It’s glasstec time again

What is easily the biggest glass event in the world, glasstec, opened today in Dusseldorf, Germany where 1217 exhibitors prepared to greet an expected 43000 visitors from 87 countries. The 24th showing of this now famous event promises to be at the hub of further innovation in the glass business.

Elsewhere, following the announcement of the G 16 Awards shortlist, we have a number of items from the fortunate few in the G 16 Awards section.

In other news the FMB’s House Builders survey has shown a lack of available and viable land as the biggest barrier to SMEs delivering more new homes. You can read more here.

Finally, in answer to a number of questions being asked about the ability of some Insulating Glass Units (IGUs) to meet the requirements of BS EN 1279-5:2005 + A2:2010, the GGF has provided a document in an attempt to clarify matters. You can see it here.

I hope you enjoy this week’s issue.

Tony Higgin Publisher

Please send all your news stories to news@the-glazine.com

This Week's News

SME house builders have nowhere to build

Two thirds of SME house builders are struggling to identify land for development, according to new research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

For the second year in a row, the FMB’s annual House Builders’ Survey has shown a lack of available and viable land as the biggest barrier to SMEs delivering more new homes.

Read More Here...

Trio of G 16 Awards shortlistings for GLASSOLUTIONS

GLASSOLUTIONS, manufacturer, processor, distributor, installer and repairer of glass, is celebrating after being shortlisted for three G16 Awards, the annual glazing industry Oscars.

The company’s new online service MyGlassolutions has reached the finals in two categories – Customer Care Initiative of the Year and Promotional Campaign of the Year – reflecting its original concept and GLASSOLUTIONS’ investment in launching the service into the market.

Read More Here...

R&D tax relief claims by construction firms rise by a quarter

New statistics from HMRC have revealed there was a 26 per cent year-on-year rise in the number of claims for research and development tax credits submitted by construction firms in 2014-15.

The latest data shows that construction companies submitted 480 claims for research and development tax credits in 2014-15, up from 380 in 2013-14. The total amounts claimed in the period rose from £20m to £35m, a rise of 75 per cent.

First introduced in 2000, R&D tax credits are designed as a tax relief to encourage greater R&D spending and innovation. They work by reducing a company’s tax bill by an additional amount depending on the company’s allowable R&D expenditure. Since launch, over 140,000 claims have been made, with almost £14bn claimed in tax relief.

Read More Here...

New Law Helps
Self-Builders Get the
View They’ve Always Dreamed Of

AGB is urging self-builders to declare their intention to local authorities, as a new law forces councils to help them find suitable land for planning permission.

Under the Housing & Planning Act 2016, which came into law in July, local authorities have a duty to meet demand for self-build and custom house building by providing planning permission for appropriate plots of land.

“With the Housing & Planning Act now in effect, there’s never been more support from the Government to make a start and find that dream view,” says Marco Zen, UK and Ireland Sales Manager for AGB Hardware.

Read More Here...

Insulating Glass Standard and CE Labelling

The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) has seen an increase in questions being asked about the ability of some Insulating Glass Units (IGUs) to meet the requirements of BS EN 1279-5:2005 + A2:2010.

Evaluation of conformity, in particular their durability. The IGU design in question are those IGUs marketed as Thin, Slim, Heritage or similar names. These names do not refer to any specific component brand or tradename, and a more accurate description of the IGU would be ‘Narrow cavity IGU with reduced edgeseal sightline’. The main issue in relation to durability is not about the cavity width, the industry has successfully produced 6mm cavity IGUs for many years but whether IGUs constructed with an edge seal depth less than that usually seen in standard IGUs, can be manufactured in accordance with the harmonised European Standard (hEN) and be placed on the market in accordance with the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), introduced as a legal requirement for manufacturers in the UK on 1st July 2013.

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Yale supports National Home Security Month

Yale Door and Window Solutions is proud to continue its support for National Home Security Month (NHSM) this October.

Returning for its fourth consecutive year, NHSM is back to highlight the importance of security to homeowners across the UK, as well as helping to grow the marketplace and drive demand for security products and installation services throughout the autumn and winter months.

In the UK alone, there were approximately 701,000 domestic burglaries for the year ending March 2016*, yet statistics reveal that 25 per cent of consumers admit to having no home security measures in place at all.** As a result, national awareness campaigns, such as NHSM, present an effective way of bringing attention to this subject and engaging with customers.

Read More Here...