Dunster House Celebrates 20 Year Partnership with Selecta Systems

Lengthy and loyal partnerships are what everyone strives for in business and Selecta Systems are celebrating the 20 year landmark of supplying their products to Dunster House.

Starting out as a window and door fabricator in 1994, Dunster House soon changed over to Selecta Systems in September 1997, choosing the then 8000 System as their preferred PVCu window and door system. Selecta have always supported the growth of the business and assisted in the development of new ventures, with Dunster House

CHOOSING THE BEST GLASS TYPE FOR OVERHEAD GLAZING

With the myriad of glass types available now, it is often confusing what to choose in terms of safety, thermal and solar performance and balancing cost with the benefits on offer. Richard Burgess, Managing Director of patent glazing and roof light manufacturer Lonsdale Metal Company Ltd shares his experience of thirty years in the industry.

SAFETY

Above all, safety is the critical factor in overhead glazing and the table below summarises what type of glass complies with current Building Regulations at time of writing:

Glazing Height above floor level

Upto 5 Metres Toughened, Laminated or Wired Glass The inner pane must be Toughened or Laminated. The upper pane should be Toughened in either instance.

5 to 13 Metres Toughened glass not more than 6mm thick and panes not larger than 3sq/m. Laminated or Wired Glass The inner pane must be Toughened or Laminated. The upper pane should Toughened in either instance.

Above 13 Metres Laminated or Wired Glass The lower pane must be...

Haffner Murat launches AL-220/70 Aluminium Machining Centre

With the launch of its new AL-220/70 Aluminium Machining Centre, Haffner Murat has positioned itself as the go-to machinery supplier for aluminium fabricators. Dave Thomas, Haffner Murat’s Managing Director, said: “The AL-220/70 Aluminium Machining Centre has been designed for the serious fabricator who wants to step up production. The work rate of this machine is staggering and consistency and accuracy is key when you are looking to step up your output."

The AL-220/70 gathers all sawing, punching, drilling and marking operations together on a single computer-controlled machine. Key features include the ability to stack ten profiles of up to 6.5 metres...

CEO, MRA Marketing

Two thousand and seventeen was a very good year for MRA. We won new customers and helped existing customers achieve stunning results, which got us into the finals in the CIM Marketing Excellence Awards. They also won us five awards at the Construction Marketing Awards (CMAs) including the coveted Agency of the Year award.

We’ve done it in a fast changing market that’s polarised homeowners - and the installers...

Database Manager, Windowbase

We have seen a growing number of premium products enter the market over recent years and that trend augers well for the future. Whilst too many installers still ‘pile it high and sell it cheap’, those with an eye on margins have increasing access to solutions that command higher prices and enhance their offering. Flush sash products are now well established and solid conservatory roofs widely available. More recent growth has been in PVC firms offering aluminium bifold doors. High security products have been doing well and we expect them to do better in 2018.

Managing Director, Edgetech

2017 was one of the most momentous years in Edgetech’s history. It didn’t just mark our tenth year of manufacturing in the UK, it also saw us invest extensively in new premises and equipment, celebrate decade-long partnerships with over forty of our customers, secure prestigious award nominations and exhibit everywhere from the FIT Show in Birmingham to FENESTRATION BAU in Shanghai.

Made For Trade

I’d like to take a moment to look back over what we’ve achieved in 2017 and what has been a landmark year for MFT. We’ve continued our growth with record sales and production figures across our product ranges, launched our first in house designed system, substantially increased the size of our workforce along with our manufacturing sites and strengthened our engineering...

General Manager, Siegenia UK

Siegenia UK saw its business prosper during 2017. The introduction of the TITAN AF range during the year gave us a really dynamic, advanced product range to offer the UK market.

Because of the advanced technical nature of our products, we intend to continue to build-on and strengthen our core strengths during 2018. Technical back- up and customer service are key to making our customers experience of Siegenia in the UK most rewarding, this will continue.

Managing Director, Deceuninck UK

With all the uncertainty brought by Brexit this year, 2017 has been a mixed picture.

Overall, we’ve heard reports of flat sales, but on the flip side there have been pockets of significant growth. Why? Because some companies have taken the brave decision to change how they’ve always done things to concentrate on the growth areas in the market.

