Liniar House opens its doors

Roger Hartshorn (right) and special guest, Lord Digby Jones unveil the new facility

Liniar has unveiled a new 178,000ft² facility, incorporating a warehouse, training centre and showrooms in what has been billed as the latest stage in the ‘incredible success story’ of HL Plastics, the creator of the Liniar brand.

The new premises, Liniar House, was officially opened last week by special guest, Lord Digby Jones, former director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and business ambassador of UK Trade and Investment, who praised the ‘fabulous success’ of Liniar in an animated speech, in front of more than 150 guests.

Commencing the proceedings, with a giant timeline of Liniar’s development providing the backdrop, HL Plastics CEO, Roger Hartshorn, said: “Liniar House will take customer relations to a new level. I am confident the strength of HL and its staff will continue to thrive with the facilities and culture we have created.

“HL Plastics now has the most integrated, well invested single site PVC-U facility in the UK.”

Echoing the positive sentiments, businessman and politician Lord Digby Jones, who had toured the HL Plastics facilities earlier in the morning, praised Roger’s achievements and said it was a ‘privilege to share in the success’ of the company.

Discussing ‘socially inclusive wealth creation’, he declared that ‘there’s nothing wrong with making money; it’s what you do with it that matters’, referencing Andrew Carnegie, in his suggestion that ‘no man can become rich without himself enriching others’.

Emphasising the importance of a skilled workforce, Digby Jones said: “We have to train our people; again and again and again, and I do not mean PHDs and rocket science, I mean quality apprenticeships, linked with a degree. Training is so important; whatever your age. Globalisation does not take prisoners. We must be responsible for the constant training and upskilling of our workforce.”

Once the showroom was officially opened, other speakers included Liniar MD, Martin Thurley, who described the new facility as one of the best he had ever been in and reassured the audience that it would be ‘business as usual’ at Liniar, despite the current ‘uncertain times’. He also paid tribute to the Liniar ‘team spirit’, noting that it was a “privilege to learn from and work with Roger”.

Martin, who has been in post for six months, added: “On behalf of the team, we are absolutely laser focussed on making this business successful. I am up for it 100%.”

Tours of the new Liniar House facility included the Avantek Machinery showroom

Nigel Bishop, sales director of Avantek Machinery, followed with information on some of the machinery guests could expect to see during their guided tour of the new facility, which took place after lunch. As well as the new Avantek showroom, billed as the only one of its kind in the UK and featuring a range of fabrication machinery from Wegoma, Urban and Supercut, visitors were also invited to explore the new Liniar showroom and get ‘hands on’ with the full Liniar range of products.

www.liniar.co.uk

www.avantekmachinery.co.uk

The post Liniar House opens its doors appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

The G Awards are the most innovative and prestigious awards within the glass industry and we are delighted to have been selected as a finalist for ‘Glass Company of the Year’.

To be down to the last five finalists is a real triumph for us and a great accolade particularly within such a competitive category.  Our shortlisting has boosted motivation greatly and shows how far we have come since Fire Glass started, from a single cutting bench nine years ago. It is a real achievement for everyone who works at Fire Glass, the hard work and commitment from across the Branches has helped us put forward a submission that, not only demonstrated our commitment to customer service but, how we achieve excellence within our industry.

We strive for excellence in all areas of our business, especially customer service and have taken a moment to thank not only our staff but our valued and loyal customers, without whom we wouldn’t be the company we are today.

We welcomed the opportunity the submission process gave us to set out our growth and performance to date, how we run our business and how we continue to meet and exceed standards via a process of strategic planning, implementation and continuous review. Fire Glass has opened five Branches nationwide over the last nine years and we have recently secured new premises for our UK Branch and Head Office which is in line with our expansion and development plans; as well as looking at new premises for some of our other Branches.

We provide a high-quality product and are market leader on customer service and price. We won’t be beaten on price and we are a company customers can trust; combining the quality of our product and customer service with our consistent and reliable technical advice. We were successfully able to demonstrate through the detailed submission process how we work with our customers and add value to their business beyond the standard supplier / customer relationship.

We have a progressive and innovative development and growth strategy that focuses on our core values. We are fully accredited and know that now, more than ever, it is important for customers and all those engaged on a project to ensure all critical elements can be checked not only against fire safety standards but against the original design specification. We have a bespoke Integrated Management System that is continuously audited to improve processes and procedures, ensuring all standards, accreditations and certification that we hold are met or exceeded.

Having already obtained ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 9001:2008, we successfully passed the audit for the 2015 standards earlier this year along with CPR for EN 1279 and 12150. The auditors’ comments and reports were provided as part of our submission process and we are already working towards the new ISO 45001 standard being introduced at the end of this year. This is in addition to holding our other accreditations including Certifire, Firas, CHAS and Construction-line.

