First SMARTGLASS Dynamic Installation, Delights Homeowner

The first ever installation of SMARTGLASS® Dynamic has resulted in overwhelming praise from the homeowner of the newly refurbished conservatory, that has benefitted from this revolutionary, wireless, self-tinting glass technology.

Phil Stow approached Clayton Glass in February 2017, before the commencement of his conservatory refurbishment project in Houghton on the Hill, Leicester, about the performance characteristics of specialist conservatory glass on dull days. He had already specified SMARTGLASS Ultimate, one of the best performing conservatory roof glass types in the sector.

Jason McCabe, commercial and site director of Clayton Glass, suggested that SMARTGLASS® Dynamic would outperform any other conservatory roof glass on hot sunny days, yet provide light transmission, very close to that of a standard IGU on duller days. The quote below is taken directly from an e-mail received on 3rd May from Phil Stow.

He commented: ‘My conservatory refit by Mike Jarvis of Custom Conservatories is nearly complete, and I currently have a couple of Ultimate panes which will be replaced next week. This has allowed me to compare and contrast the products literally side by side.

He continued: ‘The Ultimate glass, which was my initial choice, is a pretty glass which performs well and I’m sure I would have been very happy with it. The Dynamic glass however, is in a completely different league in my opinion. In a clear state like your literature states it performs similar to standard glass, giving true colours of the outside world. Furthermore, on dull days, the light transmitted is clearly noticeable as greater than the Ultimate. So far, I cannot comment on hot day performance, but when the sun did briefly emerge and the outside temperature was around 14 Celsius the Dynamic magically tinted to the colour of Ultimate.’

And finally, he added: ‘SMARTGLASS® Dynamic is a fantastic product and I hope it produces the success for Clayton Glass you deserve for developing it. Thank you once again for letting me be one of the first customers to appreciate it.’

Jason McCabe, commercial and site director enthused: ‘That’s an incredible testimonial from a homeowner who is already embracing dynamic living, thanks to SMARTGLASS® Dynamic. Without question this is the future for domestic glazing, particularly in the roofing plane and we look forward to building further sales and working with key partners to bring this technology to the mass market.’

For a free SMARTGLASS® Dynamic sample kit and a 2017 Product Guide, e-mail enquiries@smart-glass.co.uk or call the sales office on 01207 288200. You can also add to their growing Twitter following @ClaytonGlass and find further product information at www.smart-glass.co.uk.

Darlington-based National Window Systems, part of the HWL Windows Group, have installed a beautiful OPUS hybrid lantern roof, exclusively manufactured by Prefix Systems, on their newly extended conservatory village and renovated showroom.

OPUS is a new genre of hybrid glazing, combining the proven performance and adaptability of aluminium with the sheer richness and luxury of hardwood. This installation at National Window Systems, is part of a traditional brick Orangery in a showroom environment that includes two other Orangeries, a Prefix solid, insulated and tiled WARMroof and other modern living environments.

Now celebrating their 30^th anniversary, this investment by National Window Systems in premium, extended living space solutions shows a shift in emphasis from the basic cost effective conservatories, to the more premium environments that discerning consumers are now demanding. The OPUS lantern roof is a perfect example of this offering, with a PVCu or aluminium exterior and with the trademark OPUS timber internal finish, which is further emphasised on the showsite Orangery, with an oak trim around the lantern opening.

John McComb, sales manager of National Window Systems commented, ‘OPUS is the epitome of premium glazing solutions and it’s generated considerable interest already, following our opening day event. There’s a new type of consumer emerging that seeks premium brands and products that provide luxury appeal, something our newly expanded showsite is perfectly designed to cater for.’

Geoff Williams, national sales manager of Prefix Systems concluded: ‘We’ve generated considerable interest in the OPUS system since its launch at the FIT Show in 2016 and it will again be featured on our stand at this year’s show, as a lantern roof and also as a set of stunning, bi-folding doors. With further developments, we’re looking to further open up a new niche for high performance hybrid products, with proactive partners such as National Window Systems eager to be early adopters.’

