News @ The GL@ZINE

Lucky Roger and Ruth Rose are celebrating £4,600 of free windows after becoming Network VEKA's 100,000th customers.

The organisation's latest milestone comes as Network VEKA is preparing to celebrate its tenth anniversary, with accumulated sales now topping £370million.

Network VEKA has grown to become a major factor in the prosperity of the independent sector, according to Managing Director John Ogilvie.

He said that, for example, the 25 founder members had collectively more than doubled their sales since joining, while some individually had grown six-fold and more.

He continued: ‘Network VEKA has shown that independent window companies can prosper through standing together and making full use of central services - and the tough market of recent years has proved the need for such support even more.’

Network VEKA was able to count every installation via the central registration of its famous Ten-Year Insurance Backed Guarantee, which has become recognised as an industry benchmark.

The 100,000th installation came via St Austell fabricator/installer Wunderplas, whose MD David Vine and Sales Manager Ben Campbell dropped in on the Roses' Plymouth home to add their congratulations with a bottle of Champagne.

Wunderplas is one of the founder members of Network VEKA. After many years installing around the West Country, the company last year moved into fabricating in response to growing demand. With the most advanced factory of its kind in Cornwall, it now supplies a number of local installers.

The Roses' win coincided with another milestone for Ben Campbell, who this year celebrates 25 years with Wunderplas.

Essex Fabricator 'Selects' Duraflex

Maldon-based Select Window and Door Systems is the latest trade fabricator to switch to Duraflex, after seven years of manufacturing two different PVC-U systems. Following the changeover, Select is now able to offer its customers a choice of Featured or Bevelled 70mm Suite using just one system.

Being fully integrated, the Duraflex Diamond Suite uses the same tooling, hardware, manufacturing methods and ancillaries across all profile styles, resulting in reduced stockholding, plus increased productivity and efficiency. Both Suites also incorporate Duraflex's Rolled in Gasket (RIG), which offers an exceptionally high performance seal that is concealed within the frame for enhanced aesthetic appeal. Being factory fitted during the extrusion process, RIG also delivers productivity benefits for fabricators and makes glazing quicker and easier for installers.

Set up by Jeff Cole in his garage back in 1989, Select Window and Door Systems has grown to become one of the most successful trade fabricators in the south of England with over 100 employees. Jeff believes Select's commitment to perfecting all aspects of its product and service offering is the key to continued growth. 'And switching to the Duraflex Diamond Suite is all part of our policy to supply only the highest quality products using the best materials and the most advanced machinery. Also, now we're only working with one system we've been able to streamline the manufacturing process and cut stock levels, whilst still maintaining high standards of quality and choice,' explains Jeff.

Duraflex project managed the system changeover at Select from start to finish, ensuring production continued with the minimum of disruption. This included organising machinery programming and installation of new tooling as well as overseeing the introduction of the latest manufacturing software.

Select reports a positive response to the change from its existing customers in the domestic replacement market. The forward-thinking fabricator is also aiming to win new business as a result of the switch, and to explore opportunities in the new build and commercial sectors. Indeed, the classic styling of the 70mm Featured Suite has proved particularly popular with housebuilders, replicating the appearance of traditional timber frames and adding instant 'kerb appeal.'
'We believe we've made the right decision for our business and for our customers. Duraflex offers a complete package in terms of product range, quality and excellent service and support,' says Jeff.

As if changing PVC-U systems wasn't enough, the ambitious fabricator has also recently made a multi-million pound investment in automated production lines at its 70,000 sq ft facility. This gives Select the capacity to manufacture 2,500 products within in a single 44 hour shift, which it is looking to achieve by mid 2006. Added to that, the company has just been awarded Secured by Design accreditation for its product range.

Birkenhead business Direct View Windows has switched to WHS Halo’s Eclipse PCE system as part of ambitious plans to double its output. Direct View currently manufactures 300 frames per week (fpw) and is seeking to reach 600 fpw within the next two years, primarily through trade fabrication with secondary business being driven through commercial contracts.

WHS Halo was favoured as the company’s first system change since its foundation in 1989 because as Paul Bennett, Director, says, ‘We wanted a strong, well respected brand that was British manufactured and with an outstanding business support package’.

