Google Puts Mobile First

Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions is helping to tackle the industry’s shortage of skilled labour and inspire young talent into a career in fenestration. Under its commitment to support industry progression, the company has donated two full-sized glazed roof lanterns, which will be used to provide apprentices with essential practical training at two top fenestration learning centres.

The contemporary Atlas roof lanterns have been specially made for West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmonds and Total Support Training in Middlesex. Both centres provide a range of specialist courses from GQA Qualifications – a leading awarding body for glass, fenestration and construction.

Gareth Thomas, sales director at Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions, explains: “Our industry has been re-invigorated with some truly innovative new products but, sadly, it is still hindered by a shortage of skilled people to install them. We want to bring more passion in to the industry and boost its professionalism by inspiring young people to join the industry and stay in it. We can’t think of a better way to breed new talent than through practical training and we’re delighted to donate these roof lanterns which will help the apprentices to develop their installation skills.”

As part of their Level 1, 2 or 3 training in Fenestration Installation and Fenestration Surveying, the apprentices will develop their installation skills by fitting a number of products – including the Atlas lantern – into purpose-built 3×3 metre pods. The pods were previously used in the Master Fitter Challenge at this year’s FIT Show and have also been donated to the colleges.

Mick Clayton, chief executive officer at GQA Qualifications, added: “GQA has long highlighted the skills gap within fenestration and industry support for our approved centres is vital to ensure that practical training facilities are available. It’s fantastic to see Atlas making this investment and commitment with West Suffolk College and Total Support Training and I look forward to seeing the facilities in use.”

GQA Qualifications provides training courses at more than 70 centres throughout the UK, including West Suffolk College and Total Support Training.

Tim Warnock, programme manager at West Suffolk College, said: “Practical training is fundamental to our apprentices, providing them with the vital skills and confidence to become highly qualified installers and surveyors. For many apprentices, the only way they could learn about how to fit products was in a real-life installation, which was understandably a daunting experience for them.

“With these pods, the students can practice installing products and not be afraid to make mistakes – not that we anticipate many with the Atlas roof which is known to be a fitter’s dream to install! It will certainly show our apprentices that well-designed, modern fenestration products aren’t necessarily complicated to work with.”

Sharon Alderton, managing director of Total Support Training, added: “I’ve been working with many specialist suppliers across the industry and we all agree that there’s a wide skills gap to fill. We are committed to capturing youngsters and encouraging them into this industry, so we’re very excited about our brand new training facility which is just about to open in Milton Keynes. It will be equipped with a modern classroom and two training pods, which will include fitter-friendly products like the Atlas lantern. This investment in our future talent will help to combat the skills shortage and raise professional standards in the industry.”

To find out more about the Atlas range of Contemporary Lanterns, contact Atlas on 02838 327741 or visit www.atlasroofsolutions.co.uk.

Most of the headlines about the Autumn budget have focussed on the Chancellor’s stamp duty cuts. The threshold has been raised to £300,000, supposedly to help first-time buyers and families who are desperate to move to bigger properties. Chris Coxon, head of marketing at Eurocell, considers the announcements:

“The jury is definitely out on whether the stamp duty break will have its intended effect. But the detail that caught our eye was plans to lift borrowing caps on Housing Revenue Accounts for local authorities in areas of ‘high affordability pressures’ so that they can build more council homes.

“This follows on from Theresa May’s announcement of an additional £2bn funding to deliver 25,000 homes for social rent, during her embattled speech to the Conservative Party Conference in October. And while neither gesture can be considered a game-changer, what they do demonstrate is a change of heart from the Government towards local authority house building.

“This is good news all round. On a social level, affordable rented properties are the only answer for many struggling households. From an industry perspective, a visible and substantial pipeline of house building projects could give supply chain companies like ours the confidence to invest in innovative technologies and alternative contracting solutions.

“In truth, council house building is already on the rise. An October report from think tank, The Smith Institute, identified that 150 local housing companies, such as Newham Council’s Red Door Ventures, Wolverhampton’s WV Living and Gloriana in Thurrock, have already been set up. That number could rise to 200 by 2020 if their current rate of growth continues.

“Local authorities are fuelled by the dual demands of housing shortages among constituents and the need to generate revenue as funding from Central Government dwindles. Models vary, but councils are generally setting up partnerships with private-sector developers and developing on a modest scale.

“Could this growth in council house building be accelerated? The experts say yes. The Local Government Association thinks that the borrowing cap should be lifted for all local authorities and The Smith Institute suggests that Right to Buy receipts could be ploughed back into local housing companies to make them less dependent on the private sector.

