This Week's News
Construction Output Forecast to Grow by 30% Over the Next 5 Years
Total construction output in Great Britain will increase by 30% between 2013 and 2018 according to new forecasts published in the latest edition of the quarterly Construction and Housing Forecast Bulletin, issued by AMA Research.
Construction output is forecast to grow by around 6% in 2014 to around £129bn,underpinned by strong growth in the residential sector, with more moderate increases expected in the non-residential sector.
Throughout 2013 there has been evidence of genuine recovery within both construction sub-sectors, with overall growth particularly strong during Q2 and Q3. While the non-residential sector experienced marginal decline in Q3-Q4, the residential sector saw growth of 4%.
The outlook for the residential sector in the medium term remains positive with healthy rates of annual growth currently forecast until 2018.
Residential new work output is forecast to increase by 36% between 2013 and 2015, stimulated by the recent extension of buying assistance schemes such as Help to Buywithin the private sector and schemes to encourage investment in the rental sector such as Build to Rent
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FIT Show Review
Rehau Officially Opens New 132,000 Sq Ft Uk Warehouse
Rehau has officially opened its new UK warehouse in Runcorn. Group Vice President Dr Veit Wagner and CEO Rainer Schulz travelled from Germany to host a ceremony for staff and customers and unveiled a plaque marking the company’s arrival in the Cheshire town.
With a new logistics partner and a new high specification warehouse, Rehau is stepping up its commitment to improving both service and efficiency for customers.
The new 132,000 sq ft warehouse features an eaves height of 12m to accommodate the huge volumes of stock and has seven dock level loading doors and four drive-in doors to make vehicle loading fast and efficient.
The location at Manor Park in Runcorn is just a few miles across the Mersey from Rehau’s previous warehouse in Widnes so is still just as convenient for transporting profile from Rehau’s factory in Blaenau, North Wales and onto its network of fabricators nationwide.
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The Fit Show Delivers Again – 80% Of Stands Rebooked For 2016
Delivering another successful show for the UK window, door and conservatory industry, over three days in June more than 5000 people passed through the doors of The International Centre in Telford for the Fabricator Installer Trade (FIT) Show, say the organisers.
With over 170 exhibitors at this year’s show boasting some visually stunning stands, the general consensus from visitors is that it was a colourful affair with some great attractions including the debut of many new innovations and products. .
Inside the venue footfall remained consistent in all four halls with several exhibitors reporting record levels of high quality leads. For example, Glass Systems, the UK’s largest independent sealed unit manufacturer and first time exhibitor, recorded a huge success with over 150 new leads collected throughout the three days of the exhibition.
The week also saw a grand total of £10,000 handed out at The FIT Show Gala Dinner to the winners of the Master Fitter Challenge. Paul Casbolt and Karl Kinsey of Yes Glazing came in first place taking home the top cash prize of £5,000. Entertainment was provided by the amazing and unorthodox ventriloquist comedian Nina Conti.
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John Ogilvie presents Network Veka's AGM
Members of the industry-leading standards organisation Network Veka have heard from MD John Ogilvie about the company's activities over the last 12 months.
He presented the official 'AGM' during this year's FIT Show to keep members up to date about the goings on within the organisation.
John explains: “This year's AGM was a much smaller affair than our usual event. This is because the Network Veka Awards Dinner Dance will be held - with all the glitz and glamour you've come to expect - on September 20th so as not to compete with the FIT show Gala evening.
“The FIT Show gave us the opportunity to invite members to come and hear the formal business review of Network Veka over the last year and to ask questions.
“We explained the new appointments to the Board of Directors which, alongside Myself, now includes Independent Chairman John Moon, Glazerite Windows' Jason Thompson, Goliath Homeworld's Steve Hancox, Gary McCartan of Trent Valley Windows, Malcolm Heaver from Heavers of Bridport, Nigel Bird from Eddisbury Construction and Veka's Colin Torley.
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First BBA Approved Composite Window System
Munster Joinery Ltd has achieved BBA certification for its Passiv AluClad composite window system. This is the first composite system of its type to achieve BBA approval. The system consists of two frames made from different materials - the external one is powder-coated aluminium and the internal is made of laminated timber. A PVC-U channel filled with insulating foam links the two frames together and is designed to eliminate thermal bridging at all critical points.
Passiv AluClad windows are double or triple glazed with multiple panes of low emissivity glass and optimum cavity widths filled with a low conductivity gas such as Argon or Krypton. A warm edge spacer bar reduces edge losses to a minimum.
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Installers tip colours and composites as the major drivers of growth
A mid-year poll reveals that double-glazed installations remain the major driver for new business for UK installers, buoyed by foiled finishes and colours, with composite door sales also reported as a growth area.
The study by trade fabricator, Emplas, found that double-glazed second time replacements were universally seen as the key driver of recovery in the window industry.
This was followed by colour and foils, then composite door sales, conservatory and orangery-hybrids and bi-fold doors. Triple-glazed sales were listed as least significant product area in driving business growth in the first half of the year.
When broken down by size of installation business, the results reveal a more complex pattern. Although smaller installers - those fitting up to 10 frames per week - were consistent in reporting double-glazed sales as the major platform for growth in the first half of 2014, they ranked foils behind composite doors and conservatory hybrids.
Installers fitting between 11 and 20 frames per week shared the same analysis, although listed composite and bi-fold doors as the lead drivers of growth, ahead of foils. Conservatory hybrids were listed by this group one but last, just ahead of triple-glazed products.
This was in stark contrast to larger businesses - those installing between 21 and 40, and 40 plus frames per week - which listed colour and foils as a primary driver of growth after double-glazed products. Composite doors were also cited by this group as a driver for new business.
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G Award sponsorship centres on Edgetech
As part of its 25 year anniversary celebrations five-time G Award winner, Edgetech UK, has announced its continued sponsorship of the awards in 2014.
Edgetech, a Quanex company, is sponsoring the G14 Award centrepieces at the award ceremony on Friday 21 November at The Hilton on Park Lane. To mark its 25 year anniversary, Edgetech has incorporated its specially designed company anniversary logo onto the centerpieces.
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Predictions ring true as report cites strong lead volumes
Directors at Leads2Trade, the company behind the Compare Companies and Trusted Local Suppliers network of consumer facing sites, say that leads volumes are significantly up compared to the same period last year.
Leads2Trade generates ‘double-qualified’ home improvement leads via its online network of Trusted Local Supplier sites – a portfolio of sites where homeowners register to find tradesman to carry out work such as conservatory, solar and double glazing installations.
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