July/August 2022
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JULY/AUG <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST<br />
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GLAZED IN<br />
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BEADED IN<br />
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TI_Cover for JULY/AUG22.indd 1 27/06/<strong>2022</strong> 11:<br />
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Editor’s Comment<br />
GEORGE LEWIS<br />
EDITOR<br />
GEORGELEWIS@MEDIA-NOW.CO.UK<br />
Save hours<br />
on-site with<br />
As I write this comment, the UK is working its way through the hottest<br />
few days ever seen in the country. We are being told to stay indoors and<br />
go out only when necessary, but when sector forecasts like the recent<br />
Business Pilot Barometer state the home improvement boom is over, can<br />
glazing installers risk getting behind on projects or missing out on work<br />
as demand drops?<br />
Whilst the Business Pilot Barometer (page 10) suggests sales and leads were<br />
down in the last month, the positive news is that order values did climb again<br />
by about 1% on May and by 43% year-on-year, meaning the work is still<br />
there, it’s just that the market is going to be tougher moving forward.<br />
Opportunities do remain, as highlighted by a survey from NatWest that showed<br />
that people planning green home improvements rose from 16% at the end of<br />
2021 to 22% in May this year. So are green products the way forward? Potentially.<br />
We’re delighted to welcome two industry voices in Roy Frost of Listers and Ryan<br />
Bromley of smart home security expert Kubu. In Listers’ new Retail Therapy<br />
column, Roy discusses high-end products and the opportunities available to<br />
installers (p.14), whilst Ryan Bromley warns installers not to get left behind when<br />
it comes to offering homeowners smart security solutions (p.66).<br />
Elsewhere in the issue, I recently got the chance to speak to new Band of<br />
Builders CEO Gavin Crane about his exciting ideas for the construction charity<br />
over the next 10 years (p.44). And our Installer Insights features Leighanne<br />
Cox of family firm Speedy Home Improvements, which is celebrating 35 years<br />
in business this year (p.20).<br />
And that’s just a taste of this issue! So read on for all of the above, plus much more.<br />
Enjoy the issue!<br />
George<br />
GLAZED IN<br />
SECONDS<br />
BEADED IN<br />
SECONDS<br />
Award winning bi-folding doors<br />
TI_Cover for JULY/AUG22.indd 1 27/06/<strong>2022</strong> 11:32<br />
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Contents<br />
ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS<br />
32 GETTING TO KNOW PART F<br />
Robert Vaughan, Window Ware’s Product Manager, offers<br />
some top tips for any installers still wrestling with the<br />
revised Part F requirements for compulsory trickle vents<br />
and increased background ventilation<br />
44<br />
44 TOTAL TALK: BAND OF BUILDERS<br />
Band of Builders CEO Gavin Crane speaks to George<br />
Lewis about his plans for the charity and explains how<br />
he wants to develop it to help even more construction<br />
professionals who need support<br />
66 A SMART WAY TO GO<br />
Ryan Bromley, Co-Founder of Kubu Smart Security, discusses<br />
the exciting wave of ‘smart home’ products, and why this<br />
could be the key to installers winning new business...<br />
FEATURES<br />
24 MAKING WAVES ON HAYLING<br />
ISLAND<br />
When Alpine Homes looked to create a high-end housing<br />
development with stunning coastal views, Central Windows<br />
was called upon to supply and fit a contemporary solution that<br />
could stand up to the elements. Total Installer hears more...<br />
28 THE COMPLETE PACKAGE<br />
Ian Short, Managing Director of Uni-Blinds manufacturer<br />
Morley Glass, explains why today’s interior trends<br />
and the demand for ‘home tech’ are opening up huge<br />
opportunities for window installers<br />
40 KEEPING UP APPEARANCES<br />
Ian Griffiths, MD at Shepley, discusses the new Visage<br />
Modernist Collection and latest trends in composite<br />
doors<br />
48 IT’S TIME FOR ACTION<br />
Faisal Hussain, Chief Executive of the Double Glazing &<br />
Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme (DGCOS), looks<br />
deeper at the reasons behind the Glass and Glazing<br />
Mental Health Survey’s startling results...<br />
38<br />
52 BRING ILITE INTO YOUR HOME<br />
Wes Clarkson, Sales Director at SupaLite, discusses the<br />
company’s new ILite flat roof orangery system<br />
62 BUY WITHOUT THE HASSLE<br />
Paul Smith, Head of Marketing at F.H. Brundle explores<br />
the rise of glass balustrades, and explains how F.H.<br />
Brundle can make designing them quicker and easier<br />
than ever<br />
70 TRAINING UP<br />
Trevor Rabson, Training Manager at Werner, explains<br />
why training is so important when it comes to working<br />
at height safely, what installers need to consider and<br />
how best practice can make all the difference between<br />
safe working and potential injuries<br />
4 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
REGULARS<br />
14 RETAIL THERAPY<br />
In the first of a new series of columns from Listers,<br />
Group MD Roy Frost explains why premium products<br />
should be high up on your agenda if you want to grow<br />
your company<br />
20 INSTALLER INSIGHTS<br />
This month we put the questions to Leighanne<br />
Cox who forms part of Worthing-based father and<br />
daughter team at Speedy Home Improvements<br />
36 THE VIEW FROM CERTASS<br />
TRADE ASSOCIATION<br />
Jon Vanstone discusses his work with the Lighthouse<br />
Construction Industry Charity and explains why, with<br />
the knowledge that two construction workers commit<br />
suicide everyday, the time to act really is now<br />
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
06 TACKLING THE SKILLS SHORTAGE<br />
We hear how both the Window Company (Contracts) and the<br />
Glass and Glazing Federation are doing their bit to help the<br />
next generation into the industry<br />
07 SIGNIFICANT EMPLAS ORDER<br />
Emplas has placed an order for a £1million plus Forel Vertical<br />
IGU-line, significantly increasing its capacity but also driving<br />
an uptick in IGU quality<br />
10 BUSINESS PILOT BAROMETER<br />
Neil Cooper-Smith, Senior Analyst at Business Pilot, says the<br />
latest data suggests the market boom is well and truly over,<br />
but as he points out, opportunities still remain for installers...<br />
SECTIONS:<br />
WINDOWS<br />
24<br />
DOORS<br />
38<br />
GLAZED<br />
EXTENSIONS<br />
52<br />
HOME<br />
IMPROVEMENT<br />
62<br />
VEHICLES, TOOLS<br />
& WORKWEAR<br />
70<br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> T I 5
News Roundup<br />
TEAM MAKES VBH TICK!<br />
WAS KICKSTART A MISSED OPPORTUNITY?<br />
Tom Nicholls has<br />
joined the VBH<br />
team<br />
Hardware manufacturer VBH has been<br />
busy in <strong>2022</strong> recruiting new staff and<br />
giving existing team members new<br />
responsibilities where their proven skillsets<br />
can be brought to the fore.<br />
Simon Monks, MD of VBH, gave us the<br />
following overview of the ‘movers and<br />
shakers’ at the company: “Steve Thomas<br />
has moved from an internal position to<br />
become Area Sales Representative for<br />
South West England. His customers are<br />
already benefiting from Steve’s years of<br />
manufacturing experience. His sales team<br />
colleagues Tyler Shutts, Earl Tate and Colin<br />
Thomas have all been promoted to Regional<br />
Manager, for Northern England, South East<br />
England, and Wales respectively, following<br />
exceptional long-term performance.<br />
Three months after the deadline passed<br />
for hiring unemployed 16-24 year<br />
olds under the government’s Kickstart<br />
scheme, the award-winning installer The<br />
Window Company (Contracts) has asked<br />
why a scheme with so much potential to<br />
attract new young talent into the industry<br />
failed to deliver in anything like the<br />
numbers it promised.<br />
The Window Company (Contracts) took<br />
on Oliver Dixon, pictured right of image,<br />
and Adam Harman, left of image, under<br />
the Kickstart scheme at the start of the year and,<br />
at the end of their six months, both have now been<br />
offered permanent jobs as Trainee Window Fitters.<br />
Katie Thornton, Director of Compliance and<br />
Administration at the Chelmsford-based<br />
commercial installation business, said Kickstart<br />
was the ideal way to give Oliver and Adam a taste<br />
of the industry and see whether they had what it<br />
takes to build a successful career.<br />
She explained: “We provided a comprehensive<br />
training programme which included: manual<br />
handling, working at height, asbestos awareness,<br />
and loading and unloading, and that would have<br />
benefited them even if they hadn’t stayed with us.<br />
However, both fitted in from the very beginning and<br />
showed the kind of commitment and enthusiasm<br />
which meant we were delighted to offer them<br />
permanent roles. We would have been willing to<br />
deliver multiple cycles of Kickstart placements as<br />
the scheme really worked for us. It certainly had<br />
the potential to become a pipeline to attract young<br />
people who might never have considered a career<br />
in fenestration onto apprenticeships or higher-level<br />
training courses.”<br />
www.thewinco.co.uk<br />
“In Scotland, Pamela Paterson is now<br />
Operations Manager at our East Kilbride site<br />
with responsibility for the day-to-day running<br />
of the depot. Internally at the Gillingham<br />
HQ, Karen Campbell moves to the position<br />
of Internal Sales-Co-ordinator, linking the<br />
activities of our sales and marketing teams,<br />
and we have bolstered our Customer Service<br />
team with the recruitment of Leah Organ<br />
and Georgia Rowlatt. Both are new to the<br />
industry but are already getting great reviews<br />
from customers. Most recently, Tom Nicholls<br />
joined our accounts team to help ensure that<br />
everything behind the scenes runs smoothly.<br />
“Simon Eshelby also returns to VBH in the<br />
new position of Distribution & Systems<br />
House Manager, following six years away. It’s<br />
great to have Simon, and all his technical<br />
expertise, back at VBH."<br />
www.vbhgb.com<br />
TACKLING THE SKILLS SHORTAGE HEAD ON<br />
The first cohort of apprentices to join the<br />
Glass & Glazing Federation’s Skilled Pathways<br />
Scheme recently completed a 5 day induction<br />
course at the Milton Keynes site of GGF<br />
scheme partner Total Support Training.<br />
The course itself includes both practical and<br />
written elements, and on top of the technical<br />
knowledge introduced to the trainees, there are<br />
a number of practical tasks which provide a<br />
foundation knowledge of health and safety and<br />
basic glazing and glass processing skills. One of<br />
which is the delivery of the new manual handling<br />
course specific to our industry.<br />
The GGF partners with Total Support Training to<br />
bring the Skilled Pathways Scheme to fruition,<br />
which was created to help GGF members<br />
and the wider sector with a means to attract<br />
talented, skilled workers into the industry; all<br />
whilst contributing towards the Government<br />
estimated requirements of 500,000 additional<br />
skilled workers needed by 2050 to help meet its<br />
Net Zero policies.<br />
www.ggf.org.uk/training/<br />
6 TI JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
For more news and the latest updates, visit www.total-installer.co.uk<br />
SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT BY EMPLAS<br />
Emplas has placed an order for a £1million<br />
plus Forel Vertical IGU-line, which it says will<br />
significantly increase its capacity but also<br />
drive an uptick in IGU quality.<br />
Scheduled for delivery in the autumn, the<br />
investment will deliver a 45% uplift in capacity on<br />
its current 10,000 IGU a week capability.<br />
Ryan Johnson, Managing Director, Emplas said:<br />
“It’s a big investment but we can see the return<br />
that it will deliver for us and our customers, not<br />
only this year but a long way into the future,<br />
through faster manufacture, better quality and<br />
greater control of cost.<br />
“I don’t think this year will be quite as volatile as<br />
those that we have just been through but stability<br />
of IGU supply, the availability of glass and the<br />
control of cost, continue to exert a significant<br />
influence on the market.<br />
61% of installers say that ‘improving the<br />
buying experience’ is the primary reason for<br />
seeking new quoting software, according to<br />
latest research from Tommy Trinder.<br />
Tom Barfield, Business Development Consultant<br />
to Tommy Trinder, said: “2021 was all about<br />
saving time. Installers, working all hours to keep<br />
up turned to Framepoint in the need for speed as<br />
a means to get quotes out more efficiently. Quite<br />
honestly, installers just wanted their evenings<br />
and weekends back!<br />
“Our acquisition of Padiham and the investments<br />
that we have made to date give us far greater<br />
control over each of those factors.”<br />
Emplas' new IGU line will feature a Forel Vertical<br />
Washer and Water Treatment plant, plus its<br />
patented CR coating remover.<br />
Emplas has also opted for Forel’s Art AS Flexible<br />
Spacer Applicator.<br />
www.emplas.co.uk<br />
INSTALLERS: 'LET'S IMPROVE THE BUYING EXPERIENCE'<br />
“But this year, the thinking is different. In our<br />
more competitive, post-pandemic environment, installers are recognising that there’s more to<br />
winning hearts & wallets than simply getting a quote out of the door. Installers want software that<br />
will wow customers and help them stand out from the crowd – software that will help them deliver<br />
a great ‘buying experience.’”<br />
Commenting on the drive towards creating a unique customer experience at the sales stage, Chris<br />
Brunsdon, founder & CEO of Tommy Trinder added: “Customers love being able to try before they buy<br />
too – trying out different handles, colours and bar options and instantly seeing the results up close<br />
and in situ. All this adds up to a slick, memorable and fun buying experience. And in a flattening<br />
market, installers are telling us it’s becoming key to winning orders and staying ahead.”<br />
www.tommytrinder.com<br />
NEW WEBSITE GOES LIVE<br />
Following a record breaking year, leading<br />
arched and angled frame manufacturer Premier<br />
Arches has launched an innovative new website,<br />
enabling its fabricator, installer, trade counter<br />
and local builder customers to have full access<br />
to information about the products and services<br />
the company has to offer.<br />
Through the new website, customers now have<br />
easy access to information about Premier<br />
Arches’ full product range, which includes<br />
arched, angled, gable, circular and entirely<br />
bespoke windows and doors in a range of seven<br />
stocked systems, including Residence 9, plus<br />
another five non-stocked systems.<br />
Customers can also find out more about the<br />
company’s three main business principles –<br />
exceptional manufacturing quality, clear, honest<br />
customer service, and a ‘make life easier’<br />
offering, which includes a slick online pricing<br />
and ordering platform that generates informed<br />
quotes on all products at the click of a button.<br />
www.premierarches.co.uk<br />
TRUCK INVESTMENT<br />
National PVC-U Recycling company CNC<br />
Recycling has taken delivery of the first<br />
of two new IVECO S-way tractor units,<br />
purchased as part of the ongoing fleet<br />
replacement and improvement scheme.<br />
Operations and Logistic Director Richie Knaggs<br />
commented: “This represents our continued<br />
investment in our growth, our commitment to<br />
our customers, providing them with the quality<br />
of service that they deserve. This commitment<br />
to service is the very ethos of the company and<br />
something we pride ourselves on. This also<br />
supports our valued members of staff, giving<br />
them the comfort and tools to do their fantastic<br />
work to the best of their ability."<br />
The company says this investment underlines<br />
the strategic growth and improvement for<br />
CNC Recycling this year, which also includes<br />
investment in staff training, IT development,<br />
collection vehicles and new production<br />
equipment. www.upvc-recycling.co.uk/<br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> TI 7
News Roundup<br />
‘NOBODY LEFT BEHIND’<br />
GQA Qualifications is lending its support<br />
to an initiative for young people called<br />
‘Nobody Left Behind’.<br />
The scheme combines community sports<br />
programmes with construction-related<br />
training and qualifications to improve young<br />
people’s employment prospects for entry-level<br />
construction industry roles.<br />
Nobody Left Behind works with groups of young<br />
people who have predominantly been social care<br />
service users, and gives support to try and steer<br />
them away from dropping into gang culture.<br />
Following a four-week programme of community<br />
sports training with household name sports<br />
stars, students move on to work towards gaining<br />
GQA’s Level 1 Award in Construction Health and<br />
Safety and the GQA green general construction<br />
site Labourer’s CSCS card, as well as H&Srelated<br />
training such as manual handling and<br />
traffic marshalling, all accredited through<br />
GQA. Civil Engineering Careers, the agency<br />
championing the work-related training then<br />
facilitates interviews with construction employers<br />
who look to offer employment opportunities to<br />
programme participants.<br />
GQA’s Technical Officer Phil Douglas said: “I<br />
understand that Nobody Left Behind has set itself<br />
the challenge of getting 1,000 young people into<br />
employment in the next four years, and that’s<br />
a goal we’re honoured to get fully behind. It’s a<br />
pleasure to see the sense of achievement on the<br />
faces of the young people when they are told they<br />
have passed their CSCS card test, and the joy in<br />
their voices when they tell their friends ‘I’m starting<br />
work on Monday’. The initiative is a perfect fit with<br />
GQA’s philosophy of people development.”<br />
www.gqaqualifications.com<br />
EMPLAS INSTALLER HELPS CHILDREN IN NEED<br />
After donating over £4,000 to children in<br />
need in the past year, Emplas installer Global<br />
Windows has renewed its partnership with<br />
Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.<br />
Last May, Global Windows pledged to donate £5 to the<br />
hospice for every window and door installation carried<br />
out, helping to support children with life-threatening<br />
illnesses, as well as their families.<br />
And last <strong>August</strong>, the company also sponsored a hole<br />
