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A New Owner And A New Beginning For Aztec

Not just content with a new image, Aztec Conservatory Roof Systems is now part of Park Lane Conservatories Ltd as the two companies have joined forces, creating a strong and powerful player in the conservatory sector.

Park Lane will continue to focus on top end, engineering led products both in the UK and also in several export markets, where its thermally-broken aluminium roof systems have proven to be particularly successful.

Aztec will benefit from Park Lane’s Highlight 600 low pitch roof solution which will be distributed alongside its own bar length system to their nationwide network of over 40 fabricators.

The pooling of resources and the availability of increased investment is something which excites Colin Bennett, sales director of the new company (pictured):

'The two companies have looked at this opportunity before given our very close geographical locations. The synergies are obvious and will result in greater levels of support and investment for our customers and importantly through the existing management team.'

Colin concludes: 'It’s a genuinely exciting time at both Aztec and Park Lane and what the industry will see is a far more dynamic, effective and customer-led operation. Watch this space!' .

A&B buys FineLine

Suffolk windowmaker A&B Glass has completed the acquisition of Kent-based Sheerframe fabricator FineLine from the Elliott Group of Companies. The move consolidates A&B's position as one of the leading independent trade and commercial PVC window suppliers in the South of England.

This is the third acquisition by A&B Glass and follows the successful purchase of Thetford-based Asset Manufacturing early last year.

A&B plans to invest and develop the FineLine site, trading under the same name, from its Stroud premises in the Medway towns.

Says A&B MD, Dave Barrett, ‘FineLine is a well-established and respected business in its own right. As one of the most successful and innovative divisions of the Elliott Group Ltd, it was an extremely attractive acquisition proposition. Elliott Group's strategy of focusing on its core volumetric buildings business gave us the ideal opportunity to make the purchase and strengthen our supply base in the lucrative South East replacement windows market.’

FineLine has been manufacturing Sheerframe windows since the late 1980s. Like Asset its major strength lies in the specification sector where it has completed major supply only and supply and fit contracts from many London Boroughs and other social housing providers.

The A&B Glass Group has manufactured over one million PVC frames since it was first set up by Ray Byford in 1982. The company quickly established a reputation for providing high quality products and excellent service to a network of installers throughout South East England. It manufactures from a 90,000 sq ft plant in Sudbury, Suffolk and, in addition, from its 27,000 sq ft site at Thetford. The latest acquisition is expected to take A&B Group turnover to £28 million in 2007.

For Sheerframe systems company L.B. Plastics, director David Strang welcomed the acquisition:

‘The A&B Glass Group is a superbly managed business. There is a perfect synergy in the deal which takes A&B further into the South East commercial sector. The expansion of Asset since its acquisition by A&B gives a clear indication of the scope that exists for increased Sheerframe sales for FineLine within the A&B Glass fold.’

For more information about A&B Glass visit:
http://www.abglass.co.uk

For more information about FineLine visit:
http://www.fineline-windows.co.uk

For more information about Asset visit:
http://www.asset-windows.co.uk

For more information about L.B. Plastics Ltd visit:
http://www.sheerframe.co.uk

Sash UK Prepares for 100% Expansion

Sash UK has begun preparatory work on land next to their headquarters in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. The new land doubles that currently occupied by their existing facilities and is testament to the growth that the company continues to enjoy.

Purchased in 2005, the land is being brought up to build level. This initial stage of work should be completed by March 2007. Currently situated on 5 acres, the new land of 9 acres almost trebles Sash’s operations.

Planning permission has been granted for a building from 50,000 sqft up to 160,000 sqft. Sash UK also owns an additional 2 acres of land that has been set aside for landscaping to maintain the rural environment of the area.

'We have that many irons in the fire at present that we are still unsure as yet, what the new premises will be used for,' said David Ruzicka, Joint MD at Sash UK. 'There’s the possibility that we may use it to house production of our new Spectus line or for the manufacture of ‘special’ frames such as in-line sliders, which have a tendency to slow general production down.

'The extra space will also come in useful as our decking and fencing business continues to grow and we intend to move luminatrium and conservatory production to the new site,' he added.

'It’s a great accomplishment to be expanding our facilities at a time when others are down-sizing. Diversification of our core business had allowed us to maintain the growth we have always enjoyed. The success of our recent ventures is the result of persistent hard work and the expansion of our premises is the fruit of our labour,' David concluded..

Castle Glass sees Super Spacer® Production Speed up with New Willian Line

Northern Ireland-based Castle Glass and Glazing has been an Edgetech UK customer for eight years, but with a new Willian machine, Managing Director Dave McMahon aims to increase production by 50%:

‘We invested £200,000 and hope to see Super Spacer® sealed units fly off the production line. We applied Super Spacer manually using the Super Shop set-up until the new machine was installed. Edgetech gave our staff three months' in-house training to ensure everything was working efficiently.’

Castle currently manufactures 1,500 units a week, 90% of which are made with Super Spacer.

Tel: 02476 705570

EVii Comes to Teesside

EVii, the global & synerjy exhibition vehicle will be arriving on Teesside on Friday 10th & Saturday 11th November.

EVii is to take prime spot at the Eden Trade Systems open weekend event.

The event is set to draw trade people from across the North East to Teesside for the first event of its kind seen outside London.

The ‘tardis’ like vehicle expands to a full 30 square metres providing ample room for full sized samples to be displayed. Users can use the interactive touch screen to view trade and consumer presentations. The meeting room inside EVii also has the latest technology and facilities; a drop screen overhead projector for presentations, fully integrated sound system, climate control, and catering facilities.

