CMS Window Systems Invests In Capacity To Satisfy Increasing Demand

Image Above: Inside the main CMS Window Systems manufacturing facility near Glasgow, one of the new Stuga machines commissioned to increase production capacity.

CMS Window Systems has made a substantial investment at its main Castlecary factory near Glasgow to increase its operational capacity and create a solid platform to service its growing trade and domestic windows and doors market.

The company, which is one of Scotland’s largest window, door and curtain walling designers, fabricators and installers, has commissioned and installed two new state-of-the-art Stuga ZX5 PVC cutting & prepping machining centres, doubling the overall number to four, as part of a planned programme of expansion to increase capacity.

CMS, which is already a market-leader in the Scottish social housing and new build markets, is experiencing growing demand from trade customers who value high quality products, with excellent green credentials, backed with the confidence of buying from a reliable supply chain partner. The CMS brand has become synonymous with energy efficient, sustainably manufactured products, from a company renowned for having industry-leading closed-loop recycling processes which have seen it win numerous awards nationally and internationally – including a 2017 Queen’s Award for Enterprise and an International Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice 2017.

In addition to boosting its capacity to produce more windows and doors than ever, the company is establishing a select network of approved retail and trade partners across Scotland. These partners will ensure all customers have a local point of contact who can provide advice and support to ensure the best possible window and door solutions are delivered.

Andy Kerr, Managing Director of CMS Window Systems, says, “We’ve always ensured that our manufacturing processes keep pace with customer demands for outstanding quality windows and doors in short lead times. Our latest investment programme is another step on this path, allowing us to further improve our operational efficiency and capacity, which we know is particularly important as we see rapid growth in our trade and retail customer base.”

CMS Window Systems is one of Scotland’s fastest growing manufacturing businesses. Employing more than 250 people at its 15-acre main manufacturing and recycling facility and HQ in Cumbernauld, together with its branch in Kirkcaldy, the company offers social housing providers, housebuilders, developers, approved retailers, approved trade outlets and main contractors a range of high performance windows, doors and curtain walling solutions designed to maximise energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and deliver comfort for householders and building users.

Find out more at www.cmswindows.com.

Established in 1949 and now manufacturing more than 8,000 sealed units every week, Norfolk-based Ecoglass Ltd is an independent glass supplier that knows how important consistent quality is for sustainable growth. Now in the 6^th year of their relationship with CENSolutions, the certification and compliance consultancy for the fenestration industry, Ecoglass has in the words of the auditor made a ‘magnificent effort’ in gaining CMS Mark approval in respect of EN1279 (sealed units) and EN12150 (thermally toughened glass) requirement standards.

Ecoglass Director, Gaby Mendham comments: “With over 60 years’ experience within the glass industry, we have continued to adapt to an ever-changing market to continue, but one thing that has never changed is our commitment to providing the highest quality products. At Ecoglass, our mantra is ‘not all insulating glass is created equal’. This is borne out by the fact that we ensure we only use the highest quality components available within the market. All of the components used, especially the glass types, have evolved over the years giving the consumer much wider choice and greater options. Ensuring that we are at the forefront of new glass technologies means that we can provide our customers with the perfect unit for their needs.

“The team from CENSolutions has always been a great fit for us, ensuring that we constantly keep up to our own high standards through regular audits. We are very pleased to achieve a 100% pass rate. This shows all of the hard work put into our training regime and quality practices within the manufacturing environment have been taken on board by our employees and managers alike. We feel that one of the most important factors is teamwork and having a workforce that cares about our products and our customers is vital to maintaining the high standards we set out to achieve.”

Mike Gaillard, CENSolutions Joint MD adds: “As the results of this latest CMS Mark audit show, Gaby and her team have demonstrated how by by adhering to the rules of the standard and collaborative working with industry specialists like ourselves, they have a sustainable quality regime framework that benefits clients now and into the future. People have the misconception that certification is a headache or just a box to be ticked, but as Ecoglass has shown, taking quality seriously and getting it right really does benefit business performance and ultimately customers.”

