Neil Evans, Sales Director, The Veka UK Group

First Job: Insurance Claims Clerk (chief photocopier!). You were always told to join a bank or insurance company (at least you were in my house) for security.

When did you join current company: Joined Veka 31st October 2016, previously Sales Director at Velux.

Most useful/favourite gadget: Anything ‘Apple’. Even my iPod Classic still does a job 12 years later and continues to have far more capacity than I have music.

Favourite/most useful website: www.tripadvisor.co.uk. Generally a bit too obsessed with it but, to be fair, it has never let me down.

Business person you admire: Anyone brave enough to succeed when others said it could not be done.

Recommended hotel for business: Depends on the budget! But, of the budget chains, Premier Inn seems to have the most consistent offer.

Favourite UK restaurant: Pretty much any Indian restaurant in any UK City! Best business decision: To find ways to “say yes” to an opportunity with a multi-million pound customer when historically people had just said “no”; that “yes” was worth millions more.

Other interests: Family, supporting Newcastle United, reading true crime stories and autobiographies.

Working Day: Usually start just after 7am, most likely catching up on any emails carried forward from the night before; check diary (which is usually planned at least six weeks ahead). If I’m working in the field it will be accompanying members of the sales team visiting our customers and looking for opportunities to work better together, with some post-visit coaching to help focus. In the office (home or Burnley) I’m likely to be providing direction, analysing performance, planning activities, supporting requests from the team and challenging us to find better ways of working so that we achieve better outcomes. That could involve defining and training in new working standards. Leave the office around 6.30pm and, if staying away from home, might still be distracted by work for some of the rest of the evening. Elements of this routine will no doubt change the longer I am here.

Working Location: Located within the 400,000 ft2 Burnley operation, sharing the space with my Sales, Marketing and Network Veka colleagues. Functional office located alongside all other aspects of what makes up the company offer on-site, which is great for access and for demonstrating the whole Veka offer to customers. It never fails to impress customers. Otherwise, it is a home-office, the car, or somewhere roadside to get a wifi signal.

Veka is a family-owned Global player which is both World and UK number 1, specialising in the design and production of market-leading PVC-U window systems. 2016 represented the 30th anniversary for Veka in the UK and a solid year of business performance despite uncertainty fuelled by Brexit and rising costs, partly driven by the weakening of the pound. Coloured foiling of profile continues to grow, increasingly with different colours on internal/external finish to the point that colours now represent around 33% of sales value. All of this delivered via a 99% OTIF. Most importantly, Veka remains true to its commitment not to compete with its customers.

I am a great believer in concentrating on what you can influence and not what you can’t. In reality, even the finest economists have a range of likely outcomes from the UK leaving the EU, which translates as “we don’t really know”. I have worked in construction long enough to know that with a good, well-executed plan you can deliver results ahead of what the market does. But it takes clear thinking and really hard work… and that’s the intention at Veka. Even if market tonnage output is flat in 2017 and beyond, revenue and reputation need not be.

We have many opportunities to invest in our brand. From my time working for the roof window giant Velux, I know the difference it makes to consumers and trade partners when people in the chain care enough to ask for, or recommend, your brand and specific products by name. I also know how disappointed they can be when they have not been as well informed as they could when making such big decisions. At Veka, we have a great opportunity to significantly address that opportunity through a combination of our manufacturing credentials, our product range, our people, our delivery capability and our determination to reach trade and consumers alike. We want window systems from The Veka UK Group to mean something to more people in the market. You can see the difference it makes when consumers take an active interest. It helps them move from what might seem like a forced decision of “I need eight new windows” to an involved “I want eight new FlushSash Windows finished in Anthracite Grey”. That matters.

In my short time in this sector I have been struck by a number of things. Firstly, the whole supply chain from systems company all the way through to the end user is fairly complex. Windows from well-known window brands may or may not be fabricated by those companies and rarely will the consumer have a sense of whose window system is used. If the consumer knew more about this, how might that influence who they buy from and would that push them more towards the local independent specialists operating under, for example, the Network Veka umbrella?

Secondly, a disproportionate amount of focus seems to be on product differentiation in areas where there are features with no discernible benefits for fabricator, installer or consumer. I’ve seen this before where players in a market have had “better” features that, frankly, have never made any material difference in purchasing decisions. So, for me, I’d rather find a “benefit” that genuinely makes a difference to customers than a technical “feature” that too few people care about. In the current climate, it doesn’t seem that any of us can afford to pursue vanity projects which deliver no direct or clearly traceable commercial value. They may distract us all. My first FIT Show will no doubt be interesting in that context.