Paul continues, ‘We also work very closely with our customers and, when we were close to opting for Eclipse we presented all the options to them and – happily – they all preferred the WHS Halo product too’.

‘Eclipse is a superb profile choice for windows and doors in homes, and for fabricators specialising in domestic replacement and refurbishment. It offers superb versatility and design flexibility and is ideal for the manufacture of casement, French casement, tilt ‘n’ turn and vertical sliding windows; and residential, French, in-line and tilt ‘n’ slide patio doors.’

Direct View Windows – also as part of its plan for growth – recently consolidated three smaller factories into a single 11,000ft2 unit better suited to accommodate its 27 employees. Since 1989, the business has been developed through an emphasis on reliability, personal service, quality surveying and the accessibility of the directors to customers. The company is BS 7412, ISO 9000 and FENSA registered and provides a five day turnaround on windows in its areas of operation, namely Merseyside, the North and Midlands.

Tel: 0151 647 5689

Palmer's 2005 report on the Social Sector Housing market for replacement windows and doors shows some interesting growth prospects. Based on 259 personal interviews backed by comprehensive desk research, the report provides detailed information on this specialist half-billion pound market. Total market size was £469 million market in 2004, with the installed value up 8% on 2003.

Housing associations continue to outperform local authorities because they have access to private finance, while local authorities can only borrow from the private sector when their housing is managed as an ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation).

Nevertheless local authority markets are still over twice the size by value of housing association markets.

The government's Decent Homes Initiative is the main 'driver' for social sector housing which means more money is being spent on improvements. Important for glazing markets are:

• A ‘reasonable degree’ of thermal comfort, which most social housing failures are attributable to.
• A parliamentary committee of the ODPM recently recommended that the thermal comfort criterion should be raised
• Palmer also points out that window quality of existing stock is second most prevalent reason for houses being in disrepair.
• Of course - since these are replacement products, Palmer is looking at saturation - but this should still give room for some 10% pa growth slowing to 2% by 2009, when he predicts 87% windows in this sector will have been replaced.

The market for replacement windows in social housing grew by 3.2% in volume terms on the previous year. Installed prices averaged 2.4% higher.

The market for replacement doors continued past trends, but with a 12.8% growth in volume. Within this were significant changes by structure:

• Composites grew by 16% (with GRP types showing growth considerably more than this)
• Timber engineered doors grew by 9%.
• These were at the expense of PVC-U which fell overall by 11%
• Wood doors (softwood and hardwood) shares remained static.

What's significant

* Housing associations continue to outperform local authorities in window and entrance doors.

* Local authorities only just saw an increase (0.6%) in replacement windows while housing associations increased 11.9% - the reasons being partly the increasing stock managed by housing associations and partly the availability of finance for the associations.

* Softwood window usage continued to decline, by 7.5%, in spite of a gain in share with local authorities, who now have almost completely adopted guaranteed factory finishing.. Thus the fall is entirely due to a reduction in housing associations usage.

* Housing associations increased their usage of PVC-U window frames; while even hardwood increased share in this sector.

* PVC-U window routes to market are now dominated by fabricator-installers and independent installers.

* The forecast market for replacement entrance doors has been upgraded by Palmer because his latest research shows that nearly half the doors in this market sector are yet to be replaced.

* Entrance doors are not so significant in meeting Decent Homes Standard, but security continues to become more important. Palmer expects growth in replacement doors to start at around 15% pa for 2005 & 2006, declining slightly to 2009 when some 75% of entrance doors will have been replaced.

* By 2009 composite doors will be the main beneficiary of this expansion, expected to double in volume, followed by timber engineered doors, wood, and PVC-U doors lagging with ‘only’ 21% growth.

What's surprising

* Regionally the Midlands and Wales showed a growth of 8% more window frames compared with the previous year, while Scotland actually recorded a 6% volume decline.

* Palmer reports some contradictory trends in window styles over the past year. vertical sliders, which have been growing in the private sector home improvements market, actually lost 29% volume in the social housing sector. Tilt and turn continued a decline, but fully reversible windows grew by a remarkable 47% to reach the highest market share for ten years.

* Entrance Doors grew in volume by 12.8% to 339,000 - a record high.

* Here local authority installations increased by 11.1% (compared with 0.6% for windows), while housing associations reported 16.3% over local authorities. Even still there were nearly twice the number of installations in local authorities than in housing associations.