For information on National Window Systems visit http: www.nationalwindowsystems.co.uk. For further information, on Prefix Systems contact the head office on 01254 871800, visit www.prefixsystems.co.uk, e-mail enquiries@prefixsystems.co.uk or add to their considerable following on Twitter @prefixsystems.

Funded by the government’s Condition Improvement Fund, The Window Company (Contracts) has just completed an impressive window replacement project at Hatcham College in South East London, part of the prestigious Haberdasher’s Askes’ Schools Federation.

The award winning commercial installer was appointed as the principle contractor by Arcadis Consulting, working on behalf of the school for 3-18 year olds.

Parts of the historic Hatcham College date back to 1890, so the challenge for The Window Company (Contracts) was to supply and install windows which were in keeping with the age and character building but still represented best value.

Because they are entirely independent, they were able to successfully identify a range of different products from a number of different suppliers which perfectly matched the different elements of the specification.

This included six 4600(h) x 2000(w) bespoke sapele hardwood double glazed sash windows for the school hall from NJL Joinery in Essex, painted white on the exterior but left varnished in the natural wood on the interior to match the hall’s existing panelling. These were fitted with Guardian SunGuard SuperNeutral glass to minimise solar gain and even feature the original openers which The Window Company (Contracts) expertly restored and refitted.

In other parts of the building, they installed a mix of arched head vertical sliders and tilt and slide windows with Astragal bars, fabricated by Glazerite in Veka’s Matrix profile which matched the external appearance of the timber they were replacing. They also created a new opening in the dining hall and fitted a new set of Comar Commercial aluminium double doors.

The Window Company (Contracts) has extensive experience in the education sector and its team are all CRB checked and fully trained to work on school sites. It has the flexibility to be able to deploy fitters at short notice to work during school closure times and is renowned for its commitment to always delighting clients.

Mary Williams, Business Manager at the school, was impressed with their approach: “What we liked was that The Window Company (Contracts) did exactly what we wanted on the project and not just what suited them best. We are delighted with the products they recommended, particularly the new timber sash windows, and with the attention to detail they showed on every aspect of the project.

“We knew that we could trust everyone on the team and, with one project manager responsible for everything on site, they were very easy to work with. Nothing was too much trouble and we would definitely work with them again.”

Further information is at www.thewinco.co.uk

It’s been three years since Edgetech hosted the Triple Glazing Question (TGQ) and brought together delegates from the whole glazing supply chain.

At TGQ, there was a great argument made for using ‘clever doubles’ instead of triple glazing. Especially as there were concerns about the manufacturing complexity of triple glazing and lack of availability, for units and appropriate profiles.

Head of marketing at Edgetech UK, Charlotte Davies, reports: “With such good performance available from double glazed units, it was argued that an extra pane of glass wouldn’t necessarily be an improvement.

“However, since TGQ we have seen instances where the additional thermal efficiency from triple glazing is the better option, such as in super insulated buildings, where there are significant gains to be made by choosing U-Values of 0.8 W/m2K — easily achievable with triple glazing. Plus, the massive increase recently in sales of bi-folds and sliding doors, means that there’s a lot more demand for big units. Some of these can greatly benefit from using triple glazing also as with such vast expanses of glass it can make a real difference to the comfort levels in a room.”

It was confirmed at TGQ that the centre pane should be toughened because it can become very hot within triple units, especially if they are fitted in a building in the full glare of the sun. But the elevated temperature can have other ramifications too, as Charlotte explains: “The temperature within triple units can easily exceed the maximum required of volatile fog tests in current European standards. This means there is a risk of fog appearing within units from spacers, which are not compliant to higher international standards, giving off volatiles when overheated. This isn’t a problem for Super Spacer as it is installed in units from Alaska to Dubai and tested successfully from -15 to 125°C, so you can be sure it will perform in UK triple glazing.”

Other advances since TGQ include developments in automated IGU manufacturing and the addition of profile options to accommodate triple glazed units by most window systems companies.

Charlotte continued: “Machinery advancements have made it possible for complete and ready to handle triple glazed units to be manufactured in just 30 seconds using Super Spacer. Automatic reel changers have been added which virtually eliminate machinery downtime.