in one competition at the Bondhay Golf Club Captains<br />
Charity Golf Day, an event that helped to raise over<br />
£6,700 for the charity.<br />
“Since May last year, we’ve carried out 809<br />
installations across South Yorkshire, which adds up<br />
A group of 13 volunteers have taken on and<br />
completed the iconic Hadrian’s Wall Walk to<br />
raise money for UK construction charity Band<br />
of Builders.<br />
The team tackled the Hadrian’s Wall Path – an 84<br />
mile (135 km) treck from Wallsend, Newcastle upon<br />
Tyne in the east, to Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria<br />
on the west coast – adding on a few miles along the<br />
way to hit a total of 90 miles across four days.<br />
The team, backed by two support drivers, walked<br />
over 20 miles a day, braving sweltering heat,<br />
downpours, blisters and injuries to raise more than<br />
£20,000 for Band of Builders, a registered charity<br />
to £4,045 in donations to Bluebell Wood, something<br />
which we’re very proud to have achieved,” said Global<br />
Windows Managing Director Liam Hulme.<br />
www.global-windows.co.uk<br />
STEPPING UP FOR THE BAND OF BUILDERS<br />
Vista Panels has renewed its membership with<br />
the official police security initiative, Secured<br />
by Design (SBD), achieving Police Preferred<br />
Specification (PPS) on an impressive range of<br />
their best-selling doors, locks and hardware.<br />
“Being members and able to make doorsets to the<br />
SBD standard is a must for us as a company – our<br />
customers expect nothing less from us, whether it<br />
is for a commercial or domestic client, replacement<br />
security is always at the top of the list of requirements.<br />
It is reassuring that the option to upgrade to an SBD<br />
For more company news visit www.total-installer.co.uk<br />
set up to help members of the UK construction<br />
industry battling illness or injury. Martin O’Donnell,<br />
fundraising coordinator at Band of Builders, led<br />
the team on the challenge. He said: “Most people<br />
take on Hadrian’s Wall across six or seven days,<br />
so to complete it in four days was no mean feat.<br />
We had plenty of highs and lows along the way,<br />
but everyone agreed that blisters, injuries and long<br />
days are worth it to do our bit to help others when<br />
they need it.”<br />
www.bandofbuilders.org/<br />
Read our interview with new Band of Builders<br />
CEO Gavin Crane on page 44<br />
VISTA PANELS RENEWS SBD MEMBERSHIP<br />
specification is always there for them,” commented<br />
Ian Smith, Head of Sales and Marketing.<br />
Secured by Design is owned by the UK Police<br />
Service and works to improve the security of<br />
buildings and their immediate surroundings, with<br />
the specific aim to reduce crime and help people<br />
live more safely. SBD is the only way for companies<br />
to obtain police recognition for security-related<br />
products in the UK.<br />
www.vistapanels.co.uk<br />
8 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
SUPPORTING BETTER<br />
Mental<br />
Health<br />
IN THE GLAZING INDUSTRY<br />
60.5%<br />
76.3%<br />
86.8%<br />
89.5%<br />
believe there is a mental health<br />
crisis in the glazing industry<br />
experiencing burnout from their<br />
workload from the last 2 years<br />
believe there isn’t enough mental<br />
health awareness in our sector<br />
have seen an increase in their<br />
workload since the pandemic<br />
Scan the QR code or visit<br />
qrco.de/DGCOS-mhsurvey<br />
to download the results<br />
from our <strong>2022</strong> mental<br />
health survey.<br />
DGCOS is a consumer protection scheme<br />
for the installation of double glazing products.<br />
Being a member of DGCOS shows that as an<br />
installer you are committed to complying with<br />
high standards of consumer protection.<br />
Faisal Hussain<br />
CEO<br />
Find out more: 0345 053 8975 | info@dgcos.org.uk | installers.dgcos.org.uk
The Business Pilot Barometer<br />
'THE BOOM IS OVER'<br />
Neil Cooper-Smith, Senior Analyst at Business Pilot, says the latest data suggests the market<br />
boom is well and truly over, but as he points out, opportunities still remain for installers...<br />
We can now say with confidence that the<br />
market cooled significantly in the last<br />
quarter, with sales dropping by around<br />
12% in the three months from April to June.<br />
It follows a small drop in average sales in June on<br />
May, down by 3%. The number of new leads also<br />
fell month-on-month, recording a 6% drop.<br />
Those monthly falls aren’t necessarily anything<br />
to write home about. The three-month trend,<br />
is, however, worth noting. The market is down,<br />
inflation has hit, and the boom is over.<br />
Year-on-year, things are stark. Sales are down<br />
June <strong>2022</strong> on June 2021 by 30%. Leads are down<br />
29% over the same period.<br />
As we have stated previously, this doesn’t<br />
indicate that we’re heading for a crash, the yearon-year<br />
change is nonetheless striking.<br />
Average order values, did, however, continue to<br />
climb, up 1% on May. Year-on-year, June <strong>2022</strong><br />
compared to June 2021, the increase is 43%.<br />
As we highlighted last month, we attribute this to a<br />
shift away from single item and ad hoc aspirational<br />
spend, for example the purchase of bi-folds or a<br />
new front door, to a more comprehensive whole<br />
house approach to home improvements.<br />
This is being driven by inflationary pressures,<br />
which is on the one hand driving an element of<br />
market contraction, but on the other creating new<br />
opportunities, particularly in home energy efficiency.<br />
Although the rate of house price inflation has<br />
slowed, simple pressures of supply and demand<br />
mean that the house prices have held firm. As<br />
long as people have equity in their properties and<br />
confidence in the housing market we can expect<br />
them to continue to want to invest.<br />
The Greener Homes Attitudes Tracker from<br />
Natwest showed last month that the number of<br />
people planning green home improvements rose<br />
from 16% at the end of 2021 to 22% in May<br />
this year. It also suggests that homeowners were<br />
bringing improvements forward in response to<br />
rising energy prices.<br />
This indicates that those with a greater<br />
disposable income are continuing to spend. Those<br />
who are feeling the pinch, aren’t.<br />
While council tax rebates and energy relief<br />
payments from government are welcome, they<br />
provide a short-term solution only.<br />
We would argue against this context and as called<br />
for by the Climate Change Committee at the end<br />
of June, the creation of a programme to support all<br />
homeowners in improving the energy efficiency of<br />
their homes is now pressing from an environmental<br />
but also socio-economic perspective.<br />
We believe that this pattern is going to define the<br />
market going forward this year and into much of 2023.<br />
The Bank of England says it expects Inflation to<br />
hit a high of 11% before falling back to around<br />
2% by sometime in 2024.<br />
The market is going to be tougher for the<br />
foreseeable future, so understanding where<br />
your leads are coming from and maximising<br />
conversions is going to be key.<br />
The Business Pilot Barometer offers a monthly analysis of the key trends defining window and door<br />
retail, drawing on real industry data collated by the Business Pilot customer relationship management<br />
system (CRM). Business Pilot uses cloud-based technologies to give installers complete visibility of every<br />
element of their operation from leads and conversions to job scheduling, cost of installation, service<br />
calls, and financial reporting.<br />
www.businesspilot.co.uk www.businesspilot.co.uk/barometer<br />
10 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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*Discount applies to all trade customers and applied to the first, single item purchase only of the Korniche Bi-folding Door | *Korniche Bi-folding door price is based on 7-7-0 configuration 5100 x 2000<br />
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Contract Retail Therapy Talk<br />
WHY PREMIUM PRODUCTS ARE KEY<br />
TO YOUR GROWTH<br />
In the first of a new series of columns from Listers, Group MD Roy Frost explains why<br />
premium products should be high up on your agenda if you want to grow your company...<br />
The window and door industry is great at<br />
reinventing itself. Colour, foils and flush<br />
systems are a big part of the current<br />
reinvention of PVC-U windows and doors.<br />
It’s worth remembering for a moment that pre-2011,<br />
PVC-U flush casements didn’t exist; The Residence<br />
Collection revolutionised window and door design.<br />
Flush casements are now a very familiar, if not<br />
quite assuming the status of a ‘standard product’.<br />
I’d argue among them R9 and the Residence<br />
Collection is still the standout flush casement<br />
window, something which is a credit to Dan Gill’s<br />
vision more than a decade ago.<br />
Designed way before the current round of revisions<br />
to Part L, with nine chambers, it still comfortably<br />
meets requirements for new build as well as home<br />
improvement, with U-values as low as 0.84W/m 2 K<br />
and A++ Window Energy Ratings.<br />
R7 does the same in a 75mm system. These are<br />
top performing products in a premium tier of the<br />
PVC-U market.<br />
With Timeless, our third flush PVC-U casement, we<br />
offer each in a mitred or traditional 90 butt joint.<br />
In fact, we’ve doubled sales of Residence<br />
Collection products in the last 12 months,<br />
redefining the layout of our factory to allow us to<br />
meet increased demand by doubling the space<br />
allocated to our premium PVC-U lines.<br />
The growth that we’re seeing in aluminium is also<br />
exciting. We’ve been manufacturing Reynaers for<br />
some time but added Sheerline to our range at the<br />
beginning of this year carrying its complete Prestige<br />
offer, including its installation time-saving bi-fold.<br />
Residence Collection, Timeless, Sheerline,<br />
Reynaers – it all adds up to what we see as a very<br />
comprehensive premium offer.<br />
Listers Group MD<br />
Roy Frost<br />
We can also colour match standard colours<br />
across our PVC-U ranges on the same lead times,<br />
including agate-grey-on-white.<br />
This premium offer becomes more important<br />
now going into a period when it appears that the<br />
market is becoming less buoyant.<br />
The pandemic (supply chain disruption aside),<br />
and the ensuing home improvement boom, made<br />
it comparatively easy to make money for most of<br />
2020 and 2021.<br />
As furlough cash has dried up and the costof-living<br />
crisis has hit home, those impulse<br />
purchases which drove sales during consecutive<br />
lockdowns have disappeared.<br />
Instead, what we’re seeing is a clear divide<br />
between people for whom inflation is noticeable<br />
but ultimately won’t change their behaviours, and<br />
those who are now really struggling and have to<br />
reign in their spending.<br />
It’s not so much a contraction but a redefinition<br />
of the market, putting increased focus on<br />
premium products.<br />
And the incentives to spend on home<br />
improvements are now even greater if you<br />
still have the cash to invest – and believe me,<br />
people do.<br />
There are lots of homeowners out there who have<br />
either delayed improvements because it’s been<br />
difficult to pin down a good contractor because<br />
they’ve been so busy, or have perhaps delayed<br />
works in the hope of a better deal.<br />
Energy price increases are also influencing the<br />
market. They represent a double-edged sword for<br />
the window and door industry.<br />
With average bills hitting £2,000 per year and<br />
forecast to hit £2,300 this autumn, energy wholesale<br />
price increases have been a root cause of inflation.<br />
At the same time they deliver a very clear<br />
incentive to make energy efficient home<br />
improvements. If you have the cash, spending<br />
money on new windows and doors to lower your<br />
energy costs is simply logical.<br />
And if you’re in the bracket where inflation isn’t really<br />
hurting you too much and you’ve decided to invest in<br />
your property, it is likely that aesthetics are going to<br />
be as equally important to you as energy savings.<br />
That makes premium products doubly important<br />
in supporting future growth in retail and on two<br />
distinct fronts – energy efficiency and aesthetics.<br />
The products that we offer – Residence Collection,<br />
Timeless, Reynaers and Sheerline – deliver against<br />
each and are available from us on the same lead<br />
times.<br />
You can also hear Roy explain why there is such<br />
demand for high-end products, along with why Listers<br />
is investing heavily in machinery, on Glaze Tube. View<br />
here: http://glaze-tube.co.uk/investment-growthat-listers/<br />
Contact Listers:<br />
01782 391900<br />
www.listerwindows.co.uk/<br />
@ListerTF<br />
14 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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Glaze Tube: Video Content<br />
PRESS PLAY ON QUALITY CONTENT<br />
FOR YOUR SECTOR...<br />
Glaze Tube is the platform for digital content from the leading players in your sector.<br />
Easily accessible on any device, Glaze Tube is packed full and constantly updated with<br />
practical, informative and entertaining video content, including how-to’s; project and<br />
product focuses; installation advice; training and webinars; plus interviews and opinions<br />
from those operating throughout the supply chain. Here’s a taste of what you’ll find:<br />
Bohle MD Dave Broxton<br />
discusses the market for glass<br />
and explains how efficiencies<br />
can be made during production<br />
Find out more about the<br />
greenteQ Orion TS007 3 Star<br />
profile cylinder from VBH<br />
E<br />
TUBE<br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT<br />
INTERVIEWS & OPINIONS<br />
INSTALLATION ADVICE<br />
THE ONLINE<br />
COMMUNITY FOR<br />
INSTALLERS AND<br />
FABRICATORS<br />
16 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
GLAZE<br />
TUBE<br />
Listers MD Roy Frost says<br />
there is strong demand<br />
for high-end products,<br />
and explains why the<br />
company is investing<br />
heavily in machinery<br />
Rob McGlennon,<br />
Managing Director of<br />
Deceuninck, explains how<br />
and why sustainability<br />
is at the heart of the<br />
business, and the steps<br />
the team is taking to<br />
ensure a more sustainable<br />
future<br />
So head over to www.glaze-tube.co.uk to view all these videos and so much more, or<br />
if you’d like to make the most of your digital content, contact a member of the team on<br />
01892 732 047 to put your company and products in front of your potential customers.<br />
GLAZE<br />
TUBE<br />
FIND US AT WWW.GLAZE-TUBE.CO.UK<br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> TI 17
Contract FIT Show 2023 Talk<br />
'A VERY SPECIAL YEAR FOR FIT'<br />
When FIT Show returns in May 2023, it will mark 10 years since the show started. Nickie<br />
West, FIT Show Event Director, says big plans are in store for its anniversary year and tells<br />
When FIT Show returns next May<br />
(Birmingham NEC, 23 - 25 May 2023) it<br />
will mark a full decade since the event<br />
was launched in the same month of 2013.<br />
The sector has evolved significantly over the<br />
years and FIT Show has continued to evolve and<br />
reflect – growing in both size and the breadth of<br />
products and brands on display.<br />
Nickie commented: “We’ve really hit the ground<br />
running hot on the heels of our delayed 2021<br />
event. 2023 is a very special year for FIT Show<br />
as we celebrate a decade of innovation and ten<br />
brilliant years since we launched the fenestration<br />
industry’s only dedicated UK platform.<br />
“We have been extremely fortunate to have<br />
retained the support of so many brands over this<br />
time, many of them have grown with us.<br />
“The floorplan for 2023 is hotting up fast and<br />
there’s a really strong mixture of heritage and<br />
new brands, plus a broadening of materials and<br />
products. Brands such as Haffner, ODL, Glazpart,<br />
Selecta Systems, Renolit, Konig UK and Profitmaker<br />
have signed up to 2023 and, in doing so, have done<br />
every single show with us since we started.<br />
It’s this brand loyalty that sets FIT Show apart from<br />
most shows. We’ve also got some really big brands<br />
who are well known in the industry who have never<br />
exhibited with us before, but who have done their<br />
analysis and are now choosing FIT as a tried and<br />
tested platform – brands like Technal for example.<br />
“We’re always looking at ways to encourage new<br />
and entry level brands to take their first step on<br />
the exhibition ladder with FIT Show. I’m excited to<br />
share the plans of our grassroots initiatives over<br />
the coming weeks.<br />
“I think the support, enthusiasm and success of<br />
our <strong>2022</strong> event reinforces why FIT Show is such a<br />
crucial fixture in the fenestration calendar.<br />
Total Installer what’s happening behind the scenes for 2023...<br />
Above, Top l-r: Matthew Glover, Nickie West and Paul Godwin.<br />
Above: FIT Show celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2023<br />
“There really is no other tried and tested platform<br />
like FIT Show when it comes to delivering the best<br />
possible ROI for exhibitors, and a compelling and<br />
rewarding experience for visitors.”<br />
Chris Reeks, MD of Fentrade Aluminium, exhibited<br />
at FIT Show for the first time in <strong>2022</strong> and shares<br />
his thoughts on why he’s returning for 2023, and<br />
why FIT Show is the industry’s main event.<br />
Chris said: “We are looking to build upon the<br />
success of our inaugural show in <strong>2022</strong> where we<br />
met with existing and potential customers and grew<br />
our presence as an aluminium trade manufacturer.<br />
“We see the 2023 FIT Show as a springboard<br />
to launch the next stage of our growth and<br />
development strategy by increasing our brand<br />
awareness within the industry and further<br />
growing our customer base.<br />
“As a company, one of the deciding factors to<br />
exhibit for 2023 centred around the 10 year<br />
anniversary; there will be an even bigger focus<br />
and emphasis on the show for 2023 because<br />
of this which will drive more footfall to the<br />
exhibition. It will be great to be a part of the<br />
celebrations as we ourselves will be celebrating<br />
our five-year anniversary.<br />
“Having been a visitor to FIT from the first show<br />
in 2013 I have seen it grow, and more importantly<br />
the team learn from each event to keep changing<br />
and adapting to the industry’s needs. It was<br />
always something when launching Fentrade in<br />
