Fibreglass ‘first’ from Boavista

Boavista is bringing what it claims is Europe’s first full range of sustainable fibreglass window frames to the UK.

The new range, which is said to ‘set new industry standards’ in sustainability, durability and performance, includes a tilt and turn, sash, casement and sliding window and door product, all of which are reportedly 100%t recyclable and deliver longer lifecycles than uPVC and aluminium frames as a result of fibreglass’s inherent qualities.

Boavista’s rigidity also enables its sliding windows and doors to withstand single panes that weigh in excess of 250kg, which is approximately 150 per cent more than its aluminium and PVC-U counterparts. This means that those wishing to incorporate glass as a major design feature no longer need to commission and fit specialist, structural glass.

Boavista is exclusively available to the UK through Boavista Windows UK, a company formed by the team behind Meronden Designs, a 20-year-old firm that has provided bespoke glazing for the Lloyds Building, Tiffany & Co. Selfridges in Manchester and Ernst & Young’s iconic More London Place building.

Using the latest in pultrusion technology Boavista’s fibreglass frames are created by pulling resin-soaked glass fibres through heated dies – a process that only consumes 0.07 kilowatt to produce a linear metre of window frame weighing approximately 1kg.

The result is a frame with high thermal and acoustic properties that enables the window to retain heat whilst providing an effective barrier to sound.

The company expects Boavista’s UK arrival to be welcomed by architects and housebuilders as a result of the window’s minimalist design and stylish finish. Fibreglass also expands in line with window glass, removing the need for unsightly gaskets generally required to hold the pane in place and adding aesthetic value to a development.

On launching Boavista in the UK Neil Puttock, managing director of Boavista Windows UK, commented: “Boavista provides an alternative window product that offers those who use it the opportunity to contribute towards reducing the UK’s carbon footprint without compromising on design, function or form. From the perspective of an architect or homeowner, fibreglass frames open up a world of possibilities by supporting adventurous designs that, up until now, have been prohibitive due to the cost associated with incorporating bespoke glazing solutions.”

Neil concludes: “There really is no comparison between Boavista and other window products currently on the market. We now need to make the case for fibreglass and inform those who naturally turn to PVC-U and aluminium just what fibreglass is capable of.”

www.boavistawindows.co.uk

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Truemans’ managing director, Joe Trueman, will join the Stevenswood senior management team as commercial director

Truemans Holdings Limited (Truemans) has been acquired by Stevenswood Trade Centres Limited (Stevenswood).

Established in 1997 and headquarted in Livingston, Scotland, Stevenswood operates a network of 25 trade centres across Scotland, the north of the England and the South East, distributing windows and doors to the installer market.

The coming together of Truemans and Stevenswood is said to reflect the ‘mutual strategic commitment’ to become the leading trade counter distributor of windows and doors in the UK. The collective focus from Truemans and Stevenswood is to build a customer-led business with improved stores, an enhanced product range and a consistently excellent service offering. The alignment of goals, values and vision, offers significant benefits for both organisations and builds on the strong business that Truemans have developed over many years.

Strategically, this acquisition presented the perfect opportunity for further expansion, as the Truemans stores complete gaps in Stevenswood’s presence in England. Operating four trade counters in Burnley, Doncaster, Sheffield and Crewe, with another scheduled to open in Reading in spring 2017, Truemans employs 41 people and were forecast to achieve revenue of £10m in 2017. Now the combined group will have more than 30 branches across the UK, generating revenues of over £40m and employing over 165 people.

Truemans’ managing director, Joe Trueman, will join the Stevenswood senior management team as commercial director filling an important role to drive Stevenswood’s continued growth strategy. Joe Trueman commented: “This is the perfect partnership for two businesses which share a commitment to the highest standards of customer service. There are great opportunities across the sector and the alignment of our goals, values and vision, offers significant strategic benefits for both organisations. I look forward to joining the Stevenswood team to accelerate our combined growth strategy, while providing the widest product range and highest levels of customer service in the industry.”