Thirdly, we are probably an under-valued industry relative to the technology, the difference our products make to customers, and the capital investment underpinning every product. Only those in the industry can change that situation with clearer communication and positive experiences that customers want to talk about. The ultimate consumer is far more curious, knowledgeable and engaged than ever in decisions that they would have previously made in an instant (or even left for someone else to decide). They are looking for an authoritative voice and examples of people just like them, living in places just like them, who have made the decisions they also plan to make. Some might see that as added complexity for all in the chain and they would be right; but without that engagement and complexity we become commoditised and unable to sustain the necessary investments to build the health of this category.

As for goals in the period ahead, I want the Veka team to retain a passion for our customers and for us to collectively get fit for the future. I want our customers to be open and constructive about their experiences and expectations of us and I want “partnership” to be authentic, not just an overused word and an underused way of working. After all, whichever part of the supply chain any of us are in, we all have a role to play to generate trust and deliver high quality solutions for the ultimate customer. Whether a Veka customer or not, always check what value you get from your supplier, what that’s really worth, and how you could secure more value while giving your supplier something they would also want. The Veka UK Group has significant ambition beyond the next 12 months. Our focus on being a specialist window systems company delivering the right solutions to our customers will be at the core of that ambition and, realistically, nothing is ruled out at this stage on how we use that specialism and ruthless focus to succeed.

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A testing programme between two market leading companies, working with some of the industry’s most prestigious component providers, has led to the development of a fire resisting solution for Liniar’s range of composite doors.

Pyroplex Ltd approached Liniar at the 2016 FIT Show to propose working together on a project to develop a fire door assembly capable of achieving a fire resistance period of 30 minutes.

When prospective customers Fascia Place then approached Liniar to enquire if its range included fire doors, the project began to take shape.

Based in Droitwich, Pyroplex has a worldwide reputation as a leading manufacturer and supplier of high performance fire containment systems with a long established range of products which have been extensively tested and assessed for use within the composite door market.

Pyroplex manufactures high performance intumescent strips for use in doors and glazing systems. Its systems are supported by international testing and certification and they hold third party approval under internationally recognised schemes.

During the programme, Liniar and Pyroplex worked closely with leading component providers, such as Distinction Doors, NSG Group, Mila and Yale, in the initial concept design and participated in small scale fire testing.

The collective technical expertise from all the various parties involved in the project proved to be invaluable to see the interaction between products when tested for fire resistance, whilst maintaining other essential characteristics including security, thermal performance and weather ability, to comply with Building Regulations.

After completing a small scale fire test, Pyroplex commissioned Exova Warringtonfire to undertake a full scale fire test incorporating two doors, both of which included overhead glazing panels and glazed side lights with large aspect ratios, which can often fail under constant fire load.

Both of the door set assemblies achieved a significant overrun in terms of fire resistance. The test was continued to failure, exceeding the 30 minute requirement by more than 15 minutes – meaning the doors are well on the way to reaching the 60 minute mark.

Liniar’s Technical Support Manager, Paul Garforth, commented: “The level of technical expertise and knowledge of Pyroplex and support from Distinction has been the key to the success of this testing programme.

“We’re delighted that both door sets not only achieved FD30 status, but surpassed the standard required.

“The test proves the compatibility and function of Liniar sections are a perfect combination with Pryoplex’s intumescent seals and Distinction slabs.

“The newly written fabrication manual, along with the Exova assessment report, will be available to customers who are thinking about supplying FD30 products themselves.”

For more information on Liniar fire doors email Liniar Technical Support – paul.garforth@liniar.co.uk.

www.liniar.co.uk

Clayton Glass have just produced a time lapsed video to showcase the revolutionary, self-tinting SMARTGLASS^® Dynamic in action, showing in just a matter of a few minutes the transformation of each individual glass pane throughout a hot summer’s day, in one of their first conservatory roof installations.

This new video is posted on the SMARTGLASS^® website at www.smart-glass.co.uk/products/smartglass-dynamic and at 2:39 minutes long, visually show the change in state of the conservatory roof glass from clear at either ends of the day to a dynamically darkened tint during the middle of the day, where outside temperatures touched 30 degrees in June. It can also be seen on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEHjNSIPd6M&t=65s.

