This Week's News

Uniglaze 2 in administration

Manufacturer and supplier of toughened glass and double glazing Uniglaze2 today appointed administrators just over a year after it was forced to broker a deal with its creditors.

It comes after the company was forced to broker a refinancing package with a local partner and existing shareholders after it got into trouble in Spring 2011.

At the time a new management team, was drafted in to oversee a CVA (Company Voluntary Arrangement). The move kept the firm afloat, saving some 280 jobs at the time.

A statement yesterday from KPMG said Chris Pole and Richard Philpott had been appointed joint administrators to Uniglaze 2 (East Anglia) Limited.
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UK inflation rate slows to 2.2% in September

The pace of price rises in the UK slowed in September, pushing the inflation rate down to its lowest level for nearly three years.

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation stood at 2.2%, down from 2.5% in August.

The CPI level in September is usually used to work out the rise in a range of benefits from Jobseeker's Allowance to income support in April next year.

But the basic state pension will rise by a minimum of 2.5%.
This is the result of a government guarantee and would see the state pension increase by at least £2.69 a week.
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GGF’s New Resource for CE Marking

With CE Marking becoming compulsory from 1st July 2013, the Glass and Glazing Federation has set up a range of comprehensive support and guidance online and offline services to ensure all GGF Members will comply with the incoming legislation.

The Construction Products Directive (CPD) was implemented in 1989, this has been replaced by the Construction Products Regulation (CPR). The CPR was officially published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 4th April 2011 and will come into full force on 1st July 2013.

The CPR is enforceable across the entire European Union, member states do not have the option to opt-out which was the case with the CPD and therefore from the 1st July 2013 all construction products covered by a harmonised European Standard (hEN), that is one with an Annex ZA, will need to have a Declaration of Performance (DoP) made and be CE marked in accordance with the requirements of the hEN covering that product when placed on the market.
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House Building Slump Continues

Small house builders’ workloads have slumped as the recession for small to medium sized enterprises (SME) in the construction sector continues according to the latest State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
 
The FMB’s State of Trade Survey, the only one of its kind looking at construction SMEs, reveals that workloads in the SME construction sector have declined across all sectors. The continuing deterioration in the SME house building sector will be a big concern for the Government  having acknowledged that new house building is key to delivering jobs and growth in the British economy.
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Over 500 Tickets Sold For The G12 Awards

Tickets for the G12 Awards Presentation & Gala Dinner are selling faster than ever. To date, with over 5 weeks to go, over 500 industry figures have confirmed their attendance at this annual celebration of excellence for the glass and glazing industries.

Tony Higgin, organiser of the G-Awards says, “The move in 2011 to the beautiful Grand Ballroom at the Hilton on Park Lane Hotel in London was well received and demand for tickets this year reflects that. The hotel was an official Olympics venue in the summer and they invested in decoration and refurbishment, so if anything, it is even better than it was last year.”

The Grand Ballroom is again the venue for the main G12 Awards Presentation & Gala Dinner, hosted by comedian Patrick Kielty, but the event starts with the ever-popular Champagne Reception, which again is hosted by Thermoseal Group and Ultraframe.
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Edgetech in G12 Finals Triple Whammy

Edgetech, a Quanex company, has made it to the finals in no less than three categories of the prestigious G12 Awards. The leading warm edge technology manufacturer has been shortlisted for Component Supplier of the Year, Health and Safety Initiative and Trade Promotional Campaign.

Andy Jones, Managing Director of Edgetech comments: “To reach the finals of one category in the G12s would have been great, but to be in three shortlists is a fantastic endorsement of the work we’ve doing over the last year. Our business and marketing support is comparable to that offered by systems companies, yet we still only manufacture and supply one of the smallest components in a window, the spacer.
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'On the buzzer' for University 'Schools' Challenge

VEKA has teamed up with its nearby community college to bring a University 'Schools' Challenge to its local area.

VEKA and its partner school, Hameldon Community College share an initiative to encourage and support its students, in conjunction with the Business in the Community (BITC) 'Business Class' organisation that they are a part of.

A need to promote and develop Hameldon's talented students was identified, and following a discussion with all school representatives at the BITC Cluster meetings, it was also identified as a development area for all schools in the Burnley, Lancashire area.
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BBA Exhibits at Green Deal Events

The BBA has played a key role at two important trade association briefing events designed to inform their respective memberships about the Green Deal (GD) and Energy Company Obligation (ECO).

The National Insulation Association (NIA) held two events in Oxford and Leeds to explore ways in which system suppliers and installers could benefit from this major government initiative to encourage householders and businesses to install energy efficient measures in their buildings.
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