PGT Innovations to Assess Damage Post-Irma

Leon Day

Former Universal Arches managing director, Leon Day, has joined Kaliber Group as head of its PVC division for KAT. He will also continue as a consultant to Kaliber’s recently acquired Universal Arches.

Based at the KAT headquarters in Cheshire, Leon will draw on his ‘niche’ market expertise and contacts, maximising the group’s current and potential growth opportunities.

As part of his role, Leon will drive product development as well as sales and marketing strategies for the Group’s PVC offering, focusing immediately on KAT’s comprehensive range of residential door and window products to meet ongoing large volume requirements in the UK and Ireland.

Upon joining Kaliber Group, Leon said: “I am delighted to follow Universal Arches to Kaliber, to expand the benefits of this partnership. In my new wider group role, we plan to hone our existing full range of products, to meet all spec and price requirements of our diverse customer audience.

“With Universal Arches’ niche service offering, the company marries perfectly with Kaliber to allow us to provide a one-stop-shop for all doors and windows PVC.”

David Richards, chairman, Kaliber Group, added: “Leon’s addition to the senior team gives us yet another advantage in meeting our product and service aspirations. We are confident in the vast range of products available through our companies, from entry level through to one-off bespoke glazed projects.

“We now aim to bring all our companies in line with the national service offering with our dedicated delivery fleet and pre and after-sales customer services to ensure our customers come back to us for every requirement, be that a single build project or a whole development. With Leon’s commitment, we are significantly strengthened and we are on target to exceed expectations.”

The post Universal Arches leader joins KAT appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Picture above: VEKA Group made the list for Training & Development Initiative of the Year category.

As the finalists for this year’s G17 Awards were announced, it was a double celebration for the VEKA Group with nominations in two categories.

Making the list for both ‘Training & Development Initiative of the Year’ and the ‘Unsung Hero Award’ categories – for Head of Human Resources Gabriela Hammond – VEKA will also be celebrating the success of its customers; Glazerite and Thistle Windows & Conservatories, and commercial installer The Window Company (Contracts) who have all been named as finalists across various categories.

When it comes to training, VEKA Group is at the forefront of helping its staff develop into their full potential. From apprenticeship level – such as the BIT qualification – to the Dale Carnegie leadership course; Leading The VEKA Way, the company nurtures its employees at every stage and by its own admission, VEKA sees its staff as its biggest asset. The theory that ‘proud people make better products and provide the best service to customers’ is clearly one that works in practice too.

As a company with a 30-year history, VEKA Group has been and forever will be totally invested in its employees and shows this through its commitment to their professional and personal welfare. In the past year, not only has an emergency defibrillator been installed at the site’s main reception, but also a mental health first aider and an EAP (employee assistance programme) free helpline have also been arranged for the use of VEKA staff.

Gabriela Hammond of VEKA Group said: “The vast amount of training, opportunities and employee benefits on offer at VEKA allows us to stand out from the crowd. We value our staff more than anything and want to ensure that not only is VEKA a fun place to be, but somewhere that employees can be proud to tell others they work at. With attractive pay packages, a work environment where you feel respected and appreciated, plus a variety of different training opportunities, we really feel that the training and development initiatives here are the best around.”

VEKA’s second nod at the awards, for the ‘Unsung Hero Award’, goes to Gabriela Hammond Head of Human Resources, who was completely surprised by her nomination. Having started her career at VEKA as a graduate trainee 16 years ago, Gabriela took the position of Head of Human Resources in 2012 and has shown herself to be one of VEKA Group’s most loyal employees.

As a champion of the Dale Carnegie training programme, Gabriela has been a major part in helping 70 members of staff complete the course and was also part of the team that created and launched VEKA SPIRIT, an initiative that encourages staff to be proud of their workplace, share ideas and support their colleagues.

Gabriela represents the company at many local network events, such as Burnley Bondholder meet-ups and was integral to VEKA being crowned ‘Employer of the Year’ at the Burnley Business Awards in May. However, it doesn’t end there; proud to be Burnley ‘born and bred’, Gabriela takes an active role in helping local students with site visits and represents VEKA at a number of higher learning and career events, plus she takes an even more active role in charity events such as participating in Tough Mudder, the Burnley and Manchester 10K runs plus football and golf fundraising tournaments.

As the Unsung Hero Award application was made in secret, Gabriela only heard of her nomination when the finalists were announced at the start of September, saying: “I was so surprised when I heard the news but also absolutely delighted. It sounds like a cliché but even just to be nominated is fantastic. There are 400 staff at VEKA and I try my best every day to make sure they are all happy at work and know how much VEKA values them. As I’ve been here for over 15 years, I’ve learnt so much. I’ve grown professionally and personally so all of the training programmes and employee initiatives that I help out with are there to hopefully do the same for both current and future employees at VEKA. As a local person, VEKA is part of the community too and I’m proud to represent it at events and fundraisers.”

The G17 awards will be held on 17^th November at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

www.vekauk.com

Sliding and folding door hardware manufacturer, P C Henderson, is pleased to announce the launch of its new corporate video which allows potential and existing customers to gain an insight into the company, the people and the products.

