key sector for the end customer, the fabricator and the installer with the launch of the Optima Flush Casement Window. Developed from the Profile 22 Optima system that was launched in 2016 to huge accolades the Optima Flush Casement offers a thoughtfully styled solution for the thousands of traditional properties in British towns and villages that are crying out for replacement but for which the owners believe their options are limited and expensive.

The Optima Flush Casement shares all of the virtues that have made the Profile 22 Optima system the most important new system to be launched for more than a decade including great aesthetics, precise dimensions, wall thickness and internal webs. Hardware is easy to locate,drainage is optimised and seals perfectly placed for long-lasting performance. The system surpasses the requirements of UK and EU Building Regulations andPAS 24 and is accredited by the British StandardsInstitute. With easily achieved high installed performance and ease of fabrication and installation, the Optima Flush Casement is now opening up this key market segment to Profile 22 fabricators and installers throughout the UK. Attention to detail is superb:

70 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

Optima Flush casement windows replicate more accurately the key details so important to the owners of heritage properties such as mechanically jointed sashes, dummy sashes, deep bottom rails, period cills and glazing bars and authentic hardware including monkey-tail handles and dummy peg stays.

A huge choice of authentic period colours is available from Epwin’s state-of-the-art finishing plant in addition to enjoying compatibility with a huge range of Optima components and ancillaries.

Optima Flush Casements also enjoy the broad benefits offered by the Optima system: compatibility with standard Optima frame and transom and chamfered finish externally but with chamfered or sculptured frame style and astragal bars for a choice of internal treatments. And with standard 24mm IGUs an A+ Rating and U-value of 1.3 W/m2K are easily achievable. Quite simply, Optima Flush Casements look better and perform better than any other products of their type available today. www.profile22.co.uk

PRODUCT NEWS

New White Painted CE Marked

Roof Window Is A More Baypoles & Profitable Alternative For Builders Jacks Give

Installers Confidence

In Window Integrity

Natural light specialist, LB Roof Windows, has launched an exclusive new product, offering builders, roofers, and installers the possibility to earn more margin on their projects. Liteleader EcoWhite is a high-quality white painted wooden roof window that provides a more affordable alternative to the popular brands and is solely available for the UK market via LB. White painted roof windows are growing in popularity, with more and more end-users preferring their contemporary look and seamless integration with a white sloped ceiling. Earlier this year, Velux has confirmed this trend by offering their market leading product in a white painted finish as standard, instead of the classic pine wood.

PR318 - Liteleader_EcowhiteNatural light specialist, LB Roof Windows, is a leading supplier of the Velux brand in the UK, and has identified the growing demand for white painted roof windows.

LB sales director, Adrian Cooper, commented: “We constantly look at adding new products to our

range that will enable our clients to keep ahead of the curve, capitalise on emerging trends, and increase their profits.

“The new EcoWhite does exactly that. With similar features and aesthetics to the very popular and established brands, EcoWhite is guaranteed to prove a hit with both the end-users, as well as our clients, the tradesmen and contractors. It simply provides the same high-quality at a more convenient price,” added Adrian.

Liteleader EcoWhite from LB is a centre-pivot roof window with a wide wooden frame pre-painted in white, making it both sturdy and modern. The white paint reflects daylight, contributing to even brighter living spaces for the end user, and delivering a contemporary look, in line with current market demand. EcoWhite boasts improved energy performance for maximum comfort and reduced energy bills.

Tradesmen and contractors can check out prices and delivery options of the new EcoWhite at www.lbroofwindows.co.uk

The baypole jack from Window Widgets stops windows moving and bricks cracking, so installers know their windows will be safe and structurally secure for the long term.

Window Widgets is the leading supplier of ancillaries that make installing windows and doors easier and safer.

Window Widgets’ jack is CE marked and BBA accredited. It is certified by itself, and tested and certified to be used with the Window Widgets baypole.

Window Widgets Managing Director Dan Gill says: “There wasn’t a BBA accreditation for jacks, so we worked with the BBA to create one. Our baypole and jack have been tested separately and together. Testing them together means we know they join correctly and can hold the weight they need to without failing.

“Testing shows that the common failure in baypole installations is where the jack and the pole join.

The problem with mixing and matching baypoles and jacks is that if they haven’t been tested together the can fail where they join,” Dan continues. “This can be catastrophic because the aluminium turns almost “molten” (because they’re under so much stress) where they fail, and the installation isn’t structurally sound. www.windowwidgets.co.uk

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 71

ON SITE

Glazing Is Central In Iconic Art Deco Adelphi Building Refurb Designing and installing a new five storey atrium and roof light in keeping with its Grade II listed art deco surroundings was just one of the challenges met by GLASSOLUTIONS as part of ISG’s £30million refurbishment of the iconic Adelphi Building on London’s Victoria Embankment.

The UK’s leading glass processing company worked closely with architects Aukett Swanke and the main contractors as part of the expert team rejuvenating one of London’s most important art deco structures. GLASSOLUTIONS and the architect had successfully teamed up previously on the refurbishment of 123 Victoria Street in London.