‘With exhibition displays from the market leaders including Mila, Hoppe & Sitebuilder, coupled with the presence of the global & synerjy EVii, builders, property developers, Local Government officials, and window, door & conservatory retailers can take this unique opportunity to see for themselves the best exhibition of its kind outside the national shows’ explains Graham Jenney, Managing Director.

‘For most tradesmen, getting to the national shows in Birmingham and London is nigh on impossible, so we thought why not bring the exhibition to them.’

Freefoam Purchases Five new Extruders from Krauss Maffei

Freefoam Plastics, a manufacturer of quality approved environmentally friendly roofline and rainwater systems, has signed a deal with Krauss Maffei to purchase five new PVC-U foam extruders for the company's Northampton plant.

These new high output lines will more than double the capacity in the Northampton plant and will allow Freefoam to meet the growing demand for cellular roofline products in the UK market. The new extruders are being built to Freefoam's specification, will complement the existing Krauss Maffei lines and will allow a wider range of products to be produced.

Steve Pilkington, Production Manager comments, 'These new lines will more than double our original capacity which has grown so fast in such a short timescale and is required to keep pace with Freefoam's successful sales growth in 2006. I am delighted to be part of a fast expanding group that is willing to invest in product innovation and resources for increased production'.

The facilities in Northampton occupy an area of 8,000m2 and house manufacturing distribution and customer service operations.

For more information, contact Freefoam directly on 01604 759871 in the UK, 021 4911055 in Ireland, or email marketing@freefoam.com

Pilkington to Build and Operate Float Plant in Abu Dhabi

Pilkington Group Ltd, a member of NSG Group, and Al Hamed Enterprises LLC (Group of Companies), announce the formation of a joint venture company; Pilkington Emirates LLC. This new Company will order a float glass manufacturing line, to be built and operated by Pilkington, with a 550 tonnes per day capacity. A site in the Abu Dhabi Industrial Development Zone has been earmarked with the help of the local authorities.

The latest technology will be used in the largely automated plant, which is due to come on stream in late 2008.

The US$200 million project will produce the latest range of Pilkington clear and tinted glasses for the Building Products and Automotive glass markets of the region. Producing predominantly large sizes for the glass processing industry, the plant will be truly independent and will focus on offering the highest quality of product and service.

Pilkington Chief Executive Stuart Chambers said ‘We have long wanted to establish ourselves in the centre of this attractive and vibrant market place. We are now delighted to have formed a partnership with Al Hamed and have no doubts that together we can offer the local markets unrivalled quality and service using the very latest technology.’

Hamed Enterprises (Group of Companies) Chairman Sheikh Shaya Al Hamed said, ‘It is our pleasure to announce the formation of the joint venture with Pilkington, a world leader in the glass manufacturing industry. It is our strategy at Al Hamed Enterprises to bring the world's prime expertise into the country that can help develop local expertise, as well as the excellent product offering into the market’.

NSG with Pilkington either directly owns or manage 46 float lines worldwide. Pilkington engineers have recently completed new float lines in Brazil and most recently Russia, with further lines under construction in Iran and China.

Web: http://www.pilkington.com

Brownhills Glass & Supertrucks - 25 Years of Business

Supertrucks Ltd has just delivered two purpose-built Iveco Eurocargo trucks with specialist glass carrying bodywork to Brownhills Glass Company Ltd.

This order is the latest in a long-running business relationship between Supertrucks and Brownhills Glass. Brownhills Glass has been buying glass carrying vehicles from Supertrucks for 25 years - ever since the St Helens based company was formed.

Mr Bob Laceby, a Brownhills Glass director (pictured right), comments, ‘We have continued to deal with Supertrucks as it has the same approach to quality and service as we have with our business. Over the last 25 years we have bought Supertrucks panel van glass carrying conversions as well as its specialist custom-built bodywork for 7.5 and 18 tonne gross trucks. All of these vehicles have met our operational requirements and satisfactorily delivered service lives of up to 12 years.’

Aldridge-headquartered Brownhills Glass is one of the UK's leading independent glass merchants and processors. From its 3.8 acre site, the company's vehicle fleet delivers to customers throughout the whole of central England, providing a next day service.

The latest Supertrucks-bodied vehicles to join the Brownhills Glass fleet are Iveco Eurocargo 7.5 and 18 tonne gvw trucks. These are both fitted with Supertrucks custom-built glass carrying bodywork, with full length glass carrying racks, inside and outside, on both sides of the body. The exterior racks are equipped with Supertrucks' System 1 securing poles.

Also both these alloy framed and panelled bodies have Supertrucks' concertina folding roofs to allow overhead loading by crane. The concertina roof allows up to 85 per cent of the body length to be opened for overhead loading.

The Brownhill Glass's smaller vehicle is fitted with a 5.5m long body, with a 15mm grp front bulkhead and an alloy drop tailgate and three-quarter height rear curtain closure, in a zinc plated steel frame. This body is built on a heavy duty galvanised steel subframe, with close pitch C section cross bearers. The body is fitted with an external glass carrying rack.

The 6.8m long body for the 18 tonne Eurocargo is built to a similar but heavier duty specification. Salient features of this larger body include heavier duty steel box section underframe, a thicker section front bulkhead and 25mm thick Wisadeck floor. Both these Supertrucks bodies are fitted with cab top-mounted Slipstreamer air management systems.