“Aesthetics are taken care of automatically too. Whereas rigid spacers are often lined up manually, Super Spacer is applied by referencing the edge of the glass. The two spacers line up perfectly so units made with Super Spacer always look symmetrical. Plus Super Spacer’s acrylic side adhesive means there’s no need to apply a PIB primary seal, removing risk of smearing inside the unit.”

Charlotte added: “Three years on we can see increased production of triple glazing and we know that there’s now manufacturing capability in the market for high performance triple units without compromising productivity or aesthetics. There’s not been a switch over from double to triple – but the trend continues to grow, especially where high levels of performance and energy efficiency are paramount.”

www.edgetechig.co.uk

The post Edgetech revisits the Triple Glazing Question… appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Sales of Kenrick’s market leading Excalibur multi-point locking system have reached an all-time high with the West Bromwich based company reporting that it has sold 500,000 sets of the shootbolts within the last year.

The healthy growth at Kenrick coincides with a recent quarterly report from the CBI which revealed that UK manufacturers have seen strong growth in domestic orders over the previous quarter. The CBI Industrial Trends Survey reported that the volume of domestic orders rose at the fastest pace since July 2014. It also predicted that demand would continue to rise over the next quarter, driven by a combination of domestic and export orders.

Steve Jones, managing director at Kenrick, said: “Despite the uncertainty of Brexit, optimism seems to be rising among UK manufacturers, which is really encouraging. We’re delighted that the last year has been so strong for Kenrick with demand for our Excalibur shootbolt showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. This flagship product delivers high performance and greater security but it’s also competitively priced, which enables installers to pass on the cost savings to their customers.

“This peak in sales underlines that homeowners do place security and value as top priorities when choosing their windows. This is the best year yet for the Excalibur shootbolt and we expect the next 12 months to be positive too as sales continue to rise. We will be pulling out all the stops to increase production rates to stay ahead of the game in what remains a highly competitive marketplace.”

www.kenricks.co.uk

The post Kenrick hails Excalibur appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

The installation of new, advanced Hegla cutting solutions at leading glass manufacturers, Village Glass, is set to make a major impact on the architectural market. A £4 million total investment in new automation and toughening systems will create a new benchmark for the industry, and will help to further raise production standards thanks to improved efficiency, cost savings and faster product turnaround.

The state-of-the-art Hegla installation includes a sophisticated, Re-master sub plate management system, Gantry Loading System working from Automatic Concertina Racking Systems for increased glass types, Laser Marking, Optimax Float Table with Automatic X Breakout, Pro-Lam combination float/laminated cutting table and a 6m EcoLam for oversize Laminated Glass

As one of the most well known and respected manufacturers in the UK it was imperative

to the senior management team that only the highest standards of technology would be

considered for installation at Essex based, Village Glass. With Hegla being recognised for providing excellence and quality on a proven range of products, initial discussions took place in respect of the glass cutting equipment as part of this large expansion programme.

Due to an ever increasing order book, the Hegla system provides much needed, additional fully automated cutting capability and will enable Village Glass to further diversify its range of products to include larger jumbo sized units for curtain walling projects.

The technical benefits and cost saving advantages gained from the equipment were already well known to Steve Larvin, Managing Director at Village Glass.

He comments, “We had spare capacity in certain areas of the factory and were only producing 50% of our overall capacity, so it made sense to invest to improve cutting efficiency as output was continually increasing. Bottlenecks have now been removed and the whole facility is far more streamlined than ever before. Investment in cutting and toughening will allow us to supply a more diverse range to the higher end architectural sector.

Previously, loading was an issue that we had to resolve; so we have further automated our manufacturing processes, which also includes a new software program.”

This installation will assist in the redevelopment of production methods using Hegla’s latest equipment including the combination float laminated cutting technology that provides unrivalled manufacturing features. As with all Hegla projects, the machine was specifically designed to suit the needs of the company.

The machine has a comprehensive range of special Hegla options, Twin Soft Coat Edge

Deletion, Twin Float Cutting Heads, X and Y Axis Overlap PVB Trimming, Grinding and Laser Marking glass identification for toughening applications.