Adelphi-building-interior-1ISG secured the contract with global investment firm Blackstone to remodel and refurbish floors one to six of the iconic building to create 190,000 sq ft of high spec CAT A open plan office accommodation.

Effective project management was a key to the success of the scheme, given that the building 72 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

remained partly occupied and in use throughout. The work involved significant structural alterations to upgrade and sensitively modernise the building, including the reinstatement of internal light wells to maximise the volume of natural light entering the structure at lower levels.

The GLASSOLUTIONS team completed the complex £1million interior and exterior glazing project within just 20 weeks, using a range of glazing options within the Schueco window and curtain walling system.

Bespoke engineered glass solutions, including challenging deflection tolerances were required to deliver the glazing specification within the listed building. Externally, the building’s existing smoked glass windows have been replaced with high performance clear glass units featuring a range of glass including Planidur COOL-LITE SKN165, Security HST Toughened Planitherm Ultra N on outer panes of sealed units and

ON SITE Stadip Protect laminated on inner panes. Where fire rated glass was required GLASSOLUTIONS used a combination of Securit Planitherm Total+ and 25mm Contraflam 60 on inner panes.

Within the atrium, and for the screens and doors at ground floor level, Stadip Silence clear toughened HST acoustic laminate was used to deliver Rw 41dB acoustic performance.

Where the building steps in at level six, a new landscaped roof terrace area overlooking the reinstated glazed light wells has been created featuring glazed balustrading using GLASSOLUTIONS SGG security glazing with handrail.

Says GLASSOLUTIONS’ business manager, Eamonn Tobin, “Complex projects like the scheme at The Adelphi Building require a combination of an appropriate product range, technical expertise, excellent team working and first class project management. At GLASSOLUTIONS we have again demonstrated that by providing this blend we are first choice for high profile projects across the UK.”

Three guys ad WindNews 185x130:Layout 1 06/04/2016 10:28 Page 1

MEET PADDY, KEVIN & CRAIG

For further information on GLASSOLUTIONS visit www.glassolutions.co.uk

Paddy, Kevin and Craig are a key part of our world class manufacturing team. They know that what matters to you most is providing the best service to your customers.

By constantly improving every element of our business they are striving to make your world better.

Because your glass is our world.

Working together is better.

Call us now to find out more.

THEY PUT YOU FIRST

T. 0800 145 6788 www.glassolutions.co.uk/contact

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 73

ON SITE

Hart & Co Supplies Fire Windows To Salix Homes

Hart & Co, the Lancashire based fire window specialist, has worked with Salix Homes to supply PVC-U fire rated windows for nearly 60 flats across its Salford housing stock.

An independent fire risk assessment carried out for the social housing provider had identified specific flats opening onto communal areas which required a fire rated window as well as a fire rated door in order to comply with the relevant codes of practice under the Fire Safety Reform Order 2005. Salix Homes turned to Hart & Co for a solution.

The REHAU accredited fabricator was able to design and manufacture fixed pane, fire rated windows using the REHAU RAUFERNO system, providing a cost effective, low maintenance and attractive alternative to conventional frames in timber or steel.

The REHAU RAUFERNO windows from Hart & Co use the REHAU TOTAL70 PVC-U profile system with an intumescent strip within the specially reinforced frame.

This strip expands with heat to offer at least a 30-minute fire rating, complying with the requirements of BS476 Pts 20 and 22.

For the Salix Homes properties, largely located across the Beechfarm estate in the Swinton area of Salford, Greater Manchester, Hart & Co fabricated windows up to 2m wide using separate 1m square fixed light frames joined with an expansion coupler. These replicated the look of the windows with opening lights which had been in place previously. www.rehau.uk

Senior’s PURe

®

Windows Check In A

Newcastle’s Landmark Hotel The sympathetic refurbishment of a Grade II Art Deco building in the heart of Newcastle to create a new Premier Inn hotel has benefitted from the specification of Senior Architectural System’s innovative PURe® aluminium windows.

The five-storey former Co-Op department store building, which dates back to the 1890s, has been redeveloped by main contractor Interserve and architects Archial NORR, with leading fabricators Essential Aluminium delivering the glazing package.

With the comfort of the hotel guests a key consideration, the exceptional acoustic and thermal properties of Senior’s patented PURe® aluminium casement windows were key to its specification. Offering some of the lowest U-values available to the UK market, the innovative construction of the PURe®

74 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

window features an enhanced thermal barrier manufactured from expanded polyurethane foam (PUR). Helping to keep the heat in and the noise out, the PURe® frames were used alongside triple glazed glass.

The attractive slim sightlines offered by Senior’s PURe® windows also helped maximise the flow of light and perfectly complement the areas where some of the original window frames have been carefully restored.

Recently awarded a UK patent, Senor’s PURe® range of aluminium doors and windows has the potential to achieve U-values as low as 0.71W/m2 K when calculated as a commercial CEN standard window and 0.93W/m2 K when calculated as a CEN standard door.

For more information about Senior, visit www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk

ON SITE

Norscot Top Of The Class After VEKA M70 Installation At

Historic North Highlands College

A beautiful and historic yet remote and weather-exposed building has been given a new lease of life thanks to Norscot, fabricators and installers of state-of-the-art PVC-U window systems from The VEKA UK Group.