This Report comprises:

* 85 pages
* Seven sections
* 38 tables of numeric and statistical data,
* 22 charts illustrating the trends and comparisons.

How do I get hold of it?

Price £1,740 + VAT which includes 3 report copies
Tel: 020 8390 8131
Email: info@palmermarketresearch.co.uk
Web: http://www.palmermarketresearch.co.uk

South-Yorkshire based Tradestyle UK, the key trade arm of Style Group UK, the independent manufacturer and retailer of PVCu windows and doors, says that it is set yet again to buck market trends and produce another year of significant growth.

The Group results continue to make impressive reading - latest accounts show turn over exceeded £100m for the second year running, with profits up 25%, a record £7.1m. Tradestyle UK, based in Wombwell, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, has in its own right contributed considerably to this growth, with its own turnover for the period increasing by 50% to just over £6m.

Commenting on this continued growth and success, Tradestyle UK's Managing Director Mark Moxon:

‘Tradestyle had an excellent year with turnover increasing to £6m together with a significant increase in profit. We have implemented a number of key strategic and structural changes which will see turnover and profits increase significantly again this year.’

But what does he put this success down to?

‘Quality, innovation and price are always crucial but in difficult trading times, we have had to find other ways of delivering superior value, in particular by offering our customers an unprecedented quality of service and a greater emphasis on value.’

Tradestyle has recently introduced a new customer service department, which proactively tracks all orders and regularly updates customers on progress whilst ensuring sales, production and delivery departments are fully aware of production schedules and delivery times.

Even after the order has been delivered the team will check it has been completed as promised and most importantly on budget and on time. The process is designed to strengthen relationships and ensure the whole order process becomes totally transparent.

Furthermore, utilising the latest .Net technology customers can now price products, order and track the status of that order online from the comfort of their own offices.

Tradestyle UK has built an internal infrastructure that includes the expertise and quality of staff, which has been another key reason for its on-going success.

‘We have a great team which has introduced a culture of working more efficiently and in closer harmony with our customers - an ethos constantly emphasised by Dave Evans our Sales Director, who as well as celebrating 25 years of experience in the trade industry, is an ardent believer in improving overall customer service and ensuring those customers see real and tangible benefits.’

From a marketing perspective Tradestyle has already launched a substantial trade advertising campaign, which will continue in 2006, with the aim to create end user demand and significant sales opportunities.

The company is also about to launch a new web site, which outlines all the latest news and products available. The new site will be easy on the eye, simple to navigate and allow customers to check out the latest Tradestyle offers.

The Style Group UK has invested heavily in its manufacturing side to ensure Tradestyle is provided with a competitive edge and can act as a one-stop-shop for customers.

Five million pounds has been invested in the Wombwell site which has seen the plant double in size over the last 12 months and includes a new £2m state-of-the-art glass toughening plant. From Tradestyle's point of view it ensures a more streamlined operation with full traceability and total control of orders, as all manufacturing is achieved in-house. Tighter control of production and quality, which means the company can be extremely price competitive.

The glass toughening unit gives the company full control of all aspects of production. It also provides the capability to maintain production of existing products and, importantly, the opportunity to look at new products and processing and in turn remain competitive in the industry.

Looking forward to 2006 and Tradestyle's future Mark Moxon concludes:

‘Although price and quality are always important, critically we must continue to maintain on-going customer relationships and ensure we offer greater value than our competitors. Despite industry predictions that this year may be a difficult trading period, we have everything in place to maintain our current momentum which will see us increase both turnover and profitability.’

Kömmerling Fabricator, Affordable Window Systems was behind a journey to the 'land of the rising sun' for three-times British Arm Wrestling Champion Steve Kirlew and father Peter, proprietor of one of Affordable Windows' trade customers, PMK Windows.

Blackpool-based Affordable Windows supported Steve's victory in August 2005, as he won the UK Championship prize for the third consecutive year, prompting the pair to fly out to Tokyo, Japan, for the five-day World Championship event.

In the run up to the 2005 World Championships, Milton Keynes-based Steve prepared with a number of warm-up events, he took on 300 consecutive opponents at a corporate event in the City in September. In October he excelled at the Iron Arm and World Wrist Wrestling competitions, winning gold by huge margins against his UK rivals.