John Declerck, group chief executive of Stevenswood, said: “The coming together of Truemans and Stevenswood underlines our mutual strategic commitment to become the leading trade counter distributor of windows and doors in the UK. Our collective focus is to build a customer-led business with improved stores, an enhanced product range and a consistently excellent service offering.”

With the backing of specialist investment firm, Cairngorm Capital Partners, Stevenswood will be making significant investment in the business, increasing the network of trade centres over next five years, to build a national distribution network offering an extensive range of windows and doors, alongside a range of other complimentary products sourced from third parties.

Source: www.truemanswindows.co.uk

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Image Above: James Turner

In keeping with development plans for both people and infrastructure, Wakefield based fabricator Conservatory Outlet has appointed a new Head of IT to drive forward the technological systems at the 60,000 sq ft site in Thornes Lane Wharf.

James Turner came into post on 13/03/17, taking on this significant role for the company, tasked with leading, managing and continuously developing all Information and Telephony Technology activities of the business.

With a strong background in IS&T Management, James is equipped with insight and experience in core business development, providing effective and prioritised solutions, accompanied by an excellent track-record for successfully delivery change.

James will work closely with decision makers in all departments at Conservatory Outlet to identify, recommend, develop, implement, and support technology solutions for all aspects of the organisation.

Conservatory Outlet currently serves 24 retail partners across a UK- wide network, manufacturing some of the most innovative, high quality windows, doors, and outdoor living spaces on the market. James’ role will enhance the customer journey for each of the partners, providing strong leadership and direction to ensure the implementation of services to benefit the ordering, manufacturing and delivery processes.

James said “I’m really pleased to have the opportunity to take on this exciting new role. There is a lot to look forward to, however, due to the nature of technology, there will inevitably be challenging times ahead.  I believe that I have the skills and knowledge required to deliver this role successfully, bringing notable results in the IT systems and infrastructure which is sure to benefit both customers and employees alike.”

Conservatory Outlet Managing Director Greg Kane said “We were looking for someone with a high calibre of knowledge and experience to motivate and drive this aspect of our business forward, and James certainly fits the bill.

As a Network we’ve experienced a vast amount of growth in a relatively short space of time; the appointment of James falls in line with our progression and development plans for the coming years, making sure we are in great position for the next phase of our sustained growth strategy – including the introduction of new products, machinery, and network partners.”

Phoenix Doors will unveil a number of new developments on stand C58 at the FIT Show that will include new composite door styles, contemporary glazing designs and a new multi-point entry lock.

Sharing the stand with parent company MASCO UK Window Group, the PVC door panel and GRP composite door manufacturer will unveil its latest initiatives following significant investment in larger premises, plant and personnel aimed at delivering customer service improvements all round.

Visitors to the stand will be able to see and learn more about the expanded County Collection composite door and Meridian 70mm double-rebated composite door ranges and how they can offer yet more customer choice, including bespoke colours.

Haydon Statham, Phoenix Doors’ Sales Director comments: “Now that all our production capability is under one roof, we have more space and much greater flexibility to respond to customer requirements, such as two new paint spraying facilities to meet continuing high demand for coloured doors.

He adds: “As a complete door solution company for the retail replacement market, we’re broadening our whole product portfolio to help ‘open doors’ for our customers to gain more business. The FIT Show provides the ideal opportunity to showcase our exciting offers for both installers and fabricators. We look forward to meeting you there!”

For more information, please call Phoenix Doors on 01487 740469, email info@phoenixdoorpanels.co.uk or visit the website at www.phoenixdoorpanels.co.uk.

The subsidiary of Press Glass SA, Glass Systems Group, has acquired two UK Pilkington group factories and their order book.

The acquisition was formally proceeded by Glass Systems North Limited, a company intentionally created for this purpose and directly dependent on Press Glass UK Limited.

The factories are located in Cumbernauld near Glasgow and in Barnsley. The factory in Cumbernauld is to operate as Glass Systems Scotland, the factory in Barnsley is to operate as Glass Systems AG.

Glass Systems North has also acquired Cervoglass, offering conservatory glass, increasing its share of the Glass Systems Group companies in the residential market in the United Kingdom by approximately 20%.

