CODIFYING BY CATASTROPHE, AGAIN

Wrightstyle, the advanced glazing supplier, has been raising issues of fire safety for years. Jane Embury, a director of the company, adds her voice to the outrage surrounding the Grenfell Tower fire.

It’s been called “codifying by catastrophe.” It’s the way in which fire and building regulations are tightened after every major fire.

The Grenfell Tower fire will be no exception, with government ministers also now having to explain why fire and building regulations weren’t tightened sooner.

At this stage, it would be wrong to point fingers of blame, although the implications of the Grenfell Tower fire have resounded around the country – and the world.

Instead, I would like to pay tribute to William Linton, whose death in a tower block fire eighteen years ago led directly to a change of fire regulations.

He died in a fire in a 14-storey block of flats in Ayrshire, with the fire having spread via the external cladding, reaching the 12th floor within minutes, and destroying properties on nine floors. Four other people were injured.

The local MP, Brian Donohoe, was sufficiently concerned about cladding safety that he lobbied for a parliamentary inquiry, which was carried out by the select committee on environment, transport and regional affairs.

The report found that most external cladding being used in the UK did not pose “a serious threat to life or property in the event of fire.”

However, it added: “Notwithstanding… we do not believe that it should take a serious fire in which many people are killed before all reasonable steps are taken towards minimising the risks.”

The MPs on the committee also concluded that any addition to the outside of a building which had the “potential to lessen its resistance to external fire spread” should be subject to building regulations.

Those words, of course, date back to the start of the 21st century. But compare Westminster words with the reaction of the Scottish government. A Scottish select committee reported a year after the fire, which led to the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, which introduced the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 which came into force in 2005.

They state that: “Every building must be designed and constructed in such a way that in the event of an outbreak of fire within the building, or from an external source, the spread of fire on the external walls of the building is inhibited.” The word “inhibited” is vital to interpreting those regulations.

Following the Grenfell Tower fire, the Scottish Government convened a Ministerial Working Group to examine building and fire safety regulations in Scotland although, crucially, it confirmed that the type of external cladding reportedly used on Grenfell Tower is not present on any residential tower block in Scotland.

It seems to me preposterous that if Scotland codified by catastrophe after a fire in which only one person died, why did the Westminster government not consider a change in building regulations south of the Border?

The catastrophic Grenfell Tower fire is a stark reminder that when fires break out they can have appalling consequences. But what sets this fire apart, at least to me, is that it was an horrific event that may have been preventable if fire regulations in one part of the UK had been adopted across the rest of the UK.

At this stage, of course, we shouldn’t speculate, but it does raise uncomfortable questions for the government and all those charged with fire safety.

In the immediate aftermath, and while I’m loathe to add our voice to the swirling debate around this ghastly event, Wrightstyle has over the years repeatedly raised issues of fire safety – in the UK directly with government, and in other jurisdictions around the world, most notably in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

We therefore have a track history of asking uncomfortable questions because our experience, based on over 20 years in fire safety, is that, while there are relatively robust regulations in place, they are often badly understood or, sometimes, simply ignored.

Another factor is that fire safety officials, in certifying new or refurbished buildings as safe, may simply have asked the wrong questions. In this case, what cladding and insulation had been fitted, and was it compliant? The answer, as we published in an article to the industry this year, is that we need better training, better documentation and better checking of documentation.

There is little doubt that further guidance will be forthcoming following the Grenfell Tower fire. But maybe what’s required, and what many of us have been arguing for some time, is a complete overhaul of building and fire regulations. At the very least, the public will expect it, and the Grenfell Tower victims deserve it.

To them, and to everyone affected, we extend our thoughts.

www.wrightstyle.co.uk

Within our humble industry, worth more than the UK music industry, there lies very many influential and powerful people and brands. There are however one or two that stand out a little more than the rest. Who have the power to actually change the way the industry works and the direction it goes in.

This is my list of five of the most powerful people and brands in the UK window and door industry. It’s numbered one to five, but this isn’t in an ranking order, just five of the big ones.

1. Gareth Mobley + DW3 Products Group

Perhaps one of the best known names in the window and door industry, Gareth Mobley cut his teeth at Solidor, helping them grow to become one of the biggest and leading composite door manufacturers. Leading the way with their solid timber door slab, others have now followed where they went first.

It is however where he is now is the reason for him being on this list. A couple of years ago the DW3 Products Group was born. Much money was poured into this new group, which formed Solidor, and then acquired Residence Collection and Window Widgets. As well as whole host of talent from across the industry.

The DW3 group houses one of the biggest high end composite door suppliers, the largest timber alternative systems company and a business that literally has a product to solve any problem or conundrum in Window Widgets. Combined the group represents some serious turnover and even more influence.

2. Nick Dutton + Brisant

A list like this cannot omit a name such as Nick Dutton. Synseal, Door-Stop and Brisant, Nick Dutton has been at the helm of these companies that have gone on to materially change the way our industry operates and it’s direction.

Perhaps the best known for these achievements is Door-Stop. After selling Sysneal, he went on to co-create Door-Stop. A composite door company built from scratch with the sole purpose of making it easy for installers to sell and order composite doors and have them delivered in a matter of days. The first company of it’s kind in the industry and is now under Masonite ownership.

But it is with Brisant where Nick can be proud of his achievements. In Ultion, he has shaken the high security door cylinder industry like no other product. I have never seen a product launch and then take hold like the Ultion cylinder has before. If it was put on a graph, Ultion’s success would show as a near vertical line. Installers and fabricators couldn’t make this product a standard option quick enough. How many of us know of a product that has been so rapidly successful as this?

