This Week's News

UK inflation falls to lowest in over four years

British inflation fell to its lowest in over four years in March, dipping further below the Bank of England's target and easing the pressure on Britons' living standards.

Consumer prices rose 1.6 percent on the year in March, its lowest since October 2009. That was down from 1.7 percent in February.

The gap between inflation and average wage growth is now at its narrowest since April 2010, the Office for National Statistics said. The last time British wages consistently grew faster than inflation was in mid 2008, it said.

And figures released tomorrow (Wednesday) are expected to show average weekly earnings, the most widely watched measure of pay, rising faster than inflation.

Subdued price pressures have supported the view that the central bank can keep monetary policy loose for a while without the risk of triggering inflation even as the economy recovers. A first rate rise in only expected in the second quarter of 2015.

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Triple Glazing Question was a great day for the industry

The Triple Glazing Question at Ricoh Arena on 10 April was an outstanding success. It was a ‘great day for the industry’ was just one of the many comments after the Triple Glazing Question sent to hosts Edgetech UK. With over 600 registered attendees it outperformed all expectations both in numbers and the content delivered on the day.

Sceptics of the event were surprised by the openness of the debate that explored the challenges and opportunities for the industry.

Hosted by Edgetech UK, a Quanex company, everything during the day ran perfectly. Engagement in the room and Expert Arena was more than matched by the frenzy of activity on Twitter. The numbers show there were 231 tweets to @tripleglazingq, 88 posts by @tripleglazingq and 116 retweets creating a huge reach with 177,300 impressions.

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Yale Door and Window Solution’s Blade Revolution

Yale Door and Window Solutions has launched the revolutionary Blade window locking system, incorporating the company’s patented rotary action mechanism delivering multiple benefits to fabricators, installers and homeowners alike.

The Yale Blade window locking system utilises the distinctive new technology to offer a fully retracting window locking system that sits flush within the eurogroove, eliminating cam clash issues.

During fabrication the profile can be predrilled to allow the lock and keeps to be fitted at any time, without pre-marking to offer a more flexible and efficient production process. The unique design also ensures one locking point height for all profiles, reducing stock holding for multi system users.

Yale Blade’s rotary locking action significantly reduces mechanical wear, further eliminating compression loss and ensuring consistent weather-sealing performance for the life of the product; thus significantly reducing costly call backs.

Occupying the full depth of the eurogroove, the Yale Blade provides the window with increased integral strength for meeting the stringent requirements of PAS24 and as a result, has Police approved Secured by Design accreditation.

Additionally, the Yale Blade engages the full length of the keep providing ultimate security and peace of mind. Cont/d…

Says Kevin Hill, Managing Director of Yale Door and Window Solutions: “The launch of the Yale Blade brings a revolutionary new dimension to window locking technology.

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Triple-glazing
New industry poll findings

A new industry study reveals that installers remain sceptical as to market demand for triple-glazed products.

The joint survey by Emplas and Lister Trade Frames found that of those polled, only seven per cent of retailers had installed triple-glazed products in the last year.

Further, only 20 per cent expected demand for triple-glazing to grow significantly in the next three years, with more than half forecasting slow to little growth, while 29 per cent said that they were ‘unsure’.

When asked if they expected demand for triple-glazing to exceed that for double-glazed products in the next three years, 79 per cent of respondents said ‘no’, with 16 per cent again, unable to decide. Just five per cent of respondents predicted that triple-glazed windows and door sales would exceed those of double-glazed products.

Results followed the same pattern when applied to a five year period, while 76 per cent of respondents went a step further, questioning whether triple-glazed sales would ever exceed those of double-glazed products.

But while as a whole figures suggest scepticism among installers as to the prospects for triple-glazing, they betray a far more complex situation. When broken down by size, the results reveal a far more optimistic analysis among larger fabricators.

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Doncaster cladding and window outfit crashes

Doncaster-based aluminium cladding and glass facade specialist Norking Aluminium has been placed in administration.

Administrators from Wilson Field have made around 98 staff redundant after a finance deal collapsed.