Director, Jackloc®

Despite turmoil outside the industry and challenges within, 2017 was one of our most successful years at Jackloc®. We received a G17 nomination for ‘Component Supplier of the Year’, and our headline MK2 key-lockable restrictor was honoured with...

Managing Director, Mila

Having been named the Component Supplier of the Year at the G-17s in November, everyone at Mila is feeling very positive about 2018. Of course there will be challenges – not just from Brexit, but from the rising commodity prices which were an issue for the whole hardware sector throughout 2017.

Sales Director, Dekko Window Systems

A FIT Show debut, expanding our three premium product lines and revolutionising fabricator marketing support – 2017 was an outstanding year at Dekko! Brexit or not, we are really positive about 2018 too!

PROFINE AND KÖMMERLING AT FENSTERBAU FRONTALE 2018

Under the motto of ‘People. Passion. Profiles.’, profine Group and its KBE KÖMMERLING and Trocal brands will be exhibiting at Fensterbau Frontale 2018 in Nuremburg, Germany from March 21st-24th and will be the largest exhibitor at the show.

As well as further new product developments and innovations, there will also be a packed entertainment programme, including the legendary party night, that have become a cornerstone of the profine stand at Fensterbau over the years. New window profiles, sliding solutions, an aluminium suite and the first preview

Mercury Glazing chooses Haffner Murat machinery

Specialist fabricator Mercury Glazing Supplies Ltd has just invested in Haffner Murat machinery to support its plans for growth. Steve Cross, Mercury’s Managing Director, said: “We’ve bought several machines from Haffner Murat in the past and we know they deliver the quality and service we look for. We had no hesitation in returning to them again.”

Mercury has invested in two machines: a new FA526 Automatic 2 Head End Milling Machine and a new SC220/VS Machining Centre, both of which will support the company’s fabrication of the new Spectus mechanically jointed vertical slider as well as general window production.

The FA526 Automatic 2 Head End Milling Machine has features including the ability to mill two ends of transom in a single operation and a vertical and horizontal pneumatic profile clamping system that enables optimum work piece fixing. Other features include a movable head that is manually positioned and manually fixed according to the profile length and an automatic release of the fixed head after milling which is then repositioned at the same length for second transom.

Sales growth reveals popularity of LEKA products

If you wanted evidence of how popular solid conservatory and orangery roofs are, look no further than the sales figures of market roof innovator LEKA Systems. The company has just reported a doubling of order volume in 2017. Rhys Hoddinott, Director of LEKA, says: “The solid roof market is booming and we’ve got (what our customers tell us) are the best-in-class products in the sector as our 2017 sales growth shows.”

Alongside the impressive sales growth, Rhys also reports that his company has run over 50 product and sales training courses to over 400 personnel to help them get up and...

ECOBUILD 2018 PREVIEW

ISO-TOP WINFRAMER and BLOCO ONE will feature on the ISO-CHEMIE stand at Ecobuild

ISO-CHEMIE SHOWCASES PASSIVHAUS SEALANTS AT ECOBUILD

Designers and architects will be targeted at Ecobuild 2018 by foam tape producer ISO-CHEMIE with its display of high performance airtightness and sealing solutions (stand E30).

Products that will feature will include ISO-TOP WINFRAMER and BLOCO ONE, which provide high performance airtightness and thermal insulation of joints, alongside the

Carillion’s demise raises concerns about Government’s reliance on large contractors, says FMB

The Government must learn from Carillion’s demise and assess its over-reliance on major contractors, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Commenting on this morning’s announcement that Carillion is to enter compulsory liquidation, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Carillion’s liquidation is terrible news for all those who work for the company and it will have serious knock-on effects for the many smaller firms in its supply chain, some of which will be in serious financial danger as a result of Carillion’s demise.”

Berry concluded: “Carillion’s liquidation raises serious questions for the Government, not least about its over-reliance on major contractors. The Government needs to open up public sector construction contracts to small and micro firms by breaking larger contracts down into smaller lots. That way, it can spread its risk while also reaping the benefits that come from procuring a greater proportion of its work from a broad range of small companies. Construction SMEs train two-thirds of all apprentices and are a sure-fire way of spreading economic growth more evenly throughout the UK.”