Abden House in Dornoch, on the east coast of the Scottish Highlands was built in the 1890s to house the vast art collection of a wealthy businessman. Later it became Ross Hostel, then Ross House, today acting as an occupied college and office building – part of the University of the Highlands and Islands’ North Highland campus.

“As is so often the case with old buildings, Ross House’s existing timber-framed sash and casement windows were in a state of decay, and far past their best in terms of thermal insulation and weatherproofing”, explains Callum Grant, Commercial Director at Norscot. “We tendered for the job through Public Contracts Scotland and were pleased to win the contract on the strength of our ability to independently manage both fabrication and installation, and our offering of industry-leading window systems from VEKA.

Norscot Ross House resize 2 “Working with educational institutions often holds strict time implications for contractors, dependent on term dates and the seasonality of the academic year. I’m pleased to report that we were able to deliver the entire 95 window project in the month from May to June, causing as little disruption to the college’s staff, students and visitors as feasibly possible.”

Norscot liaised closely with the college’s Estates Manager and people who regularly use the building, to determine the details of the systems recommendation.

“It was important that the new windows were styled sympathetically to the heritage of Ross House, especially as certain historic internal features of the building were specified to be retained”, Callum continues.

“Following a comprehensive on-site survey, 92 Tilt and Turn windows were fabricated using VEKA’s M70 profile. The versatility of the system, both in terms of its non-intrusive styling and flexible methods of opening made it ideal for this job. The remaining

three windows included two fixed casements and one circular ‘bullseye’ window, again using M70 profile, foiled white both inside and out.”

Norscot is joint holder of installer support organisation, Network VEKA’s Best in Scotland for Customer Satisfaction award.

The company prided itself on attention to detail in the installation phase, as Callum describes: “To satisfy the college’s specification to retain timber ingoes (the internal surrounds where walls are stepped-in to meet a window frame), we pre-finished the required materials in white paint at our factory. This meant we could ‘sign off’ full rooms each day, as opposed to installing the windows then waiting for a painter to complete the job. A first class fit and finish was ensured, while minimising inconvenience to building users.”

Anne Dods, Estates Manager for North Highland College commented: “We couldn’t be happier with Norscot’s work and the VEKA windows they have produced and installed. It’s always a concern with period buildings such as Ross House that any kind of refurbishment will sap their history and character.

That outlook, however, leaves you burdened with the upkeep of traditional fixtures and fittings, including windows that have long been surpassed in terms of energy ratings, acoustic insulation, security and weatherproofing.

“This installation has given us the best of both worlds: a modern window system that offers unbelievable flexibility compared to the old timber-framed units, yet still complements this building of over 100 years. Being in a coastal spot, our staff and students are already feeling its benefits on cold, blustery days. We can’t wait to feel the difference when the winter comes!” www.vekauk.com

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 75

ON SITE

Deeplas Brings Contemporary Aesthetic To 90S Office Block Linthorpe Developments, a commercial North-East property company, is rejuvenating a 26-year-old office block in Middlesbrough using embossed pearl grey PVC-U cladding from Deeplas, the UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of calcium organic PVC-U roofline products and building plastics.

PThe colour, pearl grey, is a big factor because it provides the right upmarket facelift for a property that is being transformed into the Cleveland Business Centre, a high-specification serviced office space for up to 55 start-ups and expanding enterprises.

Linthorpe founder and managing director Geoff Hogg says he chose Deeplas embossed

cladding because it offered better value for money, with lower maintenance costs and speedier installation than conventional alternatives. “The architects would have liked cedar cladding but maintenance would have been an issue because cedar goes silver over time and I don’t want to have to have the cladding treated every five years”, he explains.

and the cladding at the gable ends will break up the blocklike appearance with columns and bands of colour. Some 140 pearl grey embossed double planks, measuring 6m x 300mm, have been installed as columns and will be set off by 600mm deep horizontal bands of fluorescent green cladding.

“Embossed cladding achieves a similar appearance but won’t lose colour. Also cedar would have been supported on tanalised laths which can ultimately rot, whereas Deeplas cladding uses plastic battens that won’t”.

The green cladding is constructed from 5m lengths of flat plank PVC-U board that has been powder-coated locally and, when completed, will be illuminated from within by powerful LED lights for an eye-catching effect that will make the building into a landmark.

In Mr Hogg’s view the original building was far too monolithic

PCommenting on the project, Deeplas Building Products

76 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

ON SITE

New Landmark

High-Rise In

South West London

Supplied By

Hueck UK

Another successful collaboration between aluminium building systems supplier, Hueck UK, and façade contractor McMullen Facades Ltd, a Lakesmere Group company, has recently seen the completion of one of south west London’s new landmark buildings, The Pinnacle.

Director, Hazel Verschuere, said: “This is an imaginative example of how cladding can help transform a building into something of architectural and aesthetic merit, giving it a contemporary look and feel that will no doubt appeal to local businesses looking for office space.”