“The challenge, of course, when there is any increased activity in house building, is finding the skills, resources (and materials) required. And here we return to the need for new technologies and approaches. We must look to manufacturing-led processes such as flying factories and component-led design if we are to really deliver the housing that people so desperately need.”

The post Budget boost heralds council building boom appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

A recent consumer survey carried out by lead generation specialist, Leads2Trade, has given an insight into consumer spending patterns.

According to Leads2Trade, it contacts thousands of consumers each month when qualifying sales leads, and has used this opportunity to ask them about their home improvement plans.

Despite recent political and economic turmoil, the results of the company’s survey are said to provide an ‘overwhelmingly positive’ outlook for installers and tradespeople.

A total of 80% of respondents stated that, over the next five years, they are more likely to renovate their current home than move to a different house.

This response marks a clear continuation of the ‘Improve Not Move’ trend, which has seen growing popularity thanks to increasing house prices.

64% also stated that they are either ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to seek out home improvement services over the next 12 months, showing that homeowners are interested in investing in renovations in both the short-term and in the long-term.

The survey also enquired about how much respondents expected to spend on their home improvements.

The answers given to this question suggest that homeowners may be planning renovations and developments of varying sizes, as 20% revealed that they anticipated spending over £10,000 on their home improvements and 30% stated that they had a budget of less than £1000.

The most popular room for refurbishment in the next 12 months was also found to be the kitchen.

Leads2Trade’s questionnaire then asked consumers about their reasons for considering improvements to their property. 32% said that their motivation was to increase their property’s value, indicating that, despite recent interest rate rises, investment in one’s property remains a popular option.

30% also stated that they would consider paying for home improvements to increase their home’s energy efficiency, showing a growing concern amongst consumers for the environment as well as for their own wallets.

Leads2Trade points out that installers can draw upon this information when trying to win sales and should try to point out the products which have the best energy efficiency and ‘U’ values.

Furthermore, for those who said they were interested in investing, new windows, security and a more energy efficient boiler were the top priorities. This indicates a promising future for installers and sellers of these types of products, especially seeing as a low price was a concern for only 4% of respondents.

The managing director of Leads2Trade, Andy Royle, commented: “Being able to carry out this survey gives installers and our members added value as they are given an insight into what consumer are actually thinking, when it comes to investing in home improvements.

“Overall the results were positive and consumers across the UK don’t look to be too impacted by Brexit and other economic factors.”

The post 80% of homeowners will improve, not move appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Yale’s Smart Living range has grown from strength to strength and to reflect this, a recent revamp and extension in the Yale offices has taken place to create a Smart Living showcase suite. The new space has a brickwork exterior to give the illusion of a house with roofline, CCTV, Alarm completed with a Conexis® L1 Smart Door Lock on the front door.

Now even bigger and better, the updated Smart Living suite will provide Yale with a comfortable space to invite customers to both view the Smart Living range, and give the opportunity for guests to get hands-on with the products in a ‘real life’ scenario. This is ideal for demonstrating the features and benefits of products and for showcasing how they integrate with devices from Yale’s integration partners such as Amazon Echo, Nest and Philips Hue.

David Herbert, Business Development Director for Yale Smart Living, commented: “The new showroom reflects our commitment to the Yale Smart Living range and how its success has enabled the range to grow and develop partnership opportunities with key players in the technology industry.

“The smart security industry is thriving as we see new products and innovations enter the market place every day. This provides a huge opportunity for the trade to capitalise on the developing connected smart home sector and increase expertise and revenue opportunities.

“From our consumer research, we found that 80% of consumers would want smart products professionally installed*. However, we recognise that some trade professionals don’t feel completely comfortable using the new technology and need to assess how they are going to develop their business models. The Smart Living space is aiming to challenge perceived complexities by giving trade customers the opportunity to use the products for themselves and ask any questions.”

The demand for smart security products is increasing, as Yale recently took its revolutionary Conexis® L1 Smart Door Lock on TV. The advert has been a huge success reaching 55 million homeowners nationwide with an even bigger reach online and across social media.

The Smart Living range is available as standalone products comprising of smart door locks, smart home alarms and smart CCTV kits, as well as a complete home security system, built around an intelligent smart security hub, which integrates with a wide range of modular accessories.

If you’d like to come and look around the new space and get hands-on with the products yourself, please feel free to contact us on 01902 366800 or email info@yaledws.co.uk to make an appointment for your visit.

For further information about Yale Smart Living range, please visit www.yale.co.uk/smart-living or follow us on Twitter @YaleDWS for updates.