Masterframe celebrates top industry award for PVC-U products

Long-standing Halo fabricator Masterframe was named ‘Timber Alternative Window Company 2017’ in December’s National Fenestration Awards and the team are delighted that they will be recognised at the official prize-giving.

The accolade demonstrates that, using Halo’s high quality PVC-U profile, Masterframe creates some of the fenestration industry’s most sought-after sashes, in low-maintenance PVC-U.

Based in Essex, Masterframe specialises in PVC-U sash windows and has a reputation for

A VERY SUCCESSFUL DAY AT EXPLORE OFFSITE INFRASTRUCTURE

Explore Offsite Infrastructure was declared a huge success. The one-day conference created a platform to network with industry experts and discuss the latest offsite construction solutions that will help to deliver the requirements of the infrastructure sector.

The conference was chaired by Darren Richards, Managing Director at Cogent Consulting.

Shortly after Joshua Southern – Associate Director, KPMG delivered a presentation featuring his Smart Construction Report: Improving Productivity and Predictability.

SELECTA SYSTEMS VOTED SYSTEMS COMPANY 2017

Selecta Systems have rounded off, what can only be described as a fantastic year, by being voted Systems Company 2017 at the National Fenestration Awards 2017. So, why is it, that a business that celebrated its 35th anniversary earlier in the year, are now beginning to win accolades and be firmly recognised as one of the fastest growing and most progressive PVCu window and door system extruders and suppliers in the industry? Sales Director, Andy Green, and Marketing Manager, Mark Walker, who have over 50 years of loyal service between them at Selecta, talk openly and honestly about the whys and wherefores behind the Selecta renaissance.

“Firstly, we are absolutely thrilled to be voted Systems Company 2017 and would like to thank everyone who nominated and voted for ourselves, as this award really does mean a lot to everyone at Selecta. The great thing about the NFA’s is that all the awards are nominated by and voted for by your industry peers, which for me, there is no greater recognition than from those that work in the industry, day in day out, so thank you again. The award also epitomises and recognises

A WEBSITE EXPERIENCE FROM THE RESIDENCE COLLECTION

The Residence Collection have recently unveiled a new consumer facing website at www.residence collection.co.uk, that has already realised an increase in unique visitors up 48% year on year, as consumers look to premium and super-premium PVCu window and door design.

The website benefits from stunning installation photography and is split into the collections of R2 for squared, contemporary aesthetics, R7 for a flush appearance inside and out and the original and finest Residence 9, which is the unrivalled timber replica, flush sash window.

Independent Network says there’s never been a better time to join

With big changes happening at the organisation, can you afford not to be IN?

Independent Network powered by VEKA, the nation’s premier installer network, is inviting companies to join the organisation at a time when they can take advantage of record levels of investment and benefit from an innovative new consumer strategy.

A promotional programme being delivered across the country is currently highlighting the opportunity for companies to join, by sharing the ‘Top Ten’ advantages of membership this year, including a huge re-brand from Network VEKA to independent Network.

VEKA Group Marketing Director Dawn Stockell explains: “Since 1996, VEKA Group has offered the...

PROFINE EXPANDS PIRMASENS SITE FOR KÖMMERLING GROWTH

profine Group has significantly expanded its production facilities in Pirmasens, Germany for the continued growth of the KÖMMERLING brand in key markets, including the UK.

The international manufacturer of PVCu profiles for windows and doors, has recently purchased a 750,000 square foot site from the city administration in Pirmasens to support future growth. The area is located on the opposite side of the federal road B10, in the immediate vicinity of the existing profine factory premises, which already boasts 2.6million square feet of space.

From summer 2018, profine plans to develop the new production site, as part of a long-term growth strategy, which will also realise an increase in the workforce from the current level of 1,200, making it one of the largest employers in the area. According to the owner and CEO of profine Group, Dr. Peter Mrosik, they want to invest a two-digit €multi-million amount by 2022.

Stefan Seidel, managing director of KÖMMERLING and profine UK, commented: ‘This investment in Germany will not only support their local geographical market, but also our activities in the UK. We have a firm strategic plan in place for the UK, which is both exciting and dynamic and I look forward to sharing it with our profile partners in due course.

He continued: ’With the launch of System

Standard for designing accessible buildings and facilities revised to be more inclusive

Standard for designing accessible buildings and facilities revised to be more inclusive

BSI, the business standards company, has revised BS 8300:2018 Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment.