As a company, we are focused on safety and are always testing our glass products to make sure they meet all certification along with developing our own glass products. The most recent being 19mm FireSafe, a super-modified toughened glass that is certified fire and physical attack resistant. We fully meet regulation and fire safety standard requirements but also go beyond that – we work with our customers to provide solutions to their project’s needs. We go the ‘extra mile’ and believe in finding solutions rather than creating problems.

The submission process also gave us an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to customer service. We provided our supplier performance data (which we volunteer to our customers) and Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire results as part of the submission process and demonstrated how we add value to our customers’ businesses.

We were also able to demonstrate how we treat people well, be it our customers or our employees. Within the submission process we set out how we invest in and develop our staff and their well-being, as well as how we work in collaboration with our key suppliers.

The crux of our submission was how we deliver on price, customer service, technical knowledge and quality. We have a clear, focused and defined strategy for moving our business forward and an innovative improvement and development programme which demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement in our own production, the well-being of our staff and the health of the sector.

Fire Glass has grown from an unknown brand to market leader for fire rated and specialist glass. Our customers know that our brand is one they can trust to deliver. We provide a wide-range of high quality products at competitive prices. We won’t be beaten price. We provide a service that responds to customers’ needs and deliver on our strapline: to provide the glass you need, when you need it and at the right price. As a company, we live and breathe that ethos in our extensive product range, lead-times, competitive pricing and, above all, our customer service.

If you would like more information on any of our products or services please call 0121 521 2180, email: sean.haynes@fireglassuk.com or visit: www.fireglassuk.com.

Emplas has stripped hours out of the time taken to create professional quotes to the end client with its new quotation software.

Offered as part of its online EVA (Emplas Virtual Assistant) support tool, it creates detailed and professional quotes in a matter of minutes, pulling in relevant certification, accreditations and product specifications from minimal data input.

This is built around a tailored quotation template including tailored Quality Charter; Quality Assurance; BSi Kitemark Licence – enhanced security and Window Energy Ratings guide; Specific energy labels as relevant to the order; and security overview.

It also includes enhanced security Kitemarks as relevant; Secured by Design Certification if relevant; BSi window and door surveying license; guide to Pilkington EnergiKare; independent accreditation certification e.g. BM Trada or other; DGCOS certificate and terms and conditions.

John Leary, Emplas’ Sales and Marketing Director, said that the support package had been modelled on the quotation packs and software created by Emplas’ award winning retail business, T&K home improvements.

“Having previously headed up T&K Home Improvements, our £4 million retail business, based only in Nortahmptonshire, I know first-hand just how long it can take to pull together a properly structured retail quote.

“We used to do this manually, pulling together certification and product specifications from different files, if you’re not doing it day-in and day-out, you never know where they are – it took a huge amount of time. In the end, we had someone doing it as an almost a full time admin role.

“That’s why we created our quotation pack software. Having been inputted once, it automatically pulls-in our customers’ logo, and their details as relevant including accreditations and memberships of professional bodies, specific to them. All they then need to do is input the relevant quote details including price, how long it’s valid for and then select the product specification from a tick-box menu.

The system does the rest. It cuts the time taken to create a professional quote from 30 minutes plus to literally a couple minutes.”

The quotation pack also allows Emplas customers to ‘piggy-back’ on legally checked and regularly updated, terms and conditions created for T&K Home Improvements, which guarantees that they stay on the right side of trading regulations.

EVA – the Emplas Virtual Assistant was launched by Emplas last year. This features lead generation and management software, automated quotations, remote placement of orders and subsequent order tracking, facilities to check invoices and CE Marking.

Accessed via the manufacturer’s online portal installers can log-on from any PC, laptop, tablet or mobile phone, to access a secure quoting and order processing system – and track those orders in real-time.

Emplas reported last year that almost two-thirds of its trade customers were now opting to place orders online through EVA using its Window Designer Cloud and Fengo 2 Door Designer platforms.

“If there is a single support tool on EVA, which has really grabbed our customers, it’s the quotation support tool. For the many customers who are using the service, it is the difference between converting an enquiry to a sale. It also has allowed many of our customers the time saving benefits of having their evenings and weekends back”, Leary concluded.

For more information on Emplas visit www.emplas.co.uk , email info@emplas.co.uk or call 01933 674880.

Window Ware believes in giving its customers MORE of the products they want! So when Trojan’s slimline, yet mighty Athena PVCu door hinge went down a storm when the leading hardware distributor launched it back in April, the company was keen to bring onboard a full range of options in this popular, high-performing product.

To this end, it has just added cream, anthracite grey and chartwell green finishes to its Athena PVCu door hinge range, giving fabricators and fitters a total of 10 standard colours to choose from including white, oak, brown, black, chrome, gold and satin silver. For those fenestration professionals who are working with large or heavy composite doors and looking for a tough hinge to take the strain, there’s now an Athena composite door hinge to suit too – available from Window Ware in white or polished chrome (other colours available on request including brown, satin silver, black, oak and gold).

