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THE GL@ZINE ISSUE 222 30th May 2006
Litchfield
Group Urges UK Organisers to Look to European
and US Events
There
is an increasing level of ‘show weariness’
in the UK according to The Litchfield
Group’s James Litchfield, who believes
that organisers need to listen to the
industry and start evolving shows like
Glassex and Interbuild into meaningful
trade exhibitions, and challenge the perception
that British events are more than merely
money-making ventures.
[More
on this Story]
Sales
and Expectations Stay Strong for Roofline
Stockists
Sales
and expectations stay strong for roofline
stockists, according to the latest (18th)
Freefoam Roofline Report. Some 22% of
roofline stockists and installers reported
an increase in sales in the three months,
February to April 2006, compared with
the previous three months, November 2005
to January 2006.
[More
on this Story]
HIPs
Will 'Save Consumers Money' says Which?
Not
only are Home Information Packs (HIPs) going to make buying
property easier and quicker, they're also going to save
consumers money, according to a new Which? book, Buy, Sell
and Move House. HIPs will be introduced because more than
30 per cent of property transactions have been falling through,
at an estimated cost in wasted money of £350 million
- nearly £1 million a day - and with incalculable
costs in terms of time and anxiety.
[More
on this Story]
Payne
joins Durawhite to Fully Service South West
Payne
Windows & Conservatories, a member of Ultraframe’s
Guild Approved Ultra Installer Scheme, has joined forces
with Durawhite Windows enabling them to increase their number
of showsites and extend their services throughout the South
West.
[More
on this Story]
Kolorseal
Increases Capacity
Kolorseal has recently installed its third
spray room to accommodate the ever increasing
demand for colour coating PVCu products.
The additional sprayroom now allows upto
8.5 mtrs in length allowing easier handling
for bar length and roofline colour coating.
[More
on this Story]
All
Aboard the 'Foilexpress'
Specialist
lamination company Foilex has introduced
'Foilexpress' - a service that enables
non-standard products and small quantities
to be foiled without the long wait that
is usually associated with this procedure.
[More
on this Story]
K2
Recruits to Assist Expansion
Bolton’s newest ‘eleven’
has nothing to do with football …
it’s the number of new employees
taken on by leading conservatory systems
company, K2, so far this year. Thanks
to a range of ground-breaking new products
such as the new K2 Modular Range featuring
the K2 Konnect framing system, business
is booming at K2 and the company has created
a number of new roles to enable it to
manage its growth.
[More
on this Story]
Rejuvenated
Expresso Brown 'Dominates Foiled PVC-ue
Market'
One
of the UK's best selling cellular plastic
foiled profiles will not disappear thanks
to successful negotiations with the manufacturer
of the foiling material.
[More
on this Story]
No
Euro Scepticism on Decorative Glass
Portal
products says that European customers
have been queuing to take advantage of
the company's range of decorative glazing
options for its PVC-U door panels.
[More
on this Story]
Rockdoor
has a Fully Automated Sash Line
With
the addition of a pick and place machine,
composite door manufacturer Rockdoor now
has a fully automated sash line. The new
£45,000 machine picks up the door
from the drum press and carries it over
to the CNC line.
[More
on this Story]
Multi
Point Innovation in the UK
While
every manufacturer seems to be jetting
off to the Far East and outsourcing products
traditionally made in the UK, Multi-point
Lockmaster manufacturer Paddock says that
it has adopted a completely different
approach.
[More
on this Story]
Masterframe
Locks into
New Market
with Security
Sash
With
629 leads
over four
days, specialist
sliding
sash manufacturer
Masterframe
Windows
Ltd found
Interbuild
2006 its
most successful
show yet.
‘It
was a consistently
busy show,’
says Alan
Burgess,
Masterframe's
Managing
Director,
‘and
the quality
of leads
was high
too.’
[More
on this
Story]
TrustMark
Appoints New
Consumer Director
to Board
Linda
Perham has
been appointed
as a Board
Director of
TrustMark,
the Government-backed
scheme to
help people
find reputable
firms for
repairs, maintenance
and improvement
work in the
home and garden.
[More
on this Story]
New
Training
Initiative
from Volkswagen
Commercial
Vehicles
Recognising
the importance
of customer
service
in its success,
Volkswagen
Commercial
Vehicles
has announced
a new training
initiative
- the Volkswagen
Commercial
Vehicles'
Academy.