Peter Wright, Supertrucks' chairman, explains, ‘Brownhills Glass Company Ltd was one of the first customers we gained when this business was founded in 1981. Over the years we have supplied a wide range of specialist glass carrying vehicles to Brownhills Glass, which appreciates the benefits and long service life that our high quality bodywork is capable of delivering.’

Tel: 01744 25348

Tonnage Increases by 31 per cent for Synseal

In a difficult year for many profile companies, Synseal increases its tonnage by 31 per cent in the first nine months of 2006. Synseal's Manufacturing Director, Steve Musgrave comments: ‘These results are especially satisfying for Synseal. We continue to expand our manufacturing facility in Nottinghamshire. This year we have increased the number of extrusion lines by 30 per cent to 38. And the £1.4 million investment in Legend tooling means we can increase the supply of Legend to new customers.

‘The sales department has continued to increase sales, and we have increased capacity so customers continue to get what they want, when they want it.

‘We have also increased service levels to customers. We offer a quick turnaround on profile orders, and this keeps customers ahead in the market,’ adds Steve. ‘But where the faster service has made a real difference is in conservatory roof kits. Since introducing the three day delivery service on roof kits, sales have increased by 14.5 per cent. Now, we regularly manufacture in excess of 130 kits in a day.

‘It's been a busy year so far. The expansion of the production facilities has given us the ability to increase profile and roof manufacture. And we expect these upward trends to continue.’

Tel: 01623 443200
Web: http://www.synseal.com

EAG Secures Additional £4m High Wycombe Contract

A £4.4 m contract win has secured the ongoing involvement of specialist glazing firm, English Architectural Glazing Ltd (EAG), in Eden - the multi-million pound mixed use scheme re-developing High Wycombe town centre.

EAG was originally employed to carry out the £5m glazing and cladding package on the House of Fraser and M&S stores and the now operational bus terminal but a further £4.4m contract has now been awarded by Multiplex for the next three phases.  

The Suffolk-based glazing company will now begin work on a library, a variety of retail and residential units and the shopping centre car park.

Hallmark Panels Invests in New CNC Router

Speed, efficiency and better productivity are the reasons behind a £56,000 investment by Hallmark Panels in a new custom-made CNC router from Promac. The machine is being tailor made to meet the specific requirements for the production of the company's extensive composite door range. ‘The popularity of our composite doors has been increasing steadily as homeowners recognise the benefits of this concept,’ explains John Rolland of Hallmark. ‘Consequently, we made the decision to expand this side of the business by investing in new, advanced machinery.’

The new CNC router has been designed to clean off the top and bottom of the Hallmark twin rebated door and to take out glazing apertures. ‘Every door that we produce differs slightly in size,’ continues Mr Rolland. ‘Continuing to manufacture manually brings an element of risk and the new CNC router assures total reliability and efficiency on every unit we produce.’

It has taken several meetings between Hallmark and Promac to get everything just right. Additionally, the router is also being programmed to accommodate manufacture of a new composite door to be launched soon and to cut door panels. With five designs and six distinctive colours together with a wide range of bevels and matching stained glass, Hallmark's composite door range offers strength, security and good looks.

‘We pride ourselves on the quality of our products and already have two existing CNC routers working on other product ranges,’ concludes Mr Rolland.

‘With the residential composite door market experiencing a period of growth, the installation of a dedicated machine will improve productivity and ensure optimum quality output.’

Safestyle ‘Doing its Bit’ for Energy Saving Week

In response to the recent accusation that Britain wastes more energy than any other country in Europe, Safestyle UK, the independent replacement window and door manufacturer and retailer, was determined to ‘Do its Bit’ to support last week's National Energy Saving campaign.

The National Energy Saving Trust was challenging households throughout the UK not just to conserve but to save at least 20% of their energy in this and each subsequent week.

The Bradford-based company, known for its celebrity-led and award-winning advertising campaigns, including the catch phrases ‘Bogof’ (Buy One Get One Free) headed by top stars Cannon and Ball, has focussed its efforts on the production of a raft of new radio commercials and an information leaflet highlighting how households can conserve energy and save money on expensive heating bills through the installation of double glazing.

On the shop floor - Chief Executive John Ross (left) and fellow Director Brendan McCambridge checking out the latest batch of Safestyle's energy efficient doors.

In support of the week, the company has also launched a series of special offers with an emphasis on a ‘Buy the Front and Get the Back Free’ offer.

At a time when customers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to preserve the environment and also potential new government initiatives surrounding the introduction of energy efficiency ratings for the home, the Group's Chief Executive, John Ross, explained the reasoning behind their campaign:

‘Britain is already regarded as the biggest waster of energy in Europe and conservation of energy has become increasingly important in all aspects of life. At Safestyle we feel it imperative that we are seen to be ‘doing our bit’ and the best way to achieve this is to get the message across to our customers and to our staff by increasing their knowledge of the environment and encouraging their support to preserve it.’

He added: ‘Conservation and helping the environment should be high on everyone's agenda but what many forget is that it can also be financially beneficial as well. For instance by fitting double glazing the average householder with a four-bedroom detached house can save about £300 a year and a two-bedroom house at least £103 annually’.

Insist on CE Marked Garage Doors, DHF Urges

Britain's leading domestic garage door manufacturers and suppliers of garage door automation are urging buyers and specifiers to ensure the products they choose are CE marked under the Construction Products Directive (CPD).

They say this is the only universally recognised way of telling that the garage door product complies with legislation.

Every single member of the Garage Door Group within the Door & Hardware Federation are now CE marking their products under the CPD in a bid to raise standards in the industry and demonstrate they meet quality and fitness-for-purpose requirements.