The video, which is available to view on the P C Henderson website provides potential and existing customers the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes at the global manufacturer. It features interviews from key personnel across the company and how their departments work together to deliver the finished product direct to its customers.

P C Henderson currently exports its products to over 70 countries worldwide and has subsidiaries in Holland and Ireland.  Due to this P C Henderson needed a solution to communicate its core values, its people and its processes in a digital format.

Trevor Cossins Managing Director at P C Henderson comments:

‘We are a forward thinking company. In the past customers would have to travel, often from overseas to see our factory facilities and understand our business. Whist we welcome all visitors, we also understand that it is not always possible for people to visit us due to work and time commitments. This video enables potential and existing customers to step into P C Henderson from the comfort of their desks.

‘We pride ourselves on being a company that is flexible and easy to do business with, we are always working towards providing our customers with innovative solutions in customer service as well as our products ’

The video joins the company’s current installation videos hosted on the P C Henderson website. To date they have attracted over 160,000 views and are available for use by customers of P C Henderson on their own websites to help customers with the fitting process.

P C Henderson’s investment in digital resources highlights its dedication to customer service worldwide. Video marketing has proven to be one of the most engaging techniques for our customers. Research shows that 43% of people surveyed want to see more video content from marketers.  P C Henderson continuously monitors this valuable research to develop new and innovative marketing materials to benefit its customers.

To find out more about what P C Henderson has to offer, visit www.pchenderson.com or email hello@pchenderson.co.uk

Endurance^® Doors are again supporting National Home Security Month in October, for what is now the fifth year for the important consumer facing campaign, sponsored by Yale.

Home security remains the number one key driver in entrance door sales and with hardware partners Avocet, ERA and Yale part of the Endurance^® Doors product proposition, the company can boast one of the most secure composite doors in the sector. With a solid LVL timber core, it’s also a product that’s even passed a thorough sledgehammer test.

National Home Security Month was created to help raise the importance of home security and this year there are five mini campaigns across the month of October. There will also be plenty of social media activity, through Twitter @SecurityMonth and consumer campaigns that will reach regional and national press.

Week one sees the launch of the campaign with incentives and discounts on home security products, before moving on to window hardware in week two and smart security in week three. Week four looks at the implications of the clocks going back an hour and finally in week five, there’s some seasonal advice around Halloween and bonfire night.

Stephen Nadin, managing director of Endurance^® Doors commented: ‘We’re again supporting National Home Security Month in October from our perspective as a diligent composite door manufacturer. Security is the number one key driver in sales and with a number of well-regarded hardware partners, we’re able to offer the trade and consumers with a very powerful product proposition.’

For further information on Endurance^® Doors, including complete door sets or slab only manufacturing, please visit www.endurancedoors.co.uk, e-mail sales@endurancedoors.co.uk or call the sales office on 01652 462042. You can also follow them on Twitter @EnduranceDoors.

A fire door test which replicates the seven most common defects spotted in social housing flats and apartments shows just how quickly those doors will fail if incorrectly specified and installed.

As part of Fire Door Safety Week (25 September – 1 October), the BWF-Certifire Scheme has released a dramatic video of a fire door burn test.

The video compares two almost identical fire doors with the same fire rating – FD30, meaning the door should provide at least 30 minutes of protection. This is the most common integrity rating for UK fire doors.

One door is correctly specified and installed, but the other has a series of faults which are frequently identified:

1. The door is secured with only two, non-fire rated, standard hinges (For a standard height fire door, a minimum of three hinges should be installed to prevent the door from warping in a fire.)

1. There are excessive gaps between the side of the door and the frame. (The gaps around the door should be less than 4mm once the door is shut.)

1. Intumescent and smoke seals are missing. (These are vital to the fire door’s performance as they fill the gap between the door and frame when the door is closed.)

1. The door has a non-fire rated letter plate. (Letter plates must be suitable for use on the specific fire door and detailed on the fire door certificate as a compatible component. Letter plates must also be fitted in the correct location within the fire door leaf and fitted with the correct intumescent protection and fixings.)

1. The air transfer grille does not have an intumescent block fitted inside.

1. Intumescent edge protection is missing around the glazing bead.

1. A non-fire rated panel was installed above the door.

The video shows the incorrectly specified fire door failing long before the 30 minutes it should last, highlighting the importance of correct fire door installation and maintenance. Without the protection of intumescent interlayer and intumescent seals, the faulty door allows smoke to pour through the gaps after just four and a half minutes.

Hannah Mansell, BWF technical manager and spokesperson for Fire Door Safety Week, says:

“This test is not an academic exercise. This is about life and death. Just imagine being in front of a faulty fire door, relying on it to buy you time to be saved from a fire, and seeing it fail before your eyes.

“Fire doors are in almost every building where we work, live and sleep and they are often never given a second thought. But they must be specified, fitted and maintained correctly with compatible components that have been third-party certificated. This is the only way to ensure that the fire door performs to its intended fire rating. Every tiny detail and every split-second counts.”