The Academy
has been
established
to ensure
every member
of staff
throughout
the national
Volkswagen
Van Centre
network
has the
training,
skills and
motivation
to deliver
the highest
possible
level of
service.
[More
on this
Story]
NGA
Brings Exclusive
UPS Savings
to its Membership
The
National
Glass Association
(NGA) announced
on 24th
May that
it has joined
forces with
shipping
giant UPS
to offer
its members
discounts
of up to
25 percent
on air and
international
shipping.
[More
on this
Story]
Linde
Acquires Turkish Industrial Gases Company Karbogaz
The technology group Linde has acquired the Turkey based
industrial gases producer Karbogaz A.S. Karbogaz, formed
in 1984, is a joint venture company between Ismail Aytemiz
of Istanbul and U.S. industrial gases producer Praxair,
Inc., Danbury, CT.
[More
on this Story]
THE GL@ZINE ISSUE 221 23rd May 2006
Orion
Window Systems Switches to Rehau
Newton
Abbot-based trade and commercial fabricator
Orion Window Systems has announced that
it has begun fabricating in the Rehau
PVC-U system. After 15 years fabricating
in Schüco PVC-U, Orion has chosen
a system with a similar reputation for
quality and performance and one which
it believes can provide the platform for
further future growth.
[More
on this Story]
Speed
Frame opens 1st Trade and Builder Depot
Pro-Fix
Installations North East Ltd, an existing
customer of Speed Frame for over 5 years,
has recently relocated into a new unit
on the latest phase of the Blaydon Trade
Estate, Gateshead. The Depot is situated
in a prime location off Chainbridge Road
within easy reach of the A1.
[More
on this Story]
WHS
Halo Takes the Heat out of Understanding WER
Conscious of this need for clarity of understanding WER,
and in order to ensure fabricators are as well informed
as possible, WHS Halo has prepared a WER 'Ready Reckoner'
as part of its In Business Together business and technical
support programme.
[More
on this Story]
Chiltern
Dynamics Invests in Vertical Sliding Sash Test Facility
Chiltern
Dynamics has invested in a testing rig for vertically sliding
sash windows to meet demand from manufacturers who wish
to undergo the rigorous testing required by BS 7950:1997
for enhanced security performance of windows for domestic
applications.
[More
on this Story]
Swift
Frame Focuses on Customer Service
Swift
Frame is offering its approved installers
and distributors Windowlink's Focus Plus
sales presentation and pricing program
to give them a competitive edge in today's
challenging marketplace.
[More
on this Story]
Human
Garden Habits are Thrown into the Limelight
As
the BBC begins to unveil the latest data
from its annual Springwatch survey, the
UK provider of next generation PVCu decking
and fencing, Fitrite, has made public
the results of nationwide research that
reveals the garden habits of UK homeowners.
[More
on this Story]
Harnser
on the Move as Crane Sales Rise
As
sales of the Harnser - a portable crane
for quickly and safely lifting windows
into upper floors - take off, the company
behind the device has moved to new headquarters
in East Anglia, closer to its manufacturing
base.
[More
on this Story]
Sash
Windows Invests in Colour Spray Plant
Trade
windows manufacturer, Sash Windows UK,
has introduced a coloured spray plant
that allows the company to now offer a
full range of coloured products direct
to the trade.
[More
on this Story]
Conservatory
Outlet Dealers Reach Sales of £2m
in April
Sales
for Conservatory Outlet dealers topped
£2 million in April. The total of
£2,048,000 represents the best month
of trading for the bolt-on brand since
it was launched in 2005.
[More
on this Story]
Multi
Point Innovation in the UK
While
every manufacturer seems to be jetting
off to the Far East and outsourcing products
traditionally made in the UK, Multi-point
Lockmaster manufacturer Paddock says that
it has adopted a completely different
approach.
[More
on this Story]
The Council for Aluminium in Building has announced a successful attendance at Interbuild 2006. Heading up the Aluminium Zone in conjunction with ALFED there was a bustle of activity on the stand throughout the show.
Groupco
Builds Business
at Interbuild
At
this year's
Interbuild
UK distributor
Groupco joined
forces with
Fuhr and Peder
Nielsen, two
of Europe's
leading hardware
manufacturers.
Despite a
fairly slow
start, Groupco's
MD, Richard
Duncan says
the Show got
busier.
[More
on this Story]
Interbuild
Provides
a Unique
Opportunity
Interbuild
has long
been associated
with the
commercial
sector and
judging
by the success
of Plastmo
fabricator
Unique Window
Systems,
this proposition
continues.
