REHAU Recruitment Drive Boosts Customer Support Services

Image Above:  Left to right – Rick Cole, Ruby Sidhu, Sam Tynan and Shaun Young

REHAU has appointed five new starters to its Windows Solutions team to improve support services for its installer and fabricator customers, and ensure that whatever their needs, it’s All in Hand.

In September, REHAU made four new appointments to its sales team.  Shaun Young takes over as the Area Sales Manager for the North East, leaving Hormoz Nouri – who was covering both the North East and Scotland – to dedicate his focus to account management and specifications for Scotland.

Sam Tynan joins as Junior Sales Manager, with a varied national role providing support to REHAU’s trade counter customers and Authorised Partner installers.

Rick Cole,  has been appointed Area Sales Manager and will oversee operations in the West and South Yorkshire, Humberside, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.  Rick’s outstanding performance in his previous role as Internal Sales Support made him an ideal candidate for promotion to this role.

New recruit Ruby Sidhu, Business Development Administrator, will be looking after REHAU’s databases and providing back-office support to the business’ Commercial Sales Managers. Ruby is based in Slough as part of the business development team alongside Steven Porte in Glasgow and Sue Sanderson in Manchester.

The four young, dynamic and enthusiastic recruits will work alongside more experienced members of the REHAU team, including Hormoz Nouri, who has 17 years’ service, and the Sales Director Barry Gilligan who has been in the business for 30 years.

Barry said: “At REHAU we know that our people are what sell our products. That’s why we are boosting our sales team, ensuring we have people on the ground to go out, meet our customers face-to-face, hear what challenges they face and see what support we can offer. It’s so important to show our customers that we have the time and the resources to be there when they need us, providing the products and expertise that can help their business succeed.”

As well as the new additions to the sales team, REHAU is also expanding its Technical Services Support team at its head office in Ross-on-Wye, with the appointment of Paul Evans who will provide an extra pair of hands to resolve any technical queries that customers may have.

Adele Taylor, HR Manager from REHAU said: “It’s been a busy time for HR as we’ve seen a flurry of recruitment in the Windows Division at REHAU, but it’s a worthwhile investment that is going to help us support our customers better. Going forward, REHAU will be making further appointments to our sales team to make sure we have a robust structure in place, particularly in terms of ensuring we the have resources to drive our Authorised Partner Program.”

To further support these teams, REHAU will shortly launch a handy tool known as the 360 performance portal, which provides REHAU customers with marketing support and downlaodable materials throughout the year.

www.rehau.com

3D Laminates have just launched a range of non-grained, metallic foiled finishes for their long lasting CoolSkin^® door skins for composite and panelled doors, that will help fuel further design inspiration for the sector in 2018 and beyond.

These new foiled finishes have been developed in conjunction with Hornschuch, harnessing their impressive Cool Colors foil technology, which has proven to offer outstanding weathering properties in both hot and cold climates. First to be launched is Alux DB 703 which resembles a slate grey base colour, yet benefitting from flecks of metallic ink in this flat application development.

Within the range that has been inspired by aluminium in architecture, are also several other flecked foils and those with a brushed aluminium appearance, in various shades of grey and blue. Fundamentally important is the fact that 3D Laminates will also be able to supply a roll of matching foil for door profiles, that can easily be processed by the leading foiling companies that service the industry, or through existing stocks from the systems houses that support the UK market.

With around 50% of all composite doors from the likes of Endurance Doors, Safestyle and Solidor in anthracite grey and schwarzbraun, the sales opportunity for these new category metallic woodgrains is overwhelmingly strong. Consumers like the appeal of aluminium, but without the associated price tag and so with the other addition of new flat glazing cassettes, leading manufacturers can now offer the next generation in composite door design.

Mark Lofthouse, managing director of 3D Laminates commented: ‘The metallic options on CoolSkin^® are a game changer for composite door manufacturers, as we look to face aluminium entrance doors head on with a better price point, improved energy efficiency credentials and consistent levels of supply within 5-7 days, given we are carrying stock in our UK warehouse.