The best arm wrestlers from around the world went head-to-head using the full range of arm wrestling techniques in a competitive arena. Steve (24) won 4th place in the event, his third attempt at the World Arm Wrestling Championship. Steve is now seeded 4th in the world, and is still the No.1 seed in the UK. He looks forward to pushing for the World Championship title again in 2006.

Peter said, 'The new clampdown on performance enhancing drugs in the sport means the balance has now been firmly tipped in Steve's favour. With Steve's current run of form, he has a real opportunity to become Arm Wrestling Champion of the World in 2006.'

Managing Director for Affordable Windows, Eddie Gaughan said, 'We are very proud of Steve's achievements, both personally and competitively. Steve is a spirited, focused young man; he trains very hard and shows a lot of dedication. It is his commitment which enables him to excel at club and national level.

'Winning the British Championship is challenging enough but, retaining it for three consecutive years, takes real cast-iron dedication. Anybody can be the best at some point in time, but very few can maintain that level of form.'

Now with around 100 regular trade customers, Affordable windows manufactures Kömmerling window systems from a three acre site, and with an investment of over £1m in the latest technology, has a capacity of 3,000 windows a week. PMK has been an Affordable customer since staring up three years ago. Peter says 'I've seen a lot of windows over the years, but the strength of the Kömmerling brand and Affordable's technical know-how is like the strength in Stephen's arm - phenomenal!'

REACH Conference for European Plastics Industry

Alexandre Dangis, EuPC Managing Director, said in his welcome statement at the recent Conference on REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restrictions of Chemicals) 'Reach is now becoming a reality that the plastics industry will have to face in Europe.'

He further commented that the consequences of this new EU Chemicals Regulation has not been sufficiently analysed from a plastics industry polnt of view. Compounders, recyclers and converters will have serious impediments to their business and this draft legislation still needs to be adapted.

This EuPC Conference was held shortly after the first reading in the EU Parliament and one day after the UK Presidency achieved Political Agreement in the European Council of Ministers. Delegates from the plastics and plastics processing industries and public authorities including the ECI Commission's Head of the REACH UNlT and the UK Permanent representative before the EU Commercial Attaché faced and examined the most important EU legislative proposal of the past years.

Walter Claes, EuPC HSE Director and EuPC Reach expert insisted on the continuation of the work with EU legislators in order to ensure a workable Reach for industry even if substantial progress had been thwarted by the political compromise of the previous night. He called upon the integrated plastics compounders and masterbatchers to join the work done at present by EuPC during this Practical Preparations phase in order to work towards the same goals. He also called upon all plastics converters to start drawing up a detailed inventory of all substances/preparations, volumes and suppliers in the processing of plastics in order to prepare for Reach in 2007.

The Conference, moderated by Tony Torreele of Solvay SA and EuPC HSE Committee Chairman, saw the contribution of the industry chain interested in identifying and discussing the possible consequences of REACH in the business. The debate that followed analysed the Regulation from a scientific, political, economical and legal perspective.

EuPC will be setting up a Helpdesk for SME's in the course of next year in order to improve the knowledge about this new bible of the plastics and chemical industry.

http://www.eupc.org

An advanced range of glazed doors and screens incorporating fire glass from Vetrotech Saint-Gobain is being launched by Stewart Fraser Ltd, one of the UK's leading firms of architectural metalworkers.

Significantly, the new door systems from the Kent-based company have successfully passed fire testing witnessed by International Fire Consultants, carried out at Vetrotech's independent test laboratory in Berne to meet European standard EN 1634-1: 2000 to a frame height of 2.5 metres - believed to be the first UK door system to meet this exacting standard.

The SF double-leaf, double-action door systems combine aesthetic appeal with fire protection from 30 to 60 minutes integrity, and 60 minutes insulation, extending to 120 minutes integrity, as well as being able to incorporate fixed glazing panels on either side to match or build up multiples of doors.

The lightweight and slim-frame steel doors, suitable for a range of applications including protection to escape corridors, lift lobby areas, staircase enclosures, building separation screens, public areas and shopping malls can be installed in a range of finishes and door widths, further underlining their flexibility across a number of commercial applications.