2018 that was kept to the forefront as a marketing<br />
strategy when I believed the time was right.<br />
“I see FIT as an integral part of the industry to<br />
showcase new products and to be able to network<br />
with a large amount of customers, suppliers and<br />
industry colleagues in a very short space of time.<br />
It is important to us as a marketing vehicle and<br />
also an opportunity to maximise our resources to<br />
meet and greet customers and suppliers alike.”<br />
Nickie explained what visitors can expect from FIT<br />
Show 2023. She continued: “For visitors, as well<br />
as being able to compare all of the latest products<br />
side-by-side – which you simply cannot do<br />
anywhere else – FIT Show provides a direct link to<br />
manufacturers and the industry experts.<br />
“Additional features, such as our CPD learning<br />
programme and live product demos, help visitors to<br />
broaden their knowledge and to upskill with a view<br />
to doing better business when they leave the show.<br />
“It’s also our ten year anniversary and a big<br />
milestone for the whole industry.<br />
“We’d love for everyone to come together and<br />
help celebrate everything that we have achieved<br />
together over the past decade. I’m hoping that there<br />
will be lots of faces, both old and new, when we<br />
open the doors on a decade of FIT Show next May.”<br />
Contact FIT Show:<br />
0207 886 3100<br />
www.fitshow.co.uk<br />
@fitshow<br />
18 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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Installer Insights<br />
IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR<br />
Leighanne Cox forms part of Worthing-based father and daughter team at Speedy Home<br />
Improvements. We caught up with Leighanne to discuss recent projects, the importance of the<br />
personal touch with customers, and the challenges around finding staff that fit with the team...<br />
Total Installer (TI): What was your path into<br />
the sector?<br />
Leighanne Cox (LC): My dad Greg has always<br />
been in the trade, so, when I turned 15-years-old,<br />
he gave me a Saturday job answering the phones<br />
to earn some pocket money.<br />
Pictured: Leighanne Cox and<br />
her father Greg: Speedy Home<br />
Improvements celebrates 35 years<br />
in business this year<br />
After I left school, I became a qualified<br />
hairdresser and worked in the bars at Butlins<br />
before he asked me to give him a hand again, this<br />
time cleaning up the end of a job he had done.<br />
That was 13 years ago, and I’ve never left.<br />
TI: If you had one piece of advice about<br />
starting an installation business, what would<br />
it be?<br />
LC: Invest as much money as you can in<br />
marketing. I’ve learned from business that you<br />
need to create a solid link in your circle for your<br />
brand, advertising, vans being sign written and of<br />
course, recommendations – the power of ‘word of<br />
mouth’ and ‘social’ is huge.<br />
If you let one of the links go, it all starts falling<br />
apart. It’s not an easy trade and I’ve learned lots<br />
of lessons along the way, but it is also rewarding<br />
when you can stand back and look at what you’ve<br />
achieved.<br />
We basically used to have just a ‘shack’ that<br />
we worked from, which suited us at the time.<br />
However, as the business grew, we knew we<br />
needed a professional showroom.<br />
That was probably the best money we’ve ever<br />
spent and has helped us to double sales to £2.5m.<br />
The transformational project is something I’m<br />
personally very proud of.<br />
Continued on page 22<br />
20 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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Installer Insights<br />
Continued from page 20<br />
TI: Tell us about a recent project you are<br />
proud of...<br />
LC: We put a job through planning, which has<br />
taken nine months to get approved as we have<br />
had to make some complex changes due to<br />
planning requests.<br />
A recent project completed by<br />
Leighanne and the Speedy Home<br />
Improvements team<br />
This job has everything involved. We are<br />
building a 10-metre orangery with an L-shaped<br />
conservatory wrapped around the orangery to<br />
accommodate an indoor hot tub.<br />
“The power of ‘word of<br />
mouth’ and ‘social’ is<br />
huge”<br />
Our expert fitters are also replacing a flat roof<br />
that is already there and installing a lantern and<br />
‘GRPing’ the new roof and replacement windows<br />
throughout.<br />
This is going to be our biggest project on a single<br />
house, and we are very much looking forward to<br />
getting started on the installation.<br />
TI: What is the most difficult/challenging<br />
project that you’ve worked on?<br />
LC: The biggest challenge we find more than the<br />
individual jobs is the customer. Every client tends<br />
to have different expectations and ways they<br />
would like the project completed, so the challenge<br />
is quickly realising what their expectations are so<br />
that we then put in place a process to meet them.<br />
TI: What’s the most frustrating thing about<br />
your job?<br />
LC: The change in all the new regulations for<br />
building control and every building inspector<br />
wanting slightly different things from us.<br />
TI: And the most satisfying?<br />
LC: Getting great feedback from customers and,<br />
importantly, seeing our staff enjoy their job and the<br />
immense pride they have in what they do. Without<br />
our employees, Speedy Home Improvements<br />
wouldn’t be the great business it is today.<br />
“We feel the personal approach tends to sort<br />
issues out quicker”<br />
TI: How do you deal with difficult customers?<br />
LC: We always pick the phone up rather than<br />
email, as we feel the personal approach tends to<br />
sort issues out quicker. If they don’t answer the<br />
phone, we will pop round and see them.<br />
It is always best to deal with people immediately<br />
rather than leave any issues to fester.<br />
“Without our<br />
employees, Speedy<br />
Home Improvements<br />
wouldn’t be the great<br />
business it is today”<br />
TI: What is your opinion of online reviews? Are<br />
they a blessing or a curse for the installer?<br />
LC: I feel they are a curse. We do lots and lots of<br />
installations but we have only 20 reviews.<br />
The very small minority who take to the keyboards<br />
are often ‘warriors’ and only there to cause a<br />
fuss. It would be good if we could turn the tables<br />
and write reviews about customers!<br />
TI: What’s the biggest issue currently affecting<br />
you as an installer?<br />
LC: Finding staff that fit with the business is<br />
always a challenge and currently there is no<br />
specific course available that brings the next<br />
generation of glazers and fitters though.<br />
We are passionate about changing this and are<br />
actively looking at ways we can create our own<br />
course for them; something they can complete<br />
that will give them the skills they need for the<br />
job, but also a recognised qualification that they<br />
have for the rest of their careers.<br />
It would generate a great sense of<br />
achievement.<br />
Contact Speedy Home Improvements:<br />
0808 149 3569<br />
www.speedybuild.co.uk/<br />
22 TI JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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Case study<br />
MAKING WAVES ON HAYLING ISLAND<br />
When Alpine Homes looked to create a high-end housing development with stunning<br />
coastal views, Central Windows was called upon to supply and fit a contemporary<br />
solution that could stand up to the elements. Total Installer finds out more...<br />
Resting in the shadow of its larger sibling the<br />
Isle of Wight, Hayling Island is one of the<br />
nation’s best kept secrets – a seaside retreat<br />
home to over five miles of unspoilt coastline.<br />
REHAU’s TOTAL70 windows<br />
were used throughout the<br />
Yacht Haven project<br />
The close proximity of the cities Portsmouth and<br />
Chichester make the island an ideal location for<br />
both holidaymakers and new residents alike,<br />
which is exactly why Alpine Homes chose it as<br />
the location for their latest housing development,<br />
Yacht Haven.<br />
Since its foundation, the Hampshire-based<br />
company has grown to become one of the most<br />
recognisable names in the county, constructing<br />
over 200 homes throughout the cities and shores<br />
of the South Coast.<br />
Its portfolio spans everything from urban highrise<br />
apartments to traditional country homes.<br />
A place by the sea<br />
Yacht Haven would prove to be one of Alpine<br />
Homes’ most compelling projects to date – a<br />
gated development of six luxury properties with<br />
stunning waterside views, including a pontoon for<br />
each home to access water-based activities.<br />
With the build soon underway, Alpine Homes<br />
called upon locally-based Central Windows to<br />
source and fit window frames that would suit<br />
such high-end surroundings.<br />
Chris Fields, Project Manager at Alpine Homes,<br />
said: “The unique demands of the coastal<br />
environment meant that we needed profiles that<br />
could stand up to the elements.<br />
“However, it was critical that this did not come<br />
at the expense of compromising the modern look<br />
and feel of the build.<br />
“For this reason, we enlisted the help of Central<br />
“The unique demands of the coastal environment<br />
meant that we needed profiles that could stand<br />
up to the elements”<br />
Windows to help us identify the correct product<br />
for our needs.”<br />
Let the sunshine in<br />
Central Windows specified REHAU’s TOTAL70<br />
windows and Invisifold doors in anthracite grey<br />
on white as the best fit for the build.<br />
The tilt-and-turn system’s slender profiles allow<br />
for a larger glass area to let more natural light in,<br />
while also ensuring that it would be resistant to any<br />
corrosion caused by the coastal environment.<br />
Steve Smith, Managing Director at Central<br />
Windows, explained: “We’ve been specifying<br />
REHAU windows for a number of years now and<br />
continue to be impressed by the quality of service<br />
and product they offer. The chamfered system<br />
provided a contemporary look in keeping with<br />
the rest of the property, while also remaining<br />
more cost-effective than timber or aluminium<br />
alternatives.<br />
Continued on page 26<br />
24 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
Total performance<br />
with TOTAL70<br />
Our TOTAL70 window and door system<br />
achieves the highest possible energy ratings<br />
and performance. The unique compound with<br />
a smooth gloss finish ensures that your windows<br />
retain their pristine appearance for years to<br />
come meaning they will never warp, rot or<br />
need repainting.<br />
Windows. Reinvented for modern life.<br />
www.rehau.uk/windows<br />
enquiries@rehau.com<br />
Tel: 01989 762600
Case study<br />
Continued from page 24<br />
Due to the location, the windows<br />
had to be resistant to any corrosion<br />
caused by the coastal environment<br />
“These solutions also allowed us to easily meet<br />
the U-value requirements set out in current<br />
building regulations, meaning that the homeowner<br />
could benefit from a more energy-efficient<br />
property.”<br />
Creating forever homes<br />
Due to their high-performing PVC-U polymer,<br />
REHAU’s TOTAL70 windows achieve an A+<br />
rating for thermal efficiency – the highest<br />
Window Energy Rating (WER) currently<br />
possible.<br />
Double glazed units would also ensure that the<br />
“The TOTAL70 range has<br />
long proved an ideal fit<br />
for residential builds,<br />
and Yacht Haven is no<br />
exception”<br />
residents of Yacht Haven could access peace and<br />
quiet inside of their home whenever it was desired,<br />
despite the close proximity of the waterfront.<br />
Moreover, as the TOTAL70 range makes use of a<br />
unique compound with a smooth gloss finish, the<br />
frames are guaranteed not to rot, warp or be in<br />
need of painting, even after years in place.<br />
Combined with an energy efficiency rating<br />
far exceeding current standards – even in<br />
light of recent uplifting of these requirements<br />
under the Future Homes Standard – Yacht<br />
Haven residents can enjoy long-lasting, quality<br />
frames.<br />
Luke Boban, Area Sales Manager at REHAU,<br />
concluded: “The TOTAL70 range has long proved<br />
an ideal fit for residential builds, and Yacht Haven<br />
is no exception.<br />
“The innate qualities of the product made it an<br />
ideal fit for the coastal environment, ensuring<br />
that the homes would remain energy-efficient and<br />
resistant to the elements without compromising<br />
on views of the surrounding scenery.<br />
“We’ve received glowing feedback from all<br />
involved with this project, so look forward to<br />
working with both Alpine Homes and Central<br />
Windows again in future.”<br />
Contact REHAU:<br />
01989 762601<br />
www.rehau.com/uk-en<br />
@REHAUWindows<br />
26 TI JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
New Part L<br />
Building<br />
Regulations<br />
Compliant.<br />
Oh so<br />
SIMPLE<br />
The Virtuoso Gateway is a quick and simple online tool where you can order<br />
your customer’s new door. You can access the Gateway twenty-four hours a day,<br />
seven days a week. Getting started is easy, just set up a Virtuoso trade account,<br />
and once registered you will have access to your own dashboard, where you can<br />
use the ‘design-a-door’ tool, generate instant quotes and place an order.<br />
There’s Oh So much more to discover, contact<br />
sales@virtuoso-doors.co.uk or visit virtuoso-doors.co.uk/gateway<br />
Nationwide Coverage. Competitive Lead Times. Unlimited Colour Choice.
Integral blinds<br />
With curtains and traditional window<br />
dressings falling out of fashion in recent<br />
years, homeowners are increasingly<br />
turning to blinds to provide the shading and<br />
privacy they are looking for.<br />
But many of us also want clean sightlines and<br />
less clutter in our rooms – something that can<br />
be at odds with ‘standard’ blinds that are usually<br />
wall or frame mounted.<br />
These types of blinds are also incompatible with<br />
bi-fold doors and the large sliding doors that are<br />
very on-trend.<br />
THE COMPLETE PACKAGE<br />
Today’s interior trends and the demand for ‘home tech’ are opening up huge opportunities<br />
for window installers to offer their customers integral blinds as part of a complete package.<br />
Ian Short, Managing Director of Uni-Blinds manufacturer Morley Glass, explains why...<br />
So, many homeowners will be asking how they<br />
incorporate shading and privacy into these<br />
premium products at the very early stages of their<br />
renovation work or extension.<br />
This presents an excellent opportunity to offer<br />
Uni-Blinds integral blinds with all new windows<br />
and doors. Available in cordless, motorised,<br />
solar-powered and corded versions, these sleek<br />
blinds sit between the panes of glass inside<br />
double or triple glazed units. They enable any<br />
accomplished window and door installer to offer<br />
homeowners a package that fits with how they<br />
want their homes to look today – not what they<br />
would have chosen 10 or 20 years ago!<br />
This is why the Uni-Blinds brand is growing<br />
strongly, reflecting the homeowner shift, with<br />
volumes up 50% in 2021 alone. Every Uni-<br />
Blinds unit features high quality ScreenLine blind<br />
systems from Pellini, which are renowned globally<br />
to always look great and function reliably over<br />
time, providing the best value to homeowners.<br />
And it is here where it is important to think about<br />
cost versus value. Adding Uni-Blinds into the<br />
package will obviously increase the overall sale<br />
value, but don’t let this put you off! Remember<br />
that the additional cost compared to windows<br />
and doors without integrated blinds will be offset<br />
by the savings the customer will make by not<br />
having to buy traditional window blinds – we<br />
Above: Uni-Blinds integral blinds provide a solution for large areas of glazing. Inset: Ian Short, Managing Director of Morley Glass.<br />
think it represents a win-win for installers and<br />
the customer!<br />
Unlock a superb sales opportunity<br />
In addition to offering homeowners the highest<br />
quality integral blinds on the market, Uni-Blinds<br />
also provide a solution that caters for a huge<br />
variety of décor styles and property types. This<br />
enables installers to carefully tailor the integral<br />
blinds to fit the customer’s needs.<br />
The Uni-Blinds range includes Venetian and<br />
pleated integral blinds with five different control<br />
systems and a wide variety of colours. And the<br />
good news for installers is that this range is<br />
always evolving to provide integral blinds that can<br />
be finely tuned to different lifestyles and personal<br />
taste, as two of the most recent Uni-Blinds<br />
innovations demonstrate.<br />
The pleated blackout provides all the benefits of<br />
an integral blind with darkness on demand. Ideal<br />
for use in children’s nurseries, bedrooms and<br />
cinema rooms, or anywhere where external light<br />
is causing a nuisance, its design prevents light<br />
‘bleed’ around the edges and along the cords to<br />
give an outstanding result.<br />
Another recent innovation is the SV+ cordless<br />
sliding Venetian integral blind. This is an evolution<br />
of the most popular Uni-Blinds system, the SV,<br />
which is sold in its thousands every month.<br />
The SV+ caters for customers who love the<br />
appeal of the cordless slider to raise, lower<br />
and tilt the blind, but prefer the view through<br />
the windows to be symmetrical. It is a subtle<br />
difference, but one that some end-users will<br />
really value.<br />
Further Uni-Blinds benefits come through the<br />
unrivalled service provided by Morley Glass.<br />
This includes nationwide aftersales support and<br />
complimentary delivery in as little as 10-12 days<br />
when ordered by 10am on Thursdays. This means<br />
no long lead times and no long distance shipping,<br />
so installations can be completed quickly to the<br />
delight of homeowners.<br />
Contact Morley Glass:<br />
0113 277 8722<br />
www.morleyglass.co.uk<br />
@MorleyGlassGlaz<br />
28 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
Building for the future<br />
on the strength of our past<br />
• 43 Years of Trading<br />
• Family - owned<br />
• Single Source Supply for PVC-U and Aluminium<br />
• Complete Customer Support Package<br />
• Nationwide Deliveries<br />
• 24/7 Online Ordering and Order Tracking<br />
Award Winning Windows & Doors to the Trade<br />
t. 01933 674880 e. info@emplas.co.uk www.emplas.co.uk
PVCu & ALUMINIU
CALL:<br />
EMAIL:<br />
VISIT:<br />
M LEAD TIMES FROM JUST 5WORKINGDAYS!