He continued: ‘I believe 2018 will see the introduction of a new type of aluminium inspired composite door and it will be important for manufacturers and installers to keep up with the latest design rationale.’

For further information and a free CoolSkin^® sample swatch call 3D Laminates on 0113 273 6281, e-mail info@3d-laminates.com or visit their website at www.3d-laminates.com.

Following the news that Nova Group have joined National Glass Group (NGG) in September 2017, the group has now announced a further two new members in the form of Crystal Units based in the South East and Ecoglass situated in East Anglia.

Collective member turnover for National Glass Group (NGG) is now in excess of £90 million pounds, double that of 2016 and making it the largest glass group in the UK, claims the company, providing unrivalled purchasing power, operational resilience and national reach. Despite the scale of the group, all members retain the agility and personal attention from being owner managed, independent businesses.

Crystal Units was established in 1994 and operates from its facility in North West London, serving the South East of England in both commercial and domestic markets. The heritage of Ecoglass stretches back to 1949 from its base in Norwich, where it has grown to be the supplier of choice in East Anglia and beyond.

NGG is a group that represents leading glass processors in the UK, including existing members Clayton Glass, Custom Glass and Northern Express Glass, Nova Group, Romag and Supaseal Glass and is the only organisation of its kind in the UK. Collectively the members employ over 800 people across 12 sites, boasting turnover in excess of £90million and with annual purchases exceeding £30million, it also makes for the largest independent buyer of sheet glass in the UK.

Beyond the purchasing power of the group, NGG looks to promote operational best practice and shares the value created by collaboration, fairly among the members. The addition of Crystal Units and Ecoglass move the group significantly closer to its goal of representing 25% of flat glass purchases in the UK, achieved through organic growth of the members and through the introduction of new companies to the organisation.

Ryan Green, co-director of NGG commented: ‘A key principle of the group is that we maintain the high quality and ethos as we grow, by ensuring the new members are independent, financially strong and excel through operational quality and service. The collective group now service the entire UK, operating in both commercial and domestic markets, along with niche products and markets.’

For further information, contact National Glass Group at info@nationalglassgroup.co.uk.

Aluminium systems specialist, Jack Aluminium has added its first aluminium glazing product to suit both commercial and home improvement markets – the TRL90 rooflight. It’s a flat, aluminium framed rooflight that’s ideal for retrofitting skylights in commercial buildings or for bringing extra light into modern home extensions.

Sales and Marketing Director at Jack Aluminium, Jeff Pearson explains: “Following the success of our TruEnergy Window, earlier this year, we found the market was also hungry for a rooflight that was simple to fabricate and install but offered superb performance levels.

“So, our technical team got to work to create the TRL90 flat rooflight. It offers excellent U-Values and is the perfect solution for bringing light into spaces without adding extra height to buildings.

“In true Jack Aluminium style, we’ve gone back to basics, with simple, straightforward engineering, to make life easier for fabricators. The rooflight is essentially an aluminium frame, with an optimised profile and thermal breaks positioned in the most efficient place possible. This is fitted to the upstand and then finished with a double or triple glazed insulated glass unit.

“We’ve already had lots of interest from customers looking for a rooflight with a simple design and effective performance.”

With just one profile to buy, fabricators don’t have to hold lots of unnecessary stock levels, and so that projects can stay on track, Jack Aluminium delivers profile in just 5 days.

www.jackaluminium.co.uk

SWISSPACER has been nominated for Best Spacer Bar Manufacturer in the National Fenestration Awards (NFAs). The company has experienced strong growth in the last year through a mix of distributor support and new direct business. The opening of SWISSPACER’s new headquarters in Milton Keynes was a significant milestone and is pivotal to developing direct sales. Customers can now collect products directly from the centre and benefit from its new Laser Marking Service – a permanent and discreet way of coding spacer bars. The modern and spacious building is also used for events, training, and customer meetings.