Norking Aluminium was formed more than 40 years ago and specialised in the manufacture and installation of bespoke aluminium and glass facades for the external building envelope.

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GM Fundraising to Honour Troops marking the Centenary of WW1

Following last year’s hugely successful GM Fundraising Hope 66 charity cycle ride across America, the team has chosen to undertake a shorter ride to mark the Centenary of World War 1 later this year. Under the banner of ‘The Poppy Ride’, twenty riders will cycle from The National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffs to the Somme battlefields on the French/Belgian border to raise funds for The Royal British Legion.

Recognising that the generosity of GM Fundraising’s supporters is not limitless, the riders will not seek sponsorship. Instead a single headline sponsor will be sought for the underlying support costs and each rider will pay a donation fee to take part in the event and cover their individual accommodation and subsistence costs. The combined fees will then be the total donation handed over to the Royal British Legion.

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Luís Figo announced as Official Ambassador for
2014 World Cup Glass Roof for Player Benches

AGC, supplier of glass, chemicals, ceramics and other high-tech materials and components, has announced the appointment of Luís Figo as the ambassador of its official glass roof for player benches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. The company has also launched its campaign website featuring the Portuguese football legend.

“I’m thrilled to be appointed as the captain of this campaign to promote this unprecedented project, designed to bring new-found excitement and drama to fans and players alike at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™”, said Luís Figo. “I am eagerly awaiting the unveiling of this glass roof for player benches scheduled for 23 April in Brazil.”

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FIT Show shines with two more awards

The FIT Show has won two prestigious accolades at the Exhibition News Awards. The trade show for the windows, doors and conservatory industry won two hotly contested categories – for Show Rising Star and Best New Organiser Team. Competition for both categories came from some of the exhibition industry’s most powerful and experienced companies.

Held on 3 April at Excel London in front of 900 people, the awards are the pinnacle of the exhibition industry, and judged by a panel of industry experts. “We are absolutely thrilled to have won two Exhibition News Awards,” said Paul Godwin, MD of FIT Events, organisers of the FIT Show.


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£1m capital investment by Glazpart

Banbury-based Glazpart has completed a 2 year investment programme that has seen a staggering £1m of capital investment in the business, leading to increased sales and new markets.

The money invested has been spent across the business providing state of the art capital equipment to ensure the highest levels of quality and rapid turnaround whilst maximising production capacity and capability. All this is whilst driving a commitment to British manufacturing including design and manufacture of innovate new products.

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New FENSA webinar series announced

FENSA has launched another round of its popular FREE webinar series on the Minimum Technical Competencies and transition to Certified Installer status.

The Government’s deadline of 6 June 2014 for compliance with both is fast approaching and FENSA expects the webinars to be very popular.

The webinars provide lots of useful information and companies have the opportunity to ask questions. Attendance & participation at these webinars is for information only. These webinars do not form the actual MTC assessment or Transition Inspection.

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DIY SOS looks to Fairdeal Windows

Maidstone-based Fairdeal Windows will be featured on national television this month after it was asked to take part in the latest series of a popular BBC home makeover programme.

Fairdeal Windows supplied the products to the family featured in the BBC One series 'DIY SOS: The Big Build' and were used as part of a life changing transformation to the home of a family in Orpington.

The episode featuring Fairdeal Windows centres on a family in need of help renovating their home to make it more suitable after a motorbike accident on holiday abroad had left the father paralysed.

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A Big Hit at the Triple Glazing Question

CENSolutions, consultancy and test facility for the window, door and glazing industries, enjoyed a busy day on its stand at the Triple Glazing Question event, hosted by Edgetech at the Ricoh Arena.

Wayne Rogerson, Joint Managing Director of CENSolutions explains why the company thought it was a worthwhile day: “Edgetech hosted an excellent event at the Ricoh arena and deserve our congratulations for bringing the issue of triple glazing to the fore. We have been concerned for some time that there is already a lot of misinformation in the market and we need to be very careful that as an industry we don’t mislead the consumer – intentionally or unintentionally.

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