The revised standard aims to give clients, design professionals, builders, local government officials, enforcers and ultimately users of buildings the information they need to create an inclusive environment from the outset of a project. An inclusive environment is one that works for

MANUFACTURING STRENGTHENS, BUT SKILLED LABOUR SHORTAGES BITE HARD – CBI QUARTERLY INDUSTRIAL TRENDS SURVEY

Manufacturing growth accelerated over the last three months according to the latest quarterly CBI Industrial Trends Survey.

The survey of 369 manufacturers revealed that optimism about both business conditions and export prospects improved at an above-average pace.

Growth in manufacturing output and domestic and export orders all picked up, compared with the previous three-month period. Stocks also continued to grow robustly: for example, inventories of finished goods stocks rose at the fastest pace since October 2013.

Investment intentions for both buildings and plant & machinery moved back above average after deteriorating in the previous quarter, while spending on innovation is expected to continue...

Mercury Glazing adds the TD68 door to its range

Specialist aluminium frame manufacturer, Mercury Glazing Supplies Ltd., has just added the new TD68 commercial door to its range. Chris Reeks, Mercury’s Sales and Marketing Director, said, “We are delighted to be adding the TD68 commercial door into our portfolio. The new aluminium door allows us to extend our reach even further and helps our customers take advantage of the commercial aluminium opportunities.”

The new TD68 door is being billed as one of the most thermally efficient, high usage commercial doors on the market. Designed by Jack Aluminium Systems the TD68 is ideal for public buildings and schools, as well as shopfronts, flats and apartments and offers intrinsic strength and security. It boasts some impressive thermal efficiency figures too with a typical u-value of 1.7 on a 1230mm wide door being achieved. Furthermore the door is accredited to BS: EN 6375 and has achieved PAS 24:2016 on a 1300mm x 3000mm single sash door!

In the past twelve months, Mercury has witnessed an unprecented upturn in sales of their aluminium products something that is reflected in current market trends. Chris explains “As recent industry reports confirm sales of aluminium ‘remain strong’ and sales of

Landmark predicts greater reliance on architects for planning services in 2018, due to strained Local Authority planning departments

Looking ahead in to 2018, Landmark Information is predicting that there will be greater reliance on the architectural profession to provide enhanced planning services, in a bid to maintain the steady progress of applications.

This comes at a time when local authority planning departments are continuing to face increasing resource and financial constraints.

In a Planning Futures survey released last month*, it found that on average Local Authority planning departments have seen a 15% reduction of staff between 2006 and 2016, restricting their ability to offer efficient and robust planning services.

This increased to a 24.2% reduction when...

Taking Steps to Modernise Construction through Collaboration, Innovation and Education

The procurement and delivery of construction projects in the United Kingdom can be modernised, with benefits for all - the Construction supply chain as well as clients. The construction business is worth £65 billion a year, of which direct expenditure by government departments and their agencies accounts for £7.5 billion.

GLASSOLUTIONS WINS G17 ‘CUSTOMER CARE’ AWARD

GLASSOLUTIONS has won the ‘Customer Care’ category of the G17 awards for its commitment to quality customer care with the further development of its innovative and user-friendly e-commerce app.

Arguably the only app of its kind in the UK supporting a national glass supply service, it has been successful in putting control in the hands of customers, allowing them to configure and order glass ‘on the go’, build a quote in their own time and choose the option of delivery to site, without the need to call into a GLASSOLUTIONS branch for any aspect of their order. The app has successfully helped customers work smarter, solve problems, and add real value to their own customers.

Head of Customer Services at GLASSOLUTIONS Darren Dickinson, says: “Ease of use and adaptability are everything in the digital age, and that’s what we aim to provide with the app: an app which allows businesses large and small to access our extensive glass range, configure exactly the product they need to add value to their business proposition.

dhf welcomes tougher Building Regulation and Fire Safety recommendations

dhf (Door & Hardware Federation) has welcomed recommendations made in the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’s Interim Report, published on 18 December, in particular, that those working on the design, construction, inspection and maintenance of complex and high-risk buildings are suitably qualified.

“We fully support the proposals presented by this report, particularly pertaining to appropriate qualification of those responsible for manufacture, installation, repair and maintenance,” says dhf’s CEO, Bob Perry. “We have been actively lobbying for this and are pleased to work with other bodies in the industry to achieve this objective.