The Glass Systems Group operates in six factories, located, in the United Kingdom, in Swansea, Port Talbot, Cardiff, Peterborough, Cumbernauld and Barnsley.

Press Glass SA offers a portfolio of products for the commercial market under its original brand Press Glass in the UK.

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Wellingborough-based Astraseal has established itself as a leading trade fabricator over decades of quality work, winning recognition for its commitment to customer support that goes above and beyond the call of duty – and recent years have also seen the booming business significantly ramp up its commercial activities.

Astraseal enters 2017 with a significant amount of commercial enquiries. Widely respected for its diligence, knowledge, and ability to reliably deliver on time and on budget, the firm has secured big contracts with housebuilders and other developers all around the country. Now, it’s looking for experienced, proactive installers capable of servicing projects ranging from £50k – £500k to become part of its new Approved Commercial Installer Network.

Astraseal sales & marketing manager Zac Nedimovic commented: “Our commercial services are more popular than ever, and that’s obviously fantastic – it goes to show how much the commercial sector appreciates our commitment to quality, customer service, and a track record of completing complex projects on time and on budget.”

“Our success commercially has resulted in our products being specified more than ever. Today, we’re receiving more and more projects to tender in areas we don’t normally operate in – and that’s where our new Approved Commercial Installer Network comes in.”

“The proposition is simple. We will provide our Approved Installer with commercial leads. We’ll do all the preparation work and organisation ourselves. My Business Development Managers will sort through tenders, contact the developer, work out all the specifications, draw up a quote and provide our ACIN with the supply element of the project – and all you have to do as an Approved Installer is complete the tender with your installation costs, submit it to the client, and my team will help close the sale with you. One thing we want to make clear is that at no stage will we ask ACIN members to switch to us as their suppliers for their day to day work.”

The ACIN has been designed to deliver five key benefits, as Zac explains. “Firstly, our approved installers will get access to commercial discount rates on all products supplied through the network. Second, they’ll get access to commercial discounts through all products purchased through Eurocell branches nationwide. Third, they’ll get paid for skip facilities available for each project. Fourth, they’ll get access to Astraseal’s industry-renowned technical expertise, including support from surveyors, installation managers, and obviously the backing of the BDM team to help win the business. And finally, and perhaps most valuably of all – projects and orders delivered to you with much of the hard work already processed.”

Joining the network is simple. Interested installers can register their interest at www.astraseal.co.uk or by calling 01933 227233 and asking for the commercial BDM team. “We’ll ask you a few quick questions and fill in a couple of forms, but then you’re in – and the tenders will soon start finding their way to you. We look forward to welcoming you into the network!”

Astraseal offer one of the most extensive service and product portfolios in the industry, including the full range of REHAU windows and doors, Synseal inline sliders and vertical sliders, and Global conservatory roofs, as well as Eurocell’s Modus and Skypod systems. On the aluminium front, the company provides windows, doors, curtain walling and shop fronts using the Smarts and Reynaers profile. All products are manufactured in the fabricator’s 110,000 square foot facility in Wellingborough.

For more information call Astraseal on 01933 227233 or visit www.astraseal.co.uk

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Supalite developed the Supalite Retailer Scheme in 2015 to support installers looking to move into the then very new field of solid roof installation. As the market has continued to develop and Supalite has risen to being a real marketing leading force, the scheme has gone from strength to strength. Like all installer support networks, the key aim of the Supalite Scheme is to help installers grow by providing them with bespoke marketing collateral, and of course consumer leads.

But installing solid roofs is such a complex field there is much more. Steve Hacking, Operations Director for Supalite Roofs takes up the story. “The Supalite Scheme is designed to help us engage with really professional installers, and for us to provide them with consumer marketing support to enable them to gain more market share; but installing solid roofs is a complex business – we believe that every roof needs building control approval and a major part of the offering of our scheme is us setting up an infrastructure to get this approval for our installers.

“We want to take the headaches away from them by having things in place which simply enables them to go out and sell without the worry of whether they can get approval.