Building Regulations<br />
GETTING TO KNOW PART F<br />
Robert Vaughan, Window Ware’s Product Manager, offers some top tips for any installers<br />
still wrestling with the revised Part F requirements for compulsory trickle vents and<br />
Months before the revised Part F of<br />
Building Regulations came into effect<br />
in England on 15th June, Window Ware<br />
had invested considerable resources into helping<br />
installers and fabricators to successfully navigate<br />
the changes and get ready to comply.<br />
“In the first instance,” explained Rob, “we quickly<br />
created a useful summary document which aimed<br />
to clarify the key points and help glazing specialists<br />
to quickly establish what the changes to Part F<br />
of Building Regulations really meant for them<br />
and their businesses when it came to supplying<br />
or fitting windows into new builds or property<br />
refurbishments after 15th June.”<br />
This summary is still available to download free of<br />
charge anytime at www.windowware.co.uk/partf<br />
But in a nutshell, this is what installers need to<br />
know:<br />
Part F is part of a bigger plan<br />
The revised Part F is just the first step on the path<br />
to achieving the Government’s Future Homes and<br />
Buildings Standard which comes into force in 2025<br />
and aims to future-proof homes by reducing their<br />
energy usage and greenhouse emissions.<br />
Further changes to building regulations over the<br />
next three years are certain, so be prepared!<br />
There’s no disclaimer for Document F<br />
Everyone in the building trade – from architects<br />
and hardware suppliers, to the fabricators and<br />
fitters – are responsible for compliance with<br />
Document F of Building Regulations. For installers<br />
and glazing retailers specifically, that means<br />
making sure the end user understands why vents<br />
must be fitted and being able to specify to the<br />
fabricator at point of manufacture exactly what<br />
ventilation provision they need to meet Part F<br />
regulations on each job.<br />
increased background ventilation.<br />
In effect, every window leaving the factory should<br />
now have a vent of some sort fitted.<br />
If not, installers need to be wary and willing to<br />
ask questions because it could invalidate their<br />
installation certification.<br />
Higher rates of ventilation are required<br />
As buildings become more airtight to improve energy<br />
efficiency in line with the Future Homes Standard,<br />
greater measures are needed to ensure adequate<br />
ventilation for the health and wellbeing of residents.<br />
The revised Part F aims to address this by<br />
increasing the minimum airflow requirement of<br />
background ventilation (provided by trickle vents,<br />
wall vents or intermittent extractor fans).<br />
For new build dwellings with multiple floors, this<br />
means achieving a minimum Equivalent Area<br />
(EA) of 8,000mm 2 in all habitable rooms e.g.,<br />
kitchens, living rooms or bedrooms.<br />
In new build single-story dwellings, the minimum EA<br />
for habitable rooms is even higher at 10,000mm 2 .<br />
And for non-habitable rooms like bathrooms, it’s a<br />
blanket minimum EA of 4000mm 2 no matter how<br />
many floors the building has.<br />
The rules aren’t quite so clear-cut in the<br />
refurbishment market, but all replacement<br />
windows will require some sort of background<br />
(trickle) ventilation.<br />
If the existing windows already have vents fitted,<br />
the replacement windows should include vents that<br />
achieve at least the same (but definitely not less)<br />
airflow performance. If there are no vents in the<br />
existing windows, then the replacement windows<br />
must have vents fitted that comply with the same<br />
minimum EA requirements mentioned earlier.<br />
Even if you’re only replacing a handful of windows or<br />
extending a property by just a small proportion, it’s<br />
better to play safe and meet the airflow requirements<br />
so the job won’t come back to bite you later.<br />
Wide range of vent options to support<br />
compliance<br />
“The good news is,” said Rob, “that Window Ware<br />
already offers a wide range of vent options which<br />
fabricators and installers can rely on to meet the<br />
increased airflow requirements of Part F.<br />
“In fact, our switched-on brand partners, including<br />
the likes of R W Simon, Glazpart and Yale – had<br />
new compliant vents under development as soon<br />
as Part F changes were confirmed, and together,<br />
we’ve worked flat out to have stock on the shelf in<br />
time for the 15th of June deadline.<br />
“Plus, a customer ventilation survey, carried out<br />
in May earlier this year, confirmed that the vent<br />
stock profile we were building was going to be<br />
bang on the money in terms of brand preferences,<br />
price point and performance.<br />
“Hopefully you and your fabricator are already on<br />
top of Part F compliance, but if not, then Window<br />
Ware has got your back with the right products<br />
and the right advice to help you have these new<br />
regulations down pat!”<br />
Contact Window Ware:<br />
01234 242 724<br />
www.windowware.co.uk<br />
@WindowWare<br />
32 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
” I save 30<br />
hours a month<br />
on quoting with<br />
Framepoint”<br />
Liam Best,<br />
Kalico Home<br />
Improvements<br />
...and it’s as simple as<br />
sketching on a pad.<br />
book a demo - www.tommytrinder.com
Updates<br />
LISTERS LEAD WITH SHEERLINE<br />
For further windows updates visit www.total-installer.co.uk<br />
Listers has become one of the first trade fabricators to supply the full range of Sheerline products,<br />
including the Prestige Window and S1 Sheerline Lantern.<br />
“After meeting with the engineers right at the start of the Sheerline journey, I could see exactly what<br />
they were trying to do in aluminium,” explained Roy Frost, Listers’ MD. “It is a real breath of fresh air: an<br />
aluminium system designed by PVC system designers.”<br />
The latest development from the aluminium systems company is a new state-of-the-art powder coating facility,<br />
which promises to control quality, and shorten lead times on ex-stock coloured profile, bringing them in line with PVC-U alternatives. For example, black, white and grey<br />
will be supplied by Listers on a two-week lead time, with a further nine on-trend colours available in just four weeks from Listers. “On colours alone, the most popular<br />
are made to stock, so they are available on very short lead times,” Roy said. “Agate grey on white isn’t a stock colour in most aluminium systems. But with Sheerline, it<br />
is on a two-week lead time, which means I can offer installers the same lead time as my PVC-U products.” www.listerwindows.co.uk<br />
REDESIGNED WINDOW WITH PARTS L & F IN MIND<br />
Window manufacturer Victorian Sliders has redesigned its ECOSlide window meaning it now complies with<br />
the requirements of Part L & F.<br />
The upgraded product will deliver U-values of 1.4 and a BFRC Rating of A+14 to meet Part L, and by fitting<br />
each window with the maximum number of trickle vents as standard up to 10,000mm2 (EQA), Victorian Sliders<br />
are ensuring it will meet Part F too. The window will be priced at £249, for any size up to 1300mm x 2400mm.<br />
Group Managing Director Steve Winslet said: “Installers around the country are crying out for products that help<br />
them quickly and easily meet the requirements of Part L and F – and that’s exactly what we’re providing them<br />
with. Trickle vents can ruin the appearance of a window if they’re implemented poorly, but thanks to an ingenious design by our founder and Group CEO<br />
Scot Starkey, this isn’t the case. The vents are concealed, meaning the ECOSlide sash window aesthetics are retained.” www.victoriansliders.co.uk<br />
SENSCHECK MAKES SENSE FOR SIERRA<br />
Yale has announced Sierra Windows as the first official launch partner for SensCheck, the company’s<br />
new range of integrated smart window and door lock sensors.<br />
The partnership will see Sierra Windows – part of the Epwin Group – supply all its PVC casement window, flush<br />
window, and door products with SensCheck compatibility as standard. This will enable homeowners to check the<br />
status of their doors and windows using their smartphones and devices while providing an outstanding smart<br />
advantage for installers.<br />
Yale SensCheck allows installers to offer smart windows and doors within their product range, benefiting<br />
from the association with the company. It is said that the fact that the consumer purchases directly from Yale means there is no risk for the installer –<br />
who is fully supported by Yale’s aftersales support team. www.yalehome.co.uk/sync-smart-home-window-and-door-sensors<br />
A SLIDING WINDOWS MOMENT<br />
Window Warehouse has announced its ‘biggest news of <strong>2022</strong> so far’ – the launch of its own range of<br />
vertical sliding windows.<br />
Remi Cake, Operations Director at the company (pictured) said: “Manufacturing vertical sliding windows<br />
is something we’ve wanted to do for years and to finally see our hard work pay off has been incredibly<br />
uplifting for the entire Window Warehouse team, especially after the challenges that have faced our<br />
industry over the last few years. We can now offer a top quality product that homeowners will love the<br />
look of and can also offer our trade partners a solution that benefits them greatly. We’ve chosen to work with leading suppliers and dedicated hardware<br />
manufacturers so that a Window Warehouse vertical sliding window will stand toe-to-toe with even the most established systems on the market,<br />
meaning our trade customers aren’t compromising on quality for their end users.” www.window-warehouse.co.uk<br />
34 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE<br />
PART L COMPLIANT<br />
PART F COMPLIANT<br />
Worried about recent changes to Part L and Part F of the<br />
building regulations?<br />
You don’t need to be. Victorian Sliders has it covered.<br />
Our celebrated ECOSlide window now delivers U-values of<br />
1.4 and a BFRC Rating of A+ to meet Part L, and by fitting<br />
each window with the maximum number of trickle vents<br />
as standard up to 10,000mm2 (EQA), we’re ensuring it will<br />
meet Part F too – all for just £249, regardless of size.<br />
With it, you’ll have everything you need to keep up with the<br />
latest regulations.<br />
Any size for<br />
£249<br />
Up to 1300mm x 2400mm<br />
1.4<br />
U-Value<br />
A+ rated<br />
Get compliant the easy way –<br />
speak to Victorian Sliders today.<br />
Call 01269 846200<br />
www.victoriansliders.co.uk<br />
*Any size white PVC-U window to a maximum width of 1300mm<br />
by a maximum height 2400mm. Includes white hardware<br />
and trickle vents as standard. Excludes curved, foiled<br />
or sprayed colours and georgian bars/astragal bars.<br />
All prices exclude VAT & delivery. Oversized<br />
windows are available at extra cost. (Maximum<br />
size 1600mm x 3000mm) Subject to any<br />
surcharge at time of sale. E&OE.
Contract The View Talk from Certass TA<br />
Every working day in the UK, two construction<br />
workers commit suicide. Just let that fact<br />
sink in for a moment.<br />
Not only is construction the number one industry for<br />
suicides in the UK, but the same shocking statistic is<br />
also true in Ireland, Australia and the USA.<br />
This is, quite literally, a deadly serious issue and<br />
it needs to be tackled now.<br />
TIME TO ACT<br />
Jon Vanstone, Chair of Certass Trade Association, discusses his work with the<br />
Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity and explains why when it comes to mental<br />
health issues, the time for action is now.<br />
Recent research revealed that the mental health<br />
of our workforce is in a bad way, with more<br />
than 20 percent of work-related illnesses due<br />
to stress, anxiety and depression. As ours is an<br />
industry dominated by men, who notoriously<br />
struggle to talk about their worries and feelings<br />
for fear of being judged, we believe this number is<br />
probably much higher.<br />
Most of us have been told to ‘man up’ at some<br />
point, and maybe we’ve even said it ourselves.<br />
It may seem like a harmless phrase, but it can<br />
reinforce the pressure that men come under to<br />
conform to cultural expectations, such as being<br />
providers and not showing weakness.<br />
This is an incredibly serious problem. We are<br />
becoming increasingly aware of the repercussions<br />
of poor mental health but in order to tackle the<br />
issue effectively, we need people to talk about it<br />
and highlight the gravity of its nature, rather than<br />
let those who are suffering do so in silence.<br />
As a cross industry concern, it’s vital that we<br />
keep enforcing the need for us to do more and<br />
accept the simple fact that without collective<br />
action, the numbers will only get worse.<br />
I am proud to be the ambassador for the<br />
Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, the only<br />
one of its kind that provides emotional, physical<br />
and financial wellbeing support to construction<br />
workers and their families, helping those in need<br />
when times are tough.<br />
The charity was founded more than 65 years ago<br />
by a group of gentlemen who had been attending<br />
a Ministry of Public Buildings and Works<br />
Exhibition on Tyneside.<br />
Finding themselves on the seafront at Whitley Bay<br />
and under the light of St Mary’s Lighthouse, they<br />
vowed to extend the goodwill they enjoyed at the<br />
show by starting something to unite and benefit<br />
the entire industry.<br />
From those humble beginnings, the impact of<br />
the Lighthouse Club has grown significantly year<br />
on year. In 2021, we helped more than 2,800<br />
construction families and our aim is to double<br />
that amount this year.<br />
A crucial element of our strategy is to provide<br />
a range of free and widely available proactive<br />
resources to support the industry, including a<br />
24/7 helpline for employers and employees as a<br />
first point of contact for those who need to access<br />
a variety of completely confidential services.<br />
There’s also a free Construction Industry Helpline App<br />
aimed at those who may not feel comfortable speaking<br />
with someone or would like more information about<br />
how they can help themselves before taking the next<br />
step in seeking professional help.<br />
We also offer a variety of free construction-focused<br />
training programmes, ranging from hour-long<br />
interactive wellbeing sessions through to the MHFA<br />
England-approved Mental Health First Aider course.<br />
The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity<br />
receives no public funding and relies entirely on<br />
the generosity of those within the industry to help<br />
us continue our vital work.<br />
Every penny raised means we can do more, so<br />
any businesses with funds to spare, please look at<br />
donating to our cause or organising a Lighthouse<br />
fundraising event. You can find more information<br />
here: www.lighthouseclub.org/support-us/<br />
Our goal is to break the stigma of talking about<br />
mental health and for everyone to know that there<br />
is always hope, safety and support.<br />
Remember, every working day in the UK, two<br />
construction workers commit suicide. Now is the<br />
time to act.<br />
Jon Vanstone spoke about the importance<br />
of mental health and how we need to do<br />
more at the FIT Show in May<br />
Contact Certass Trade Association:<br />
01292 292 095<br />
certassta.co.uk<br />
@CertassTa<br />
36 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
New Part L<br />
Building<br />
Regulations<br />
Compliant.<br />
ONLY THE SKY’S THE LIMIT<br />
19 STOCK LANTERNS AND<br />
GLASS DELIVERED WITHIN<br />
JUST 5 DAYS.<br />
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• 19 stock roofs ready for dispatch<br />
• Roof and glazing in one delivery<br />
• Slimmer sightlines<br />
• Delivery via our own fleet, providing complete care and assurance<br />
• A choice of Regular, Contemporary or Square roof lantern designs<br />
Lantern Flat Rooflight Skyroom Conservatories Verandas Lean-tos<br />
To find out more or to order and receive your stock lantern in just FIVE DAYS,<br />
visit atlasroofsolutions.co.uk/stock or call 0283 832 7741
Bi-folds<br />
'DESIGNED FOR INSTALLERS'<br />
Paul Bailey, Managing Director at Pyramid Aluminium, explains how the new SlimFold<br />
Developing our new SlimFold bifold<br />
door system has been an<br />
interesting process. We knew<br />
from the start that we wanted to do<br />
things slightly differently and although<br />
many other bi-folds are made mainly<br />
with the homeowner in mind, we knew<br />
that we wanted to make something<br />
which also considered the requirements<br />
of the installer.<br />
Speaking to our installer customers<br />
allowed us to design something<br />
which benefitted both them and the<br />
homeowner. We focused on making<br />
their lives easier by ensuring the door<br />
is easier to fit while still offering the<br />
impressive benefits that homeowners are looking<br />
for.<br />
Part L compliance<br />
There’s been a lot of focus on Part L for the<br />
industry this year, with big changes to the<br />
Building Regulations.<br />
As much as some bi-fold doors claim to be<br />
Part L compliant, this is often only the case when<br />
they’re using a triple glazed unit or special glass<br />
which is much more expensive, or by adding extra<br />
insulating components that can make the door<br />
more vulnerable in operation. SlimFold achieves a<br />
1.4 U-value with standard double glazing.<br />
When we designed SlimFold, we knew the<br />
importance of meeting the new Building<br />
Regulations, which is why we included a range<br />
of features to ensure it met Part L even with a<br />
standard Low-E glass, argon filled, warm edge<br />
double glazed unit. No high-spec glazing required.<br />
The frames also include a flexible insulating strip<br />
which sits between the two polyamide thermal breaks,<br />
providing extra insulation and also creating 4 extra air<br />
chambers for outstanding thermal performance.<br />
We know that the new building regulations have<br />
caused some confusion at times, but SlimFold<br />
gives installers complete peace of mind.<br />
bi-fold door is helping improve the lives of installers...<br />
Pyramid Aluminium has taken onboard feedback from installers in order to make its doors<br />
as easy as possible to install<br />
Easy Click Glazing Bead<br />
As well as making SlimFold comply with Building<br />
Regulations, we wanted to make it super easy for<br />
installers to fit.<br />
After hearing our customers speak to us about<br />
the glazing process, we knew it would be a huge<br />
benefit to be able to speed this up and make it<br />
much easier for installers.<br />
The development of the easy click glazing bead<br />
makes light work of glazing bi-fold doors, with<br />
the aluminium bead simply clicking into place to<br />
drastically reduce installation time.<br />
Pre-fitted Sill<br />
There were two major things we wanted to achieve<br />
with SlimFold. We wanted to maximise the amount<br />
of glass and make it easy to install. The sill helped<br />
achieve both of these objectives.<br />
Rather than the door sitting on top of the sill, we’ve<br />
factory fitted it to the outer frame. This removes the<br />
timely process of unpacking the sill, fitting it with<br />
silicone and then fitting the door after.<br />
With SlimFold you simply fit the door with the sill<br />
included, meaning along with the easy click bead,<br />
you save even more time on site.<br />
As well as the installation benefits, having the sill<br />
fitted to the outer frame provides an extra 30mm<br />
of glass, as it removes the additional height you<br />
get when the door sits on top.<br />
This means homeowners can maximise<br />
the amount of natural light coming<br />
into their home and minimise the<br />
obstruction of outside views.<br />
4100mm sightlines<br />
The slim profiles also helped us further<br />
maximise the glass area on the SlimFold<br />
door, to help homeowners create fantastic<br />
light-filled spaces in their home.<br />
The ‘more glass, less frame’ trend has<br />
always been popular, and one of the<br />
main reasons for choosing wide span<br />
doors is to gain more natural light.<br />
However, bi-folds with normal frame<br />
widths can block the light coming in and obscure<br />
the view. With 100mm sightlines, SlimFold is one<br />
of the slimmest on the market, helping to create<br />
light and airy living spaces, which impresses<br />
homeowners and makes it much easier to sell.<br />
Anti-stretch thermal gaskets<br />
We’ve put a lot of detail into developing every<br />
detail of the SlimFold door to be the best it<br />
possibly can, including the seals. We’ve used<br />
anti-stretch gaskets to increase the performance<br />
of the door and also simplify life for installers. The<br />
anti-stretch feature means that it stays in place<br />
for longer and there’s no need to return to site for<br />
costly call backs. It also means the door performs<br />
for longer with significant weatherproofing<br />
benefits.<br />
SlimFold – made with installers in mind<br />
We’ve been able to include all of these features<br />
by working with direct feedback from installers<br />
and doing things differently. Everything that we’ve<br />
included in the SlimFold is designed to help<br />
simplify life for installers and make fitting and<br />
selling aluminium bi-folds as easy as possible.<br />
Contact Pyramid Aluminium:<br />
01543 454242<br />
www.pyramid-profiles.co.uk/<br />
38 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
New Part L and<br />
Part F Building<br />
Regulations<br />
Compliant.<br />
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lead times, Duraflex systems delivered within just five days.<br />
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talking. Visit polyframetrade.co.uk/responsive<br />
or call 01453 826884.