Designed for easy installation, Deeplas PVC-U shiplap cladding provides an attractive, low maintenance, weather resist-

ant answer to replacing rotten timber cladding, concealing problem areas of brickwork or adding an interesting new feature to a property. The easyfit, clip-together boards are available in a range of realistic embossed finishes to complement a range of styles from rustic timber-effect to crisp and contemporary. Colours available include: white, light grey, light ivory, mocha brown, sand, sky blue, pearl grey and cream. www.deeplas.co.uk

Rising 170 feet high, the tower construction delivers 88 new luxury apartments, including a number of penthouses, with impressive views of the City. Developed by St. George PLC, this 15-storey building is the flagship high-rise within its award-winning riverside project, Battersea Reach.

The Pinnacle, Battersea ReachThe Pinnacle’s fully glazed curved façade has been manufactured using the high performance Trigon L aluminium system from Hueck.

Highly versatile, this unitised façade system lends itself to a wide variety of curtain walling designs. www.hueck.com

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 77

MARKETING

Ho Ho Ho…

It’s The Profile 22

Great Advent

Giveaway!

Back by popular demand and to join us in celebrating a momentous year, the Profile 22 Advent Calendar Prize Draw (www. christmas.profile22.co.uk) is bigger than ever and jammedpacked with fantastic giveaways for 2016.

With everything you need for a fabulous Christmas from sumptuous hampers and festive tipples, to exciting supercar experiences and electronic gizmos, this certainly will be the season to jolly, as Profile 22 Brand Manager Gerald Allen explains.

“We are in the third year of our Advent Calendar Prize Draw now and we are expecting record number of entries to win our festive ‘prizes of the day’ this year, with a winner every day until Christmas Eve. And with the G Awards New Product of the Year trophy for Optima on our mantelpiece amongst the holly, we are celebrating with even better giveaways!”

Open to all Profile 22 fabricators, installers and commercial clients, the prize draw is completely free to enter! So keep calm and jingle on; just make sure you visit our advent calendar every day from December 1st to be in with your chance of winning.” www.profile22.co.uk

Dempsey Dyer Launches Stylish New Corporate Video Yorkshire based fabricator Dempsey Dyer has launched its new corporate video, highlighting the firm’s continued commitment to close customer relationships and high-quality products.

The one-and-a-half-minute clip focuses on the work that goes into producing its industry-renowned timber window and door products, as well as the expert craftsmen, joiners and technicians who create them.

The video highlights the strong, supportive relationship between Dempsey Dyer and their trade and commercial customers. Established in 1977, some of their longest-standing clients have been with them for decades.

“It was important that our new corporate video focused on our values,” commented Dempsey Dyer MD, Peter Dyer.

“We pride ourselves on making high-quality products, developing strong partnerships with all our customers and our history as a family-run business. The video gives an insight into how

78 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

we work, and the talented and experienced team behind our fantastic range of timber, uPVC and composite doors and windows.”

Dempsey Dyer previously released a video aimed at highlighting the features and benefits of their timber-look, mechanically jointed Beaumont window.

“In the internet age, video marketing is hugely valuable for businesses like ours,” Peter continued. “Videos aren’t just a great way of showcasing ourselves to a wider audience, they also help our trade clients share the benefits of the products we provide to their potential customers. We’ve got another video in the pipeline focusing on our Deceuninck uPVC range – and we look forward to sharing that one with the industry soon.”

For more information call 01977 649641 or visit www.dempseydyer.co.uk

MARKETING

Endurance Plus Brochure To Inspire Consumers unique ATK £1,000 security guarantee is also part of a premium product offering that incorporates Secured by Design status on each door.

Hot on the back of the successful launch of the premium Endurance® PLUS range, the company has just produced a consumer facing brochure, to highlight the number of key features that help make this the thickest, strongest and most secure composite door offering in the sector, says the company.

Boasting a 75mm 6-chambered Eurocell Modus outer frame with a triple seal, along with a 56mm solid timber composite slab that’s 27% thicker than some other composite doors, Endurance® PLUS has been designed as a top end composite door offering. By harnessing

the BBA certified Kerto LVL timber core, with 20 individual laminations, this premium composite door will not bow, warp or crack and is offered with a comprehensive 10year warranty and a life expectancy in excess of 20 years.

The newly launched brochure for Endurance® PLUS highlights the distinct product features, including a number of security enhancements offered as standard, including a new 5-point multi locking system from ERA, four SFS Dynamic 2D hinges for lasting performance, along with triple glazed units. The proven Avocet ATK 3 Star Diamond cylinder, which comes with a

Window Warehouse Celebrates 30 Years Supporting

The Trade With New Website

Portsmouth-based Halo fabricator Window Warehouse is celebrating thirty years supporting the trade by investing in helping customers, with a new trade showroom and website.

The Window Warehouse website offers extra support

Stephen Nadin, managing director of Endurance® Doors commented: ‘Endurance® PLUS is a premium composite door offering based on a solid timber core and importantly the only one that is BBA certified. The brochure highlights some of the key premium features that are offered as standard, as we actively look to promote the thickest, strongest and most secure composite door offering in the sector.