For more information on ECOGLASS call 01603 415400 or visit  www.ecoglass.co.uk

For more information on CENSolutions, call 01785 716625 or visit www.censolutions.com

Marketing support is a vital part of any trade partnership these days and Distinction Doors’ offering is the perfect example of what a good package looks like. For Bethaney Larkman, Distinction’s Marketing Manager, one of the elements customers value the most is the company’s Design Boutique. “It’s our in-house graphic design service that helps our customers produce bespoke marketing materials to support their sales processes,” Bethaney explains. “As the industry’s biggest supplier of composite doors, we have a responsibility to ensure our customers are equipped with the support they need to make the most of our door’s market-leading credentials. Our customers find our bespoke graphic design skillset an invaluable service.”

The Design Boutique provides Distinction customers with the reassurance that they’ll be working with experienced graphic designers who understand Distinction’s products and the industry in general so they can produce high quality results. “Our customers are busy people,” comments Bethaney, “our unrivalled marketing support makes life easy and gives our customers professional results they can use to drive sales. Whether it’s a flyer for a special offer, a leaflet that introduces the company or a complete retail or trade brochure that promotes a particular range of products or services, the Design Boutique is on hand to help.”

The bespoke design service sits alongside a suite of stunning marketing literature that showcases what Distinction Doors has to offer. At the heart of the offering are the glossy lifestyle-oriented retail brochures for the Signature and nxt-gen GRP composite door ranges. Both brochures sell the Distinction difference and, says Distinction Doors, demonstrate why the company is the market leader in composite doors. Alongside these brochures is the innovative colour-swatch skin book which uses Distinction’s oak tree woodgrain skins, creating a beautifully authentic appearance to bring the colour and quality to life. It’s an innovation that is helping Distinction customers up and down the country to encourage homeowners to upgrade when it comes to colour.

www.distinctiondoors.co.uk

Leading hardware supplier the Trojan Group are once again witnessing a steady rise in sales for their Stainless Steel hardware range as winter approaches.   This comes as no surprise to the company who has lead the market for some years with their impressive Stainless Steel door furniture range all backed with a 25 year anti corrosion guarantee.

Tony Chadwick, Trojan Group Managing Director, explains, “Hardware finish failure is something that’s constantly on installer’s agendas because it’s increasingly a problem. Quite simply, zinc or aluminium based plated or painted products will corrode sooner or later as a result of salt or acid erosion attack especially if the surface coating is damaged. Cold winters have accelerated the process for many products and this has a detrimental effect to the bottom line.”

As Tony points out, increasing numbers of call outs affect not only your bottom line but also your reputation. Call-outs, replacement costs and reputational damage will all have an impact on your business especially in an economic climate where everyone is still choosing their suppliers carefully.

As a result of this industry problem more fabricators and installers are turning to high grades of stainless steel as the answer. Stainless steel products are extremely durable and more than capable of withstanding the most ferocious of winters without losing their good looks or functionality.

Trojan’s Stainless Steel range provides a complete door hardware solution and consists of door handles, letterplates, numerals, pull handles, hinges, central door knob, escutcheons and door knockers including the popular Slim Urn and Contemporary door knockers. The range has been one of the industry’s biggest success stories of recent years and Tony is clear why: “The Stainless Steel construction means no corrosion and it’s something our customers really appreciate because it puts an end to disappointed homeowners and expensive, time-consuming callbacks.”

Similarly, customers switching over to stainless steel products have found that they have been able to dispense with costly on-site repair teams as the hardware products have not failed.

The Trojan Group’s stainless steel hardware gives all sectors of the market a product with corrosion resistance that allows you to ‘fit and forget’ at highly competitive pricing. So, with winter fast approaching, can your business afford not to use Trojan’s Stainless Steel products?

www.trojangroup.com

Picture above: Christ Alderson, Edgetech UK MD awarding 10 years of partnership to Oakland Glass – Tina Moorhouse & Richard Oakes

Forty of Edgetech’s most valued customers are celebrating ten years of working with the Coventry-based warm edge experts.

As part of an event held earlier this year to mark a decade since Edgetech began manufacturing in the UK, the firm brought representatives from a number of long-standing customers to the stage to present them with a trophy commemorating their relationship.

A special video was also screened that saw Sales & Marketing Director Alan Fielder and Head of Marketing Charlotte Davies interview some of those customers, and learn more about how working with Edgetech has helped their business.

“Our relationship with Edgetech has been hugely beneficial to us,” commented Ian Sims of Double R Glass. “In the fifteen years we’ve been working with them, we’ve never once considered switching to an alternative spacer.”

