Derren Gittins Joins Synseal Group As Glass Managing Director

Synseal Group has announced today that Derren Gittins will be joining the Group to head up its UK-wide glass operations.

Derren’s new role as Glass Managing Director includes overseeing the four glass production facilities owned by Synseal Group – Village Glass, based in Essex, and the three Global Glass factories based in Nottinghamshire, Wigan and Blackburn, which houses one of the UK’s largest specialist roof glass production line.

With more than 25 years of experience in glass processing, Derren has spent most of his career in high profile positions at Pilkington, including as the Head of Downstream Manufacturing, before taking up the post of Managing Director at Glass Systems Group.

Commenting on his new appointment, Derren said:  “I am delighted to be joining Synseal Group at this exciting time of growth within their glass business. This is an industry and customer base that I know very well and I’m looking forward to using the expertise gained from my many years at Pilkington and Glass Systems Group to help grow Synseal Group’s already impressive glass business, with the aim of giving our customers the very best possible quality, price and service across the whole of the UK.”

David Leng, CEO of Synseal Group, added:  “On behalf of all the staff at Village Glass, Global Glass and the wider Synseal Group, I’d like to welcome Derren and congratulate him on his appointment to the new position of Glass Managing Director.

“In recent years we have expanded our glass offer, including the acquisition of Village Glass late last year, now giving us over 200,000 sq. ft of glass production facilities across four UK sites with more than 50,000 sealed unit capacity weekly. We have invested more than £10m over the past four years in machinery, infrastructure and production capability and we will continue to be acquisitive in this area of the industry.

“It is right that we appoint someone of Derren’s calibre to manage this large-scale operation and ensure we continue to meet the growing demand for high quality double and triple glazed insulated glazed units for window, door and conservatory applications.

“Glass is an important part of the wider Synseal offer, and services not only the majority of our PVC-U and aluminium system customers but also many glass-only customers who don’t currently purchase Synseal core products, making us the largest British-owned glass production business in the UK.

“We are looking forward to continued growth under Derren’s expert leadership as we actively look to fill our glass factories’ capacities.”

www.synseal.com

Lauren Snape has joined Yale Door and Window Solutions as its new marketing assistant, taking on responsibilities for the day-to-day marketing communications.

Having graduated in 2015 with a degree in advertising, marketing and PR from the University of Worcester, Lauren is well equipped for the role. She brings a wealth of experience to the position, with previous roles as a marketing assistant for a solicitors and also as a marketing coordinator for a hotel in Birmingham.

Discussing the role, Lauren commented: “I’m really excited to be joining the Yale team. Working for a globally known brand, and the market leader for home security is a fantastic opportunity and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in.”

Paul Atkinson, sales director for Yale Door and Window Solutions, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Lauren to the Yale DWS team and know that she will bring a fresh outlook and approach to the business. As a company, we are committed to strengthening and developing our team so that we can continue to offer our customers the very best service into 2017.”

www.yaledws.co.uk

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Danny and Jason from Osborn Glass – February #SashSelfies winners

Building on its successful #SashShots picture campaign, sash window specialist, Roseview, is encouraging its installers to show their ‘fun side’ by taking part in Roseview’s #SashSelfies competition.
To enter the competition and to be in with a chance of winning a small prize, installers need to take a selfie in front of the Rose Collection sash window they have just installed. Each month Roseview will choose a winning selfie to receive a prize, with the 12 winners put to a public vote to decide the winner of ‘Selfie of the Year’.

Mike Bygrave, Roseview’s marketing manager, said: “The competition stemmed from a conversation we were having with some customers on social media and we thought it was a great idea. We were talking about our #SashShots competition, and someone came up with #SashSelfies. We loved the idea so we decided to go ahead and do it!

“We manufacture thousands of beautiful sash windows and we don’t always get to see them in their full glory,” Mike added. “Competitions like #SashSelfies and #SashShots gives us a chance to see them out in the wild, while rewarding the hard work of our installers.”