He continues: ‘With a record breaking number of trade enquiries, we’ve quickly become the fastest growing company in the sector, thanks to a product that’s packed with features, our exemplary customer support and a marketing programme designed to deliver sales leads’.

For a FREE copy of the brochure or further information on the Endurance® PLUS range for complete door sets or for slab only manufacturing, please visit www.endurancedoors.co.uk/

for installers across the South East with a technical download and marketing portal with free homeowner brochures.

Managing Director at Window Warehouse, Malcolm Cake says: “We’re really pleased with the new website design. It’s simple, clear and effective, just like the Window Warehouse service.”

Window Warehouse manufactures PVCu windows and doors using VEKA Halo System 10 and Rustique profiles, as well as a full range of aluminium glazing products. This year it also launched its exclusive InduPanel designer aluminium residential doors.

Malcolm continues: “With the growing trend for aluminium in domestic projects, we’re finding that installers are expanding their customer bases by offering aluminium as well as PVCu. WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 79

MARKETING activities have been planned to reinforce its status as the pinnacle organisation of its kind in the industry; right down to the clean, fresh and professional look of the new website.

Aimed at a consumer audience, it shows homeowners how to make the best of their property and explains how choosing a Network VEKA installer can provide complete peace of mind throughout the process.

New Website Highlights

Network VEKA’s

‘Networkmanship’

Installer support organisation Network VEKA has unveiled its brand new website. It has been completely redesigned and features a wealth of aspirational new photography, an idea-filled ‘LookBook’ and the means to generate valuable sales leads for member companies.

The LookBook has already attracted a host of visitors thanks to its inspirational ideas, and advice on the latest trends from a team of interiors specialists and industry experts.

Head of Marketing Simon James explains: “The new website was designed to offer a clean, straightforward and simple-to-navigate visitor experience. It goes hand in hand with an integrated consumer campaign which raises awareness of the Network VEKA brand and showcases the benefits of choosing a member. The increased number of visitors to

the new site will generate more leads, distributed to the nearest local member to follow up.

“The consumer campaign has so far included a sustained social media campaign and online remarketing programme, run in parallel with our SEO and PPC activity. Stunning new photography has been specially commissioned and a series of videos created to explain the Networkmanship concept; an overarching term to describe all the credentials of our installers: professionalism, commitment and customer satisfaction. Print adverts and advertorials have featured in prominent consumer magazines such as Ideal Home and 25 Beautiful Homes, alongside brand building activity in major national newspapers.

“With Network VEKA celebrating its 20th successful year in business in 2016, and £1bn in cumulative sales, all our

80 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

“There is a host of information and style advice – the site has an almost ‘magazine’ feel which makes it very easy to read – while also conveying all-important information about Network VEKA and its guarantees. The internet has fast become the first ‘port of call’ for anyone researching home improvements and it is only fitting that the Network VEKA website should make the right first impression. It allows us to explain the #Networkmanship premise in a clear and engaging way, so that homeowners are already aware of our values before they even meet their local installer member.

“A number of data capture areas allow us to find out more about visitors, and the products and services that would be most beneficial to them. In this way, their local member company can contact them with advice and services that perfectly suit their needs – rather than a generic offering.

“Finally, we are able to demonstrate the organisation’s high standards with a customer review section, and installers can access the latest up-to-theminute membership assets and resources through a dedicated trade area. These are exciting times for the Network, and this hive of marketing activity fittingly reflects that!” www.networkveka.co.uk

MARKETING

Fenster Showcases

Stylish New Video

Framexpress Partner With Insight

Data To Improve

Market Intelligence Following on from a momentous summer that’s seen it ramp up production, invest extensively in marketing, and launch its premium aluminium door brand Uni_Slide, respected Devon aluminium specialists Fenster Fabrications have released a stylish new corporate video.

Entitled ‘A day in the life of a window factory’, the professionally filmed two-minute presentation uses slow motion, time-lapse and other cinematographic techniques to show Fenster’s manufacturing process in stunning, HD detail.

“The video is Fenster in a nutshell,” commented managing director Tony Drake. “It conveys our commitment to quality, to excellence in manufacturing, and, above all, to fantastic design. It shows the level of care and precision that goes into making every product we produce – and the skilled, experienced, dedicated glazing professionals who make it happen.”

Founded in 2006, Fenster Fabrications provides the full range of products from Smarts Systems to trade and commercial projects across the South of England. In

addition, the company also manufactures Üni_Slide, an ultra-slim aluminium sliding door, equally suited to commercial and residential applications. Offering exceptional thermal efficiency, build quality, and desirable minimalist aesthetics, Üni_Slide can achieve frame sightlines as slim as 20mm, and a slim central interlock, while being able to support sliding panels of up to 3m high and 2.2m wide. The product can be assembled in a limitless run of units, with each panel capable of holding up to 320kg of glass.

“2016 has been a fantastic year for Fenster,” Tony concluded. “But we’re hugely ambitious about what we want to achieve in the months and years to come. We want to continue growing the already hugely successful Smarts side of our business – but we also want to work to establish Uni_Slide as a brand known and respected throughout the industry.