SMARTGLASS Ultra 86 already provides the greatest performance of any conservatory roof glass with fixed performance levels, yet the new Dynamic glass offers a better G-value at 10% and tint of 6% when needed during the hottest days of this summer. Yet during the early and latter parts of the day this revolutionary glass technology offers a 60% light transmission, approaching that of a standard IGU, along with an impressive G-value of 34%.

There are also other videos on the website that perfectly showcase this glass technology for conservatory and lantern roofs, along with other residential and commercial glazing applications. This includes a production that shows how the new interactive SMARTGLASS^® Dynamic sample kits work with just a cup of hot fluid.

Jason McCabe, commercial and site director Clayton Glass commented: ‘The feedback has been phenomenal from the homeowners of the first few installations and this new video really does help convey how this dynamic glass technology works. With a 10-14 day delivery UK wide, availability in any shape and no requirement for wires and controls, we believe this is certainly the future technology that the industry will adopt in the coming years.

For a free SMARTGLASS^® Dynamic sample kit, 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 and the latest videos at www.smart-glass.co.uk.

Fabricators from around the world will be congregating in Mühlacker, Germany this September for the elumatec TechDays 2017.

Hosted by global machinery experts elumatec, the three-day event seeks to showcase the firm’s market-leading product range, and give attendees a crucial insight into the direction fabrication technology is moving in.

Visitors will be treated to an array of live demonstrations, designed to show how elumatec’s cutting-edge aluminium and uPVC machining solutions can help fabricators boost productivity, increase quality and grow their businesses.

Phil Heavey, Managing Director of elumatec UK commented: “The TechDays are really the highlight of our calendar here at elumatec. It’s fantastic to be able to bring existing and potential customers from all around the world to our Mühlacker HQ – the sheer scale of our operation is something to behold, and feedback from attendees is always extremely positive.

“We look forward to seeing friends, customers and colleagues from around the UK in Germany in September – and in the meantime, if you’d like to know more about any of the products in our huge range of uPVC and aluminium machining range, please don’t hesitate to give our sales team a call.”

For more information call 01908 580 800 or visit www.elumatec.co.uk

With FIT Show 2017 still fresh in the memory of the window, door and conservatory industry, attention now turns to the future and FIT Show 2019, especially as it hopes to top the huge success of this year’s first show at the NEC.

The move to the National Exhibition Centre prompted a surge in exhibition stand bookings last year when the new venue was announced. This year sees a similar trend only this time instead of the new venue being the catalyst previous exhibitors are booking their stand space so they can start planning how they are going to top this year’s show. With 22 months still to go until FIT Show 2019 – taking place on 21^st to 23^rd May – 50% of the exhibition floor space has already been booked. And while this is quite a feat, it’s even more of a feat when you learn that the gross floor space for FIT Show 2019 is 30% larger than this year’s show.

“With the rapid growth of the FIT Show we knew we had to move from Telford to the NEC and it proved the right decision looking at the numbers from our first show in Birmingham,” said Nickie West, Event Director of FIT Events Ltd, the company behind the FIT Show. “With a visitor increase of almost 17% in comparison to our previous show we owe that to some of the most creative marketing campaigns from exhibitors and impressive stands we’ve seen yet. And having 50% of floor space for 2019 booked already just shows the commitment this industry has to its industry event.”

Some of the names that have signed up for FIT Show 2019 include: Konig UK, AluK (GB) Ltd, BSI Group, Wintech Engineering, Roseview Windows, Apeer, Renolit Cramlington Ltd, Customade Group, Profine Group, KAT UK, Leica Geosystems Ltd, Kawneer, Ultraframe, Veka, Camden, Iso-Chemie GmbH and more.

For a full list of exhibitors visit: www.fitshow.co.uk/exhibitors

Image Above: David Strang at his home The Old Smelting Mill in Alton, Staffs

Synseal Group has bid a fond farewell to David Strang who has retired after more than 30 years working with the Sheerframe window system.

During a lifelong career in the plastics industry, David has seen it all – from fond memories of his early days in the British Plastics Federation to the height of Sheerframe’s success as one of  the most specified commercial window systems in the UK. David was instrumental in driving some of the key innovations in PVC-U manufacturing we take for granted today, including the first lead-free profile, co-extruded weather seals and the first UK designed reversible window system.