To enter, tweet your Rose Collection selfie to @RoseviewWindows and include the hashtag #SashSelfies

www.roseview.co.uk

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Spearheaded by strong performances from the housing and hotel, leisure & sport sectors, overall contract value for the construction industry in February reached £6.4 billion based on a three month rolling average, a 15.4 per cent increase on the same month last year.

According to the latest edition of the Economic & Construction Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI, contracts for housing projects reached £2.7 billion in February, the same figure as January 2017, which are the best performing months for residential building since the economic downturn. Coinciding with the strong housing figures, the hotel, leisure & sport sector construction contracts reached £736 million (see figure 1.1) on the month, a substantial 105.3 per cent increase compared to February 2016.

Looking across the other sectors within construction; Infrastructure accounted for £1.48 billion worth of construction contracts on the month, a 20.8 per cent increase on January. Commercial & retail projects also increased month on month by 17.5 per cent – the highest since September 2016, although values in the sector remain lower than previously when viewed over the longer term. However it was the industrial sector that accounted for the most disappointing figures in February, with a 35 per cent year-on-year decrease and its lowest monthly total since October 2014.

Whilst the value of construction contracts remained very strong on the month, the number of projects saw a decline of 19.6 per cent compared with January. Larger, more valuable projects were commissioned in February, including projects such as a £400 million Port of Dover job and the Trafford Park Metrolink extension, valued at £350 million.

Commenting on the figures, Michael Dall, Lead Economist at Barbour ABI, said: “After recent slumps in the infrastructure and commercial & retail sectors, it was encouraging to see both bounce back and produce encouraging figures in February, alleviating some of the pressure away from housebuilding.”

“With the hotel, leisure & sport sector recording its highest construction contract value in years, it will give the sector a well needed confidence boost, thanks greatly to a £400 million holiday resort, another major project given the go-ahead in February, a trend that made last month a positive one for construction.”

For more information, go to www.barbour-abi.com or follow onTwitter @BarbourABI for all the latest construction data news.

Mr & Mrs FIT

They may be small in stature, but thanks to an online marketing campaign from the organisers of the FIT Show, there are two new stars of Twitter that are proving to be a massive hit with the window, door and conservatory industry. Called Mr & Mrs FIT, the cardboard couple have been busy touring the country over the last few months, and have been snapped in dozens of locations in the run up to the 2017 FIT Show at Birmingham’s NEC.

In fact their celebrity status has reached such heights, they’ve even been photographed on board a flight with Edinburgh based trade supplier, Stevenswood, and enjoyed a week-long holiday in Wales with software and IT specialist Windowlink UK – not to mention a VIP trip out to Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

But while Mr & Mrs FIT have clearly spent a lot of time touring the UK, they’ve also been very busy behind the scenes with various exhibitors for this year’s show, as plans are finalised ahead of the exhibition in May. From helping to organise the stand at sash window specialist Roseview Windows, getting the inside line at hardware giant Yale, lending a hand with outfits for the show at ERA or getting a sneak preview of what to expect from system’s house Liniar – which included a tour of the factory in miniature high-vis jackets – Mr & Mrs FIT have so far enjoyed a unique insight into what visitors at this year’s show can expect.

And while Mr & Mrs FIT have no doubt been privy to a whole host of industry secrets, it would appear that they’ve still found the time to let their hair down for events such as World Book Day at Carl F Groupco and Oakland Glass – where they got into the spirit of things by dressing up as Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf – as well as Valentines Day, where they posed for some very romantic shots at Universal Arches, Ultraframe and Iceni Windows.

So where will Mr & Mrs FIT end up between now and the opening of the FIT Show? You can follow their continuing adventure by following them on Twitter (#MrMrsFIT) or by checking out a gallery of images at www.fitshow.co.uk.

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from left to right: Kevin Warner of Kömmerling with Jim Moody of Tradelink Direct.

Tradelink Direct has just opened a new Windowcentre in Welwyn Garden City, adding to its trade counter in Rotherham and the founding model in Mildenhall, Suffolk.

Products offered are from some of the biggest brands in the trade sector including Kömmerling, Smart Systems, Ultraframe and Tradelink’s own branded Regiment composite doors.