The Stewart Fraser door system offering an integrity-only fire rating (E30-60) - provides a physical barrier against flames, toxic gases and smoke - using SGG Pyroswiss Extra from Vetrotech Saint-Gobain, a special substrate glass that combines high-performance and superior mechanical strength with the optical qualities of flat glass.

The insulation (EI 60) doors, which additionally protect against radiated heat on the unexposed side, use SGG Contraflam, a multi-laminated glass assembled from leaves of toughened glass with a clear intumescent interlayer that, in the event of fire, acts as a heat shield.

Chris Brimson, Managing Director of Stewart Fraser Ltd, which provides a bespoke service to developers, architects and designers with over 60 years in architectural metalworking, said that the new SF door systems ‘represent a significant step forwards in terms of fire safety and are unique in the UK market.’

Sue Hargreaves, UK General Manager of Vetrotech Saint-Gobain, said that ‘this has been an exciting collaboration for us and we have once again proved that, with our extensive product range and vast research and development experience, no longer does a product's aesthetics need to be compromised in order to achieve safety and performance.’

Hart & Co (Windows and Doors) Ltd based in Skelmersdale in Lancashire has become one of the first UK fabricators to obtain the necessary global accreditations to produce 30 minute fire doors to BS476 Part:22 in a PVC-U frame.

Branded TimberSmart, the company says that the new fire door sets are expected to appeal particularly to specifiers in the public sector who are looking for an attractive, cost effective fire door solution.

Traditionally, fire doors are fabricated in timber but Hart & Co has developed the composite TimberSmart fire door range pre-hung in a technically advanced REHAU RAUFERNO 70mm PVC-U frame. This incorporates an intumescent material which enables it to meet the stringent technical requirements but gives the doors a significant advantage in terms of maintenance and long term best value.

Bob Hart, Managing Director of Hart & Co, says: ‘Achieving BS476 Part:22 accreditation was an exciting challenge for us and one which I believe now opens up a major market opportunity. We can offer providers of social housing real savings in their maintenance costs whilst giving residents and tenants the safety and styling which they value.’

All TimberSmart door sets are individually made to measure and are available in a range of attractive styles and six different colours. Door leafs are faced with 1.5mm ABS solid colour plastic outer skins, giving an overall door thickness of 48mm. Each door is designed to be weather resistant, is virtually maintenance free and with a three point locking system including two hooks and centre dead lock, it offers excellent security features.

TimberSmart doors are also available as non-fire doors to PAS 23/24.

Responding to the increasing use of colour in building design, Passivent has introduced a new service to complement its already popular tricklevent colouring service.

The UK supplier of background ventilation products has developed a solution to the demand for colour by extending its tricklevent painting facility to the entire window. The new service introduces a colouring facility for PVCu windows.

Until recently, coloured windows have been generally the preserve of aluminium and timber, with white being seen as the predominant colour for PVCu windows. Now, through Passivent's colouring facility, PVCu windows can be used whenever colour is specified. In addition, the new service enables both PVCu windows and tricklevents to be coated simultaneously, ensuring an exact match of colour to both elements.

Using years of experience applying durable finishes to exterior building materials, ensuring the colouring will withstand the rigours of exposure to the British climate for years, Passivent has already achieved approved applicator status for its window finish. Coating to any specified colour is available, supported by rapid turnaround.
The service ensures the Passivent tricklevent blends even more discreetly into the window frame, whether overframe, overglass or through-frame option.

Passivent tricklevents are simple to install on the window frame, and feature a number of design features such as upwards directional airflow to alleviate draughts and discomfort.

They can be used singly or multiply to provide the appropriate level of background ventilation required to comply with Building Regulation requirements for both habitable and non habitable rooms, removing the risk of condensation and stopping a stuffy environment within the building. For noisy locations, acoustic options area available, providing sound attenuation down to 34dB.

Passivent is part of the Building Product Design Group, which specialises in developing ventilation products in line with changing requirements, for both domestic and commercial applications.

Tel: 0161 962 7113

Freefoam Plastics, manufacturer of roofline & rainwater systems, has just completed the installation of a new state-of-the art silo material handling system at the company’s 8,000 m2 facility in Northampton.

Manufactured and installed by Braby, the UK's leading name in aluminium and stainless steel silos, the system consists of a range of silos together with a 5 tonne fountain blending unit located within the manufacturing plant.