Starting his career at the BPF, David remembers working with raw material suppliers to campaign for window performance standards, leading to BS 6375 standards, and going to the advertising standards agency to dispute false claims about PVC-U discolourment by aluminium suppliers.

In 1983 he moved to LB Plastics to take up the new role of Product Manager for Sheerframe, soon after they launched the first 70mm window system. It was highly successfully both in retail and in the public sector, where Sheerframe became the go-to PVC-U window supplier for local authorities. David continued to head up the Sheerframe division when acquired by Synseal Group in 2014, helping the systems house to tap into the specification market with Sheerframe’s first-class reputation in the specialist commercial sector for sheltered housing, educational buildings and inner city housing developments.

Commenting on his time at the forefront of PVC-U innovation, David said:

“It was like riding the crest of a wave in the 1980s and 90s. A lot of the time we were working it out as we went along, crystallising ideas in marketing meetings, working out what we wanted to achieve and putting them into action. These were times when there were no performance standards for weather tightness or thermal efficiency – steel and timber windows predominantly had no seals and glass was held in place with putty!

“With Sheerframe we made huge advancements, eschewing copycat products in 60mm – largely inward opening designs for German refurb and new build – and instead promoting British style multilights that opened outwards like casements and reversibles in replacement sizes of 70mm. We also pioneered whole window and door systems with pre-fused gaskets and seals which, despite scepticism from the wider industry, are now the norm.

“It was an exciting time to be non-conformist, and to lead the way in PVC-U innovation. It was a time when everything you touched turned to gold.”

www.synseal.com

The 2017 Construction Marketing Awards are open for entry, with the closing date being Friday 22nd September.

For the second successive year the GGF is supporting the awards that showcase the best of marketing in the construction industry.

Last year the GGF with specialist agency Refresh PR won a Construction Marketing Award for the best mid-range budget campaign for MyGlazing.com – the GGF’s consumer advice website.  In terms of marketing and PR, the GGF has had an outstanding last 12 months with strong promotions on MyGlazing.com and a successful campaign to celebrate the Federations 40^th Anniversary. In view of this the GGF aims to enter several awards’ categories.

James Lee, GGF Director of Marketing and Communications commented, “Following last year’s success and our strong marketing activity in the last 12 months, we will definitely be entering again. The CMAs are unique and significant in the construction industry. I would encourage all glass and glazing companies who have run great marketing campaigns in the last year to enter.”

Why enter the CMAs?

By entering the Construction Marketing Awards you are demonstrating the value you give marketing. It is a chance to show the best work from your department to your wider business. It will boost the morale of your team and show the company how their efforts contribute to the business.

Compiling and submitting an entry is your chance to demonstrate the competence of your team and show how their work helps drive new business. When entering you will need to pull together important measurements and ROI, all of which you can share internally to cement the importance of marketing in the broader business strategy and ultimately to the bottom line.

Entering the CMAs offers the chance to say thank you to your team, to acknowledge their hard work and achievements. It is also a chance to take the team out and celebrate. And, with the Gala Dinner being close to end of the year you can make it your departments Christmas party!

You can use the Construction Marketing Awards to demonstrate how your marketing efforts measure up against others. Every year the number of entries to the Construction Marketing Awards grows, so even being shortlisted is a sign of success. To be a winner or gain a highly commended is a real mark of how you stand head and shoulders above the rest. Just think of the PR mileage winning an award gives!

Winning an award can raise your marketing teams’ efforts beyond the parameters of your own company. It means you can showcase your marketing campaigns, gaining recognition and admiration from the wider construction community, and other leading marketers.

Finally, by entering your campaign it shows your support for construction. It demonstrates the good marketing efforts that are taking place to improve the image of construction. How the industry can deliver marketing on a par with other sectors, providing sophisticated marketing solutions that are tailored to a complex marketplace.

Don’t miss your opportunity to enter!

The Construction Marketing Awards showcase the construction industry’s effectiveness in marketing, raising the profile of marketing professionals and their achievements.

Start your online entry now construction.awardsplatform.com

www.cmawards.co.uk

Further reading

www.cmawards.co.uk/how-to-enter/writing-your-winning-entry/

www.cmawards.co.uk/industry-recognition-should-be-motivator/

END

North Lakes NLG Window Systems has been quick to take full advantage of its Independent Network membership, having joined the pioneering installer support organisation just six months ago.