“All of our systems are LABC and JHAi approved which means that our installer can confidently sell to their customers knowing that the roofs meet all of the necessary regulations; and that in turn makes the process of getting approval that much easier. It is a process that has to be gone through, but knowing that the roof complies with all legislation makes that process easier, and it was something we decided to do right from the outset. All our roofs can be supplied with JHAI Building Regulation Certification – it gives installers really meaningful support.

“The Supalite Scheme has gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years, and as we have developed it further, our market share has continued to grow. We very much see ourselves as being among the market leaders in this field now, both by volume and by the way we support so many professional installers to get the product to market.

“There is always room for more installers to join the scheme, and we welcome them with open arms to our meetings throughout the year. We are keen for our members to meet and share best practice, amongst themselves and with us so that together we can make Supalite Roofs the roof of choice for consumers wanting a solid roof to upgrade their existing conservatory or other rooms in the house.

Steve Hacking is Operations Director for Supalite Roofs

www.supaliteroof.co.uk

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Hardware specialist, Winkhaus, will be showcasing its range of innovative locking systems for all types of door materials in Hall 7 stand L40 at the FIT Show in May.

Visitors will be able to see the latest innovations to the autoLock AV3 range on the new enlarged Winkhaus stand. These include the electronic version, AV3-E with the FAB slave door lock function in a timber door; the AV3 Heritage in a composite door and the AV3 Entryguard in an aluminium door.

Winkhaus will also be presenting aluPilot, the new fitting system for aluminium windows that saves time and money. This efficient system reduces the time needed to produce a standard window by up to 10 minutes, thereby lowering the production costs of the entire window.

The AV3 multipoint autoLock features a ‘daytime latch’ function that delivers added practicality for the end-user by allowing the door to be opened from the outside without a key when activated. This facility is useful when instant access is needed over a short period of time, for example when carrying in shopping bags.

“The addition of the AV3 to our already comprehensive range of locking solutions is proving a hit with our clients who can benefit from differentiating their businesses in a competitive marketplace by offering even greater choice to their customers,” comments Justin Harris, Winkhaus UK Managing Director. “The product’s high security, ease of use and sheer convenience has great appeal to homeowners, in turn opening up fresh selling opportunities for installers.”

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in the UK this year, Winkhaus will be inviting visitors to join them at their “coffee bar” on their spacious 80 square metre stand where Barista services will be offering a range of signature blend coffees and speciality teas.

In addition to the product innovations and the legendary Winkhaus hospitality, an added attraction will be the chance to win one of three Apple Watches with one lucky winner announced each day.

“Our much larger stand at the NEC offers visitors even greater opportunities to view our latest product innovations alongside new presentations and animations demonstrating our modern locking systems in action – all in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere.

“With a broad range of modern locking systems providing high-security solutions across different door materials and markets, there’s plenty to interest fabricators and installers on our stand. We look forward to welcoming you in May!” adds Justin.

For more information, visit www.winkhaus.co.uk, contact Winkhaus on 01536 316091 or email marketing@winkhaus.co.uk.

Press Glass SA announces that its subsidiary Glass Systems Group has acquired in the United Kingdom two Pilkington group factories and their order book. Those factories have been producing insulating glass units for the residential market. The acquisition was formally proceeded by Glass Systems North, a company intentionally created for this purpose and directly dependent on Press Glass UK.

The factories are located in Cumbernauld near Glasgow and in Barnsley. The factory in Cumbernauld is to operate as Glass Systems Scotland, the factory in Barnsley is to operate as Glass Systems AG.

Glass Systems North also acquired CervoglassTM offering conservatory glass.

This acquisition increased to 20% (rough estimate) the share of the Glass Systems Group companies in the residential market in the United Kingdom.  Thereby the Glass Systems Group strengthened its position of the largest insulating glass units manufacturer in the United Kingdom, making it possible to supply a full spectrum of sealed units nationwide.

All companies and factories of the Glass Systems Group are part of  Press Glass SA when acquired in September 2015 by its sister company Press Glass UK.

Nowadays, the Glass Systems Group operates in six factories, located in the United Kingdom in Swansea, Port Talbot, Cardiff, Peterborough, Cumbernauld, and Barnsley.

Press Glass SA company also offers in the United Kingdom wide portfolio of products for the commercial market under its original brand Press Glass.

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