All BWF-Certifire members offer third-party certificated fire doors and components that have been rigorously assessed and audited. Through the scheme approximately 2.5 million fire doors are tested and certified each year.

This year’s Fire Door Safety Week campaign is raising awareness of the critical role of third-party certificated fire doors in high-rise buildings, houses of multiple occupancy and other types of shared accommodation.

Find out more about Fire Door Safety Week and how to get involved at: firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk

A chat with an industry friend of mine inspired this post. It was about fitters and where to find them. Turns out it’s not the easiest job in the world to find a fitter these days. Who knew?

We agreed that the talent pool of available fitters in our industry is actually more like a talent bath, soon to become a talent bowl. There seems to be less and less skilled workers out there available to installers who are wishing to grow and push on.

I won’t mention this person’s name or the company they work for as I don’t want to compromise them in any way, but their offering to potential new fitters was a gold mine. Employed for a start on PAYE, van provided, tools provided and yearly wage comfortably above the UK average. So literally everything paid for, just turn up, fit, go home. And yet this friend of mine can’t find the people to fill that position. Madness.

But, I think it might be the right approach. If installers want to attract the best people to their companies, their offering needs to be good.

Job security

There is no such thing as a 100% secure job in this world. But an employed position is more secure than a self-employed position in the window and door industry. I applaud my mate for offering the package that they do for their future fitters. If I was an installer looking for work or a change of company that would be a very good deal for me.

We all know that our industry has a severe shortage of skilled people that is only getting worse. In fact I don’t think we’re that far away from full blown break down. The country has been promised a swathe of three million new apprentices, but even if that does happen, how likely is it that a big enough proportion are going to come the window industry’s way? Probably not that many, we’re not the most attractive prospect historically.

That is why I think installation companies offering more quality employed positions might be a good way to attract new people to our sector. I understand that this is going to cost installers more. PAYE costs. Vans cost. Tools cost. Insurance cost. And so on and so on. That is why self-employed installers have been cheaper for installers. They generally bring their own van, tools, insurance etc. But these are not secure positions. When the work dries up they have to move on elsewhere.

You don’t build company loyalty that way, not often at least anyway. By offering fitters paid positions, with vans, tools and insurance provided, you show them that they become a true member of your company, looked after with the same perks as everyone else. All they need to do is focus 100% on the job in hand and do some blinding work, knowing they’re going home with guaranteed pay and job security.

Radical change needed

I personally don’t believe the Government is going to come anywhere close to their three million apprentice target. Even if we only get a third of that, I don’t think the window industry is going to get enough of the wedge to fill the positions many of us badly need. So we’re going to need to get creative if we’re going to attract the skilled labour we need.

Employment should be one of those major changes. And it really would be a major change. I would hazard a guess that most installation companies still use self-employed fitters. You can see why. They’re adaptable and expendable depending on the levels of work. Installers can hire and fire at will to a point. This has gone on for years and is hasn’t really created an impression of longevity within our sector.

I think we are due for a complete change as to how the installation sector in fenestration views employment and fitters. If we are to attract a new generation of people, and especially in an age where people expect at least some level of job security, employment of fitters must now be considered.

Question is, are installers ready to put their hands in the pockets and approach employment of fitters in a different way in bid to attract the better talent? My bet is no. But I could be wrong!

One of the UK’s leading manufacturer and distributor of two of the Industry’s highest performance warm edge spacers, Thermoseal Group, is due to showcase its Thermobar and Thermoflex spacer systems on Booth D23 in Pavillion 7 at the Vitrum Exhibition, Fiera Milano, Milan from 3^rd to 6^th October 2017.

The Vitrum Exhibition is a leading international glass manufacturing trade event in Italy which presents cutting edge techniques and technologies in the glass and glazing industry.  As a supplier of two of the highest performance warm edge spacers in the worldwide market, Thermoseal Group will present its flagship brands with its unique orange and green Thermobar and Thermoflex branding to stand out amongst the crowd.

Thermoseal Group’s Sales Director Mark Hickox, tells us:  “The Vitrum exhibition is a great place for us to work in support of our dedicated Italian distributors CIV Systems.  At the last show we received a multitude of enquiries from a range of interested distributors and insulated glass sealed unit manufacturers from various countries across Europe and even some from South America and Asia.

“The devaluation of the Sterling following the post-Brexit vote makes our products more favourable for export customers and with trials of both Thermobar and Thermoflex on the majority of leading automated machinery being a success, we are set to supply products to meet most manufacturing requirements.

“Come and see us at the show where we will have a range of product samples including samples of our latest editions to the Thermobar Interbar and Thermobar Duplex Systems in a variety of sizes.  Our newest editions are 6mm x 18mm, 11.5mm x 22mm and 15.5mm x 22mm sizes in black, grey and white.”

To find out about Thermoseal Group and its comprehensive range of insulated glass components and machinery for glazing manufacture, call +44(0)121 331 3950 or visit www.thermosealgroup.com.  For full information about the Group’s warm edge spacers see www.thermobarwarmedge.com and www.thermoflexwarmedge.com.