Now they have produced a comprehensive best practice guide to help specifiers and installers understand their obligations and responsibilities when choosing and installing CE marked garage door products.

Said Andrew Dootson, member of the DHF Garage Door Group: 'The CE mark is a legal declaration which indicates to the enforcement authorities, the trade and the end user that the door is safe and complies with regulations.

'The specifier and purchaser have the reassurance that a CE marked product significantly reduces the likelihood of an accident occurring and will help them in defending any legal claim should an accident occur. We strongly urge specifiers and end users to always insist on CE marked garage door products for their own protection.'

'Our new best practice guide explains the key obligations of the purchaser and installer. It gives valuable guidance to installers on which standards they have to ask for from suppliers, which they need to offer to end users, and which ones they must work to themselves.'

The guide details the testing, factory production control and declaration of conformity requirements for CE marking under the Construction Products Directive. It also lists the manufacturers’ and installers’ responsibilities for CE marking under the Machinery Directive.

The best practice guide for purchasers and specifiers of domestic garage doors is available from the DHF. For more information, visit the DHF website: http://www.dhfonline.org.uk.

Tel: 01827 52337

Elumatec Offers Unrivalled Customer Care

Over recent months Elumatec has seen an increase of existing customers returning to extend their machinery range further, spurred on not only by the exceptional quality and performance supplied by the Elumatec machines, but also by the unbeatable customer service they have received around the clock. With this in mind, Elumatec says that it has strengthened its commitment to customer service even further to provide the best service possible all round...making doing business with Elumatec even easier.

‘Customer care is paramount!’ says Phil Heavey, managing director of the company. ‘We have an outstanding range of products but without support and backup, we are merely product suppliers. We have a stringent policy of customer care and service that we believe is second to none and our commitment to the customer is evident in our service.’

One very satisfied customer is Phil Purnel of MB Frames, whose factory is entirely stocked with Elumatec machines. ‘When we first contacted Elumatec back in 2000 about their machinery, what impressed us the most was the care and effort put in by the sales reps and customer support team,’ he explains. ‘Not only did they explain the functionality of the machinery fully, but also drew up factory floor plans to make installation even easier, a service that no other company offered at the time. Since then, we have had an excellent relationship with Elumatec and should anything go wrong with our machines, we are straight onto the Elumatec engineers via their mobiles and they either talk us through it or come and sort the problem. There is no waiting and no delays, which equates to no business lost! Over the years, we have invested heavily in Elumatec machinery and they have always been delivered on time to the correct specification. The level of service is fantastic.’

Vital to the process is a direct service line to every department as well as a dedicated spare parts line. Free of charge assistance is offered as standard to every account customer, within a one hour time frame. ‘We insist that every customer is put through to the relevant department and that their issues are addressed by trained staff,’ continues Phil. ‘We employ a team of engineers, fully trained in-house on our system - unlike other companies, we do not employ sub-contractors, eliminating the hazards of working with people who are not familiar with our products. We also operate a 24 hour call-out service for queries that cannot be resolved over the phone to ensure complete customer satisfaction.’

Dependent upon the equipment required, Elumatec includes installation and commissioning within the purchase price as standard, with full on-site training for operatives where necessary. The company boasts a 4000 sq ft showroom for customer demonstration and training, which has proved invaluable. Further and ongoing operational training of machine operators is then undertaken at customer's premises to ensure total familiarity with machinery in the factory environment.

‘It is important that comprehensive training is given with follow-up training available whenever the need arises,’ continues Mr Heavey. ‘Of course, we offer a very competitive parts and service guarantee on our equipment in the unlikely event of anything going wrong. In order to minimise customer downtime whilst their units are being repaired or updated, we also offer the loan of electronic controls and measuring sticks free of charge.’ This level of service is extended with a unique service exchange facility that the customer only pays the repair costs. Elumatec prides itself upon the service contracts and extended warranty packages which are part of the company's comprehensive after-sales service.

As world market leaders in the production of profile machine centres and a huge range of equipment for the fabrication industry, Elumatec produces a solution for any application using the latest technology and state of the art production facilities to serve the needs of the industry.

Web: http://www.elumatec.com

Pioneering £30 Million Build Ready for Business

Staff at The University of Manchester are celebrating the structural completion of a pioneering £30 million building, due to open for business in May 2007.

The environmentally friendly Humanities Tuer Street Building will use 190 solar panels, recycled materials and take advantage of natural light and ventilation.

It will accommodate staff and students from the School of Social Sciences and School of Environment and Development from the Faculty of Humanities.

The building's 'topping out' ceremony took place on October 18th and is one of the first projects to be completed as part of University's ambitious £600 million building programme.

Professor Clive Agnew, Head of the School of Environment and Development said: 'This building takes our environmental obligations seriously: the construction of high ceilings in the building allows for thermal inertia to be used to reduce the requirements for heating and ventilation.

'An adjacent car park covering the same area as the building is being reclaimed and planted with trees and shrubs so that there is no net loss in 'green-space'.

'This building will be monitored for its energy efficiency as a pilot project in The University of Manchester.

'Solar panels will cover the roof spaces, and the inclusion of two atria in the centre of the building permits natural light to penetrate to all levels and to permit natural ventilation throughout.'

Professor David Farrell, Head of School of Social Sciences said: 'A key function for the building is to facilitate new avenues of research through promoting collegiality and social interaction between staff and to anticipate significant growth in the number of researchers.