Composite door trends<br />
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES<br />
Ian Griffiths, Managing Director at Shepley, discusses the latest trends in composite doors<br />
and how the new Visage Modernist collection helps installers make the most of new trends...<br />
The level of design flexibility offered by<br />
composite doors is not only one of the key<br />
benefits, but also one of the main reasons<br />
for their rapid rise in the market.<br />
A regular in the top ten most popular home<br />
improvements in surveys, replacing the front<br />
door gives homeowners the chance to express<br />
themselves and create something which is truly<br />
unique to them, and there are so many different<br />
styles and designs to choose from. Just a quick<br />
walk down most streets will show you how many<br />
different types are out there.<br />
With appearance being such a big reason for<br />
homeowners opting for a new front door, installers<br />
need to be able to offer a wide range of composite<br />
styles to help homeowners find what they’re<br />
looking for and help increase sales volume.<br />
Having standard colours and designs isn’t a bad<br />
way to go – you’ll probably have something to<br />
cover most markets – but there has been a rise<br />
in homeowners wanting to stand out with their<br />
entrances, so it’s important to be able to offer<br />
them doors which are unique and on trend.<br />
As a supplier, we have also had to adapt our product<br />
range to keep up with these trends and expand our<br />
offering to help installers offer a bigger selection of<br />
choices. But what are the trends at the moment and<br />
how can installers make the most of them?<br />
Making a statement<br />
The vast array of options available to<br />
homeowners for their front doors is clear for<br />
everyone to see. Some homeowners stick with<br />
traditional styles and colours with a modern twist,<br />
whereas many others will go the opposite way<br />
and choose a more contemporary door. Typically,<br />
the anthracite grey door with a long bar handle is<br />
a staple of what people consider to be the ‘must<br />
have’ style door. But demand for these doors is on<br />
the decline slightly, with newer trends taking over<br />
Shepley has added new vibrant colour schemes for its doors,<br />
including Colza Yellow (above)<br />
as people are now looking for more eye-catching<br />
and unique options. More and more homeowners<br />
are wanting something bright and bold to make a<br />
statement, and 1 in 4 of our composite door sales<br />
reflect this.<br />
Front doors have become a trend setter in<br />
home improvements and through our Visage<br />
brand, Shepley has developed the flexibility that<br />
installers need to adapt quickly to market trends<br />
and avoid missing out on offering homeowners<br />
statement-making styles.<br />
The new Modernist range from Visage is the<br />
perfect tool to add to your weaponry and achieve<br />
just that. Named after innovative artists, the<br />
doors offer the best of contemporary styling with<br />
exciting new groove designs, as well as colours<br />
and stunning glass options to allow homeowners<br />
to express themselves and choose something<br />
which makes them stand out from the crowd.<br />
New colours and glass<br />
The main ways which homeowners will<br />
personalise their composite doors are through<br />
glass and colour. The colour is the main thing<br />
people notice and helps set the tone. Colour<br />
trends are constantly changing, and we’ve<br />
reflected this rise in demand for more eyecatching<br />
doors by expanding our range of options.<br />
We’ve added bold and exciting colours, including<br />
Telemagenta, a bold and vibrant pink, and Colza<br />
Yellow, another radiant tone, as well as many<br />
more statement colours. All of these are designed<br />
to help installers capture the market of those<br />
looking for something to stand out.<br />
Glass is also a great way of customising your<br />
composite door. Although slightly more subtle<br />
than the colour, the glass has a huge effect on<br />
overall appearance and also helps people put their<br />
personal stamp on it. We’ve increased the number<br />
of glass options to include some outstanding new<br />
designs, such as New Orleans and Horizon, offering<br />
an interesting twist to the contemporary aesthetic.<br />
There is also a range of more traditional styles<br />
for those looking for a striking contrast between<br />
classic and modern design.<br />
Greater choice<br />
These new colours and designs have also been<br />
extended across the complete range of Visage<br />
composite doors to give homeowners a huge<br />
level of choice for their property. Homeowners<br />
expect lots of options when it comes to designing<br />
their front door as they want something which is<br />
personal to them. Being able to offer a greater<br />
level of choice is a huge point of difference for<br />
installers and this is something which can be<br />
easily achieved with the Visage range.<br />
With 48 door styles and 40 colour options, your<br />
customers will have the world at their fingertips<br />
and the greater level of options available will help<br />
you sell more and ensure that you’re not missing<br />
out on any potential customers.<br />
Contact Shepley/Visage Online:<br />
0161 339 2433<br />
www.visageonline.co.uk<br />
@VisageOnline<br />
40 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
Innovation comes built-in<br />
60<br />
Quotes<br />
available in<br />
60 minutes<br />
VERSATILE PRIVACY AND<br />
SHADING FOR EVERY DOOR<br />
Our bespoke integral blinds are made to measure to suit<br />
all window and door applications (including bi-folding<br />
and sliding doors).<br />
Morley Glass & Glazing Ltd<br />
Unit 3<br />
Leeds 27 Industrial Estate<br />
Bruntcliffe Way<br />
Leeds LS27 0HH<br />
morleyglass.co.uk<br />
0113 277 8722 sales@morleyglass.co.uk
Updates<br />
VBH, the company behind the greenteQ range of hardware and furniture, has reported a steep rise in<br />
registrations for its Q-secure consumer security guarantee.<br />
Q-secure guarantees the security of windows, doors and patio doors up to a potential £8000 payout, which is paid<br />
direct to the end user in the event of a break in through a registered product.<br />
Installations must have been carried out by an approved Q-secure installer and registered direct with VBH.<br />
VBH advised that registrations in the first quarter of <strong>2022</strong> are 87% up on those in the final three months of 2021.<br />
Marketing Manager Gary Gleeson said: “A near doubling of registrations is really encouraging and shows that our<br />
guarantee is proving a hit with our customers who find it to be a real help in closing deals. Q-secure Network members have a valuable, but free, extra carrot to dangle<br />
now that sales people once again have to work hard to achieve new business.” To find out more or join the network, email: info@vbhgb.com<br />
TIMBERLOOK IS JUST A TAP AWAY!<br />
PROTEQ10 PROFILE POPULARITY RISES<br />
For further doors updates visit www.total-installer.co.uk<br />
Q-SECURE BOOST WITH STEEP REGISTRATION RISE<br />
Tommy Trinder has teamed up with trade supplier Affordable Window Systems to make its<br />
Timberlook range of heritage windows and doors available to show off to homeowners in a tap.<br />
Tommy Trinder’s patented Framepoint Technology allows users to free draw windows and doors with<br />
their finger or mouse, just like sketching on a pad. Installers can show clients how new windows will look<br />
in their homes with a click. Phil Myers, Sales Director of Affordable Window Group, commented on the new<br />
partnership: “Teaming up with Tommy Trinder has been fascinating. The Framepoint platform makes it<br />
easy for installers to demonstrate the value of our carefully designed heritage products. The in-app pricing<br />
function saves considerable time, enabling installers to provide professional and accurate quotations<br />
within minutes. It will set our trade customers apart from the rest of the competition!” www.tommytrinder.com / www.timberlook.com<br />
VBH (GB) has reported a continued increase in take up of its proteQ10 profile cylinder guarantee.<br />
proteQ10 is a free guarantee offered with each greenteQ Orion TS007 3 star profile cylinder.<br />
If the Orion cylinder is snapped in situ, allowing the door to be opened unlawfully, VBH will pay the resident £2000 direct<br />
in compensation, according to the terms of the guarantee.<br />
Orion was launched early in 2021 and is said to have proven to be very popular among manufacturers of all kinds of<br />
doors, from residential doors through to bi-folds and sliders.<br />
VBH advise that the guarantee is also proving to be a hit with consumers as the numbers of cylinders registered under<br />
the scheme in the combined months of April and May were 25% up on the previous two months. Gary Gleeson of VBH<br />
said: “We get nothing but positive feedback on Orion both from industry professionals and from consumers. End users really appreciate the fact that their locks are<br />
guaranteed to the tune of £2000, and the fact that the operation of Orion is guaranteed for 10 years.” www.vbhgb.com<br />
VBH (GB) TEAM CELEBRATE 4O YEARS IN STYLE!<br />
Hardware specialist VBH (GB) turned 40 in <strong>July</strong>!<br />
After originally supplying British fabricators direct from Germany, Peter Kinze of VBH group company Heinz<br />
Wagner persuaded the board that a local company was needed to capitalise fully on the riches that the<br />
fledgling UK market could bring. Peter recruited Graham Organ and Barry Amey, and Heinz Wagner (GB) Ltd<br />
opened in Rochester on 7th <strong>July</strong> 1982. This company changed its name to VBH (GB) in 2009.<br />
The first product lines were mainly European and Wagner even sold door panels for a while. Although many<br />
of the brands have disappeared from the range, some, such as Roto and Deventer, are still very much part of<br />
VBH’s product portfolio, alongside the company’s own greenteQ brand. The VBH team celebrated in style with<br />
a dinner/dance at Leeds Castle in Kent in May. Staff from all three UK sites got together to remember old<br />
colleagues and, in many cases, to meet new ones. www.vbhgb.com/<br />
42 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
Advertorial: Solidor<br />
BUILDING REGS CHANGES: ARE<br />
INSTALLERS PREPARED?<br />
Patrick Dean, Sales Director at Solidor, explains what the changes to Part L of the<br />
Building Regulations mean for installers and how Solidors can help them achieve the<br />
Some key changes to Part L of the Building<br />
Regulations in England – which focus on<br />
thermal performance and energy efficiency<br />
– came into force on 15 June <strong>2022</strong>, alongside<br />
associated regulations on ventilation (Part F) and<br />
overheating (Part O). Similar changes will come<br />
into effect in Wales on 23 November <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
The uplift in Part L of the regulations includes a<br />
requirement for new homes to produce around<br />
31% less CO2 than current standards and a 27%<br />
reduction of emissions from other new buildings,<br />
including offices and shops.<br />
required U-values.<br />
These changes will help move us closer to the<br />
requirements of the Future Homes Standard (for<br />
dwellings) and the Future Buildings Standard (for<br />
non-domestic buildings). Both standards come<br />
into force in 2025 and are designed to give us<br />
buildings which are zero-carbon ready, equipped<br />
with low carbon heating systems and achieve<br />
world-leading levels of energy efficiency.<br />
Impact on installers<br />
Installers have a responsibility to ensure the<br />
products they use are going to meet the required<br />
performance standards.<br />
This means that products must meet increasingly<br />
strict thermal performance criteria and achieve<br />
lower U values than before. They play a key role<br />
in improving the energy efficiency of a building.<br />
As of 15 June, doors fitted in new homes must<br />
achieve U-values of 1.6 W/(m 2 .K). In existing<br />
dwellings they must achieve 1.4 W/(m 2 .K). This<br />
means that installers should pay particular<br />
attention to the materials being used to<br />
manufacture the products they are fitting.<br />
While Building Regulations do not apply directly to<br />
individual construction products, timber door products<br />
play a very important part in helping architects,<br />
builders and developers meet the new requirements.<br />
Working with the UK government and trade<br />
association partners including the British<br />
Woodworking Federation (BWF), a consensus<br />
was reached that there was limited scope<br />
to immediately improve further the thermal<br />
performance of certain products.<br />
This includes a range of products, including<br />
doorsets where:<br />
• The door leaves are primarily solid timber slabs<br />
formed of laminated timber in single or multiple<br />
layers (Solidor falls into this category), or;<br />
• Are panelled timber door leaves formed from<br />
traditional stile and rail construction with infill panels.<br />
It does not matter what material is used for the<br />
door frames or the facing material, as it is the<br />
timber door leaf that is limiting the component.<br />
For timber doors, a maximum U-value of 1.8 W/(m 2 .K)<br />
or Doorset Energy Rating Band E is permissible until<br />
14 June 2023, but from 15 June 2023 the full stand of<br />
1.6 W/(m 2 .K) for new dwellings and 1.4 W/(m 2 .K) for<br />
existing dwellings applies.<br />
Under the Building Regulations, Solidors are<br />
classed as timber product due to its 44mm<br />
timber core with 2mm ABS skins.<br />
Reassurances from Solidor<br />
Solidor makes its products using a high-quality<br />
composite of materials that help ensure strength,<br />
durability and kerb appeal. Composite doors are one of<br />
the most energy efficient products you can choose.<br />
Solidor products have a solid timber core, rather<br />
than one made from compressed polyurethane<br />
foam, which comes from sustainable forests and<br />
is easily recycled. At 48mm, timber core composite<br />
doors are thicker than other types of door.<br />
Timber core composite doors have Acrylonitrile<br />
Butadiene Styrene skins which provide a robust<br />
thermo-plastic door skin, making them incredibly<br />
durable.<br />
The result is a product that is far more resilient than<br />
a standard UPVC door that is both better at insulating<br />
homes and protecting them from unwanted intruders.<br />
Contact Solidor:<br />
0808 115 5741<br />
www.solidor.co.uk<br />
@SolidorLtd<br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> T I 43
Total Talk: Band of Builders<br />
A HELPING HAND<br />
Band of Builders CEO Gavin Crane speaks to George Lewis about his plans for the charity and<br />
how he wants to develop it to help even more construction professionals who need support...<br />
“We want to be for construction what<br />
Help for Heroes is to the military”,<br />
proclaimed Gavin Crane, the<br />
first ever CEO of construction charity Band of<br />
Builders.<br />
I recently spoke to Gavin about his career in the<br />
industry leading up to joining Band of Builders,<br />
and his ambitious plans to build on its already<br />
solid foundations and ‘expand its scope, reach and<br />
influence within the industry over the next five to<br />
ten years and beyond’.<br />
The Band of Builders has been on an upward curve<br />
since 2016 when Addam Smith helped friend and<br />
employee Keith Ellick who had been given the<br />
devastating news that he had terminal cancer.<br />
Construction workers<br />
can have a chat and<br />
a brew with other<br />
members of the industry<br />
during the many Big<br />
Brew events<br />
Addam and 50 other volunteers from plumbers,<br />
builders, tilers, plasterers and landscapers all<br />
helped to transform Keith’s home.<br />
Gavin, a landscaper by trade, saw this project from<br />
afar and wanted to get involved as soon as he<br />
could. The second project was announced for the<br />
following year, and being a landscaping project, it<br />
was the perfect fit for Gavin.<br />
Gavin said: “Because it was a landscaping project,<br />
I thought it would be the one I’d have most impact on.”<br />
Gavin was right. He became the project lead over<br />
a two-week period which saw 150 different trades<br />
turn up to support. He added: “It’s so rewarding to<br />
get stuck in and hands on.<br />
“If you ask anyone that volunteers as part of the<br />
Band of Builders, they’ll say it’s addictive; it’s like<br />
a drug. Once you’ve done one you can’t wait for the<br />
next one.”<br />
Gavin was hooked from then on and wanted<br />
to be part of every project. He expressed an<br />
interest to join the backroom team looking at the<br />
fundraisers and events and subsequently joined<br />
the administration team as a volunteer.<br />
Band of Builders is built on the work of its<br />
volunteers, and it is only in the last year that the<br />
charity has been in a position to employ people.<br />
Now able to hire people, Band of Builders asked<br />
Gavin to become a trustee. It was at this time that<br />
Band of Builders was applying for charity status<br />
and Gavin explained that during his time as a<br />
trustee he helped finalise the process with Band of<br />
Builders achieving charity status in 2019.<br />
But Gavin wasn’t done there. He then became<br />
Chairman of the Board of trustees and has now<br />
become its first ever CEO, which means Gavin is in a<br />
prime position to build on the success of the charity.<br />
He is so passionate about Band of Builders and<br />
sees such a strong need for the charity’s services<br />
both now and in the future that he stepped away<br />
“I consider myself very fortunate that<br />
I have been given this opportunity<br />
where my passion can become my<br />
profession”<br />
from his landscaping business to take on the<br />
full-time role of Band of Builders CEO. But it’s<br />
a decision he doesn’t regret it one bit; quite the<br />
opposite: “I consider myself very fortunate that I<br />
have been given this opportunity where my passion<br />
can become my profession.”<br />
Part of his new role is to map out the charity’s<br />
strategy and vision, and that means looking 5-10<br />
years in advance, whilst building further strategic<br />
partnerships and developing more fundraising<br />
opportunities.<br />
Band of Builders relies on merchants for materials<br />
for projects such as national partners Jewson,<br />
DeWALT, Gibbs & Dandy and Talasey. Nearly all<br />
materials for the Band of Builders’ projects are<br />
supplied by donations from merchants.<br />
Continued on page 46<br />
44 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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Total Talk: Band of Builders<br />
Continued from page 44<br />
Gavin said: “The merchants are so generous and<br />
willing to support what we do. There is a real<br />
community spirit around the supply chain.”<br />
All projects are volunteer led and involve<br />
members of the industry from different trades<br />
Gavin explained that another portion of the<br />
charity’s strategy includes the ‘ambition to be a<br />
positive voice on issues affecting the construction<br />
industry, such as apprenticeships, the skills gap,<br />
inclusion and gender discrimination’.<br />
He said: “We want to work collaboratively with<br />
industry to address the skills gap. Only 12% of new<br />
learners at a construction college come out and<br />
into a trade. We need new people (in the industry)<br />
and part of that is improving diversity, equality and<br />
inclusion.”<br />
But interestingly, also as part of his vision for the<br />
next 12 months, Gavin wants to have drawn up<br />
plans to devolve the national Band of Builders and<br />
create regional divisions. He believes that this will<br />
allow the charity to do more projects and therefore<br />
increase the amount of support they can provide.<br />