Laser marking capabilities provide faster, more reliable glass recognition and this broadens the scope for future industry marking requirements. Customer queries can also be resolved far more quickly and effectively with this feature.

Some unique cost-saving features perfectly suited the requirements of Village Glass, with the innovation for laminate foil trimming being supplied by Hegla. This ensures that the reference edges of the glass have no PVB overlap, which subsequently guarantees perfectly flat edges that sit better and are more aligned on the sealed unit manufacturing lines. Other modern features such as twin edge deletion.

Having one of the most modern glass processing sites in the country, producing over

4,000 m² units per week into the commercial sector, Village Glass continues to see steady and substantial growth during what many are describing as an extremely uncertain economy.

National Recognition

The company is recognised nationally for its top quality standards and high end products, having been responsible for supplying products for some of the UK’s most dynamic projects in the Capital including Regent Street, the Olympic Village and numerous London Hotels as well as prestigious projects further afield nationally.

Despite certain trepidation in relation to current political turmoil and the effects of Brexit, Steve Larvin takes an extremely positive approach to the industry moving forward. The current expansion program is part of a larger growth phase at the company which includes the redevelopment of the Village Glass Board. Alongside Steve, Gary Wilton has been appointed Operations Director, with Daniel Harrendence Sales and Technical Director.

Steve continues, “This has been a very structured investment with an improvement to quality the priority. Some of the older equipment installed here could not handle the capacity. We wanted a more automated facility with less handling.

As most IGU manufacturers cannot make units with both dimensions over 2800mm, Village Glass now has the ability to make double glazed units 3000mm x 50000mm this puts us in a unique group.

As the Hegla pedigree is recognised for its reliability and quality output – there really was no other option for us.”

The Board considers the relationship with Hegla a partnership, and one that will continue to grow, based on common beliefs of providing the highest quality as standard, which has helped to further solidify business relations.

Growing Awareness

With consumer awareness continually growing, as installers and specifiers are now required to deliver so much more in respect of high performance glasses, Village Glass has taken the progressive approach to install equipment that will meet future market demands.

Another key element in choosing the Hegla brand came from the possibilities now available in terms of product diversification. Village Glass can reap the benefits of being able to purchase all glass types in the market place and develop the product portfolio considerably with Pilkington, Guardian, Saint Gobain and AGC all substantiating the product range.

Fully understanding customers’ manufacturing requirements and developing tailored plans accordingly is the key to success for the Hegla team and its customers. It is important to prepare accurate layouts in CAD in consultation with the customer to maximize the use of the area available taking into account output and flow. The strength of Hegla is that in theory, all is possible because they manufacture all in-house, with footprints of machines which can be modified to suit the space available as long as output is not effected.

After an initial training period the Village team is now proficient on the specially tailored Hegla equipment which allows the company to cut and handle very large glass plates. Ultimately, this gives the company more control and helps to improve quality standards.

Furthermore, the warehouse management system is now vital as this controls stock levels, residual plate allocation and management statistics, therefore with the press of a button operators can obtain a printout giving them batch traceability, stock control and stock evaluation, which gives them an instant overview.

Vital Investment

As a leading company with an established reputation in the commercial sector, the technical investment in Hegla equipment was considered vital due to increasing market demands in product specification and building regulations. The level of investment was substantiated by the design, engineering and product performance of the Hegla range.

Steve Larvin concludes, “We have expanded our horizons dramatically and can reinvigorate the market. Quite simply, the equipment was chosen because of the superiority and reliability of the Hegla brand which will allow us to move forward as a company. It will give us a real edge as we look to introduce new products later this year.”

Village Glass has a proactive approach to the industry and we are quietly optimistic about the future despite what some may perceive as potentially difficult trading conditions. We feel the Hegla system is exceptional value for money and are delighted with the results so far.”

Steve Goble, Managing Director, Hegla UK comments: “Hegla Group will always do our best to provide customers with efficient, tailor-made solutions. We look forward to continuing our working relationship with Village Glass as their key target sectors expand and the corporate position strengthens further.”