'The accommodation for post graduates and academic staff will be integrated in a design that moves away from corridors and offices and co-locates researchers and students.'

Danny Murray, Regional Operations Director of AMEC, the main contractor, said: 'AMEC is an international project management and services company that designs, delivers and supports infrastructure assets for customers across the public and private sectors.

'We are delighted to have reached this important point of this significant project.

'We now look forward to reaching a successful conclusion of this major landmark building.'

Final Assisted Areas Map Published - And Good News for Areas Left Out

The Government recently published its map of Assisted Areas showing the zones where businesses can apply for regional aid for the next seven years. The Government also unveiled a new package of measures to help areas left off the map.

This package, announced to Parliament by Margaret Hodge, Minister for Industry and the Regions, will allow Regional Development Agencies to give grants to small and medium sized businesses in all the areas squeezed off the map from January 2007.

A draft UK map published for consultation in July had to include a cut of a fifth of the UK's coverage under EU rules. Today's map keeps most of those cuts, but incorporates more than 30 areas where the Government has made changes in response to representations. It will now be sent to Brussels for final approval.

The EU rules only allow regional state aid to businesses located within the areas designated, although all other forms of Government aid are still allowed to firms outside.

Margaret Hodge said:
‘We have had the difficult job of prioritising areas eligible for regional aid, with a 20% cut in the overall coverage of the UK. We set out to make regional aid available where it is needed most to expand industry and maintain jobs. We listened hard, and we made changes to reflect local views wherever we could.

‘We had tough choices to make, but I believe we have reached the best balance we could between the needs of areas and the opportunities in those areas.’

Under EU rules from 2007-2013, in the UK the percentage of population which can be covered will be reduced from 30.9 per cent to 23.9 per cent. This is because of Britain's strong economic performance and because aid has been redistributed to the poorer areas of the now enlarged Europe.

All western Member States will see their coverage fall, many of them more sharply than in the UK. Coverage in France will reduce from 36.7 per cent to 18.4 per cent and coverage in the Republic of Ireland from 100 per cent to 50 per cent.

The UK Government has based the 2007 map on areas where Assisted Area status will have the greatest impact on promoting growth, productivity, skills and jobs. Four measures were used to decide how to prioritise Britain's coverage:

* the employment rate;
* the level of skills;
* the number of people claiming incapacity benefit; and,
* manufacturing as a share of employment.

These measures allow a focus on those areas where the impact of state aid can be maximised.

Three disadvantaged regions automatically qualify: Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, West Wales and the Valleys, and the Scottish Highlands and Islands. It was decided before the initial consultation that the whole of Northern Ireland would continue as an assisted area.

The EU rules agreed by all member states mean some areas which enjoy coverage at present are not eligible to be included in the future because overall their economies are too strong within the EU. Six regions were excluded in this way: Halton, Ellesmere Port and Neston; South Manchester; North Warwickshire; Lowestoft; Brighton and Hove; and, City of Edinburgh and West Lothian.

Map and full details available at http://www.dti.gov.uk/regional/index.html

Social housing Refurbishment Drive gets Multi-billion Pound Boost

On Thursday, October 19 thirty eight councils in England were given the go-ahead for their plans to transfer more than 94,000 homes during the next two years, as part of the Government's social housing refurbishment drive.

Twenty four councils have been granted immediate places on the 2006 Housing Transfer Programme and further discussions with the remaining councils about their schemes are continuing.

Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said the Government was committed to improving housing and building new homes for the next generation.

‘Social housing must meet modern standards. It is not fair that at the beginning of the 21st century some social tenants should be living in houses without decent kitchens or bathrooms or even without proper heating or with old leaky windows. That is why the decent homes programme is so important.

‘We have invested £21bn since 1997 in refurbishing old council housing, transforming the lives of tenants. That has led to the number of non-decent homes dropping by one million. Today's announcement will help more than 80,000 more families get a decent warm home, and a further 100,000 maintained at the standard that tenants have the right to expect.'

As part of the Decent Homes drive the Minister announced 49 schemes, involving 38 local authorities that will ensure social rented homes meet and are maintained at minimum standards of decency by transferring their stock to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs).

The 2006 Housing Transfer Programme involves 29 new transfer schemes to RSLs, with an additional 20 schemes being held open subject to further discussions between DCLG local authorities and RSLs. These schemes are primarily where housing stock has a negative value, and a funding gap would have to be filled to enable a transfer to take place to an RSL.

Transfer: Local authority schemes on programme
Blaby District Council
Braintree
Bracknell
Brighton and Hove City Council
Castle Morpeth
Castle Point
Daventry
Fenland
Gedling
Gravesham
Harborough
LB of Lewisham - New Cross Gate
LB of Lewisham - Grove Park
Mole Valley
North Shropshire
Oswestry
Rochford
Salisbury
Sheffield - Hyde Park Walk and Terrace
Sheffield - Harold Lambert & Manor Park
Sheffield - Woodthorpe & Lower Manor
Sheffield - Wybourn
Sheffield - Richmond Park
South Kesteven
South Northamptonshire
Sutton
Three Rivers
Watford
Wellingborough

Transfer: local authority schemes with places held open
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Cannock
Chester-le-street
Crawley
London Borough of Havering - Mardyke
Manchester - Inner South
Manchester - East Area
Manchester - Stockport Overspills
Manchester - South
North West Leicestershire
Plymouth
Ribble Valley
Salford
Tamworth
Torridge
Tower Hamlets - Digby & Greenways
Tower Hamlets - St Stephens Estate
Tower Hamlets - Libra Parnell
Tower Hamlets - Chicksand East
Wansbeck

Public Enquiries: 020 7944 4400;
News Releases: http://www.communities.gov.uk

SOURCE: Department for Communities and Local Government

How Long do Building Components Last? - New Report Provides Answers to the most Difficult Question in Whole Life Costing

Whole life costing allows anyone involved with the design, procurement or management of buildings to make decisions about their building and its related costs. However, it is vital to know how long building components will last, because without this information, the whole life costs are not known.
The answers depend on a number of factors including level of exposure to the elements; quality of materials and installation, maintenance regime and frequency of use.