[More
on this
Story]
Interbuild
Success
Delights
Promac Group
Following
on from
a successful
Glassex,
Interbuild
proved to
be very
successful
for the
Promac Group
which had
a major
presence
at the show.
[More
on this
Story]
Inagas
IGA200 Enhances Energy
at Holloseal
Based
in Ely, Cambridgeshire,
Holloseal specialises
in the manufacture
and supply of high
quality custom made
sealed units using
a variety of different
glass types.
[More
on this Story]
99.9%
on Time in Full Deliveries from
GAP
Interframe,
part of Shepley Window Systems,
has switched to GAP for all
door panels. Interframe's Director,
Eddy Hempseed, explains: ‘Since
we made the move our customers
get a wider choice of colours
and styles for panels.
[More
on this Story]
Everwhite
Supports a New Showroom for
Ram Plastics
Haverfordwest
based roofline stockist Ram
Plastics has opened a new showroom
to give customers more choice.
‘Five years ago we started
with one 750ft2 unit and now
we have quadrupled this to two
1500ft2 units,’ explains
Malcolm Clark
[More
on this Story]
New
Openings for the Trade
in South Cheshire
Trade
customers in the South
Cheshire area have welcomed
the opening of Precision
Glaze and Plastics.
‘You can almost
hear the sigh of relief
from the local builders
and contractors when
they realise they can
obtain their glazing
and building plastics
from one outlet’
says manager Margaret
Sampson.
[More
on this Story]
Masterframe's
Georgian Cross-over Bars BBA Certified
for 10 years
Homeowners looking to replace their
vertical sliders want sash windows with
authentic details such as external astragal
bars which stand proud of the glass.
But many frequently open and close sash
windows by pushing or pulling the bars.
So it's almost inevitable that they
come off.
[More
on this Story]
First
Commercial Use of New Alcoa Designed Glass Wine Closure
Alcoa
and Whitehall Lane Winery of Napa Valley, California, jointly
announced recently that Whitehall Lane is the first winery
in the world to seal its bottles of select premium wines
with the Alcoa developed Vino-Seal™ closure, an elegant
glass closure for wine bottles secured by a traditional
tin capsule.
[More
on this Story]
SCHOTT
Expands Capacity for Backlight Glass
With
the start of construction of three melting tanks in ValasÓské
Mezirící in the Czech Republic on Monday,
April 24th, SCHOTT is rapidly pressing ahead with the
expansion of its production capacity for the glass tubing
used in the backlights of display screens.
[More
on this Story]
Introducing
a Choice in Part L Self Certification
Certass
has been granted ministerial approval to be licenced for
self certification under Part L of building regulations.
This introduces an element of choice into the market place.
‘We are particularly pleased, as these licences are
not easily obtained, as the license holder must prove
its worth to various government departments before approval
is given,’ says the company.
[More
on this Story]
Totally Tropical Application...Super Spacer® Shipped to Barbados
Edgetech IG Inc customer Window Centre (Solihull) Limited had an unusual request from a previous client earlier in the year. He liked his Rehau windows with Super Spacer® so much, he specified them for a holiday let... in Barbados! Mike Adderley, Window Centre's owner, shipped 40 windows and doors worth £25,000 from cold Solihull to a sunny Caribbean beach.
THE GL@ZINE ISSUE 220 16th May 2006
Industry
Wakes Up to Window Energy Ratings at Edgetech
Seminar
223
key decision-makers in glass and glazing
discussed some of the biggest issues affecting
the industry at Edgetech's Increase Your
Profits: Energy Efficiency in Focus seminar
on Wednesday 10th May. Delegates at Coventry's
Ricoh Arena included the BBA, BPF, CAB,
leading media, fabricators and installers,
and systems companies including Synseal,
Deceuninck, Plastmo, Rehau and the Epwin
Group.
[More
on this Story]
Introducing
a Choice in Part L Self Certification
Certass
has been granted ministerial approval to
be licenced for self certification under
Part L of building regulations. This introduces
an element of choice into the market place.
‘We are particularly pleased, as these
licences are not easily obtained, as the
license holder must prove its worth to various
government departments before approval is
given,’ says the company.
[More
on this Story]
West
Yorkshire Windows to be Seen as Expert
on ITV Show
Conservatory
Outlet dealer West Yorkshire Windows will
be seen as a conservatory expert on ITV's
House of Horrors tonight at 8pm. The show
features Mr and Mrs Jones who spent £40,000
on legal fees trying to get compensation
for their poorly fitted conservatory.