These trade counters are aimed at the professional tradesperson and DIY enthusiast, with a showroom environment to showcase the products on offer and the promise of short lead times, thanks to direct manufacturing support from Tradelink. The first two trade counters are said to have been built on ‘product knowledge, excellent customer support and strong supply chain links’ with brands such as Kömmerling.

Kevin Warner, head of sales and marketing for Kömmerling commented: “We’re thrilled to be able to support the expansion in the Windowcentre business model from Tradelink. It’s a proven platform for growth and one we are fully supporting with our proven window and door systems.”

Jim Moody, managing director of Tradelink Direct, concluded: “The opening of Welwyn Windowcentre is an important part of our carefully orchestrated expansion plans for this business model. Our customers look for great products, backed by exemplary levels of support, as is the Tradelink way and I look forward to the new business opportunities this will bring for us.”

www.tradelinkdirect
www.kommerling.co.uk

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The aluminium renaissance has been in full swing for years now. It would not be accurate to describe it as just getting going. And the more proactive installers and fabricators in our industry have seen the advantages to be gained from this swing in home owner demand from the start.

Right now, there are more installers and fabricators selling both PVCu and aluminium products than ever before (probably) and are making the most of this boom in demand for aluminium window and door products.

However, as with all bandwagons, they at some point get full. Enough join it to the point where it becomes far too crowded, and there are more people and companies on board than are required to service demand.

When it comes to aluminium, I do fear that we might be edging closer to that wagon being full.

Late to the party

A few years ago, as the market was beginning to move strongly towards residential aluminium, there was a portion of fabricators that moved quickly to ensure they were scooping up as much of that new business as possible. Installers were quickly wanting aluminium solutions so that they could go to home owners with a product rising in demand.

Back to present day, and these fabricators and indeed installers who moved quickest are probably now seeing the most benefit when it comes to sales and margins of aluminium. They’re expanding, earning new market share, building new production facilities and selling more aluminium than ever before. They moved first, and now they’re getting their rewards.

Some however are only just making that transition, which means they’re already playing catch up with their competition. They’re the ones having to make up ground and lost time. The companies who were proactive enough years ago are the ones to beat.

It’s not a closed opportunity though. I do see residential aluminium growing strongly for the next decade or so, which means there is plenty of new business to be made out there. The problem is becoming a loud enough voice in the residential aluminium market to compete with the now established aluminium businesses out there.

A two-tier system in the making

It’s possible that what we’re seeing in the bi-fold market now happen in the residential aluminium market. In a bid to win business, shout loudest and make some sales, installers and fabricators will cut corners, slash their prices and margins, all in an effort to win business away from their nearest established competition.

The end result, as we are now seeing in the world of bi-folds, is a two-tiered market. The upper tier, dominated by the longer established, arguably more professional outfits, selling and producing properly, maintaining a margin and determined to do residential aluminium in the right way. The lower tier, populated by companies playing catch up, undercutting their way to business, not worrying about the margins or the quality of what they’re selling and producing.

We have had that in PVCu for years. There has been a most definite split between the higher end, more prestigious part of PVCu, in comparison to the budget part of the market where the “stack ’em high, sell ’em cheap” attitude still prevails. The end result here is an eclectic mix of very brilliant products and some not so brilliant products.

I can see the same thing happening to aluminium in not so many years time, as more of the industry rushes to make new revenues from the rise in demand from home owners. And it will be a shame. Aluminium is most definitely considered a high-end product. It’s why aluminium bi-fold doors have become so popular. But as more and more fabricators and installers get involved, the focus on sales will move away from quality and inevitably down to price. It seems to be the way with our industry.

When it comes to fabrication, it might already be too late to start getting into aluminium. Not that it’s not worth a shot. But there are already a good number of quality aluminium fabricators, and a number of long established PVCu frabricators who have already decided to run an aluminium product alongside their PVCu ones. It’s likely that installers who want to sell aluminium products ave already found their preferred aluminium fabricator, so any new fabricators might find it difficult to win any new business from this part of the market.

The price to be paid by being slow on the uptake.