Dwarfing the plant and surrounding buildings, and visible for a 6 mile radius, the system is anchored by a concrete plinth foundation made from 54 concrete and steel piles, 10 tonnes of steel and 175 tonnes of concrete. It stands 17.5m high and occupies a ground area of approx 110m2.

The system allows Freefoam to hold over a weeks supply of raw material at any one time, eliminates unnecessary material handling and associated disposal of waste packaging, and frees up more production and stockholding space on the factory floor. The in-house blender is top of the range and guarantees a good consistency of material going to the lines at all times for better quality product.

Steve Pilkington, Production Manager comments, ‘Effective raw material management and storage is key to optimising capacity and maximizing output to meet growing demand. This benchmarks another significant milestone in the phased expansion of our operations in Northampton and brings us in line with the leading manufacturers in the industry.’

For more information or a brochure, contact Freefoam directly on (01604) 759871 in the UK, 021 491 1055 in Ireland, or email marketing@freefoam.com.

Abbseal (UK) Limited, the independent glass processor, has recently celebrated the first anniversary of a management buyout. The company says that it starts the New Year with a confident workforce and management team having seen the completion of a number of high profile and prestigious contracts in 2005, and a good forward order book.

As an integral part of the MBO, the Directors and Epic Reconstruction plc, who supported the buyout, agreed a three year business plan clearly focussing on providing the best in both quality of product and service performance. While shedding one site which did not fit into the revised profitability expectation, the company retained three facilities at Hyde (Cheshire), Leeds and Peterborough thus maintaining a countrywide network. Abbseal (UK) says that it is committed to maintaining a full product range and quick delivery times to customers.

The company's 370 employees share the aspiration of being the supplier of choice and best in class as part of market growth. To this end both management and staff are driving forward personnel development plans in all aspects of the business, which includes work based learning and attainment of nationally recognised awards for shop floor workers. To date, with the support of The Vocational College, thirty-two employees across the three sites, have attained the NVQ Level 3 Award in Glass Processing, with a number of others close to completion; a number well advanced in the attainment of Advanced Apprenticeships; and a company wide programme of NVQ Level 2 is in progress.

Development is not confined to the glass processing operations - office staff are involved in taking NVQ qualifications in Business Administration; Transport and logistics in Road Transport qualifications; one employee has recently attained NEBOSH while, concurrently, the company is running ‘in house’ product training, development of IT skills and an extensive First Aid and Health and Safety programme.

Since introducing these programmes the company has seen a number of positive changes some of which are: the improvement in morale; a reduction in wastage whilst increasing productivity; the reduction of accidents; an improvement in housekeeping; and, a significant reduction in the number of working days lost due to absenteeism. Employees comment that the openness of senior management and the company's personnel development plans has given them ownership of the company's aspirations. They believe that they are now part of an integrated team driving the progress forward. The attainment of qualifications has increased worker confidence, in themselves and their capabilities, whilst gaining documentary recognition for their skills and expertise.

After only a six month construction phase Bystronic-Lenhardt Technology has officially opened a new Training Centre in the southern German town of Neuhausen-Hamberg. One of the key attractions of the Centre is an insulating glass line reserved exclusively for training purposes. The first students to use the facility were the employees of glass producer Glass Systems from Wales, who have successfully completed their seminar.

This investment in a modern training centre is set to further extend the services offered by Bystronic-Lenhardt Technology. Roland Maisenbacher, Training Manager (pictured above right), comments:

‘Customers don't expect our service to end at the factory gate. That's why we offer them continual support in the use of products from the Bystronic glass Group range. This does not just incorporate a knowledge of the machines but includes an understanding on the best operating and maintenance techniques.’

Careful attention was placed on the design and structure of the building in order to create a pleasant atmosphere which is conducive to learning. The training rooms have modern, functional presentation facilities which accommodate the graduated Bystronic training principle. After every theoretical lesson, the new knowledge is tested in the technical training room on individual components such as controllers or control consoles. Once that has been successfully completed, the application follows in the practical training room on the insulating glass line itself.

The worthwhile nature of this investment has been substantiated by the positive reactions from two of the first training students. Keith Tarrant from Wales, comments: ‘This has been superb training. I now feel a great deal more confident’. His colleague Wayne Cassar adds. ‘Now I'm familiar with the simple manoeuvres that make my work so much easier. I'm sure that from now on we'll have less downtimes on our lines.’

