Cue for a change

Everyone has come to expect the Network Veka AGM to be one of the unmissables in the social and business calendar but this year’s turned out to be one of the most eventful for some time, not least because of the bowing-out of quite possibly the best-known face in the industry ready for a major rebranding.

Anyone who has seen Steve Davis working at any of the organisation’s events knows he has never given less than 100% of his time, effort and commitment to any one of them and we know he will be much missed, even though his face will doubtless live on in many members’ websites and van livery for some time yet. Read Story

Elsewhere, we have news of another MBO, this time at Sliders UK Read Story, the six top teams chosen to undertake the FIT Show Master Fitter Challenge Read Story, and in case anyone thought we could get away without mentioning the forthcoming General Election, the National Home Improvement Council is asking every party to tell us what they plan to do for the shortage of energy-efficient homes in the UK. Read Story

Bowing out, buying in, or just begging for our vote, we hope there is something in this issue for everyone.

Chris Church Editor

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

This Week's News

Steve Davis departs Network Veka
– new branding and awards unveiled

Major changes at Network Veka were revealed at the organisation’s AGM on Saturday, including the departure of Steve Davis after 11 years as its public face, as well as an unveiling of new branding for the organisation and a restructuring of its long-running annual awards.

Davis, who has become synonymous with Network Veka during his tenure as brand ambassador was thanked for his work by Head of Partner Programmes Karen Lund before the two shared the presentation of the annual award trophies.

Read More Here...

“Show us your plan,” NHIC urges political parties

The National Home Improvement Council is urging all political parties to show in their manifestos how they would tackle the issues of building or upgrading more energy-efficient homes in the UK.

The call came this week as the organisation launched its own industry-led manifesto outlining five key areas it feels the next Government should focus on alongside negotiating Britain’s departure from the European Union.

Read More Here...

FIT picks Fitter finalists

FIT Show organisers have named the six finalists chosen to compete in this year’s Master Fitter Challenge for prizes totalling £10,000.

Through a process that included interviews, site visits and of deliberation among the assessors, they have named: David Keates and Jonathon Mountford of DK Windows, Stoke-on-Trent; David Shaw and Nathan Daw, Shaw Home Improvements, Wisbech; Steve Claxton and Rob Jones, The Window Company, Chelmsford; Mark West and Mark Hardy representing Sherborne Windows, Farnborough; Dale Harrison and Colin Stubbs, West Yorkshire Windows; and Richard Dombrowski of CG Maintenance, Newport.

Read More Here...

MBO at Sliders

Sliders UK has announced a management buyout that will see changes to the senior management team including the departure of co-founder Mike Spain.

Alex Murphy, previously Operations Director, now steps up to a new role as Chief Executive Officer. Ian Longbottom and Steve Mines remain as Chairman and Sales Director respectively and are joined alongside Murphy in the new senior team by Jonathan Foxcroft as Finance Director. Richard Harris and Russell Pryor also join the business as retained consultants.

Ian Longbottom said: “We have ambitions for significant long term growth and are already 18-months along the road towards it. This includes not only the creation of our new management structure as announced today but also the major investment which has already been delivered in our manufacturing capability.

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Free fire door CPD event

Door installers and specifiers are invited to a free, CPD accredited event promoting fire door safety awareness at Durham County Cricket Club on Thursday (May 11) by The County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service in association with construction supplier Arnold Laver.

The day will cover new legislation, building regulations and the latest developments surrounding fire doors, as well as providing in-depth product information on the specification, installation and maintenance of fire doors.

A spokesperson from the Fire & Rescue Service said: “This event been designed for anyone who has influence over fire doors, including local business owners, hotel operators, building firms, office and hospital managers, property developers, architects and tradespeople from across the North of England and even Scotland.

Read More Here...

We Have Email

From: Stewart Lamb,
MD, VITA Hardware UK
& European CEO Schüring

I’ve read with interest the recent news stories about the rocketing price of zinc and the fact that suppliers are offering new and upgraded aluminium alternatives in order to stabilise costs. As a hardware manufacturer, material trends is an area we have keep a close eye on.

From a global perspective, China and India sales continue robustly in the Asian markets. The Chinese Government regulations to reduce the use of timber in windows and doors have spurred on PVC growth and the associated hardware sales accordingly. While France and Germany – both of whom are in election years – have been relatively flat, Poland and Eastern European markets remain optimistic. Spain too seems to be bouncing back and even Italy is showing glimmers of hope.

While it’s vital we keep an eye on market and material trends, it’s not something that drives our development. At VITA Hardware, we’ve offered a range of aluminium based products for over five years now. Take for example our popular Claymore range which is suitable for use with PVC-u, aluminium or timber windows and offers outstanding performance and reliability.

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