Recently rebranded from Network VEKA, Independent Network recognised North Lakes with one of two ‘Best New Member’ awards at its annual Members’ Weekend. The Penrith-based company has been full of praise for the benefits that membership has brought, such as training; marketing support and heightened customer confidence.

Martin Smith, who owns and operates the company alongside his wife Lindsey, commented: “Independent Network really helps to make the most of being a VEKA installer. Not only are customers reassured that they’re buying one of the industry’s leading doors and windows, but they’ll also be fitted to the highest standards – guaranteed.

“Since joining, we’ve attended various Independent Network training days, and feel more than ever that we’re fully ‘up to speed’ with industry advances as a result. The courses also provide a great opportunity to meet other member companies and get a sense of the culture of Independent Network. There’s a great camaraderie among everyone involved, and we’ve been made to feel welcome throughout.

“It’s early days for North Lakes with Independent Network, but we’re extremely pleased that we decided to join and look forward to further exploring the support available in future – apprenticeships; affiliate partnerships; marketing and online support… there’s so much on offer, it’s hard to remember it all!”

Only companies that meet a stringent set of standards can become Independent Network members. They are then continually assessed to ensure those standards are maintained, with homeowners completing customer satisfaction awards to both trigger their ten-year insurance-backed guarantee, and highlight any issues arising from the installation.

“Having such a comprehensive grasp on what customers think about our work, including word-for-word testimonials has been a very useful marketing tool”, Martin continues. “We’ve showcased the info on our website and social media, and find it a great way to illustrate that we’re not just making empty claims about the quality of our work!”

Karen Lund, VEKA Group’s Head of Partner Programmes commented: “North Lakes has enjoyed an auspicious start with Independent Network, becoming one of our Best New Members for its broad engagement and enthusiasm. We congratulate them on the completion of their newly-developed showroom, and look forward to a long and fruitful future together.”

To contact North Lakes NLG Window Systems, call 01768 865 331, and to find out more about Independent Network, call 01282 473170 or visit www.inveka.co.uk

A misty start to the day in the suburbs of a Northern England town.

Damp and dark homes across the UK are having a direct impact on the levels of serious health conditions being reported, according to a new report by roof window manufacturer Velux®. This Velux Healthy Homes Barometer highlights a clear correlation between poor housing stock and ill-health in all countries across Europe. UK residents living in dark homes are revealed to be 27% more likely to report poor health conditions including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In addition, people living in unhealthy buildings in the UK with damp are 34% more likely to be suffering from health conditions. Across Europe, one in six households are currently living in an “unhealthy” (meaning damp or mouldy) building, increasing their chances of illness by 66%. The Velux Healthy Homes Barometer examines the effects of housing on the health of people living in countries across Europe, along with the associated costs to society and ways to tackle the problem. On the back of the findings, Velux is calling for buildings to become more energy efficient and for the UK’s housing stock to be brought up to par.

Grant Sneddon, Product Manager at Velux-GBI said: “We know instinctively that living in unhealthy surroundings is bad for our health. This study reveals to just what extent those in the UK and Europe are suffering on account of their homes; and also the staggering financial costs to society of not bringing our ageing housing stock up to par.”

Europeans living in an ‘unhealthy’ building are more than 1.5 times (66%) more likely to report poor health, and 40% more likely to suffer from asthma, as those who do not. Meanwhile, Europeans who suffer energy poverty – meaning they are unable to keep their homes comfortably warm in winter – are twice as likely to report poor health and nearly three times more likely to report damp in the home. The costs of unhealthy buildings are not just felt by individuals either. The overall (direct and indirect) costs to European governments and societies of just two of the many diseases associated with damp living environments – asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – reach a staggering € 82 billion per year.

One solution is to modernise Europe’s existing buildings through energy efficient and healthy renovations. This would not only lead to improved health outcomes, lower societal costs and reduced CO2 emissions, but would also provide a much-needed catalyst to European economies. The Healthy Homes Barometer 2017 goes on to examine the level of private capital available for renovation in EU member states – € 30 trillion – and what would be required to help unlock some of that total to invest in renovation. The full report can be accessed by visiting www.velux.com/health/healthy-homes-barometer-2017

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