[More
on this Story]
Pilkington
Activ™ Sales Multiply as Industry
Embraces Ad Campaign
Early
indications are that the £2 million
advertising and promotional campaign staged
by Pilkington in support of Pilkington
Activ™ self-cleaning glass is providing
the significant sales boost for the home
improvement industry that it was intended
to generate.
[More
on this Story]
Since the launch of its new and improved climate controlling Conservaglass at Glassex 2006 conservatory roof designer and manufacturer, Ultraframe, says that it has seen an enormous leap in sales of its glass units.
Veka
Fabricator Sovereign Voted LHC Partner
of the Year - Again!
Sovereign
Group has been chosen as Partner of the
Year for the second time by the LHC Procurement
Consortium, the UK's biggest public sector
purchasing group. Manufacturing around
1,500 window frames a week, Sovereign
is the UK's largest VEKA fabricator.
[More
on this Story]
Kombimatec
Improves Clean Up Operation
A
new system for the automatic cleaning
of welded joints that are not always a
perfect square has been invented, designed
and patented by Kombimatec here in the
UK.
[More
on this Story]
Masterframe
Reaches National Business Award 2006 Regional
Finals
Sliding
sash specialist Masterframe Windows has
reached the regional finals of the Orange
National Business Awards 2006 for Business
Innovation of the Year, for its Bygone
Collection window.
[More
on this Story]
PiA
Seminar Draws
Record Audience
More
than 75 architects
and specifiers
from across
London and
the south
east attended
a recent seminar
hosted by
the PiA (Innovative
Products in
Architecture)
group entitled
'Towards Zero
Energy'.
[More
on this Story]
Britannia
Windows Doubles
Capacity
Responding
to ever increasing
demand and
new product
launches Britannia
Windows has
opened a second
fabrication
unit to increase
capacity to
record levels.
[More
on this Story]
Business
Micros Opens
New Loughborough
Office
Business
Micros,
the software
supplier,
has just
invested
in a new
office near
Loughborough
to provide
specialist
support
to high
volume customers.
[More
on this
Story]
Win
a Tongue
Twisting
Trip with
Permadoor
Visitors
to this
year's Chartered
Institute
of Housing
(CIH) Conference
and Exhibition
in Harrogate
are being
urged to
put pen
to paper
to come
up with
a winning
rhyme that
could see
them scoop
a weekend
trip for
two to Ireland's
'Emerald
City', Limerick.
[More
on this
Story]
UK
Steel Window Industry
on the Attack
The
Steel Window Association
(SWA) is mounting
a campaign against
competitors that have
published unfounded
allegations regarding
the quality and availability
of steel windows.
[More
on this Story]
Mighton
Gets a Slice of American Pie
Mighton Products, the premium
sash window hardware specialist,
has opened a US office in Orlando,
Florida. Business Development
Director, David Warr is in charge
of American sales and market
development.
[More
on this Story]
Investment
Supports Continued Growth says
Quantum
Plastmo
fabricator, Quantum Windows
has recently invested in two
new 7.5 tonne vehicles to add
to the company’s existing
fleet of vehicles which are
designed to support an operation
that's capable of producing
1200 frames per week.
[More
on this Story]
Safe2Bond
- Little and Large
J&S
Adhesives, the manufacturers
of the UK brand, Safe2Bond
bevel adhesive, has
just accepted two major
export orders which
required the company
to supply its products
in non-standard, 100g
and 1000g containers.
[More
on this Story]
Senator
Celebrates 21 Years with New Super Spacer®
'Senergy' Brand
Southern
Ireland's Senator Windows has 'come
of age' in 2006, launching 'Senergy',
a new branded double glazed unit at
its National Sales Conference, to coincide
with its 21st birthday.
[More
on this Story]
Another
Great Year for Glaston Technologies
Glaston
Technologies grew at threefold speed of its markets last
year. Including Tamglass, market leader of safety glass
machinery and Z. Bavelloni, leading supplier of pre-processing
machinery, Glaston Technologies increased its total net
sales by 18%
[More
on this Story]
Glasstech
Opens Liaison Office in Mumbai, India
Glasstech,
Inc., the manufacturer of glass bending and tempering
equipment, announced on May 8th that it has established
a Liaison Office in Mumbai, India.