David Laing of Cleartherm commented: “When I saw a fully-automated line using Super Spacer for the first time, I saw the future. This was in the US in 2006, and at the time we were still running a semi-automated line back home. After seeing that, it wasn’t long before we had a fully-automated line ourselves – and we’ve never looked back.”

Kevin Wheatman of Hurst Plastics commented: “Over the last decade, Edgetech has established itself and Super Spacer as market leaders – and that’s been a massive help to us as a business. Customers know and respect the Edgetech brand, and that means they have more confidence in our products as a result.”

Edgetech Managing Director Chris Alderson commented: “At Edgetech, we strive to build lasting, mutually supportive relationships with our customers – and we’re extremely proud that we can count so many successful businesses as loyal, long-term clients.

“It was fantastic to be able to celebrate those partnerships, and demonstrate our commitment to maintaining and deepening them in the years ahead.”

Watch the full customer interview video online on Edgetech’s website: www.edgetechig.co.uk/1815-2/

The FIT Show team organises a brand new event for processors, specifiers and buyers of flat glass in all its forms

Following increasing demand indicated by visitors to the FIT Show, the organisers have announced the launch of Visit Glass, which will take place alongside the FIT Show in May 2019 at the NEC.

Responding to a massive 40% of the 10,000 visitors to the 2017 FIT Show who declared their interest in seeing glass products and glass-related processing equipment and technology at the event, Visit Glass will become the first UK exhibition and forum dedicated to the manufacture, processing and application of flat glass for almost 15 years.

The event is designed to appeal to glass industry professionals, together with specifiers and buyers of flat glass products and systems. These include insulated glass units, architectural glass, processed flat glass for all non-glazing applications including kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and the furniture industry; and glass for interiors including offices and decorative interior design schemes.

Nickie West.

Prompted by the visitor feedback the organisers of the FIT show carried out further research into the viability of such an event and were told that professionals operating in the sector would respond positively for something created specifically to address the unique needs of the UK flat glass industry, one that continues to undergo substantial technological and market changes. They also learned that, despite the success of the FIT Show, it did not serve the specific needs of flat glass manufacture, processing and technology. That will now be addressed by the launch of Visit Glass, says Nickie West, for the organisers:

“Despite glass being an obvious and essential component of almost everything that is shown at the FIT Show, the glass industry has needs that are quite distinct in almost every respect,” she said. “After analysis of visitor research at the 2017 FIT Show we realised that glass-related topics were some of the highest categories they wanted to see at the show. However, this was not reflected in what they saw there. Visit Glass will address this imbalance through a distinct, separate event alongside the FIT Show.

“With the numbers of visitors to the FIT Show indicating their interest in flat glass we can guarantee a very substantial attendance to Visit Glass,” added West. “In addition of course there will be a substantial marketing campaign to encourage a wide cross section of the glass industry, in addition to users and specifiers.”

Visit Glass will take place in its own clearly designated space at the NEC alongside the FIT Show, in a space that combines key exhibitors representing leading brands alongside a powerful, thought provoking and informative seminar programme dedicated to the glass industry and markets in the UK. To ensure an appropriate format for Visit Glass was created the event was ‘soft launched’, during which time a number of powerful, key brands were quick to reserve exhibition space. These include Pilkington, Saint-Gobain, Edgetech, Lisec, National Glass Group and Sapphire Glass Merchants, with others joining the floorplan as word of the event spreads.

A dedicated seminar theatre within Visit Glass will offer a comprehensive programme of seminars addressing UK and general issues relating to the manufacture, processing and application of flat glass. Industry experts are being consulted to ensure content that is highly relevant and current for the UK flat glass industry when the event takes place in May 2019.

Visitors will also be encouraged to network in the Visit Glass bar, access for which will be granted to Visit Glass pre-registered visitors who will automatically be granted VIP status. Visit Glass and FIT Show visitors will have full access to both events.

Visit Glass will take place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) Birmingham, 21^st to 23^rd May 2019. Further information is available at: www.fitshow.co.uk/visitglass or for interest in exhibiting, by calling Freya Humphries on +44 7572 623457.

Residence Collection, the innovative PVC-U systems company, has completed a new brochure and suite of marketing materials for its unique flush sash window Residence 7 (R7).

