This Week's News

New SIG windows brand set to make its mark in glass & glazing

SIG Windows is one of the new brands to emerge from the major rebrand and restructure recently introduced by SIG UK Exteriors, formerly SIG Roofing & Roofline. Alongside several other brands, SIG Windows forms part of the new SIG Building Plastics division established to target the windows, roofline, drainage and sheet materials sectors. SIG Roofing is now a separate division within the company.

Established to help customers and end users easily identify and connect with its diverse portfolio of brands, products and services, SIG Windows is dedicated to the lucrative and growing market for windows, doors and conservatories. It incorporates Window Fitters Mate (WFM) - one of the leading independent suppliers of fabricated windows, doors and conservatories in the UK - and previously held under the SIG Roofing & Roofline umbrella of brands.

In order to ease the rebrand process and to demonstrate ongoing loyalty to WFM and its 26 branches throughout the UK, WFM’s existing identity will sit alongside the flagship SIG logo for a transitional period - estimated to be one year. This is also testament to SIG UK Exteriors’ mission to deliver a national voice with a local accent.

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FIT Show Review

HL Plastics wins Company of the Year 2014

PVCu extrusion company HL Plastics, creator of the Liniar system, has been awarded the top accolade at a gala dinner celebrating local businesses in Derby.

550 guests representing companies from around the Derbyshire region gathered for a sparkling gala dinner and awards ceremony in June.

13 awards were up for grabs on the night, with HL shortlisted as one of the final three for the main award - Company of the Year 2014.

The judging process was carried out by award sponsors Derby College, who had to sift through and review all the entries before deciding on the three finalists.

“The standard of the entries was extremely high,” commented April Hayhurst, Derby College’s Business Development Director (shown congratulating the winning team on its award), “and it was a really tough job to decide on a winner. But we were really impressed by HL’s story – it’s great that a local company is so forward thinking, together with offering students opportunities within the manufacturing sector through apprenticeships and innovation.”

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Kitemark First for Bi Fold

The Veka UK Group’s new Imagine Bi-Fold Door has become the first PVC-U Bi-Folding Door in the UK to attain a British Standards Kitemark.

Mark Barsby, Head of Technical at The Veka UK Group explains: “A lot of preparation went into launching the Imagine Bi-Fold Door at The FIT Show and we wanted to ensure that we ticked all the accreditation boxes in time for the show. We were therefore extremely proud to be presented with our BSI Kitemark Certificate by Lorraine Balch, our BSI Scheme Manager on the first day of the show.

“With its BSI Kitemark certificate, the Imagine Bi-Fold gives manufacturers, installers and consumers alike the peace of mind that performance and security need not be a compromise on Bi-Fold Doors.

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Caution expressed at Government’s push for further commercialisation of HSE 

In its response to the Temple report on the triennial review of the HSE, the Government has said that it wants HSE to be more commercial in ‘outlook and delivery.’ In a positive endorsement of its work and global reputation, the Government responded to the wide-ranging review of HSE by highlighting the commercial opportunities that it believed needs to be explored.   

Alex Botha, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, said: “Overall, we are pleased that the Government response endorses the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at every level: there is a need for the functions that HSE delivers, that it should remain an arms length body and that it is run according to the principles of good governance. These views reflect that of our members who have great confidence in the integrity and effectiveness of HSE and the UK’s regulatory regime.

“Whilst we agree that there is scope for HSE to develop commercial opportunities, we would like to repeat concerns we’ve raised before that commercialisation can compromise the independence of the HSE and affect its relationship with those responsible for health and safety. In particular the British Safety Council is concerned that commercialising a wider range of services may confuse the role that HSE adopts with those it regulates.

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GGF Defends Double Glazing Companies On Bbc Radio

Nigel Rees, GGF Group Chief Executive defended the double glazing industry live on BBC Radio Leeds last week outlining why homeowners should always use a GGF Member company.
The programme featured a case where the homeowner was dissatisfied with the finish around PVC-U doors that had just been installed. Presenter Wes Butters expressed surprise on the programme that in all the time he has being doing his consumer complaint shows, this was the first complaint on double glazing.