[More
on this Story]
SCHOTT
60m Euro Investment in Solar Products
SCHOTT,
the technology group based in Mainz, Germany, will be
investing 60 million Euros to enable its subsidiary, SCHOTT
Solar GmbH, to build a manufacturing facility for thin
film solar electricity modules in Jena, Germany.
[More
on this Story]
Technoplast
Delivers 294 Extrusion Lines Worth 23 Million Euros
Technoplast
is successfully concluding the plastics industry's biggest
ever single machinery contract, a major project for China.
[More
on this Story]
PPG
Chairman Issues Optimistic Outlook for Company
PPG
Industries has a 'great future' as the company’s
performance in 2005 demonstrated, said Charles E. Bunch,
chairman and chief executive officer, at the company’s
annual meeting of shareholders.
[More
on this Story]
THE GL@ZINE ISSUE 219 9th May 2006
Heywood
Williams Issues Trading Update
Heywood Williams Group Chairman, Roger Boyes
gave the following summary of 2005 and update
on current trading: '2005 was a year of
excellent progress for Heywood Williams.
The future growth strategy was determined
and the restructuring of the Group was completed,
with the successful and rapid sale of the
loss making Plastic Systems Division.
[More
on this Story]
Nuremberg
Top Double-Header
The
exhibition duo fensterbau/frontale and HOLZ-HANDWERK
2006 set a new record with 100,762 trade
visitors and increased internationality.
From 22nd to 25th March 2006 1,184 exhibitors
from 30 countries at the Nuremberg Exhibition
Centre presented products and services for
the windows and facades sector and also
a range covering all aspects of woodworking
and wood processing.
[More
on this Story]
UK
Conservatory Report 2005: Market &
Forecasts
The most up-to-date and in-depth study
of the UK conservatory market 2005 has
highlighted the need for customer satisfaction
to become a priority for those companies
that want to succeed and grow in this
large market.
[More
on this Story]
Boost
For Recycling, Says Recovinyl
Recovinyl has welcomed moves by the BPF
to champion the sustainability of PVC-U
windows and doors amid hopes that the
campaign will act as a ‘catalyst’
to help boost waste PVC recycling levels
in the UK even further.
[More
on this Story]
Former Eurovision winner Cheryl Baker has been chosen to head up a new multi million pound national television advertising campaign for Safestyle UK, the independent replacement window and door manufacturer.
Glorious
Weather for Inaugural GlazeKart
The
first ever GlazeKart event, a new karting
challenge for companies and organisations
serving the window, door, conservatory,
glass and curtain wall industries, took
place at Daytona Milton Keynes on Friday,
5th May. The event, organised by specialist
Walnut Motorsport, was a gruelling 3 hour
endurance race.
[More
on this Story]
Sapa
Awarded a Category 'A' Window Energy Rating
Sapa Building Systems has announced that
its Dualframe window system has been awarded
a category A Window Energy Rating. Dualframe
is the first and only aluminium window
that has been awarded a rating under the
Government-supported Window Energy Rating
(WER) scheme and one of just a handful
of windows that have achieved the highest
and much coveted 'A' rating.
[More
on this Story]
Direct
Trade Joins the A-List Energy Band
Doncaster
fabricator Direct Trade has achieved the
British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC)
Window Energy Ratings A to E on windows
fabricated from WHS Halo's Eclipse (Chamfered)
and Esthétique (Sculptured) system.
In doing so, the company is also the first
WHS Halo fabricator to achieve a WER.
[More
on this Story]
PVC-u
Window Fabricator
Praises Q-Mark
Scheme
A North East-based
manufacturer
of high performance
PVC-u windows,
primarily
working in
the new-build
housing sector,
has expressed
its satisfaction
with the BM
TRADA Q-Mark
Certification
Scheme as
a measure
of its product
performance
and as a marketing
tool.
[More
on this Story]
Spend
a Weekend
in Manhattan
-Time is Running
Out!
To
celebrate
the launch
of Manhattan,
Laird is offering
one lucky
person and
their partner
a chance to
spend a weekend
in New York.
To enter
simply answer
the following
question:
How many windows
are fitted
in the Chrysler
Building in
Manhattan,
New York?
a) 2619 b)
3416 or c)
3862
[More
on this Story]
Danny
Basden to
Make Quantum
Leap
One of the
industry's
most widely
known figures,
Danny Basden,
has joined
Corby-based
Plastmo
fabricator,
Quantum
Windows
as head
of sales
and marketing.
[More
on this
Story]