The new overview brochure in a matt, contemporary finish includes stunning photography of project installations that showcase an array of colours and window styles. The stylish marketing support also includes an R7 colour swatch and palette, ‘Official Supplier’ sticker, hardware brochure, and separate homeowner case studies – all designed to fit together in a neat and professional pack so Residence’s installer network can sell the many benefits of R7 with ease.

R7 is designed to set the benchmark for PVC-U systems with mechanical joints or welding. With perfectly equal sightlines and flush inside and out, it’s opening up a new market for timber alternatives in high-end contemporary homes and self-builds, modern new builds and city apartments, and country cottages. Its seven chambers, and the extra 5mm its 75mm gives on the usual 70mm dimensions, results in superior thermal, acoustic, strength and security performance.

To expand your markets with Residence visit www.residencecollection.co.uk, call 01452 300 912 or follow @Residence9 on Twitter.

A leading commercial installer has toasted to its long-standing alliance with Polyframe and is seizing all the benefits of working alongside the UK’s largest PVC-u fabricator, which now offers the industry’s widest range of PVC-u systems. The Window Company has been sourcing multiple PVC-u systems from Polyframe for more than five years and has driven growth within its business by taking advantage of the unique strengths and skills of Polyframe and its experienced team. The company is now looking forward to greater business opportunities from the recently-enhanced fabricator.

David Thornton, who set up Chelmsford-based The Window Company nearly 20 years ago, says: “We have always been a commercial installer and now have 24 fitting teams installing at least 300 frames a week. In the commercial sector, you have several trades relying on you and there is a huge amount of planning involved to ensure jobs run smoothly. The quality of products and reliability of supply is fundamental to the success of an installation and we only work with suppliers that can meet our exacting requirements and won’t let us down.  Polyframe has worked in partnership with us for many years and has been an enormous asset to our business. We began working with Polyframe because it is a large, well established fabricator with a superb choice of quality PVC-u systems and a solid reputation for delivering a flexible service and a tailored support package that works for customers. We know that we can depend on them to deliver on every job and, even if products are coming from different factories, we know they will arrive on time and in full.  People make Polyframe what it is. The whole team at Polyframe shares a passion for our business and we have a great working relationship with our dedicated account manager which helps ensure that every project runs as it should do. We’re delighted to celebrate our long relationship with them and we’re already making the most of the strengthened Polyframe offering.” 

Since its merger with Customade earlier this year, Polyframe now offers five PVC-u systems from Veka, Halo, Eurocell, Rehau and Duraflex. The Window Company currently sources Rehau and Halo systems from Polyframe, depending on the requirements of the installation. David adds: “For greater security, we have always had a dual-sourcing policy. Rehau and Halo are well-specified systems and our fitting teams like to install them because they are fitter-friendly. With the enhanced capabilities of Polyframe, we can easily source multiple systems if the need arises, which is an advantage for us. By sourcing these systems from a larger fabricator, we also benefit from better economies of scale and we all work to pre-determined delivery days so we can plan installation schedules accordingly.”

The Window Company supplies both PVC-u and aluminium frames to many of the South East’s largest contractors, social housing providers, local authorities, schools, private developers and homeowners. As well as buying PVC-u from Polyframe, the company also sources REAL Aluminium frames from Customade Group and it has welcomed the convenience of sharing the resources of these two well-established industry specialists.  “We were very pleased when Customade and Polyframe came together to form Customade Group because it enables us to tap into a vast product range with all the support of a large group behind it. For me, it is important to work with people who understand the industry and are committed to maintaining high levels of quality and service. The merger has enhanced our productivity because we have one dedicated account manager to look after everything for us. And on the rare occasion that issues arise, they are handled quickly and efficiently,” David says.

Since its merger with Polyframe, the enlarged, full-service Customade Group is now the biggest fabricator in the UK with revenues of more than £100 million. The group brings together some industry-leading brands and an enviable range of products, which spans PVC-u and aluminium windows and doors, composite doors, aluminium glazed roof products, sealed glass units and specialist glazing.  The Customade group now operates nationwide and employs 900 people in multiple manufacturing sites across the UK. The Group includes Polyframe (PVC-u), REAL Aluminium (aluminium), Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions (glazed roofs), Virtuoso (composite and paneled doors), Hourglass Seal (sealed glass units), and Fineline Aluminium (specialist glazing)

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