Locked out

It was another of those ‘why didn’t anyone think of this earlier’ moments when a simple exercise with local fire crews brought into sharp focus a darker side of the quest for higher security doors with one simple question – what happens when the good guys want to break in?

No such dilemma for the people of Livingston now that its firefighters have been given a potentially life-saving lesson in how – and more to the point when – a lock should be tackled. The logic is simple: don’t waste valuable seconds attacking an unbreakable lock …go straight to work on the door and the seconds saved might mean a life saved. Read Story

Come to think of it, why stop with the Fire Service; we’ve all joked about high-spec doors and locks being the first choice of drug dealers so why not let the police, and indeed all emergency responders, in on the knowledge.

Trapped in a different way, it seems, are many SMEs in the industry who are locked in a pincer-grip between devious main contractors on one side Read Story and ‘cowboy clients’ on the other. Read Story

So, whether you’re one of those who are locked in, locked out …or those who some believe should be locked up, we hope you enjoy this week’s issue.

Chris Church Editor

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

This Week's News

Connies back above the £billion – but volume at
all-time low, says Palmer

The conservatory market grew by 9% to £1.05bn last year – the highest level since 2009 – but the growth was fueled entirely by average install value against continuing decline in volume which hit an all-time low of 77,000 units, according to the latest Palmer report, The Market for Domestic Conservatories 2017.

The drop in volume is slowing, however, down to 1.4% from 6% but this in itself was bolstered by a growth in replacement conservatories, without which the decline in first-time installations would be 4%.

Robert Palmer, managing director of Palmer Market Research, said: “The conservatory sector remains a pretty mixed bag. ‘White boxes’ have lost their retail appeal and the market has seen a shift to larger, higher value installations and more flexible spaces.”

Read More Here...

How to break in!
…fire crews learn
life-saving lessons

An unfortunate side-effect of high-security door locks has been highlighted by an exercise in Livingston, West Lothian, where the Polyframe factory has given local fire crews some potentially life-saving insights into the quickest way to breach a high-spec door and lock.

The Green Watch crew from Livingston Fire Station visited the 50,000-sqft site in the town where the fabricator’s experts shared their knowledge on the most common door locks and how firefighters could tackle them in an emergency.

Martin Linden, managing director of Polyframe Livingston, explained the significance of the exercise: “We examined the different locks and talked about the common techniques used to snap the cylinder.

Read More Here...

‘Unscrupulous
contractors’ putting subbies at risk – survey

‘Underhand and unscrupulous’ tactics by construction main contractors are putting specialist subcontractors’ businesses at risk by not paying for work simply to increase profits, according to a research published this week.

As many as 93% of Specialist Contractors experience disputes regularly or occasionally, often leading to serious financial problems or even threat of closure, through payments being withheld for ‘spurious’ reasons, the survey by StreetwiseSubbie.com has revealed.

Even on public sector contracts where payment should be made within 30 days, 47% of those surveyed said that they were not in a position to challenge payment terms that are longer than that time. Many respondents expressed concerns along the lines of ‘a new breed of commercially aggressive quantity surveyors, who are motivated to maximise profit and seemingly on a bonus to claw back cash’.

Read More Here...

Homes for sale
down again

Last month’s boost in homes placed with estate agents proved short-lived, as figures reveal new supply levels fell again in October.

The latest Property Supply Index, compiled by online estate agents HouseSimple.com, shows the total number of new properties marketed by estate agents across the UK last month was down 4.3% on September following a 20% spike in September after a quiet summer.

The Index reveals that three quarters (75.2%) of UK towns and cities saw new property listings fall in October over September, with the biggest drops in Torquay, 37.4%, and Oxford, 37.0%.

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All this and the G17s too!

When the great and good of our industry gather at the London Hilton on Park Lane on Friday next week, they will be applauding more than just the G17 category trophy winners. This year, for the first time, they will also see and hear of a few more highly laudable achievements.

The gala event will also see the first ever presentation of the Glass & Glazing Federation’s new Lifetime Achievement Award, launched earlier this year to mark the organisation’s 40th anniversary.

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CDW six launch MBO

Gloucester-based aluminium window and door manufacturer/supplier CDW Systems says it’s ‘business as usual’ after announcing a management buyout of the £10million-sales company by the senior management team of Richard Smith, Angela Phillips, Jeremy Phillips, Allan Little, Martin Rowe and Mike Davis.

The six have formed a new holding company, East Manor Group which will manage its three operating companies, CDW Systems Ltd, Clearway Doors & Windows Ltd and Designex Cabinets Ltd.

The MBO comes one year after Mike became Managing Director at CDW and he is quick to emphasise that although the company has been purchased from its Group Chairman, Jerry Webb, the new owners don’t intend to make any changes operationally to how the business is run on a day to day basis and Jerry will continue to be active in the business.

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Businesses fear
threat of ‘cowboy
clients’, says FMB

Three quarters of construction SMEs say ‘cowboy clients’ are hampering their business, according to the latest research by the Federation of Master Builders.

Results from the UK-wide survey into the impact of clients who delay or withhold payment without good reason or make completely unreasonable include:

• Nearly three quarters think cowboy clients are a serious problem for their businesses
• Nearly a quarter have had to wait for more than four months for payment from a client or large contractor
• Fewer than one third are always paid within the standard 30 days.

Read More Here...