John Cooper, Commercial Director of SWISSPACER, comments: “Warm edge technology remains at the heart of energy efficient windows, and we’re delighted to be nominated as an NFA finalist. It’s been a tremendous year for our UK business and the nomination is recognition of our continuing success. We have many exciting plans for 2018 and we look forward to developing these in the year ahead.”

To vote for SWISSPACER go to: www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/spacer-bar-manufacturer-2017/. For more information, visit www.swisspacer.com.

Ultraframe has reported a sharp rise in leads which the roof system manufacturer is attributing to its partnership with Which? Trusted Traders.  Leads generated for its Ultra Installers are up by 20% compared to the same period last year and are still increasing beyond Ultraframe’s predictions for this time of year.

Alex Hewitt, Ultraframe Marketing Director comments: “we’ve worked really hard this year to get a number of key initiatives in place – such as the alliance with Which? Trusted Traders.  There’s no question that the increased consumer appeal of the Which? brand is directly impacting our lead generation activity. The quality of the leads is also high, with many home owners in a position to buy.  This is great news for our Ultra Installers.”

Ultraframe has recently launched a campaign called ‘take a fresh look at Ultraframe’, designed to appeal to retailers looking to take advantage of Ultraframe’s comprehensive roof range.  As Alex concludes: “we have areas in the UK where we are keen to identify and recruit new retailers and ‘take a fresh look at Ultraframe’ is very much about making the process of switching roof supplier pain-free.”

Bosch Professional has added an extra dimension to its power tool and measuring device range with the launch of a high-quality thermal camera. Its development draws on the manufacturer’s deep understanding of practical problems faced by electricians, plumbers, builders and other trade professionals. The Bosch GTC 400 C Professional Thermal Camera is designed to bring competitive advantage to their businesses at an affordable price.

It will be of help in numerous applications, including installation and maintenance of heating, air-conditioning, electrical systems, windows, drywalls and building insulation. Just point the device at your work area and you will quickly gain a clear and reliable picture of the conditions you have to tackle. Its measurements, which include thermal images, visual images and temperature values, accurately show the pattern of heat distribution across the room or feature surveyed.

The thermal camera will reveal, for example:

• Locations and courses of cables and heating pipes in walls and floors
• Sources of draughts, dampness, water intrusion and pipe leakage
• Weak points and overloads in electrical installations
• Condition and effectiveness of heat insulation
• Functionality of heating systems, and presence of radiator vents

Issues which are difficult or impossible to see with the naked eye become clearly evident through high-resolution coloured pictures which are easy to interpret and demonstrate to your client. Visualisation is exceptionally sharp thanks to high pixel counts.

The device is equipped with a visual camera as well as an infrared sensor. This allows a thermal image to be easily superimposed onto a photo of the workplace, helping to put the data into context.

Bosch connectivity enables rapid transmission of images and data, wirelessly, to your smartphone or tablet, via the thermal camera’s inbuilt WiFi Hotspot and the Bosch Measuring Master app. You can share them immediately with your client, even while you are still on site. The device also has a micro USB, through which you can quickly move those files to your computer, using GTC transfer software, and on to your client in a report format.

With the GTC 400 C, measurement takes seconds, problems are spotted and acted upon sooner, and accurate information avoids time-wasting errors by ensuring that project plans are based on sound knowledge.

The camera’s highly intuitive interface makes it simple to take precise measurements and produce professional outputs. At a price that fits the average tradesperson’s budget, you can present your clients with pictures and documentation of the quality they might expect from, say, an architect.

Other user-friendly features include a large (3.5 inches) colour display, robust construction and IP53 sealing against dust and splashing water. Power supply is flexible, offering a choice between 12 V Li-ion battery packs and standard alkaline AA batteries.

The Bosch GTC 400 C Professional Thermal Camera is available now from specialist retailers at a recommended retail price of £900. This price excludes VAT and is subject to change.

For further information, visit www.bosch-professional.co.uk