Thermoseal Group showcased its Thermobar and Thermoflex spacer systems at Fenestration BAU at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre recently, and is also exhibiting at Glasstech Asia, at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore, on 22-24 November on stand H03.

So far this year, Thermoseal Group has exhibited at China Glass in Shanghai and then at the Vitrum Exhibition in Milan during October. Both exhibitions were also attended in support of two of the Group’s key distributors in the Chinese and Italian markets.

Thermoseal Group’s head of marketing and communications, Samantha Hill, said: “We now supply our products in 27 countries across five continents and have a multitude of product trials currently being carried out across the world. Exhibitions and our websites, including our multilingual satellite sites thermobarwarmedge.com and thermoflexwarmedge.com, continue to be our biggest source of entry into new markets. The contacts we have met at exhibitions who are now purchasing our products have also proven great referrals for new business.

“We are already planning to attend several exhibitions in 2018, including the industry’s leading International Exhibition, Glasstec International Trade Fair on 23-26 October in Dusseldorf, Germany. We will again be hosting our popular Thermobar international party during an evening of the show so please link up with me on Twitter or LinkedIn for first announcements of the party and to secure your entrance ticket. If you’re on our customer and prospect database, we’ll send e-mails and postal invites soon.”

www.thermosealgroup.com

The post Export duty appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

profine Group has significantly expanded its production facilities in Pirmasens, Germany for the continued growth of the KÖMMERLING brand in key markets, including the UK.

The international manufacturer of PVCu profiles for windows and doors, has recently purchased a 750,000 square foot site from the city administration in Pirmasens to support future growth. The area is located on the opposite side of the federal road B10, in the immediate vicinity of the existing profine factory premises, which already boasts 2.6million square feet of space.

From summer 2018, profine plans to develop the new production site, as part of a long-term growth strategy, which will also realise an increase in the workforce from the current level of 1,200, making it one of the largest employers in the area. According to the owner and CEO of profine Group, Dr. Peter Mrosik, they want to invest a two-digit €multi-million amount by 2022.

Stefan Seidel, managing director of KÖMMERLING and profine UK, commented: ‘This investment in Germany will not only support their local geographical market, but also our activities in the UK. We have a firm strategic plan in place for the UK, which is both exciting and dynamic and I look forward to sharing it with our profile partners in due course.

He continued: ’With the launch of System 76 in the casement, flush sash and fully reversible due at the end of quarter 1, 2018 our position as the leading PVCu systems innovator will be further realised.’

For KÖMMERLING information on becoming a manufacturing partner, approved installer or as a building specifier, call 01543 444900, e-mail enquiries@profine-group.com or visit www.kommerling.co.uk. You can also follow them on Twitter @kommerling_uk.

As one of the world’s oldest and most famous motorcycle manufacturers, Royal Enfield is known for creating modern classics and the company’s cool and contemporary style has inspired the design of a striking new technology centre in Leicestershire, which features a range of aluminium glazing solutions from Senior Architectural Systems.

Designed by LE1 Architects, the highly glazed façade of the impressive two storey research and development facility has been created by leading fabricator and installer Unique Window Systems Ltd for main contractor Stepnell.

With the need to maximise the flow of natural light whilst ensuring a comfortable internal working environment a key requirement, the attractive slim sightlines and enhanced thermal performance of Senior’s popular SF52 aluminium curtain wall system was the perfect choice for the building’s dramatic glazed entrance. To complete the fenestration package, Senior’s slim profile thermally-broken SPW300 aluminium windows were also specified, alongside Senior’s high-performance SPW500 and SPW501 aluminium doors which are ideally suited to high traffic applications.

Having successfully worked with Senior Architectural Systems on previous contracts, Unique Windows Systems Ltd recommended the use of Senior’s products for this high-profile scheme where achieving the desired aesthetics and performance was paramount.  The strong yet slim profile of Senior’s SF52 aluminium curtain wall and SPW300 aluminium windows have helped to create the sleek, modern finish that the architect and client desired, with the low U-values offered by both systems also contributing to the overall energy-efficiency of the building.

Commenting, Patrick Marston, marketing manager at Unique Windows Systems Ltd said: “Senior Architectural Systems provide an excellent range of aluminum products for us to fabricate from. We often have complex budget and performance requirements from our customers to consider and Senior have a portfolio of products that means we can offer our clients an array of options to best suit”.

Located on the site of a former airbase in Bruntingthorpe near Lutterworth in Leicestershire, the new technology center for Royal Enfield is set to play a vital role in the manufacturer’s long-term product development strategy and as well as providing new office and design space, also includes state of the art facilities for the testing of new motorcycles.

For more information about Senior, visit www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk