AMA Report Now Available

AMA Research has recently published the first edition of the UK Doors & Windows Fabricators Market Report. The report presents a comprehensive and up-to-date review, looking in detail at the industry trends to date, as well as future opportunities and threats. The report represents an invaluable aid to sales and marketing professionals in, or interested in, the industry.

The report analyses overall market and product market sizes and trends; market structure and key companies in the systems and contracting sectors, including extensive coverage of foreign facade glazing and atrium roofing contractors.

Emphasis is given to both qualitative and quantitative assessment of market developments, with interpretation of relevant data to give alternative viewpoints on future prospects. This 133-page report is packed with relevant and useful information and analysis and is available now, at £545.

This is the first edition of the UK Window and Door Fabricators’ Market, the aim of which is to provide coverage and analysis of trends in the UK windows and doors market from the fabricators’ perspective. All values are given at trade prices, equivalent to fully glazed/pre-installation levels.
It is estimated that, at trade prices, the doors and windows fabricators market grew by 6%
in 2000 to around £3bn. As the chart below illustrates, this represents a slowing down in the average growth rate, which is expected to continue over the next three years.

Up until the turn of the Millennium, the overall growth rate has largely been fuelled by strong performances in the domestic conservatory, curtain wall, roof glazing and commercial windows sectors. While the non-domestic market has been relatively buoyant in recent years - underpinned by high levels of construction output in the commercial office, leisure, transport and retail markets - this has partly been offset by low growth rates in the domestic replacement and housebuilding sectors.
In particular, the residential windows and doors markets - with estimated shares by value of 37% and 14% respectively - have been almost static during the last few years, although volumes have been relatively steady. A key problem has been pressure on prices throughout the distribution chain, particularly for PVC-U fabricators, underpinned by intense levels of competition and over-capacity, especially within the direct sell market.

In the residential doors and windows markets, prospects for fabricators are becoming increasingly limited as the replacement sector is very mature, especially in the private sub-sector. The newbuild market is small by comparison, and so any upturn in the housebuilding market is unlikely to offset growing pressure on the replacement doors and windows sector.

In the non-domestic market the main area for growth potential is expected to come from the public sector, following the Government’s declared commitment to pledge more funds into upgrading the stock of the UK’s secondary schools and NHS hospitals. In the NHS sector, a significant proportion of funding is coming from the Private Finance Initiative. Although a number of new acute hospitals have been earmarked for development, there are also a substantial number of refurbishment projects due to come on stream over the next several years.

This is expected to generate increased demand for aluminium and PVC-U commercial windows and low-rise curtain wall. Other end-user sectors still expected to provide opportunities for the windows industry is the commercial office market, as a number of high-rise buildings and business park developments are due to come on-stream over the next few years. This should stimulate some demand for aluminium-framed commercial windows and high-rise curtain wall.

However, overall growth opportunities within the non-domestic sector are likely to be offset to an extent by the slowdown in retail and leisure construction, thereby impacting on demand for ground floor treatments, low-rise curtain wall and mall glazing. In the transport sector, Railtrack’s station upgrade programme is nearing completion, which is likely to have an impact on demand for roof glazing and ground floor treatments. Similarly, the shells of many airport terminal extension schemes have also been completed, and may similarly affect demand for ground floor treatments and low-rise curtain wall.

Contact AMA Research for more information:

Email: sales@amaresearch.com

Web: www.amaresearch.co.uk

Parry Bowen and Promac form Perfect Partnership
Parry Bowen Limited was founded in 1979 and initially began specialising as a sub contracting company, their policy being to provide bespoke commercial aluminium windows, entrance units and curtain walling products, for the industrial, commercial and leisure sectors.

Over the years Parry Bowen has acquired an extensive knowledge of most of the leading architectural systems used in the UK, their particular skill is identifying the most appropriate of the available systems in order to meet the requirements of a project. Working with leading national contractors, Parry Bowen have been involved in some of the most ambitious aluminium glazing products of recent years. Parry Bowen’s ultimate objective in 1979 and to this day was to be the best aluminium specialist in the West Midlands. They are now one of the few aluminium specialists able to demonstrate the ability to handle a high level of contracts. These have included, The Criterion in London, Oasis in the Lake District and The Merry Hill shopping centre, all showing brilliant examples of fenestration design.

Dail Jones, Marketing Director has reported ‘we have now far more enquiries than we can possibly deal with on a daily basis.’Last year, Parry Bowen contacted Ian Latimer, Divisional Manager at Promac Industrial in reference to expanding their business and to increase annual turnover, (already in the region of 10 million pounds) to determine exactly how this could be achieved without increasing labour and expanding factory space.

Parry Bowen’s initial investment was in the form of an Emmegi Comet 4 axis CNC machining centre, in order to handle their overflow of waiting contracts.
The Comet acts as a total solution to all the required machining preparations on window, door and curtain walling profiles with the benefit of minimum operator handling of the work piece. In addition to this, the machine provides fast, efficient and accurate operations, offering valuable timesavings of up to 80 % when compared with traditional methods.

After reaping the rewards of the first machining centre Parry Bowen quickly decided to invest in the Emmegi Kelt 3 axis CNC machining centre that would be dedicated solely to window production.
The Kelt has the ability to manufacture 6 pieces of profile in one cycle (length dependant) and can perform operations on all 4 faces of the profile including end preparations with the use of special angular tools or the saw blade, making this machine ideally suited to window manufacture and curtain walling alike.

After sampling the quality and performance of the Emmegi product Promac have since installed various Emmegi sawing machinery and ancillary handling equipment to further improve efficiency and flow within the Parry Bowen factory.

Since investing £300,000 in Promac machinery Parry Bowen’s are taking on contracts well in excess of one million pounds. ‘ The machines have paid for themselves many times over, Promac machinery has not only enabled high turnover increase but has removed the necessity for extra capital expenditure on further factory space. It makes a refreshing change for a machinery supplier to offer such a complete package from front-end software and machinery through to materials handling all backed up by a service that is second to none’ Says John Ivens Production Director
Promac’s association for over 21 years within the window industry is well known and highly respected by its customer base. Promac has forged its mark, increasing its turnover to in excess of £12,000,000 and a further increase is expected this financial year by means of an active personal sales team secured by a highly effective technical service and spares team.
Our committed and dedicated approach to the business is regarded a second to none rewarding itself by having the reputation of being the largest window machinery supplier in the UK. In Promac’s opinion, their foundation partnership with its suppliers and their motivated team of staff secure its financial stability for a strong future.

Chinese glassmaker expands into Hong Kong
A Chinese mainland private glass-maker aims to raise HK$300-400 million from an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong next month to fund production expansion. Zhejiang Glass is one of the country’s five largest floated flat-glass makers. The company is touted as the first privately held mainland firm to list as an H share on Hong Kong’s main board. Previous listings by private companies have been on the second board, the Growth Enterprises Market.

Investment bankers said more mainland private companies were expected to list in Hong Kong as H shares, which are mainland registered, rather than via foreign-registered vehicles.
They said the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) had been discouraging companies seeking overseas listings from using vehicles registered overseas such as in the British Virgin Islands or Cayman Islands.

Overseas listings of mainland enterprises are subject to approval by the CSRC and regulators in the jurisdiction where they are seeking to list. H shares are easier for the mainland securities watchdog to monitor as they are mainland registered and have to comply with the country’s company law.
While many state-owned enterprises have been listed in Hong Kong since the early 1990’s as H shares, the listing of privately controlled enterprises as H shares in the SAR has gathered pace only in the past year.

When given disposal permission, mainland shareholders must not sell their shares at below the company’s per-share net asset value. These rules discourage from seeking H share listings companies whose original shareholders want to dispose of their shares and to introduce pre-listing strategic shareholders.

Zhejiang Glass is said to have recorded a net profit of more than 150 million Yuan (about HK$140.4 million) on turnover of 500 million Yuan last year. It forecast a net profit this year of about 200 million Yuan. Set up in 1994, the firm has a market share of about 4%.

Guardian Europe hosts corner stome laying ceremony in Poland
GUARDIAN EUROPE HOSTS CORNERSTONE-LAYING CEREMONY AT NEW FLOAT GLASS PLANT IN CZESTOCHOWA, POLAND
Auburn Hills, MI (September 5, 2001) -- Guardian Industries welcomed more than 300 customers, friends and government officials to Guardian Poland for the cornerstone-laying ceremony of its seventh European float glass plant. Located in the south-central Polish city of Czestochowa, the new plant represents an investment of more than 100 million Euros.
Guardian announced its intent to build its 21st float glass manufacturing facility and fabrication line in Czestochowa last December. Construction on the facility began in June and production is scheduled to begin in late 2002, bringing more than 250 jobs to the region. The new plant will operate 24 hours a day; seven days a week, producing 650 tons of float glass per day.
Ralph J. Gerson, executive vice president of Guardian Industries Corp., and Janos Együd, general manager of Guardian Poland, joined their Guardian Europe colleagues in welcoming several distinguished guests to the cornerstone-laying ceremony, including Wieslaw Maras, mayor of Czestochowa, and Jan Korzeniec, 1st deputy voivode of the Silesia region. The ceremony was held in honor of the strong economic development leadership shown by officials of the Polish Ministries of the Economy, Finance and Treasury; the City of Czêstochowa and the Special Economic Zone of Czestochowa.
The Czestochowa facility represents a continuation of Guardian’s commitment to the Central and Eastern European markets. Guardian’s Orosháza, Hungary, float glass plant was built in 1988, and its Thalheim facility in eastern Germany was built in 1995. The strong growth in float glass markets in these regions, coupled with growing customer demand for Guardian fabricated products, made Poland a high priority for Guardian’s expansion plans.
Since launching its first international float line in Luxembourg in 1981, Guardian has significantly expanded its float glass capacity and fabrication capabilities in Europe. In addition to float glass, Guardian Europe produces mirrors, laminated glass, tempered glass, and reflective and low-emissivity coated glass for the residential and commercial construction industries as well as European automakers.
Guardian Industries Corp. is a leading worldwide manufacturer of float glass and fabricated glass products for the commercial and residential construction industries, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. One of the Top 100 Global Automotive Suppliers, Guardian Automotive provides complete exterior systems to the global automotive industry. Guardian Fiberglass, Inc., a Guardian subsidiary, is one of the largest manufacturers of fiberglass in the world and occupies a significant and growing position in the building materials distribution business. Guardian, its subsidiaries and affiliates employ 17,500 people and operate facilities throughout North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.