According to chartered building surveyors, a new external door can 'typically' be expected to last for around 30 years. In actual fact, the life expectancy of the same door can be anywhere between five and 100 or more years. This wide variance could be due to a number of factors ranging from the quality of the local air, timber and installation, to accidental impact damage and vandalism and quality of joints between window frame and wall.

The Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has recently updated one its most popular publications; Life Expectancy of Building Components: A practical guide to surveyors' experience of buildings in use.*

The guide is based on research carried out by BCIS directly with RICS Building Surveyors. This unique approach exploits the experience of Chartered Building Surveyors to uncover what is really happening to building components rather than what might be happening under laboratory conditions.

The guide includes:
*Information on over 300 building components
*Checklists of the factors to be considered when assessing the life expectancy of each component
*Checklists identifying causes of early deterioration for each component
*Invaluable assistance for anyone involved in condition surveys, private finance initiatives (PFI) and building design
*Practical information not currently available from other sources

The new revised edition is almost twice the size of the original reflecting the need, in an increasingly complex market, to capture information on a much wider number of components.

Andrew Thompson, General Manager BCIS said:
'It's the Chartered Surveyors out there in the real world that get to know how long things out in the field will really last. For whole life costing to be of value, the assumptions about how long components last need to be sensible. By helping us with this research, RICS Building Surveyors have helped us take the whole field a step forward'.

The revised 2006 edition contains information on Substructure, Superstructure, Finishes, Fittings and Furnishings, Services and External Works. The survey builds upon work first conducted in 2001.

*The Life Expectancy of Building Components: A practical guide to surveyors' experience of buildings in use is available from BCIS for £125 (£100 discounted rate). To order please visit http://www.bcis.co.uk, Email: sales@bcis.co.uk or Tel: +44 (0)20 7695 1500.

How Corrupt is UK Construction?

51% of UK construction professionals felt that corruption is commonplace within the UK construction industry according to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Building.

The survey asked over 1400 construction professionals what type of corrupt practice was most commonly found, and examined attitudes of how corrupt they deemed a variety of practices to be. The study also looked at the areas in which respondents felt that corrupt practice was most likely to occur.

82% of respondent's were managers or directors; 57% worked in large companies, 20% were employed in medium sized firms and 23% in small organisations.

76% of respondent's regarded the employment of illegal workers as widespread in UK construction; 60% felt that fraud within the industry was prevalent and 41% had been personally offered a bribe.

Michael Brown CIOB deputy chief executive said, ‘People define corruption in different ways. What is corrupt to one person might be common practice or just 'how it's always been done' to another. We wanted our research to take the temperature of UK construction and find out what the perception is from those that work within it and its scale.

‘Whilst the majority of respondents recognised corrupt practices for what they were, there was a concerning level of people who thought, for example, that producing a fraudulent invoice was not corrupt or that using bribery to obtain a contract was also not a particularly corrupt practice. We clearly have some way to go as an industry to make ethical construction the only construction.’

The World Bank has estimated the cost of corruption to the global economy at US$1.5 trillion a year. More specifically corruption in the Great British construction industry could cost anywhere up to £3 billion a year. The total cost of corruption to the respondent's companies was estimated at £35 million per year.

Thermbridge 'Mind the Gap'

Today’s choice of thermal break insulation material in the design of aluminium systems profile is crucial in the development of a high performance product. Yet we are increasingly designing new aluminium systems with seemingly just one choice of insulation material to fill the 'gap' - why?

Thermbridge offer a particular bespoke service to designers of aluminium systems but also specialises in undertaking thermal simulation calculations on all types of window materials. Thermbridge then advises, if required, adjustments to the system design including insulation material in order to achieve improved levels of thermal performance. Roger Jones explains: 'We work closely with our customers to ensure we understand their design brief and provide the optimum design for the target thermal performance'.

Other than the niche market for aluminium-clad systems, Thermbridge sees the future market covered mainly by two types of thermal break systems; the application of a polyurethane resin using the Clip and Pour system, or the use of polyamide inserts or other forms of strip material.

The 'clip and pour' system offers the advantages of both polyurethane and strip insulation but requires only basic updates to existing polyurethane equipment as an initial start-up. This utilises the existing network of polyurethane machines currently in use around the UK.

More information about Thermbridge, the company's services and the 'Clip & Pour' system, is available direct from Thermbridge by either viewing http://www.thermbridge.com or by phoning +44 (0) 1443 441122.

Alcoa Adds 170 Jobs at Pacific Northwest Smelter

Alcoa announced recently that it plans to operate a second potline at its Intalco Works aluminium smelter in Ferndale, Wash., adding 170 high-wage jobs to the current workforce of 450, bringing total employment to more than 600.

The re-start of a second potline during the first half of 2007 will increase production by 7,500 metric tons a month, bringing total production at the plant to 180,000 metric tons per year, which is two thirds of the plant's operating capacity. The plant has not operated two potlines since April 2003.