Throughout 2017, we’ll be looking for exceptional, quality-focused installation companies to become authorised Uni_Slide partners in their region – and would encourage any interested business to get in touch!” www.uni-slide.com

FrameXpress, one of the leading UPVC fabricators of windows, doors, conservatories and composite doors, has joined forces with Insight Data to boost its market intelligence.

The national fabricator has chosen Salestracker, the sales and marketing software that combines CRM, real-time prospect data and market intelligence on the UK glass and glazing industry.

Stuart Green, Managing Director of FrameXpress commented; “The market intelligence provided by Salestracker is simply outstanding. I can see information such as products, frames per week, premises, market sectors, key contacts and financial information. The real-time data technology means the information is constantly updated so I can see any changes that are happening within the market, helping me to tailor marketing and sales strategies.”

Salestracker, the cloud-based platform has detailed information on over 15,300 fabricators and installers, as well as 45,000 other contacts in the building and construction industry.

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 81

MARKETING

Listen Up! MyGlazing.com On National Radio The valuable consumer advice that MyGlazing.com conveys every day online reached a new audience via the radio airwaves recently when our resident expert for consumer advice, Brian Smith, Director of Home Improvement at the Glass and Glazing Federation was interviewed live on Talk Radio’s programme Home Rule with Martin Roberts.

In an exclusive interview with the Homes Under the Hammer presenter, Brian talked about the history of the GGF - the glazing industry’s primary trade association - and the many

homes.

Brian also highlighted how windows have dramatically changed over the years and pointed out the huge advantages of upgrading to modern energy efficient glazing, and how to find out the energy savings you can make using the GGF Energy Savings Calculator.

Martin Roberts

benefits and resources it provides to consumers looking to buy windows, doors and conservatories to improve their

You can listen online here - select the 18:00 – 18:30 time slot, then go to 3 mins 30 secs to find the start of the interview. www.ggf.org.uk

Double Glazed Units Now Available

Online With MyGlassolutions Glazing installers can now buy top quality DGUs online 24/7 in just a few clicks using the innovative MyGlassolutions service from sealed unit manufacturer GLASSOLUTIONS. Using MyGlassolutions is easy and it is perfect for small independent glaziers and self-employed installers. Only a simple one-off registration is needed and, once online, customers can configure their DGUs to meet their exact specification, get instant quotations, place orders and track their orders in one place. Orders are fulfilled through the established GLASSOLUTIONS sealed unit manufacturing plants and branch network, ready for collection in-branch or delivered to customers as required.

MyGlassolutions enables glaziers and installers to specify DGUs which feature any of the Planitherm low-e glass products, including Planitherm Total+, along with float glass, conservatory glass and special glass types to achieve sound insulation or solar control. All standard thicknesses are available and, as with all GLASSOLUTIONS’ sealed units, they come with a 5-year guarantee.

DGUs are the latest addition to the extensive range of 82 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

products available through MyGlassolutions, joining stock glass, mirrors, backpainted glass and pattern glass, plus laminated glass for shopfronts and balustrade glass. The service is already attracting strong interest from tradespeople throughout the glazing and building industries as online purchasing becomes a greater part of their everyday lives.

Rosie Carr, marketing manager for MyGlassolutions, says: “Making our sealed units available through MyGlassolutions is the latest evolution in the service which is gaining huge popularity amongst those customers who want to make the shift to an online quotation and ordering system for their glass.

“It gives smaller independent glaziers and installers easy access to our sealed units that are used by customers large and small right across the country.

Our four sealed unit plants, in which we already manufacture thousands of DGUs every year, are now fully integrated with MyGlassolutions which means customers can have total confidence in the same high quality products whichever way they choose to buy their sealed units.” www.glassolutions.co.uk/myglassolutions

MARKETING

RAD Windows Launches

New Website

MTL endorses SWISSPACER’s new Technical Guide

SWISSPACER Publishes New Technical Guide

West Midlands based installers of windows, doors and conservatories, RAD Windows, is the first business to launch a new website using Shepley’s Visage Marketing Support system. It’s also taken advantage of Shepley’s search engine optimisation support to make sure it’s website gets noticed on Google and generates sales leads.

leads as possible.”

Shepley, the UK’s largest sole fabricator of REHAU windows, recently launched a host of practical Visage Marketing Support tools and resources to help customers. RAD Windows used the support available to launch its new fully mobile responsive, Google optimised website for a lower price than that of a typical site.

Shepley’s Sales Director, Ian Griffiths adds, “Supporting customers is really important to us which is why we introduced our range of Visage Marketing Support tools. We want to help customers make the best use of their marketing and digital platforms to help grow their businesses.”

“We wanted a fresh new website and Shepley certainly achieved it,” says Glenn Rivers MD, RAD Window Services. “The copywriting and photography was all sorted for us and Shepley’s marketing partner specialises in glazing so they knew exactly what we needed. We will also be using Shepley’s expert search engine optimisation and social media support as well to make sure we’re getting as many sales

The new website has everything customers need to know about RAD Windows all in one place.