The Bystronic training concept embraces four types of course - train operate, train maintain, train repair and train know. This extends from learning the basic functions via fault rectification through to operator maintainance of the machines. Further information on the current seminars at the new Training Centre are available from Roland Maisenbacher at Lenhardt Maschinenbau GmbH (roland.maisenbacher@bystronic-glass.com).

Web: http://www.bystronic-glass.com

Lennart Evrell takes over as new CEO of Sapa, Kåre Wetterberg is Leaving the Company

Kåre Wetterberg is leaving Sapa after 32 years in the company. Wetterberg has held several senior management positions, such as head of Sapa in Germany, head of operations at the Vetlanda plant and, in the last two years, as CEO of the entire Group. Lennart Evrell will succeed him as CEO.

The Board of Directors expressed its strong appreciation of and gratitude for Wetterberg's efforts on behalf of the company. 'Kåre Wetterberg has played a pivotal role in developing Sapa into one of the leading aluminium profile companies in the world,' says Board Chairman Ole Enger.

Sapa's new CEO will be Lennart Evrell, formerly CEO of Munters, the world leader in products and services for humidity control. Evrell (51) has been a member of the Board of Directors of Sapa from 2001 up to the present. He has a degree in engineering and business economics, and has worked for Asea, Atlas Copco and Sphinx Gustavsberg.

Kåre Wetterberg leaves Sapa 1st of August 2006, when Lennart Evrell is taking over.

Sapa will face significant challenges in the months and years ahead, in an industry characterised by substantial overcapacity and hard-pressed margins. Sapa intends to meet these challenges by intensifying its improvement programmes with a view to increasing efficiency throughout the value chain and providing customised solutions. The company's decentralised decision-making and organisational model will remain unchanged.

In the Board's opinion, Lennart Evrell has the qualities required to continue Sapa's successful achievement of high growth combined with satisfactory profitability.

A recent customer satisfaction survey, undertaken by West Yorkshire Windows, the founder member of Conservatory Outlet, asked homeowners for their views, comments, and feedback on the service they had received. ‘The results were overwhelmingly positive,’ explains Matthew Glover, Managing Director. ‘Homeowners were asked to rate a series of statements, choosing either to Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree or Strongly Disagree covering seven topic headings; Before Installation, Base work, The Installation of Frames, The Management of Your Project, Dealing with Problems, After Care Service and Overall Experience.

‘We always aim to provide a great service, but the high levels of satisfaction in the survey surprised even us. We are extremely pleased with the customers' feedback and comments. The majority of the ratings given by homeowners on our service levels were rated between 80%-97% satisfaction.’

Results: Percentages are the combined total of the Strongly Agreed and Agreed results:
* Once placing my order I felt it was processed promptly - 95%
* The Builders were polite and courteous - 94%
* The Builders were knowledgeable and knew their trade well - 85%
* I feel my installation was managed properly - 87%
* I was pleased with the final product - 92%

‘In any business there is bound to be room for improvement,’ adds Matthew. ‘But unless you open communication lines with your customer, whether business to consumer or business to business, how can you know where the improvements should start? The survey included every aspect from when the customer placed their initial order, through to the final completion and aftercare. This meant that we learned how well we delivered throughout the whole process.’

Tel: 08700 802380

Vision Conservatories of Poole in Dorset is a thriving and expanding windows and conservatories installer established over three years ago by two partners Phil Todd and Barry Hurst. Vision now installs its conservatories throughout Dorset as well as Hampshire, Wiltshire and Devon.

The company says that the success of the business has been firmly based on quality of product and the care that the company takes in ensuring that its customers get the very best advice and help from initial site visit through to the finished installation with on-going contact to make sure the customer is entirely happy with their Vision conservatory. One of the reasons that almost 80% of its business is through recommendation.

In 2002 the company identified some council owned scrubland located on a roundabout with some 36,000 cars passing every day and, after some negotiation struck a deal to improve the land with an option to buy. The result is a highly visible showroom that, as the photograph shows, even at night has a very striking presence.

Vision employs its own fitting and building teams with all work given an insurance backed guarantee issued by the GGF. Aimed at the middle to higher end on the market, Vision conservatories can be designed and produced in in a choice of PVCu, aluminium or hardwood.