‘Intalco Works is one of the most efficient converting plants in the world and can be a competitive facility when given a reasonable power contract,’ said Alan Cransberg, President, Global Manufacturing, Alcoa Primary Products.
‘This re-start is possible because of favourable market conditions combined with previously announced benefits from the Bonneville Power Administration and the State of Washington, as well as a new labour contract. These components help us offset the cost of purchasing power on the open market, as stipulated in our BPA contract for the next five years.’

Alcoa views the short-term BPA benefits as a bridge until 2011, when the company hopes to be able to once again purchase cost-based BPA power like other key industries in the Pacific Northwest.

‘This is tremendous news for our employees and the coalition of government officials and community leaders who have supported Alcoa Intalco Works through the years,’ said Mike Rousseau, plant manager, at the plant's 40th anniversary open house celebration, where the announcement was made.
‘This decision will bring substantial additional economic impact to our community and region.’

Vitro Reports Highest EBITDA Ever

Vitro announced on 25th October its 3Q 06 unaudited results. Year over year consolidated sales increased 7.9 percent and EBITDA rose 10.6 percent. The consolidated EBITDA margin was up 40 basis points to 16.9 percent for the quarter.

Excluding the divestiture of Quimica M in March 2006 and the acquisition of Vidrios Panameños (VIPASA) in April 2006, consolidated sales rose 8.0 percent and consolidated EBITDA also excluding the effect of the flat glass inventory reduction increased 13.4 percent year over year.

Alvaro Rodriguez, Chief Financial Officer, commented 'This was a very solid quarter from both an operational and a financial standpoint. We achieved the all-time highest comparable consolidated EBITDA and reported the lowest comparable total gross debt level.'

We continue to deliver on the financial plan established during mid-2005 to move Vitro forward to become a company with lower cost of capital, long term funds, higher cash flow generation and a solid path to growth. In fact, this quarter we launched a US$50 million rights offering that is being subscribed by current shareholders who strongly support our strategy, demonstrating their confidence in our future.

Web: http://www.vitro.com

Alcoa Q3 2006 Income up 89% on 2005

Alcoa has announced third quarter 2006 income from continuing operations of $540 million, or $0.62 per diluted share, an 89 percent increase from the third quarter of 2005. As expected, due to seasonal slow-downs and lower metal prices, income was lower on a sequential basis, down from $0.85 in the second quarter.

In the first nine months of 2006, Alcoa has generated more profits than in any full year in the company's history. Year-to-date income from continuing operations was $1.9 billion, 82 percent higher than the same period in 2005.
Net income for the quarter was $537 million, or $0.61, an 85 percent increase from 2005's $0.33 and 28 percent below the $0.85 in the second quarter.

Highlights:
* Income from continuing operations up 89% versus year-ago quarter.
* Revenues 19% higher than year-ago quarter.
* Cash from operations was $748 million including the impact of a discretionary $200 million pension contribution, 52% higher than the year-ago quarter and 94% higher year-to-date.
* Debt-to-capital ratio at 32.8%, within target range despite major investments in strategic growth projects.
* Year-to-date income from continuing operations $1.9 billion, or $2.17 per share, up 82% from year ago.
* Year-to-date annualised return on capital of 14.3%, up from 8.7% in 2005.

Revenues for the quarter increased 19 percent from a year ago to $7.6 billion. Compared to the second quarter of 2006, sales decreased 2 percent primarily due to lower metal prices and seasonality. Prices for aluminium on the London Metal Exchange declined six percent this quarter.

‘We continue to drive stronger performance than our results in 2005, with both the top and bottom line showing double-digit improvements over the third quarter of last year,’ said Alain Belda, Alcoa Chairman and CEO. ‘2006 is already the strongest in Alcoa's history, and we will continue to deliver in the fourth quarter.

‘In July, we said the third quarter would be solid, but would reflect the traditional seasonal slow-down and lower metal prices. In fact, the quarter was the third best in company history even though metal prices on the LME declined six percent. While the North American automotive and the housing construction markets are softening, most of our downstream markets continue to be strong - especially aerospace and commercial transportation,’ Belda added.

Cash from operations for the quarter was $748 million including the impact of a discretionary $200 million contribution to the company's pension plans. Year-to-date, cash from operations is more than $1.2 billion, a 94 percent increase from a year ago.

Balance Sheet and Growth Projects
During the quarter, the company made strong progress on projects designed to seize growth as aluminium consumption is projected to double in the next 14 years. The Alcoa Fjardaal smelter in Iceland is now 75 percent complete and is expected to produce its first metal in the second quarter of 2007. In Brazil, the new Juruti bauxite mine and the expansion of the Sao Luis alumina refinery are underway. The refinery will produce an additional 2.1 million mtpy beginning in 2009. In North America, work continued on environmental upgrades at the company's Warrick, Indiana smelter which will help secure its power generation self-sufficiency. At the Intalco smelter in Ferndale, Wash., the company will be starting up a second potline which will produce an additional 7,500 metric tons per month beginning in the first half of 2007.

Capital expenditures for the quarter were $737 million, with 75 percent dedicated to growth projects. Year to-date, the company has invested $1.4 billion in growth projects, or approximately 67 percent of capital expenditures.

In the quarter, Alcoa also announced a definitive agreement to sell its Home Exteriors vinyl siding business. That sale, which will generate more than $300 million in cash to fund growth projects, is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Segment and Other Results
Alumina - After-tax operating income (‘ATOI’) was $271 million, down $7 million from the previous quarter, but up 74 percent from the year-ago quarter. Unfavourable currency effects, energy prices, and mix offset higher sales volumes supported by record production levels of 3,890 KMT in the quarter.