“Where we’re looking to do one event a month<br />
nationally, if we can devolve Band of Builders into<br />
regional sections we can probably try to do two or<br />
three per region per month”, he explained.<br />
He added that he hopes to reach a target of 250<br />
Big Brew events this year, which is over 100 more<br />
than last year.<br />
The Big Brew events aim to highlight mental health<br />
struggles within the construction industry and<br />
raise funds to expand on Band of Builders’ recently<br />
launched wellbeing support service by offering<br />
construction workers a chance to take time out to<br />
talk to someone whilst having a ‘brew’.<br />
“We really want to focus on mental health<br />
support”, he said. According to the Office for<br />
National Statistics, more than 1,400 construction<br />
workers committed suicide in the UK between 2011<br />
and 2017, and that figure is why Gavin and the<br />
Band of Builders are on hand to help construction<br />
workers when they potentially need it most.<br />
That support includes a closed Facebook group<br />
where members can open up on any problems they<br />
are going through.<br />
Surprisingly, Gavin said that members of the group<br />
tend to open up to others more than friends or family<br />
as it is someone completely unknown to them.<br />
He explained: “As soon as they take that leap (in<br />
talking to someone) others soon follow and they<br />
realise they are not alone because others are going<br />
through the same thing.”<br />
And Gavin feels that there are even more problems<br />
currently facing the industry. He said: “We’ve<br />
already seen an increase in demand for our grants<br />
service due to cost of living.”<br />
Part of Gavin’s long-term vision for the Band of<br />
Builders is to develop an emergency housing<br />
strategy for members of construction. This would<br />
mean the Band of Builders initiating projects to<br />
develop its own properties for emergency housing<br />
use.<br />
But he also said that his ‘ultimate goal’ would be<br />
for the Band of Builders to have its own national<br />
wellbeing recovery and rehab centre for the injured<br />
at work, members with addiction amongst others,<br />
but this could be in the next phase of his vision<br />
10-15 years from now. It’s an ambitious goal,<br />
but with the rapid growth of Band of Builders and<br />
support of those involved, not an unrealistic one.<br />
When asked what someone reading this article<br />
should do if they know someone who is struggling,<br />
Gavin said: “ask, and ask again”. He explained<br />
that someone can self-refer themselves via the<br />
Band of Builders website and can also use the free<br />
counselling service of which Gavin said the uptake<br />
had already been “really encouraging”.<br />
The charity also wants to urge people to “know<br />
their STATS”. Gavin explained that STATS is a<br />
simple mnemonic for remembering how to look for<br />
other people who may be experiencing a mental<br />
health crisis. It stands for:<br />
S – Support each other<br />
T – Talk about it<br />
A – Always ask twice<br />
T – Take it seriously<br />
S – Stop the cycle<br />
But wanting to end on a lighter note, we asked<br />
Gavin for his stand out moments during his time<br />
at Band of Builders. He said: “There are lots. But<br />
nothing beats seeing the difference the impact our<br />
work has on each of our beneficiaries.”<br />
He concluded that he is ‘proud of our mental health<br />
and wellbeing path’, and if the last few years are<br />
anything to go by, that upward curve of which Band<br />
of Builders is on is nowhere near ready to slow<br />
down just yet.<br />
Contact Band of Builders:<br />
0300 015 4808<br />
bandofbuilders.org/<br />
@bandofbuilders<br />
46 TI JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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Mental health focus<br />
IT'S TIME FOR ACTION<br />
Total Installer hears from Faisal Hussain, Chief Executive of the Double Glazing &<br />
Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme (DGCOS), who looks deeper at the reasons behind the<br />
Glass and Glazing Mental Health Survey’s startling results...<br />
DGCOS Chief Executive<br />
Faisal Hussain<br />
When we released the Glass and Glazing<br />
Mental Health Survey <strong>2022</strong> last month, we<br />
could not have predicted the outpouring of<br />
support and interest, and in some cases, installers<br />
sharing their own personal battles with us.<br />
The survey shows the price we’re paying in<br />
terms of mental health as a sector: 89.5% of<br />
respondents have seen an increase in their<br />
workload since the Pandemic; 76.3% are<br />
experiencing burnout from their workload; 86.8%<br />
believe there isn’t enough awareness about<br />
mental health and sadly, 60.5% believe there is a<br />
mental health crisis in the glazing industry.<br />
Almost half of those questioned say they have felt<br />
‘very stressed’ over the last two years, with more<br />
than one in three feeling ‘very anxious’.<br />
Behind the stats<br />
We’re all aware of the battering the global supply<br />
chain has taken in recent years, and the fact is,<br />
it’s not growing fast or sustainably enough.<br />
The challenges of Brexit, new immigration bills,<br />
tariffs, containers stuck in the Suez Canal,<br />
unpredictable weather, erratic buying patterns,<br />
are all still out of control and having significant<br />
“We have a perfect<br />
storm when it comes to<br />
levels of stress”<br />
impact on our sector in terms of supply.<br />
Combine this with the home improvement boom<br />
at the start of the Pandemic, when the UK used<br />
a whole year’s supply of fencing and paint in just<br />
one month, and we have a perfect storm when it<br />
comes to levels of stress.<br />
Does nobody care any longer?<br />
But based on many of the verbatim comments<br />
given in the survey, it’s clear there’s something<br />
else going on.<br />
The majority of people, when asked to say in their<br />
own words what the main causes of stress were,<br />
named supplier issues.<br />
Here’s a selection of the comments: “Why are<br />
materials arriving in the wrong colour and wrong<br />
size? Is it because nobody cares anymore?”;<br />
“My supplier won’t pick up the phone to me”;<br />
“Very poor manufacturing”;<br />
“Supplier quality issues and learning to work with<br />
a 6 month rather than 2 month lead time;”;<br />
“I’ve often thought there must be an easier way<br />
to make a living.”<br />
The fact is, COVID can no longer be seen as an<br />
excuse for poor customer service.<br />
Sadly, the fact is that supply chain, safety, and<br />
staffing challenges are well-established market<br />
conditions now and can no longer be blamed on<br />
the Pandemic.<br />
It’s just part of the everyday problems that<br />
occur when running a business or dealing<br />
with customers, and no matter what happens,<br />
customer and supplier trust must be maintained.<br />
The situation is also surprising when you consider<br />
that according to the UK Customer Satisfaction<br />
Index (UKCSI) there has been huge growth in the<br />
number of customers prepared to pay more for<br />
better service since the beginning of the Pandemic.<br />
Keep communication lines open<br />
Poor communication when things go wrong has<br />
also been mentioned in the survey, with some<br />
respondents saying they just can’t get hold of<br />
their supplier on the phone or that emails aren’t<br />
48 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
eing answered.<br />
The stress that this adds to retail businesses,<br />
already working at capacity to meet demand is<br />
immense.<br />
Therefore, one of the simplest solutions is to talk<br />
to each other. Installers will accept longer lead<br />
times on certain products, as long as the supplier<br />
communicates the facts.<br />
This is something Thom Emerson brought up<br />
in our mental health podcast conversation<br />
too and an issue regularly discussed when<br />
DGCOS supports customers in mediation and<br />
disputes.<br />
The fact is, when we have all the information –<br />
good and bad – we can plan, and installers can<br />
keep their customers updated.<br />
What is difficult for installers to accept, is<br />
incorrect or part-filled orders for no reason other<br />
than a mishandled order.<br />
This is unacceptable with any buying experience,<br />
so why should our industry think otherwise?<br />
The survey indicates the failing supply chain<br />
remains a big problem and is one that needs<br />
tackling head on.<br />
DGCOS is never afraid to talk about the issues<br />
that others steer clear of in the hope that<br />
collectively we can resolve these challenges in a<br />
positive and constructive way, and in so doing,<br />
give voice to the hundreds of installers out there<br />
who are struggling, and the industry as a whole.<br />
To download the full report, visit the Double<br />
Glazing & Conservatory Ombudsman website.<br />
Contact DGCOS:<br />
0345 053 8975<br />
www.dgcos.org.uk<br />
@DGCOS<br />
The DGCOS wants us as an<br />
industry to start talking more<br />
about our mental health<br />
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JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> TI 49
Advertorial: Eurocell<br />
DELIVERING THE WIDEST RANGE OF<br />
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS<br />
Eurocell’s wide range of innovative and<br />
sustainable window, door, and roofing solutions<br />
have continued to offer the trade what it needs<br />
to meet consumer expectations and shifting trends.<br />
Now, with newly expanded warehouse and<br />
manufacturing capacity, and a list of exciting<br />
products launched, this year has seen Eurocell’s<br />
collaboration and support for its network of<br />
valued installers go to the next level.<br />
Eurocell offers a wide range<br />
of conservatories to meet<br />
changing customer demand<br />
Product highlights<br />
Recently extending its range of outdoor living<br />
solutions with the launch of new contemporary<br />
garden room, pergola, and veranda designs,<br />
customers can now create bespoke and inspirational<br />
living spaces that marry the functionality of indoors<br />
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Whether it is for home working arrangements,<br />
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The Kyube Plus builds upon the popularity and<br />
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The Kyube Plus modular garden room is a highquality<br />
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forms to ensure quick and simple installation.<br />
Highly insulated to provide all-year round comfort,<br />
the new Kyube Plus option is available in 13 sizes<br />
ranging from 2 x 2m up to 5.8 x 3.3m.<br />
For customers requiring a bespoke solution beyond<br />
the standard sizes, Eurocell can also create one off<br />
designs. Additional features such as front canopies<br />
and storage extensions are also available to add<br />
further sophistication and practical benefit.<br />
The Kyube Plus<br />
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Oasis Pergolas and Verandas<br />
Whilst the British climate can often be a<br />
challenge, the installation of a stylish pergola or<br />
veranda can provide the perfect garden space in<br />
which to enjoy the outdoors all year round.<br />
Extending the home and garden footprint,<br />
Eurocell’s new Oasis range offers a stylish appeal<br />
with practical benefits, helping make the most of<br />
gardens in all weathers.<br />
The Oasis veranda is available in both a glazed<br />
roof and polycarbonate, with the polycarbonate roof<br />
coming in four different colour options. In<br />
addition, there is the choice of three frame<br />
colours and two types of leg, guttering, and<br />
footplate, meaning they can be customised<br />
to taste.<br />
Eurocell has also introduced the Oasis<br />
pergolas range. The Deluxe option takes<br />
the pergola to a new level of sophistication<br />
and style. Thanks to the introduction of<br />
automated sliding retractable louvres, users<br />
can have the best of both worlds. They<br />
can open the roof for unobstructed views,<br />
or simply retract the louvres for protection<br />
against hot sun rays or rain filled clouds.<br />
50 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
CERTIFICATE 12/4895<br />
LPS 2081: Issue 2<br />
Conservatories and orangeries<br />
In addition to this, Eurocell has also extended<br />
its range of market-leading conservatory and<br />
orangery solutions with the launch of new<br />
contemporary designs that create desirable<br />
extended living spaces or can modernise existing<br />
and traditional conservatory structures.<br />
Responding to increased consumer demand for<br />
21st century conservatory designs that include<br />
greater use of glass, reduced brickwork, superior<br />
thermal insulation, and a contemporary build<br />
aesthetic for shape and colour.<br />
Eurocell has added a raft of new quality-led<br />
features that improve liveability and reflect<br />
changing homeowner tastes, which will create<br />
business growth opportunities for installers.<br />
Conservatories and orangeries have, for<br />
generations, been popular additions to living<br />
spaces, providing homeowners with alternative<br />
spaces in which to unwind, socialise, and work.<br />
The latest conservatory designs bring together a<br />
combination of Eurocell’s exclusive pilaster and<br />
slimline roof systems, with a modern highline<br />
Eurocell’s Oasis<br />
Pergola range<br />
gutter solution to enable the creation of cuttingedge<br />
and desirable living spaces that connect the<br />
house and garden.<br />
Requiring low maintenance and designed for<br />
ease of fabrication and fast installation, the<br />
sleek and attractively designed options will<br />
ensure the swift and cost-effective completion<br />
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They also offer peace of mind with a 10-year<br />
guarantee on product performance once installed<br />
and provide all year-round comfort through<br />
superior thermal performance.<br />
Contact Eurocell:<br />
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Orangery systems<br />
BRINGING ILITE INTO YOUR HOME<br />
Wes Clarkson, Sales Director at SupaLite, talks to Total Installer about the company’s new<br />
ILite flat roof orangery system, which is said to deliver ‘unrivalled strength and rigidity’...<br />
Preston-based roof manufacturer SupaLite<br />
has added a brand-new flat roof orangery<br />
system to its portfolio of existing products.<br />
ILite is said to be one of the strongest, most<br />
thermally efficient and quickest to install flat<br />
roof orangery systems and has reportedly proved<br />
incredibly popular with SupaLite customers.<br />
Factory fabricated in the UK, the new flat roof orangery<br />
system has a design that has been successfully<br />
engineered with ease and durability in mind.<br />
Wes Clarkson, Sales Director of SupaLite, said:<br />
“ILite is a pod-based flat roof orangery system<br />
which is lightweight but incredibly strong.<br />
“In today’s current climate, we know how<br />
important it is for installers to use products which<br />
allow them to work more efficiently.<br />
“Creating a complete system like ILite means<br />
installers will spend less time on site.<br />
“A traditional system can sometimes take weeks<br />
or days to install but the new SupaLite flat roof<br />
orangery system can be installed in hours, which<br />
is a huge benefit for many installers.<br />
“At SupaLite, we’re always looking to develop and<br />
manufacture high quality products that support<br />
our customers and we’ve received a positive<br />
response as well as an increase in demand for<br />
ILite since it launched earlier this year.”<br />
Innovative design<br />
The innovative ILite flat roof orangery system has<br />
been cleverly engineered to deliver strength and<br />
rigidity, Wes explained.<br />
He said: “The ILite is incredibly strong and<br />
dimensionally stable and therefore doesn’t distort<br />
or shrink.<br />
“Made from timber I-Beams which not only reach<br />
spans of approximately five metres but are also<br />
lighter than conventional large timber trusses<br />
and steel, means less pressure is placed on the<br />
“In today’s current climate, we know how<br />
important it is for installers to use products<br />
which allow them to work more efficiently”<br />
supporting walls and frames.”<br />
Like all SupaLite products, ILite has been<br />
expertly designed and rigorously tested. As a<br />
result, the product exceeds Building Regulations<br />
requirements by offering an impressive U-value of<br />
0.13W/m 2 K, outperforming most competitor roof<br />
systems and traditional orangery constructions.<br />
Celebrating 10 years<br />
This year marks an important milestone for<br />
SupaLite which has been manufacturing and<br />
supplying its tiled roof systems and products in the<br />
retrofit and new conservatory market for ten years.<br />
SupaLite has continuously delivered quality<br />
products and services to installers across the UK<br />
in the last decade and this newest product proves<br />
the team is still as dedicated and passionate as<br />
they were in 2012.<br />
“Throughout the last ten years we’ve worked hard<br />
to provide an exceptional service to our trade<br />
partners. We continuously update and tweak<br />
our full product range to make sure we create<br />
first-class products, and we also explore ways to<br />
introduce brand-new systems into the market,”<br />
added Wes.<br />
“Our experience of the industry empowers us to<br />
develop and manufacture products which are a<br />
step ahead of others in the market and our latest<br />
flat roof orangery system is no exception.<br />
“Engineered with products that should last a<br />
lifetime, the system is incredibly strong, durable<br />
and very quick to install. It makes the perfect<br />
addition to our existing unrivalled SupaLite<br />
products and it’s already generating lots of<br />
positive interest amongst our customers.<br />
“We’ve accomplished so much with our products and<br />
as a business in the last ten years. We’re incredibly<br />
passionate about continuing to push forward and drive<br />
to new heights and I’m looking forward to seeing what<br />
the next decade has in store.”<br />
SupaLite offers a full range of highly<br />
desirable, replacement roof solutions for both<br />
conservatories and orangeries, all of which have<br />
achieved Building Regulations approval.<br />
Contact Supalite:<br />
01772 828060<br />
www.supaliteroof.co.uk<br />
@SupaLiteRoofs<br />
52 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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Article Garden rooms<br />
MORE THAN JUST AN IDEAL HOME<br />
Ryan Crossley, Director of Making Your Space, discusses a recent article from Sarah Beeny<br />
which highlights the trend for garden rooms and the subsequent opportunities for installers...<br />
<strong>2022</strong> is the year of the garden room as<br />
reported in Ideal Home Magazine and<br />
according to renovating expert and TV host<br />
Sarah Beeny, as part of her work on the Renovate<br />
Don’t Relocate programme.<br />
By their very definition, rooflights require the<br />
installer to work at height, often a precarious<br />
operation. Working at height remains the biggest<br />
cause of fatalities and major injuries (source:<br />
hse.gov.uk).<br />
With hybrid working now the norm, an<br />
increasing number of homeowners are now<br />
looking for separate additional living space in<br />
which to work, entertain, exercise and relax.<br />
Others have even decided to relocate small<br />
businesses back within the confines of home.<br />
‘If you can just get that sense that you leave the<br />
house, even if it’s four steps, it’s really good for<br />
your mind to separate your work and your home,’<br />
Sarah Beeny explained.<br />
The article in Ideal Home concluded by suggesting<br />
that a garden room can add 150% of the cost<br />