Visitors can access information about its windows, doors and conservatories as well as being able to download the Visage brochure, request a quote and request a call back.

Visage Marketing Support includes it’s bespoke Composite Door Designer, consumer brochures, website development, showroom support, product samples, social media and SEO management.

For more information about Visage marketing support, go to, http://shepley.com/customer-support/marketing-support/ .

And for more information about Shepley go to http://shepley.com/

SWISSPACER has published a new technical guide. The comprehensive guide gives sealed unit makers useful information about how to process SWISSPACER correctly.

The guide is organised into different sections such as processing, machinery, product specifications and thermal values. Each section provides detailed information to help sealed unit makers use SWISSPACER to its full potential and inform their customers about the detailed benefits of warm edge spacer bars.

Machines and Tools Limited (MTL) is a Lancashire-based designer of tooling solutions that manufactures saws used to cut SWISSPACER spacer bars. MTL says the new Technical Guide can be a great asset to sealed unit makers.

Rob Braithwaite, owner of MTL says: “It’s important for sealed unit makers to know how to correctly process spacer bars and use appropriate tools to get the most out of the product. The SWISSPACER Technical Guide is full of useful information and an invaluable resource to manufacturers. I fully recommend the guide as it gives detailed and expert advice on the correct way to cut and process SWISSPACER.” www.swisspacer.com

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 83

CHARITY

Frame Fast Golf Day Raises

More Than £5,000 For Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre

Chairman, Bill Tomlinson, at this year’s Derby Telegraph Community Champions Awards when Bill was given the lifetime achievement award for his dedication to charity work.

“It’s always great to receive generous donations, so on behalf of Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, I’d like to thank everyone who was involved in the golf day,” says, Bill Tomlinson, Chairman for the Children’s Holiday Centre.

“The work we do plays such an important role for the personal and social development of local children and we continue to provide as many holiday places as we can. Trustees have, for some time, wished to increase the number of holidays provided by a further 150pa. Frame Fast’s magnificent gift brings this wish closer to reality for 2017.”

The East Midlands largest trade fabricator of PVCu doors, windows and conservatories, Frame Fast, has raised more than £5,000 for the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre (DCHC), a charity which has been providing children in Derbyshire with holidays in Skegness for 125 years.

Frame Fast, based in Derby, holds an annual golf day to help raise money for charity. This year it was held at the Breadsall Priory Country Park in Derbyshire.

Not only were players teeing off for a round of golf, but throughout the day there were a number of fun activities. There was a raffle with 24 prizes on offer donated by Frame Fast’s suppliers, customers and friends, including a BBQ and a TV. There was a game of foot-golf and a composite door challenge, where players had to get the ball through an empty glass panel on the door.

Frame Fast chose to support the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre after being inspired by DCHC

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The Golf day raised more than £5,000 for the charity and Frame Fast Director, Nigel Leivers, presented the cheque to Bill and the rest of the DCHC team.

“It was a really special moment handing over the cheque to the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre,” says Nigel. “We always look forward to our golf day, it’s really good fun and all for a worthy cause. We hope the money raised can make a real difference to the lives of children in Derbyshire.” www.framefastuk.com

CHARITY came second and Team two with Chris Champion, Glass News; Chris Thompson, Glazerite; Mark Harrison and James Keeling-Heane from Senior Glass.

The Charity Challenge cup was taken by Bill Stopford of Nova Group; Nearest Pin winner was Keith Nethercott of K Seal Glass and Mark Sutherland from Nationwide Windows won the Longest Drive.

The Edgetech team present the money raised to the Oxford Sarcoma Service at Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (L-R Advanced Nurse Practitioner Vicky Wren, Edgetech MD Chris Alderson, Associate Advanced Nurse Practitioner Wendy Perrin, Edgetech Sales and Marketing Director Alan Fielder, Theatre Scrub Nurse Deborah Melson, Visiting Fellow Suran de Almeida and Professor Max Gibbons)

Sixth Edgetech Golf Day

Raises Over £5K

For Oxford Sarcoma The sun eventually shone over De Vere’s Staverton Park Golf Club, just in time for play at Edgetech UK’s annual Dealership Golf Day on 11 August.

The day of friendly competition began with bacon sandwiches and coffee at the clubhouse followed by a welcome from Managing Director at Edgetech UK, Chris Alderson.

The 16 teams then tackled the 18-hole course before regrouping for dinner in the evening where trophies were presented to the winners of the golf competition and a charity auction and raffle was held in aid of the

Oxford Sarcoma Service at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre.

The individual winner was Mark Bowskill of Masterglass GB, picking up a stunning trophy, whilst second place was taken

by Kevin Averiss from Hourglass. James Keeling-Heane from Senior Glass Systems came third.

First place in the team competition was Team nine – Nick Gibbons, Customade; Andy Archer, JCL Glass; Glyn Moorhouse, Oakland Glass; and David Stockton-Chalk from Promac.