Primary Metals - Segment ATOI was $346 million, down $143 million or 29 percent from the prior quarter and up 106 percent from the year-ago quarter. The ATOI decrease resulted from lower LME prices, higher raw material costs and unfavourable currency. Third-party realised metal prices declined $108 per ton, or four percent, to $2,620 per ton. The Company purchased roughly 130 kmt of primary metal for internal use as part of its strategy to sell value-added products.

Flat-Rolled Products - ATOI for the segment was $48 million, down 39 percent from the prior quarter and down 41 percent from the year-ago quarter. The decline was primarily due to seasonal shutdowns and mill outages in North America and Europe, and an increase in direct material and energy costs. These impacts were somewhat offset by a more favourable product mix. Included in the results were $13 million in continuing start-up costs for new facilities in Russia and China as part of the long-term growth strategy.

Extruded and End Products - ATOI declined $1 million from the prior quarter due to seasonally lower volumes, offset by a more favourable mix. Segment ATOI remained flat in comparison to the prior year quarter.

Engineered Solutions - Segment ATOI declined $25 million from the prior quarter due to scheduled summer shutdowns in the auto industry coupled with lower demand in the North American automotive market. However, ATOI rose $41 million, or 121 percent, above the prior year quarter. Strong demand in the aerospace and commercial vehicle markets, continued productivity gains and targeted price increases led to the improved results.

Packaging and Consumer - Segment ATOI was lower by $13 million versus the previous quarter and $4 million from the year-ago quarter primarily due to seasonal weakness in Food Packaging and Closures and higher resin costs, partially offset by continued strength in the Consumer business. It is anticipated that the lagged recovery of the third quarter raw material cost increases will benefit the fourth quarter.

Strong Third Quarter From Hydro, but Mainly From Oil and Gas

Hydro's net income for the third quarter of 2006 was NOK 4,804 million (NOK 3.90 per share), up from NOK 4,183 million (NOK 3.30 per share) in the third quarter of 2005. Net income for the first nine months of 2006 amounted to NOK 16,068 million (NOK 12.90 per share), compared with NOK 11,453 million (NOK 9.10 per share) for the first nine months of 2005.

Operating income for the third quarter of 2006 amounted to NOK 15,288 million, compared with NOK 12,973 million in the third quarter of 2005. The improved earnings were mainly driven by continued high oil and gas prices together with higher aluminium prices. Operating income amounted to NOK 47,795 million for the first nine months of 2006, compared with NOK 35,982 million for the first nine months of 2005, an increase of 33 percent.

Net cash provided by operating activities was NOK 41.8 billion for the nine months ended 30th September 2006, compared with NOK 25.4 billion for the first nine months of 2005.

'We continue to benefit from strong market conditions, but high commodity prices are driving cost levels in both of our industries. Continued firm cost control is a top priority,' says President and Chief Executive Officer Eivind Reiten.

Operating income for Hydro's total aluminium activities amounted to NOK 1,657 million for the third quarter of 2006, compared with NOK 842 million in the third quarter of 2005. The improved result primarily reflected continued high aluminium prices.

Operating income for Aluminium Metal amounted to NOK 1,854 million for the quarter, a substantial increase from NOK 447 million in the third quarter of 2005. Increased aluminium prices continued to have a positive impact on operating results. Hydro's realised aluminium price amounted to US dollar 2,462 per metric ton (mt) in the third quarter of 2006, an increase of 39 percent compared with the third quarter of 2005 and 4 percent higher than the second quarter of 2006. Measured in Norwegian kroner, the realised aluminium price increased by 35 percent, compared with the third quarter of 2005. Hydro's primary aluminium production, including production from partly owned companies, amounted to 449,000 mt in the third quarter, declining about 3 percent compared with the third quarter of 2005. Reduced production due to the plant closures in Norway and Germany were partly offset by increased production from the Alouette expansion in Canada.

Aluminium Products incurred an operating loss amounting to NOK 192 million for the quarter, compared with operating income of NOK 371 million in the third quarter of 2005. Hydro's European extrusion operations delivered a strong performance for the quarter with a substantial increase in volumes.

Volumes developed positively for all other business sectors as well. However, significant unrealised losses on the ongoing LME operational hedge programme amounting to NOK 286 million together with higher energy costs, negative metal effects of NOK 73 million and rationalisation and impairment costs amounting to NOK 78 million, had a substantial negative impact on the overall results for the quarter. Overall margin developments were negative, despite positive developments in the Extrusion sector, reflecting continued challenging market conditions and strong competition, particularly within the automotive sector.

The general economic outlook for the Aluminium business in the fourth quarter of 2006 remains positive, but there are signs of slowing growth in the United States. Global consumption and production of primary aluminium are each expected to increase in 2006 by approximately 5 and 6 percent, respectively. The market for primary metal is expected to remain fairly balanced with a slight shift toward surplus in 2007. The main uncertainties continue to relate to developments in China and in alumina and energy prices.

Market volume developments are expected to remain positive but with reduced growth within the rolled products and extrusion sectors, reflecting expected developments in overall industrial production.

During 2006 the global magnesium market has continued to weaken from an already poor level in 2005. Competition from Chinese magnesium producers has resulted in an oversupply of magnesium on the world market, driving prices down. Hydro sees limited potential for an improvement in this market and will take further measures to reduce its exposure in this area. Closure of the magnesium plant in Becancour, Canada is under consideration.

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