“The issue of competence is crucial to fire doors as to many other systems within the building.

MWBC (M Webster Building Contractors) implement rapid growth with trusted consumables supplier Quest

Warwickshire based, MWBC, have been building bespoke homes since 1989. MWBC pride themselves on offering a one-stop solution. Design and concepts begin with their architectural team and are consolidated by a range of talented in-house teams, from building, plastering, joinery, plumbing, electrical plus all the other services required to bring each project to a successful completion. Managing Director, Mark Webster commented, “We offer a total building solution - each element of the build is completed by one of our in-house teams, and that process gives us total control over our resources and project timelines”.

MWBC have heavily re-invested profits back into...

GAI welcomes Hackitt recommendations

The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) has welcomed the findings and recommendations of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and Dame Judith Hackitt’s interim report, ‘Building a Safer Future’.

The Hackitt review was established shortly after the Grenfell Tower fire, and has focused primarily on improving fire safety in high-rise residential blocks and other complex buildings.

However, the report also looks at what can be done more broadly to address perceived system failings in the building regulatory system and deeper cultural problems in the construction industry around regulatory compliance and responsibility. The interim report provides the findings to date and direction of travel for the review, ahead of a final report expected to be submitted in spring 2018.

Of the views put forward to the Hackitt review by the GAI earlier this year, several of its ideas are mentioned in the interim report, including the potential reintroduction of the Clerk of Works role.

Douglas Masterson, GAI technical manager, says: “This was one of the GAI’s key recommendations, as a better regime of inspecting the

New Smart Designer Door available from Mercury Glazing

Specialist trade fabricator Mercury Glazing Supplies Ltd has added the new Smart Designer Door to its portfolio which will be available to order from January. Chris Reeks, the company’s Sales and Marketing Director, said, “The new aluminium Smart Designer Door range offers a wide choice of colours and door designs which will bring a wealth of benefits to our customers and add further value to our offering. We are delighted to be amongst the first fabricators to offer this range.”

The Smart Designer Door is suitable for domestic applications and will satisfy the most discerning homeowner with its outstanding product...

UNIQUE APEER-MODO DOOR INSTALLATION GIVES KERB APPEAL

The highly-acclaimed Modo composite door range from Apeer has been used in a home renovation project in Broughshane, Co. Antrim.

Apeer’s Ryan Burnett was looking to replace the old single glazed door on his property with not only a highly secure and efficient replacement, but also a door that could be completely personalised to suit the external look of the property.

As part of the IT team on the Apeer FIT Show stand at the NEC in Birmingham last year, Ryan was able to see firsthand the latest offerings on the Modo composite door collection, which...

Greenoak Save Valuable Time with Multirail™ Overhead Runway System

Greenoak is an Oxfordshire-based construction and joinery business working on all types of buildings from new build to listed.

Greenoak has been in operation for the past 11 years and has always had an in-house joinery workshop to process all woodworking requirements for their construction projects. The woodworking workshop also provides solely joinery work for enquiries that come through their website, through word of mouth and repeat work.

The type of work that is completed in the joinery workshop is varied, including timber windows, doors, cabinets, wardrobes and other bespoke furniture.

Eleven months ago Greenoak installed a Multirail™ overhead runway system in their spray booth, supplied by Runners Sliding Systems. The spray booth in their workshop is approximately 20m by 8m at the widest point. Greenoak previously used a turntable to dry all their spayed timber work and now use a Multirail™ system that allows the items to hang from hooks and air dry.

Mark Glendinning, Director at Greenoak, commented “Since our Multirail™ system was installed in the spray booth we have experienced many benefits.

5 LEKA Roofs fitted on 5 conservatories in 5 consecutive days

Over recent months trade fabricator Modplan Ltd has reported a rise in sales of their LEKA roof systems as more installers capitalise on the benefits that feature-rich orangery roofs and solid-roof conservatory solutions can add to their business. This trend is showing little signs of decline as witnessed during the run up to Christmas when 5 LEKA roofs were installed on 5 conservatories over 5 consecutive days by one company!

Heidi Sachs, Managing Director of Modplan explains: “When we launched the LEKA roof products we knew they were a game changer in conservatory roof design. With a choice of...