Paul Young, Ryan Morris and Gareth Laing from Cleartherm

Each year Edgetech chooses a charity to support at the Golf Day and this year’s was very close to our hearts. The Oxford Sarcoma Service at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre has been helping Ian Fielder, Edgetech Sales and Marketing Director Alan Fielder’s son. During the evening guests were given a short presentation on the amazing work the Oxford Sarcoma Service does and how they have helped Ian. The money raised was presented to the Oxford Sarcoma Service in October by the Edgetech team.

Chris Alderson said: “This year’s golf day was lots of fun and a great opportunity to catch up with customers. And I think it’s excellent that whilst doing that, we also raised £5,530 for a charity very close to our hearts at Edgetech.

“I would like to thank everyone who joined us on the day and give special thanks to those who donated prizes for the raffle and auction and dipped their hands in their pockets to win them!

“Next year is Edgetech UK’s tenth anniversary manufacturing in the UK and celebratory events are set to replace the usual golf day format – watch this space!”

WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 85

CHARITY P2P team member adds: “I have followed the previous challenges run by GM Fundraising with interest, and have wanted to do an all-female event for some time. When we came up with the concept of Paddle2Pedal I couldn’t wait to get involved! I am grateful to the support of Epwin Group, who are completely behind their three members of staff taking up the challenge, and are also the headline sponsor of the whole event.

This one is for the Girls

GM Fundraising is well known in the industry for their epic cycling challenges and they have just launched their next one. GMFP2P is a bit different – not only is GM Fundraising introducing a paddle to their pedal, but this event is exclusively for the ladies of the industry. Paddle2Pedal will take place in August next year and the 12 strong all-female team met last week, at headline sponsors Epwin Group’s offices in Telford, for the launch.

“This is the first time GM Fundraising has organised a challenge for females only” says Gary Morton, chairman of GM Fundraising.

“Thanks to the efforts of headline sponsors Epwin, we have recruited a group of keen and competitive ladies to take on this challenge, which will see them canoe 100 miles and cycle around 120 miles, with an abseil thrown in the middle.”

“We are lucky that Epwin is also providing the canoeing expertise in the form of their Financial Direc-

tor, Mike Bache. Of course, being veterans of most GM Fundraising cycling challenges, myself and Alan Sadler will be supporting the team with the cycling leg.

“The team will start from Glasbury on 20th August next year. Over the next 5 days they will be averaging 20 miles a day in a canoe, paddling down the wilds of the River Wye. They will stop off at Bredwardine, Hereford, Ross-onWye and Monmouth, before finally arriving in Chepstow on Day 5.

For those that are really keen to take on the additional challenge there is an abseil at Symonds Yat, although this is optional. Day 6 will see the team commence on the 120 mile cycling part of the challenge, ending up at Hope House Children’s Hospice in Oswestry on Day 7. The children, for who this is all in support of, will be welcoming us home, making the perfect ending to what is going to be a tremendous event.”

Claire O’Hara, divisional managing director of Epwin, and GMF-

86 WINDOW NEWS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016

“The team from GM Fundraising covered a very detailed plan at the GMFP2P launch, as well as setting a very comprehensive training plan for us all to start on over the winter. We will be hitting the water in the Spring, when hopefully the temperature is a little warmer!”

Gary concludes: “Although this one is for the ladies the challenge is no less with Peddle2Pedal.

Each member of the team will be looking for your support to raise much needed funds for the children at Hope House Children’s Hospice. They will be covering their own costs for the event, so every penny we raise will go directly to the children.”

Meet the team via our website www.gmfundraising.co.uk and follow their progress on social media with #GMFP2P or #Paddle2Pedal

Window News

If you would like to see your company featured in Window News, either on the website, twice weekly e-mail Newscasts or in our online magazine, please send your press releases and news to: edit@windownews.co.uk We consider all press items sent to us. However, all stories are subject to the editor’s discretion so we cannot guarantee that your news item will be published.

2016 Calendar of Events

The Biggest Year Yet

1st

NOV

29th

OCT

20th to 24th

14th

10th to 22nd

TBC

12th to 14th

SEPT JULY JUNE MAY APRIL

GM Fundraising will be hosting another full calendar of events in 2016. Please add these dates to your diaries to ensure you don’t miss out:

Fit Show

Visit us at Stand A22 and see if you can beat the cycling pros at a one minute sprint.

Location: Telford International Exhibition Centre

Football 5’s

Back by popular demand!

Date to be confirmed, but likely to be early May. Location: St Andrews – Home of Birmingham City FC

Border2Border Cycling Challenge

With proud sponsors Deceuninck – The ‘Toughest Yet’ covering 2,016 miles, climbing over 92,000ft, with temperatures excess of 40 degrees for our team 18 strong team of cyclists and support crew.

Location: Vancouver, Canada to Tijuana, Mexico.

Golf Day

This year our signature event has a new venue offering a fun and challenging day.

Location: Mottram Hall, Mottram, Cheshire

The Inaugural GMF Cup

A Ryder Cup style competition set to test the most competent golfers amongst us.

Location: The Belfry

Gala Dinner

Our most popular event has a Halloween theme this year – fancy dress if you dare…

Location: Holiday Inn, Stratford-upon-Avon

Christmas Cards

Designed by the children at Hope House will be on sale from now.

www.gmfundraising.co.uk