The presenter contacted the GGF to pose questions to Nigel Rees. Here is an edited transcript with a selection of the questions asked and answers given.

Wes Butters: Why does double glazing get such bad press?

Nigel Rees: The (industry’s) image was poor many years ago, but a lot has been done to try and improve it. Certainly at the Glass and Glazing Federation and though our Membership we strive to put consumers first. The shame is, there are millions of installations each year and the good ones go unnoticed but it’s the bad ones that stand out and unfortunately tarnish our industry.

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Custom build fund can help diversify the house building industry

The new £150m government fund to help finance plots for custom build housing is good news for both homebuyers and the house building industry, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). 

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: "In recent decades the house building industry has suffered from the loss of too many small firms. The capacity of the industry and diversity of what it offers has suffered as a result. The government today released the prospectus for the £150m fund which will provide loans to developers to finance infrastructure provision for up to 10,000 serviced plots. Growing the custom build sector could better utilise the capabilities of many skilled small firms with experience of delivering one-off projects, but who have stopped building in recent years.”

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‘Barcode Architecture’ Has Huge Potential

With more and more architects choosing natural ventilation over energy-intensive air-conditioning to control the internal environment of a building, the launch of the new Schueco AWS VV ventilation system is opportune.

Arriving in the UK in July, this product – a narrow, side-hung vent – is not simply a practical response to the need for non-mechanical cooling, but is also a system which presents architects with a whole new range of design opportunities through what is sometimes known as ‘barcode architecture’.

The name derives from the way in which when inserted into a curtain wall or ribbon windows, the vents can resemble the vertical lines of barcodes found on product labels the world over. When used creatively, the effect on the external appearance of a building can be visually stunning.

Available in powder coat or anodised finishes, the Schueco AWS VV is thermally insulated, delivering Uw values down to 0.95 W/m2K and can be specified with a rebated or flush external appearance. The vent is inward opening and can be operated easily either by hand or – on request – by concealed TipTronic motor drives that can be linked to a central building management system if required.

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Support For Window Installers & Glaziers On New Consumer Contracts

Following the introduction of the new Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, scheme operators for TrustMark, the Government endorsed quality mark for expert tradespeople, is swinging into action to help window installers & glaziers comply with the significant changes that now apply to home improvement and repair contracts.   

The new regulations introduce major changes in the law relating to consumer protection. They now apply to consumer contracts made on-premises (through retail stores), made at a distance (including online sales) and off-premises (e.g. in-home sales).  

Window and door installers and glazing firms will need to review their processes and change their paperwork and terms and conditions to ensure they are compliant with the new law.  Failure to comply may result in prosecution or a fine. Depending on the type of breach, the contract may not be liable for some of the changes. 

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Proving British is best

2014 sees Sheerframe, part of the Litchfield Group, celebrate 90 years in business. It’s a family-owned company and James Litchfield, its Chairman, is the grandson of the founder. It manufactures all its products for the UK market in the UK and it’s proud to fly the flag for British manufacturing, not least because British-made products have become an important selling point for many.

But the UK manufacturing base is just a small part of a compelling package of benefits that Sheerframe offers.

The company offers a complete product portfolio for all exterior building envelopes and its products are used in all market sectors including social housing, private housebuilding and domestic properties.

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National press call on CPA to comment on rise in female workers

A leading provider of insurance backed guarantees (IBGs) to the industry recently appeared in the national press to comment on the growing number of females working in construction.

The Consumer Protection Association (CPA) was contacted by the Sunday Independent and asked to comment on the rise of white van women; following the publication of an article about how women now represent 5.7 per cent of trade workers.
The CPA provides IBG’s and services that help installers achieve sales and grow their businesses.

Following the publication of the story in the Sunday Independent; CPA Director Jeremy Brett’s comments then appeared in the Daily Mail and he was also contacted by Sky News to comment.

Jeremy says that the organisation’s twenty one years’ experience and commitment to raising standards in the industry were key factors behind them being asked to comment.

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