to the value of a property, or it could even save<br />
you from moving to a larger property to facilitate<br />
working from home.<br />
The fact is we need more living space than ever<br />
before and with the UK having one of the smallest<br />
property footprints in Europe and beyond, there’s<br />
considerable demand and opportunity for this<br />
emerging market sector.<br />
This has allowed for the emergence of a number of<br />
dedicated garden room building specialists across<br />
the UK including the likes of Creating Spaces in<br />
Halifax, a Making Your Space Design Partner.<br />
Making Your Space is a trade only manufacturer<br />
of bespoke garden rooms with a marketing<br />
programme to help ignite the sector and portable<br />
mini rooms available for existing showrooms and<br />
office sites.<br />
Making Your Space offer bespoke garden<br />
rooms. Inset: Ryan Crossley<br />
We’ve also spent 18 months<br />
perfecting our off-site construction<br />
techniques, so the installation process is quick<br />
and simple with the panels simply locking into<br />
place and we’ve even integrated a vermin barrier<br />
as part of the premium design philosophy.<br />
There’s a rapidly growing nationwide network of<br />
Design Partners for Making Your Space and the<br />
plan is to grow this carefully with the right calibre<br />
of installation businesses and the promise of<br />
exclusive areas.<br />
There are first build assists, technical training<br />
workshops and a programme of development<br />
more akin to a fully blown installer programme.<br />
While the budget end of the garden room sector<br />
doesn’t cater for a long-term luxury retreat due<br />
to materials used and construction techniques,<br />
we’ve made sure ours is a bespoke solution<br />
with different types of cladding, flooring and the<br />
option of both aluminium and PVC-U windows<br />
and doors.<br />
But our real point of differentiation is the Garden<br />
Room Designer, a real-time 3D configurator which<br />
allows Design Partners and indeed consumers<br />
to build a bespoke room in just a matter of<br />
minutes using cutting edge software developed<br />
by tech experts Business Micros and The<br />
Consultancy.<br />
We can even add clever space saving solutions<br />
including a concealed shed/storage area, along<br />
with a popular canopy overhang which can be<br />
used all-year round as a place to entertain,<br />
cook or relax.<br />
A garden room should also be considered<br />
as a permanent room and an area of<br />
extended, functional living space.<br />
Given the climate in the UK, a garden<br />
room can make all-year round use of<br />
the space at hand, something again<br />
highlighted by Sarah Beeny.<br />
She commented: ‘‘We don’t have that many<br />
sunny days in this country, so there’s a whole<br />
load of square footage that you have paid for, but<br />
you never ever use. So you need to enjoy looking<br />
at it or use it in some way, and a garden room is<br />
a really good way of doing that.”<br />
The garden room market is already starting to see<br />
some strong adoption as we have seen with our<br />
Design Partners.<br />
Our off-site construction techniques, combined<br />
with existing trade skills make it a perfect bolt on<br />
revenue channel and there are some very good<br />
margins to be made in the short, medium, and<br />
long-term.<br />
But get in there early, harness the opportunity<br />
and let us help you become a successful Design<br />
Partner for premium garden rooms in your<br />
designated area.<br />
Contact Making Your Space:<br />
01422 385613<br />
www.makingyourspace.co.uk/<br />
54 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
sales@britmet.co.uk | 01295 250998 | www.britmet.co.uk | #TheBritmethod<br />
Liteslate<br />
designed with the environment in mind<br />
Lightweight Composite Slate | Lightweight Granulated Tile Panels | Lightweight Tile Effect Sheets | Flat-to-Pitch Roof Systems<br />
Structural Liner Trays | Door Canopies | Decorative Exterior Paint<br />
RAISING THE STANDARDS IN LIGHTWEIGHT ROOFING
Updates<br />
For further glazed extensions updates visit www.total-installer.co.uk<br />
A MINI ROOM WITH BIG POTENTIAL<br />
'ADD VALUE TO<br />
YOUR PORTFOLIO'<br />
Leka Systems has launched its new ecotech<br />
roofing system giving fabricators and<br />
installers even more opportunities to add<br />
value to their portfolio.<br />
The Leka ecotech roof is said to be one of the<br />
most technologically advanced roofing systems<br />
on the market, achieving 0.15w/m 2 k whilst being<br />
economic in the process.<br />
Commenting on the new product introduction,<br />
Rhys Hoddinott, Managing Director of Leka<br />
Systems, said: “Our new Leka ecotech roofing<br />
system ensures compliance for installers but just<br />
as importantly maintains a competitive pricing<br />
point in the process.<br />
“The new ecotech roof is thermally efficient by<br />
design and is a further extension of our popular<br />
Leka Warm Roof, Leka Orangery and Leka xi roofing<br />
products, but at a more competitive pricing point.”<br />
He added: “The conservatory roof market is<br />
changing rapidly and fabricators need to ensure<br />
they’re offering the products that installers need to<br />
compete in the new landscape.<br />
“The changes to Part L of Building Regulations<br />
covering thermal efficiency have had a huge impact<br />
on many solid roof manufacturers, and it has never<br />
been more important for fabricators and installers<br />
to offer the best in energy-compliant products.<br />
“And with the rise in energy prices, more<br />
consumers will be looking at ways to improve<br />
the thermal efficiency of their conservatories and<br />
extensions too.”<br />
This shift is said to form part of the recent home<br />
improvement boom, with many homeowners either<br />
extending their properties or repurposing existing<br />
conservatory extensions.<br />
Making Your Space has<br />
launched Mini-Room, a<br />
showroom sample of its<br />
Garden Room system that’s<br />
been designed to make<br />
installation quick and easy<br />
thanks to the adoption of the<br />
latest off-site construction<br />
techniques.<br />
The Mini-Rooms can be<br />
customised in terms of<br />
finish and detail and are<br />
ready to order now as part<br />
of an integrated marketing<br />
support programme, and<br />
they are also portable too, for use on multi-site<br />
events, local shows and even to take on-site for<br />
consumer enquiries.<br />
Ryan Crossley, Director of Making Your Space<br />
,has been pleased with the introduction of<br />
this latest sales tool and commented: “The<br />
introduction of the Mini-Room helps our Design<br />
Partners who don’t currently<br />
have a showsite. “Along<br />
with the unique configurator<br />
developed by The Consultancy,<br />
we have everything marketingwise<br />
to help generate and<br />
close sales of garden rooms,<br />
which are expected to grow<br />
strongly this year according to<br />
consumer experts.”<br />
He added: “We’re the only<br />
nationwide garden room<br />
company that is dedicated to<br />
the trade, making premium,<br />
flat packed garden rooms<br />
that can be easily assembled in just a few days.<br />
“With home and hybrid working now the norm,<br />
it’s the perfect revenue stream using existing<br />
skills for installers and we’re keen to build our<br />
nationwide network of Design Partners with the<br />
promise of our proven marketing programme.”<br />
makingyourspace.co.uk<br />
ILITE SHINES BRIGHT FOR SUPALITE<br />
Preston-based tiled roof specialist SupaLite<br />
has added a flat roof orangery system to its<br />
existing portfolio of products.<br />
It has been designed and specially<br />
manufactured to be one of the strongest, most<br />
thermally efficient and quickest to install flat<br />
roof orangery systems, and the ILite is perfect<br />
for both the new build or retrofit market.<br />
Factory fabricated in the UK, its design has<br />
reportedly been successfully engineered with ease and durability in mind.<br />
The system is also said to exceed Building Regulation requirements by offering an impressive<br />
U-value of 013w/m 2 K as standard, meaning it outperforms most competitor roof systems and<br />
traditional orangery constructions.<br />
Wes Clarkson, Sales Director of SupaLite, said: “We’re incredibly proud to launch this exciting<br />
new addition to our portfolio of products, and it is already generating lots of interest amongst our<br />
customers. We wanted to make a flat roof orangery system unlike anything else on the market that<br />
was easy to install, but still maintained our renowned levels of strength and thermal performance.<br />
“Unlike conventional flat roof orangeries that can take days, sometimes weeks to construct and<br />
complete, the ILite system saves huge amounts of time for installers and can be built in hours.”<br />
www.supaliteroof.co.uk<br />
www.lekasystems.co.uk<br />
56 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
REQUEST INFO<br />
YOUR PERFECT TRADE PARTNER<br />
FOR WINDOWS, DOORS & ROOFS<br />
01226 890 890 | WWW.SOLROOFS.CO.UK | QUOTES@SOLROOFS.CO.UK
Business Advice<br />
PROTECTING YOUR CASHFLOW USING<br />
REAL-TIME CREDIT INTELLIGENCE<br />
In the latest instalment of our regular business column, the experts at Know-it look at the<br />
use of real-time credit intelligence and how it can alleviate the risk of late payments on a<br />
company’s cashflow...<br />
One of the biggest barriers to a healthy<br />
cashflow is invoices not being paid on time.<br />
Late payments are only getting worse with<br />
the FSB warning that 400,000 businesses could be<br />
forced to close as a result of the late payment crisis<br />
gripping the nation.<br />
It’s not just cashflow that is hampered by late<br />
payments, productivity also takes a hit with<br />
businesses found to spend 56.4 million hours a year<br />
chasing late invoices according to the CPA.<br />
But it doesn’t need to be this way. Real-time credit<br />
intelligence, once reserved for huge multinational<br />
corporations, is now accessible to businesses of<br />
all sizes and will allow you to better understand the<br />
companies you do business with, in turn helping you<br />
mitigate the risk of late payment on your cashflow.<br />
“We’re now beginning<br />
to see what many saw<br />
as the inevitable now<br />
that state support for<br />
businesses throughout<br />
the pandemic has<br />
stopped”<br />
Credit checking the companies you do<br />
business with<br />
Credit checking is fundamental and the very first<br />
step in an effective credit control process.<br />
It is vital you mitigate as much credit risk as<br />
possible, as leaving yourself open to this sort of risk<br />
can put your cashflow under immense pressure<br />
when things don’t go to plan and invoices aren’t<br />
paid on time.<br />
Checking a company’s credit rating, credit limit and<br />
previous payment behaviour is the very first thing<br />
you should do when you receive an order. How else<br />
will you know if they’re in good enough shape to pay<br />
you on time?<br />
Even a simple credit check will give you an<br />
indication as to a suitable sized order according<br />
to past payment behaviour and the shape of their<br />
credit file.<br />
Of course, how much credit you grant is to your<br />
discretion but one way to protect yourself against<br />
future cashflow problems is offering credit terms<br />
that your customer will be able to pay on time.<br />
continued on page 60<br />
Continued on page 58<br />
58 T I MAY <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
Contract Business Talk Advice<br />
Continued from page 58<br />
A stringent and effective company credit check will<br />
answer three key questions:<br />
• Can the full amount owed be paid within the<br />
defined timeframe?<br />
• Is your customer likely to run into financial issues<br />
soon which could impact whether they can pay you<br />
on time?<br />
• Do they have a record of late payment to other<br />
suppliers?<br />
Combining credit and company intelligence<br />
Credit information on a company from a reputable<br />
credit bureau such as Graydon is the foundation of<br />
a good company credit check.<br />
However, we’d always recommend going a step<br />
further and do your research on the company, their<br />
directors and check for any Notices on The Gazette.<br />
Layering this company information from the public<br />
domain with credit intelligence will give a more<br />
complete picture of the companies you’re doing<br />
business with.<br />
Unsecured Creditor Claims<br />
Unsecured Creditor Claims reveal a wealth of<br />
valuable data not found in typical credit reports.<br />
It allows you to see losses suffered by your<br />
customer as a result of their own customers going<br />
into liquidation or administration.<br />
Why is this so important to know?<br />
Think about it this way. The credit cycle can be<br />
extremely fragile. If your customer misses out on<br />
“It is vital you mitigate as much credit risk as<br />
possible, as leaving yourself open to this sort<br />
of risk can put your cashflow under immense<br />
pressure when things don’t go to plan and<br />
invoices aren’t paid on time”<br />
a substantial amount that they’re owed, it could<br />
indicate that they will have issues paying your<br />
invoices.<br />
Automated company credit checking and<br />
monitoring<br />
Check-it automates your credit checking process<br />
using real-time data from reliable sources such<br />
as Graydon Companies House, The Gazette and<br />
Unsecured Creditor Claims to give you a complete<br />
picture of the creditworthiness of your customer.<br />
Check-it integrates with your accountancy software<br />
so you’ll be able to credit check and monitor every<br />
company on your sales ledger and be instantly<br />
alerted to any changes to your customer’s credit file<br />
that could impact you.<br />
Always being in the know and keeping up to date with<br />
changes to your customer’s credit file minimises the<br />
credit risk you’re exposed to since you’ll be able to<br />
make more informed credit decisions.<br />
Check-it is part of Know-it, the all-in-one credit<br />
management platform, empowering you to credit<br />
check and monitor companies, automatically chase<br />
late payments and collect overdue invoices in one<br />
platform.<br />
Contact Know-it<br />
www.know-it.co.uk<br />
@Knowitglobal<br />
60 TI JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
IO<br />
YEARS<br />
OF FIT<br />
HERE<br />
FOR THE<br />
LONG<br />
RUN.<br />
23 - 25 MAY 2023<br />
NEC, BIRMINGHAM<br />
fitshow.co.uk<br />
YEARS<br />
OF FIT<br />
EVERYONE’S GOING
Glass balustrades<br />
BUY WITHOUT THE HASSLE<br />
Paul Smith, Head of Marketing at F.H. Brundle, explores the rise of glass balustrades and<br />
explains how F.H. Brundle can make designing them quicker and easier than ever.<br />
If I asked you to picture what the average ‘70s<br />
home looked like inside, I think you’d instantly<br />
have a very clear image in your head.<br />
F.H Brundle offers a<br />
comprehensive range of<br />
glass balustrades<br />
The same would be the case if it was the ‘80s or<br />
the ‘90s – each decade had its own distinctive<br />
style when it came to home and garden décor,<br />
with key features all of us who were around at the<br />
time can remember.<br />
So what are the standout features of the design of<br />
the 2020s? There are obviously several. But one<br />
of the biggest has to be glass – lots of glass.<br />
That’s in no small part why there’s been such a<br />
surge of interest in glass balustrades.<br />
Why do people like glass? Because it’s stylish,<br />
easily maintained, brings a sense of airiness and<br />
space, and, most of all, lets in natural light and<br />
makes the most of scenic views.<br />
And why do people like glass balustrades?<br />
Because they take the sort of practical, opaque<br />
barriers that traditionally blocked out the light and<br />
the views and makes them transparent.<br />
A versatile range<br />
Their soaring popularity in recent decades has<br />
seen F.H. Brundle supply a growing range of<br />
outstanding balustrade products, suitable for a<br />
huge array of different projects and properties, as<br />
well as budgets.<br />
Pre-assembled post ranges include Timeless with<br />
a handrail and Contemplation without a handrail,<br />
both of which come with glass clamps and base<br />
plates already fitted to save valuable installation<br />
time.<br />
Also available are posts for wire rope and<br />
crossbar holders.<br />
Posts are available to bolt down, concrete-in and<br />
side fix to cover all installation requirements,<br />
which are available in stainless steel grades 304<br />
and 316 satin finish and mirror polished finish<br />
ideal for coastal locations.<br />
With 10mm thickness standard glass panels<br />
available from stock, in 100mm increments<br />
up to 1100mm width, your installations<br />
couldn’t be quicker, easier or more costeffective.<br />
If you are looking for a glass balustrade that<br />
offers uninterrupted views, then look no further<br />
than our range of outstanding frameless glass<br />
balustrade systems, including Wedge-Loc, Tilt-<br />
Loc and Posi-Glaze, providing spectacular results<br />
every time.<br />
They are quick to install and available as base or side<br />
fix options. Finishes are satin anodised, PPC black or a<br />
mill finish to powder coat to a colour of your choice.<br />
There is also a choice of easy-to-fit glass spigots,<br />
supplied in aluminium or Duplex 2205 (ultramarine<br />
stainless), and glass stand-off adaptors,<br />
a discrete and simple way of holding glass panels<br />
in place whilst offering a contemporary touch<br />
of elegance to glass balustrades, railings or<br />
staircases.<br />
These are available in a satin or mirror finish and<br />
now also PPC matt black.<br />
12mm thickness standard glass panels for our<br />
frameless glass balustrades are available from<br />
stock, in 100mm increments up to 1200mm<br />
width.<br />
Continued on page 64<br />
62 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
The<br />
Power to<br />
WOW!<br />
AFTER<br />
BEFORE<br />
Only Freefoam installers have<br />
the power to transform homes<br />
Homeowners want to feel good about their<br />
homes and like them to be admired. So, help<br />
your customers transform their homes to<br />
stand out from the crowd.<br />
Freefoam’s comprehensive range of stunning,<br />
easy to install, long-lasting roofline systems<br />
transform the look of a home, giving it that<br />
exclusive kerb appeal.<br />
Call 01604 591110 now if<br />
you want the Power to WOW.<br />
#HelpingCustomersGrow<br />
With thanks to<br />
Call 01604 591110 freefoam.com info@freefoam.com BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
Glass balustrades<br />
Continued from page 62<br />
Bespoke glass<br />
Bespoke glass panels, which can be supplied<br />
with radius corners, shaped and drilled, as well<br />
as a range of coloured glass, etched glass and<br />
self-clean coatings, are also available.<br />
Our custom panels are polished on all edges and<br />
come with docked corners for safety.<br />
Balustrade design made simple<br />
Even better, we give you an extremely quick and<br />
easy way of configuring the perfect balustrade<br />
product for the project you’re working on.<br />
Liveconfigurator is a user-friendly online<br />
platform that lets you quickly and easily design<br />
a balustrade to yours (and your customer’s)<br />
specifications, using standard components.<br />
And best of all, within minutes of completing your<br />
design, you will receive a full set of CAD drawings<br />
absolutely free, along with a detailed quotation<br />
– saving you hours of drawing time and making<br />
designing balustrades a breeze.<br />
You can choose from glass channel, spigots,<br />
stand-off adaptors, as well as pre-assembled<br />
posts where you can select your post centres.<br />
The system automatically configures the design<br />
to the dimensions you input, and supports layouts<br />
that will suit the most common applications.<br />