3. Matthew Glover + FIT Show

When Glassex was canned, the industry was left without a trade show. Our industry was left unrepresented in the exhibition trade. Not for long however.

Matthew Glover, involved previously at West Yorkshire Windows and later the Conservatory Outlet, founded the FIT Show. A new exhibition with a refreshed feel to represent the industry once again.

Held at Telford for the first three years, it has now grown to become the key event in the industry calendar for many companies wishing to exhibit and industry visitors too. Now at home at the NEC in Birmingham, the show attracted 10k unique visitors for the first time, cementing it’s place in our sector. It also boasted a record number of exhibitors this year too. The next show is in 2019.

There is no doubting that the FIT Show filled, and then grew, a key industry event that if not filled would have been a travesty for an industry worth over £5bn a year to the UK economy.

4. Ian Short + Morley Glass

I have personal experience with Ian and his company Morley Glass. For many years our family run installations business has been buying products from Morley Glass for a long time. Longer than I’ve been in the business.

But then Ian got involved with integral blinds. They use the Uni-Blinds® system. Our home owners have been buying them from us for well over a decade and have become more and more popular over the years.

Since their introduction, Morley Glass have become the world’s biggest producer of Uni-Blinds® integral blinds, which if you’re Ian Short must be amazing to know. They recently completed a factory move which saw their production capacity quadruple to cope with their high demand. These days they’re blind makers, with a bit of glass on the side. Morley Glass have probably changed the integral blinds market more than anyone else and in more ways than any other blinds company in the UK.

5. Ultraframe

In the world of conservatory roofs, the biggest and most renown continues to be Ultraframe. Once a FTSE100 company, Ultraframe continues to shape the always evolving roof market.

They don’t always get it right however. They do a lot of products these days. Some sell very well, some not. But that’s never a bad thing, as all roof companies strive to find the direction the roof market is going to go in.

First on the scene with diversification products such as the Loggia, LivinRoom and Cornice gutter products, they were among the first to recognise that traditional conservatories were dead and that there had to be change if home owners were to fall in love with these types of products once again.

These are five who I personally believe hold some of the most sway and influence, particularly in their own parts of the market and this is very much my own opinion. There continues to be a whole bunch of people and companies changing the way our industry works and the direction it is going in. I of course welcome your suggestions for this list via the comments section below.

Family run business offering glazing and glass processing services to both trade and retail customers. The owners wish to retire and feel that the best step forward for the business to carry on thriving is for it to be under new ownership.

Based in the East Midlands, the business is well located with great premises. Boasting a  spectacular brand new showroom which is well fitted out with displays and client meeting areas.

Many of the services that the business offers are for internal use, these services include specialist cutting, beveling, drilling, polishing, bonding, glazing, sand blasting and toughening.

The majority of the business comes from recurring commercial contracts. These contracts make up 65% of the businesses revenue with 35% of revenue coming from residential work.

The following table has been provided for your information:

If you’re interested in this business, please contact Tom Gregory, Senior Corporate Manager or Tim Leeman, Partner on Tel: 01246 274 121

or email: tomgregory@mitchellsaccountants.co.uk or timleeman@mitchellsaccountants.co.uk

The post Independent Glass & Glazing Company For Sale appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Spectus has just launched a new 85mm outerframe and it solves a wealth of problems for fabricators and installers.  Martin Althorpe, Spectus’ Technical Director, says: “Our message is simple: if you’re struggling with doors and windows, stop. Our new 85mm outerframe has the answers.”

The new and bigger outerframe solves three of the biggest problems that installers face when fitting doors and windows. The new outerframe means that fitting hinges to the frame becomes a lot easier because there’s no need to try to avoid damage to plasterwork or having to make good the surrounds and décor. Trickle vents are also easier to accommodate with no compromise to functionality or aesthetics needed. The bigger size also means no need to use packers on any apertures, saving time, extra expense and ensuring a much neater finish.

Martin comments: “We launched the new 85mm outerframe at the FIT Show and installers and fabricators were quick to see the benefits. All installers want to complete a neater job in a faster time and all fabricators would like a little extra tolerance in manufacturing. The new 85mm outerframe fulfils both these wishes.”

The 85mm outerframe is a perfect fit for the Spectus Elite 70 bevelled suite and is available now, from stock, in the market’s favourite colours, Classic White and Anthracite Grey.

www.spectus.co.uk

PatioMaster has just announced that 10 colour options in its Palette colour collection are now available from stock on a 10 day lead time. Carmen Velilla, PatioMaster’s Brand Manager, said: “Colour is very popular at the moment and feedback from our customers told us that having the most popular colours available from stock would help them to capitalise on this. What’s more, on non-stocked colours there is no minimum order quantity, which really does open up the opportunities to sell colour to consumers.”

The 10 stock colours include two new foiled options that are proving particularly popular with style conscious consumers: Black Brown on a dark brown substrate and Anthracite Grey on a dark brown substrate. The other colours include Cream (on a cream base), White, Black Brown / White (on a white base), Rosewood (on a brown base), Rosewood / White (on a white base), Light Oak (on a tan base), Light Oak / White (on a white base) and Anthracite Grey / White (on a white base).

PatioMaster has also grown its colour offering in other areas, helping to enhance the seamless, high quality finish that today’s customers demand. Its sash meeting profile is now available in the full range of foiled finishes and it has extended its range of colour-matched accessories to include options such as the interlock and bump stop too.

Having a portfolio that attracts your target market is vital to the success of your business. By partnering with PatioMaster, not only do you get products that meet market demand you also get the support of one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of patio doors.

www.patiomaster.co.uk