Vision has used Cervoglass since the company was formed and, reflecting an increasingly sophisticated market, 50% of the conservatories roofs are now produced with glass roofs of which 98% use Cervo Sol Plus™ easy-clean, high performance, solar control glazing units.

The conservatory featured in the photograph is typical. Built on a south facing wall with an area of 9 metres x 4.5 metres, the customer didn`t want roof blinds and is delighted with the quality finish and year round comfort provided by the Cervoglass™ glazing. Phil Todd summed up why Vision fits Cervoglass succinctly with ‘We always install Cervo Sol Plus™ roof glazing because it does exactly as it says it can do!’

For information about Vision Conservatories call 01202 522100
For information about Cervoglass(tm) call 0151 523 7070

When it comes to the supply of machinery and consumables for the PVC, aluminium and glass sectors, the Promac Group says that it has few peers. The company believes that is not just the vast array of machinery that has made the group so successful, but its ability to provide an experienced and capable support function.

The machinery sector has become ever more competitive over recent years, but it has been Promac's commitment to the support division that has helped it to stand out from the rest. Derek Bonnard, managing director (pictured right) explains: ‘We have a dedicated service division comprising of 17 field based service engineers across the UK and Ireland, headed by Wayne Hunter. Each member of this team is a specialist in their own right and it is this knowledge and experience that has ensured that our valued customers have been consistently delighted by the end result.’

The service division has not only helped provide guidance on the specification, installation and commissioning of machinery for the superfabricators such as Camden, Masco Group, Shepley and more recently TJ Grady in Ireland, but also to the small and medium sized fabricators too. Derek adds: ‘our service division is there to serve a broad range of customers and we believe that we have the expertise to add value and guidance to any fabricator, ensuring that we deliver on our promises.’

As machinery continues to develop technically, Promac feels that the expertise of the company’s service division will become an ever more valuable tool for fabricators wanting to enhance and upgrade their machinery. Despite the fact that people are talking about a downturn in the industry, there are still a number of success stories out there and also a number of fabricators who could benefit from Promac's expertise.

Derek concludes: ‘The Promac Group of today is a very capable company with depth in resource and access to the largest range of machinery in the industry. Not only will we be demonstrating a number of firsts in the UK market at Glassex, but we will also be demonstrating our capabilities at Interbuild in April. At both shows the experience and capability of Promac will be there for all to see and we look forward to proving our value based on resource and commitment within the Group.’

Flamboyant Chinese Gateshead businesswoman Ling Valentine has slammed internet giants Google for censoring web content in her native country of China.

She has already pulled all her online advertising from Google in protest at what she says is 'Google's support for a violation of human rights'. She is urging others to do the same.

Google has launched a Chinese version of its search tool that excludes information censored by the government. Search results omit independent websites from searches about human rights, Tibet and other topics sensitive to Beijing. Instead, users are directed to websites espousing the government's views on such issues.

This comes at the same time as Google's refusal to bow to pressure by the US government to release details of individual search queries.

Ling, who lives in Gateshead, has created a successful online car leasing business, LINGsCARS, and sells £1m worth of cars every month in the UK. As she celebrates the Chinese New Year with her husband Jon, she says the decision by Google is a good example of why doing business in the North East of England is far easier than in China:

'This sort of thing is exactly why I decided to set up my business in England. Here, you can make a success of a business without the Government breathing down your neck. My website would be shut down in China. Over there, it's difficult to be outlandish and become a creative entrepreneur. By bowing to Beijing, Google is holding back China's economic development. Google is helping the Government to suppress embarrassing economic or political stories. It is a backwards step for entrepreneurs in the country.

'I find it ironic that Google is happy to protect American pornography enthusiasts and not Chinese users.'

'I'm disappointed in Google for wimping out to a repressive regime. Unlike the UK, the internet in China is becoming more and more isolated from the outside world and freedom of expression is shrinking not growing.

'I wouldn't be surprised if Google suffered a backlash from the consumers it's so keen to reach when they realise the company is helping China's censorship ministers.'

Ling is currently locking horns with John Prescott over his decision to remove her controversial Chinese army truck which has been hogging the view on the A1 for six months.

'At least here in Gateshead, in the North East of England I am free to fight and win without danger of being shot,' says Ling.

Web: http://www.lingscars.com