All in all, it’s an incredibly powerful tool for<br />
helping you capitalise on both the booming<br />
interest in balustrades, and the ever-growing<br />
popularity of more bespoke products.<br />
Liveconfigurator offers installers the possibility to design<br />
their own balustrades with the homeowner’s input<br />
Contact F.H Brundle:<br />
01708 39 80 48<br />
www.fhbrundle.co.uk<br />
@fh_brundle<br />
64 TI JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
Article Thought leader: Smart security<br />
DON'T GET LEFT BEHIND!<br />
In the first of a series of thought-provoking comments, Ryan Bromley, Co-Founder of Kubu<br />
Smart Security, discusses the exciting wave of ‘smart home’ products, and why this could be<br />
the key to installers winning new business...<br />
Technology is nothing new in the fenestration<br />
industry. It has been used on various<br />
products for years – from simple contact<br />
sensors to full-on biometric access control<br />
systems – yet these “Smart” systems never<br />
seem to have caught on with consumers.<br />
Is it a comfort thing, or a lack of trust? Is it price-point<br />
or is it looks? Personally, I think it’s a bit of everything.<br />
Ugly contact sensors and huge ‘locks’ hanging<br />
on the door are a bit of a turn off for your average<br />
house-proud Brit. Bad press surrounding product<br />
failures have harboured fear and trust issues. It’s<br />
been a case of going too smart, too soon.<br />
Mix this with high price points and a lack of product<br />
flexibility, your target market is limited to early<br />
adopters and bleeding-edge tech fans. An extremely<br />
important demographic, but they certainly won’t keep<br />
the wolf from the door in the long term.<br />
With Smart Tech becoming ubiquitous in our lives, if<br />
there’s one thing for sure it is that it isn’t going away.<br />
Homeowners and consumers now expect smart<br />
technology in their homes, and new homes are being<br />
pre-fitted with smart tech to help manage costs,<br />
protect the environment and avoid costly accidents.<br />
So how then, in the fenestration industry, do we<br />
create that trust and appeal that is needed to<br />
drive mass-market penetration?<br />
Another industry – not too far removed from<br />
fenestration – has undergone this exact journey in the<br />
recent past and the transformation is nothing short of<br />
incredible. I’m talking about the heating sector.<br />
Heating was a well established industry where little<br />
had changed for many years, with hardware products<br />
being fitted as a household investment by professional<br />
tradespeople – remind you of anything?<br />
Then an unknown company called Nest invented<br />
a ‘Smart’ heating system.<br />
Smart home apps controlled by your phone are becoming the<br />
norm. Above, inset: Kubu Co-Founder Ryan Bromley<br />
At first it was seen as a gimmick. Then slowly but<br />
surely consumers started to see the benefits and<br />
demand increased. Other companies caught on,<br />
developed their own versions of the same tech,<br />
and the race was well and truly on.<br />
Manufacturers soon partnered with Smart Suppliers,<br />
allowing installers to offer Smart as an upsell option.<br />
Fast forward 10 years and the heating industry<br />
has changed beyond recognition.<br />
Stable, proven tech and competition in the market<br />
raised awareness. Consumers started to pull<br />
Smart tech through the industry and sales grew<br />
exponentially until ‘Smart’ was no longer an<br />
upsell, it is fitted as standard.<br />
Installers don’t sell boilers because it’s a<br />
Worcester or a Vailant anymore. These days it’s<br />
because it ‘Works with’ Nest or Hive or Tado…<br />
Installers that embraced the change WON the<br />
majority of sales and became market leaders. Those<br />
that resisted got left behind, and I firmly believe the<br />
Fenestration industry is on a similar path.<br />
To answer an earlier question, how do we create<br />
the trust to drive this change? It has to come from<br />
reliability of the product and confidence from the<br />
installer, right?<br />
By developing a system that is “Just Smart<br />
Enough”, we aimed to introduce a level of tech<br />
that doesn’t hold any security concerns for the<br />
consumer, doesn’t limit their choice, doesn’t ruin<br />
the aesthetics of their investment, and most<br />
importantly doesn’t cost the earth!<br />
Our approach seems to have resonated, as we<br />
are seeing competitors emerge - just like in the<br />
heating sector. Healthy competition can only be a<br />
good thing for our industry, as it will help to drive<br />
consumer awareness, increase adoption and<br />
ensure ongoing product development.<br />
What does this all mean for you?<br />
What’s great is that the concept makes it<br />
so simple for the fitter. For no extra cost or<br />
installation time, an installer can offer their<br />
customers a door or window that is ready to<br />
accept Smart technology. For the more brave it<br />
can even be fully activated as part of the service.<br />
After nearly three years on the market we are<br />
now starting to see Installers offer Kubu Smart<br />
Security fitted and activated as standard across<br />
all products. Just like in the heating industry,<br />
these installers have seen the benefits of using<br />
the technology as a differentiator, and are starting<br />
to win business over their competitors.<br />
With the COVID peak subsiding, differentiators<br />
will be key to winning business, and ‘Smart’ will<br />
become an increasingly important sales tool over<br />
the coming years. Choosing to join the Smart<br />
Journey will be crucial for short term stability and<br />
long term success.<br />
Exciting, isn’t it?<br />
Contact Kubu:<br />
0800 124 4308<br />
kubu-home.com/<br />
@GetKubu<br />
66 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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Updates<br />
For further home improvement updates visit www.total-installer.co.uk<br />
CAN YOU #KEEPITUP FOR CHARITY WITH KEYLITE?<br />
Following the reported success of last year’s initiative, Kick It With Keylite returns for <strong>2022</strong> –<br />
bigger and better than before.<br />
This year, Keylite Roof Windows (Keylite) is challenging trades to ‘Keep It Up’ in the name of raising<br />
money for Mates in Mind, a leading charity addressing the stigma of poor mental health within the<br />
construction sector. Mixing it up for <strong>2022</strong>, Keylite is challenging merchants, installers and trades<br />
across the industry to record themselves doing as many keepie uppies as they can, share on social,<br />
donate to the charity and nominate a ‘mate in mind’ to get involved using the hashtag #KeepItUp.<br />
No matter the chosen sport or ability – anyone can get involved. Matthew King, Sales Director at<br />
Keylite, said: “Our message this year is to #KeepItUp, not only for the keepie uppie challenge, but also as a<br />
reminder to keep talking to each other, keep breaking the stigma, and keep being a mate – you never know who might need it.” Keylite is encouraging installers to make<br />
a donation via its JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kick-it-with-keylite and to start conversations around mental health amongst workmates.<br />
FREEFOAM IS TOP PICK FOR C & A BUILDING PRODUCTS<br />
One of the largest independent UK stockholders of plastic building products, C & A Building Products,<br />
has seen such an increase in sales of Freefoam, that its range of products now accounts for a significant<br />
proportion of the company’s portfolio.<br />
Based in the South East, C & A Building Products has been specialising in plastic building products since 1968.<br />
Managing Director Chris Candlin said: “When we switched over to Freefoam, our range of roofline exploded. There<br />
was more colours and more choices and customers like the quality of the products.<br />
“Sales, for us, increased over time. We have put a little more emphasis, a little bit more push towards Freefoam.<br />
We now stock a comprehensive range, including interior products and exterior products. We do stock white as<br />
standard, but we also specialise in the colours. Anthracite grey is very popular!” www.cabp.co.uk<br />
SWINDON SHOWROOM READY TO OPEN<br />
TWC, one of Wiltshire’s home improvement specialists, has officially opened the doors to its new<br />
£250,000 Swindon showroom.<br />
The showroom marks an exciting eighteen months for the business that has also seen it increase sales by 30%.<br />
The new showroom is said to offer the largest window and door showcase in the South West, featuring more than<br />
20 different doors and an extensive selection of UPVC and aluminium windows in many shapes, sizes and colours.<br />
Greg Kane, CEO of Conservatory Outlet, of which TWC became part of at the end of 2018, added his support. He<br />
said: “It has been fantastic to see the growth of TWC and the ambition the business has to become the biggest and<br />
best home improvement specialist in the South West. The showroom is an important next step in achieving this vision and will help improve the customer<br />
experience even further – something that is at the heart of the network and how Conservatory Outlet operates.” www.twchome.co.uk<br />
IN THE FRAME WITH CRL'S GLASS BALUSTRADE SYSTEMS<br />
MEGAgrip is a fully adjustable 3kN commercial balustrade system from CR Laurence, designed as a highlydurable<br />
public safety barrier for large commercial constructs, such as sports stadiums, transport hubs and<br />
similar venues where there is a risk of overcrowding.<br />
Said to be one of the simplest balustrade systems to fit and adjust thanks to its patented screw-clamp technology<br />
to secure the glass in place, MEGAgrip is a dry-glazed system, with no specialist tools required, so the glass can<br />
easily be removed and replaced if required. Internal glass clamps make alignment of the glass within the channel<br />
simple, and as they are compatible with a wide range of glass thicknesses, MEGAgrip is one of the most adaptable<br />
balustrade systems on the market. Lightweight and strong, the balustrade system can easily be upgraded with a<br />
simple conversion kit, to become a bomb-resistant or bulletproof balustrade system. www.crlaurence.co.uk<br />
68 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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Safety at Height<br />
TRAINING UP<br />
In the first of a new mini-series, Trevor Rabson, Training Manager at Werner, looks at why<br />
training is so important when it comes to working at height safely, explains what installers<br />
need to consider and outlines how best practice can make all the difference between safe<br />
Werner, manufacturer and distributor<br />
of ladders and access equipment, is<br />
championing health and safety training<br />
with the launch of its new campaign ‘Stepping up<br />
to Safety’.<br />
According to the latest reports from the Health<br />
and Safety Executive (HSE), falls from height<br />
accounted for 44% of all non-fatal injuries over<br />
the past 5 years and 25% of all fatal injuries.<br />
Therefore it’s crucial that installers top up their<br />
training and follow best practice guidelines to<br />
make working at height both easier and safer.<br />
Education is a very real issue when it comes to<br />
overcoming falls from height.<br />
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR) are<br />
very clear that anyone who works at height must<br />
be ‘competent’ to do so.<br />
However, there is a widespread perception that<br />
working and potential injuries.<br />
ladders and working at height equipment are<br />
simple to use, so why would you need training?<br />
It is this complacency that leads to falls from height<br />
incidents and a mindset that needs to be changed.<br />
But what regulations should be adhered to?<br />
What are the Work at Height Regulations<br />
(WAHR) 2005?<br />
The WAHR are a set of rules that must be followed<br />
when any work is undertaken at a height with the<br />
aim of preventing deaths and injuries.<br />
They are mandatory for all employers and people who<br />
control work at height, and are enforceable by law.<br />
The regulations define work at height as any task<br />
where there is a risk of staff falling from one level<br />
to another.<br />
This includes work above the ground or floor,<br />
near an edge where someone could fall through<br />
an opening or surface, and at ground level where<br />
someone could fall through an opening.<br />
Employers and those in control of any work at<br />
height activity must make sure work is properly<br />
planned, supervised and carried out by competent<br />
people.<br />
This includes using the right type of equipment for<br />
working at height.<br />
The WAHR are also very clear that employees<br />
have general legal duties to take reasonable care<br />
of themselves and others who may be affected<br />
by their actions, and to co-operate with their<br />
employer to enable their health and safety duties<br />
and requirements to be complied with.<br />
However, to minimise any confusion, we’ve<br />
busted some common myths surrounding the<br />
WAHR, below.<br />
•Ladders and stepladders are banned for<br />
work at height: This isn’t true and both ladders<br />
Continued on page 72<br />
Falls from height accounted<br />
for 44% of all non-fatal<br />
injuries over the past 5 years<br />
Continued on page 78<br />
70 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
Does your secondary glazing supplier<br />
leave you in the dark?<br />
Switch.<br />
Secondary glazing is simplicity itself.<br />
It’s simple to sell, survey and install. It offers great acoustic and<br />
thermal performance. It has great profit margins. And it gets you<br />
into projects you couldn’t normally get into.<br />
So why make it more complicated? Call Roseview today and ask<br />
about adding Incarnation secondary glazing to your range.<br />
phone: 01234 712657 | email: hello@roseview.co.uk | web: roseview.co.uk
Safety at Height<br />
Continued from page 76<br />
Continued from page 70<br />
and stepladders are suitable for low-risk, short<br />
duration tasks.<br />
However, they do need to be used by someone<br />
who is competent and knows what faults to check<br />
for before use.<br />
• Employers are solely responsible for work<br />
at height: While an employer does shoulder the<br />
majority of responsibility, the regulations include<br />
employee responsibilities as well.<br />
• Work at height includes jobs that involve<br />
walking up and down a staircase: The<br />
regulations do not apply to permanent staircases<br />
in buildings.<br />
Werner’s Stepping up to Safety campaign<br />
has been launched to help professionals<br />
stay safe when working at height<br />
• Work at height includes slips or trips on<br />
the level: This is untrue. Although you are<br />
technically falling from your own ‘height’, the<br />
regulations only apply to falls from one level to<br />
another level below.<br />
•A competent person must be professionally<br />
qualified: This isn’t true, though the level of<br />
competence needs to be appropriate to the job<br />
at hand. Competence isn’t just training, but a<br />
combination of training, skills, experience and<br />
knowledge.<br />
Over the last couple of years, there has been<br />
a steady increase in the uptake of training, but<br />
nowhere near enough with the staggering number<br />
of people using working at height equipment on a<br />
daily basis.<br />
Needless to say, knowing how to use working at<br />
height equipment safely is of vital importance and<br />
can quite literally save a life.<br />
Training has to be a priority if we’re to see any<br />
positive change to the accident figures.<br />
Contact Werner<br />
www.wernerco.co.uk<br />
@WernerLadderUK<br />
72 TI JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong> PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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Updates<br />
MORE THAN FIT FOR PURPOSE<br />
For further vehicles, tools & workwear updates visit www.total-installer.co.uk<br />
Snickers Workwear says its trouser families are suited to any kind of work on site.<br />
Said to deliver maximum functionality, comfort, protection and mobility, they’re the products<br />
of choice among discerning professional tradesmen and women.<br />
The company says hi-tech fabrics, functionality and fit are the hallmarks of these products, and<br />
the AllroundWork trousers are ready for any kind of work in any trade.<br />
FlexiWork trousers are said to deliver superior freedom of movement, while LiteWork trousers keep<br />
you cool, dry and ventilated.<br />
Then there’s RuffWork trousers, reinforced and tough for the roughest work on site; ProtecWork<br />
protective wear for hazardous environments; and certified High-Vis trousers when personal visibility on site is a priority. Snickers Workwear trousers also deliver<br />
certified protection with the patented KneeGuard System for greater flexibility, comfort and durability.<br />
www.snickersworkwear.co.uk<br />
SCREWFIX SHINES BRIGHT WITH 800TH STORE OPENING<br />
Screwfix, has opened its 800th store in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire. Earlier this year Screwfix announced its store target of 80 new stores<br />
across the UK and the Republic of Ireland, creating more than 800 new jobs by the end of January 2023.<br />
This latest opening brings Screwfix closer to its overall target of 1,000 stores across the UK and Republic of<br />
Ireland. The new store creates 12 jobs for the local community.<br />
To mark this significant milestone, the store was opened with a launch event, with colleagues and senior<br />
representatives from Screwfix, including Operations and Property Director, Scott Parsons, and Managing Director<br />
for UK and Ireland, Max Britten. Newly recruited staff at the Bourton-on-the-Water store will have the opportunity to<br />
participate in the retailer’s apprenticeship scheme, joining the already 850 apprentices currently training across the<br />
business. www.screwfix.com/<br />
MAKING LITEWORK OF THE HEAT ON SITE<br />
As temperatures soar, stay cool and safe at work with Snickers Workwear’s Summer Topwear.<br />
From top to toe and inside out, Snickers Workwear clothing will look after your wellbeing and working efficiency on site this<br />
summer. For sunny weather, there’s new LiteWork topwear and accessories that deliver UPF 40+ sun protection – a must<br />
if you’re working outside for long periods. Look out for Snickers Workwear clothing which uses the quick-drying 37.5 fabric<br />
technology with advanced ventilation. It’s said to be really good at ‘wicking’ moisture away from the body.<br />
It also keeps you dry so you can work with an optimal body temperature if it’s warm, or if the weather cools off. As well<br />
as shirts, there’s new shorts, work trousers and hoodies in a range of styles and colours in the LiteWork range. And, with a<br />
close eye on sustainability, they come in body-mapping designs for an amazing fit, outstanding functionality and long-lasting<br />
comfort – all day, every day. www.snickersworkwear.co.uk<br />
100 NOT OUT FOR WERNER!<br />
Werner, the manufacturer of ladders and access equipment, is celebrating its 100th anniversary<br />
this year.<br />
With an ongoing commitment to product innovation, the company holds over 600 patents and has<br />
received notable industry-leading awards and accolades over the years.<br />
Justin White, Managing Director of WernerCo UK, said: “The Werner name has achieved many<br />
milestones over the past 100 years. As a brand, our main focus has always been innovation, and<br />
pushing change within the industry by improving work at height safety through both our exceptionally<br />
safe products and internal and external training initiatives; with the end goal of helping the end-user to<br />
achieve more, and work safely.” wernerco.co.uk<br />
74 T I JULY/AUGUST <strong>2022</strong><br />
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
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