Both the PVCu and composite Athena hinges boast a unique double knuckle construction which delivers impressive load bearing capabilities – three hinges have a combined carry weight of 100kg – perfectly suited to large or heavy doors. Every hinge benefits from Trojan’s trademark super-simple fitting and adjustment. 3D (height, compression & lateral) alteration on the PVCu variant and 2D (height & lateral) tweaking on the composite option is achieved quickly, accurately and gap-free with the door closed thanks to full float technology. In addition, Athena’s lift-on-lift-off design makes perfecting the fit fast and hassle-free whatever type of door you’re working with.

The Athena hinge has been rigorously tested to conform to all the latest safety and security regulations, as well as meet Trojan’s exacting specifications on performance and durability. It is PAS 24:2016 compliant as part of a full door assembly. It has been corrosion tested to the requirements of BS EN 1670 and the painted finishes achieve Grade 5, while the plated finishes meet Grade 4 for proven resilience. It also conforms to BS EN 1191 for repeated window and door opening and has been tested to 100,000 cycles to ensure years of problem-free usage. And, like all Trojan products, the Athena door hinge comes with a 10-year mechanical guarantee.

Visit www.windowware.co.uk and type ‘Athena’ into the search box to browse the growing range of Athena door hinges now. Don’t forget to log in to your account to view cheaper trade prices.

Generous support from across the industry has helped Emplas, Managing Director, Ryan Johnson raise more than £2,500 for cancer support charity, Macmillan.

Ryan completed the Great North Run in September, fundraising for Macmillan in memory of his late Nan, Jean Handy, who received support and palliative care from Macmillan nurses and the Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Kettering.

“The support I received from across the industry was incredible and I was really touched by how many people stepped up to support what is an amazing charity”, said Ryan. He continued: “This included a very generous contribution from Total Hardware.

“My Nan’s final days were very difficult but the support and palliative care she received from Macmillan nurses and the Cynthia Spencer Hospice, was exceptional and something which was a real comfort to all of us.

“That Macmillan does such important work based on charitable funding is incredible and I would like to thank all those who donated, for their generous support. Thank you all so much – and yes, despite what I think some people thought, I did make it round!”

The largest half marathon in the world, the Great North run, covers a tough 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields.

And it’s not too late to donate to Ryan’s justgiving page! Please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ryan-johnson12 or go direct to justgiving and search for Ryan Johnson.

Partnership with Which? Trusted Traders and the unveiling of the UltraSky Roof give installers opportunity to differentiate their business

The FIT Show was a tremendous success for Ultraframe with the launch of its partnership with Which? Trusted Traders and the unveiling of the new aluminium orangery roof system UltraSky Roof. Reflecting on the Show, Alex Hewitt, Ultraframe Marketing Director explains why now is a great time to be an Ultra Installer: “We’ve always worked hard to give visitors to the FIT Show a really positive Ultraframe experience, but this year was really exciting for us to be able to showcase our relationship with Which? Trusted Traders and reveal our new roof system – UltraSky Roof. The Which? affiliation is incredibly powerful for our existing Ultra Installers, there’s no question that consumers recognise the power of the Which? brand when it comes to trust, so this gives Ultra Installers another opportunity to differentiate their business in their local market. The timing of this launch couldn’t have been more perfect, we’ve got a few pockets in the UK that need extra Ultra Installers so it was good to use the Show to chat to retailers.

“Setting Which? aside, from an innovation perspective, we feel that that is one of the most important years for us and of course, more importantly our retail partners and fabricators. For several years we’ve been focusing our innovation effort on the development of a range of roof systems that enable our retailers to meet the needs of a wide range of extension projects – from a classic conservatory all the way through to a solid roof extension, all sharing the same fast-to-fit attributes installers have come to value. Alongside the roof range, we’ve also developed a range of components that go beyond the roof to make great designs easier for the installer. Whether that’s combining our new UltraSky Roof with Loggia columns and UltraSpan to enable the easy installation of bi-fold doors, or simply combining our flat cornice and our classic roof to deliver a contemporary glass extension, our range reflects both the changing needs of the consumer and critically, the changing needs of retailers.

“It was my first FIT Show and it was great to be on the stand to gauge the reaction of visitors first-hand. We have an incredible team of highly talented design engineers at Ultraframe, constantly evolving and improving our roof systems, but this year, the launch of UltraSky Roof really resonated with the people we talked to. “We also acknowledge that many other external factors have shaped our own R&D. For example, enabling installers to limit the use of bricklayers has underpinned the success of Loggia columns. Delivering five times the thermal performance of a brick pier has obvious consumer benefits, but it’s the on-site, speed advantage that makes Loggia work. If we look at UltraSpan – we have a team of structural engineers at Ultraframe that can easily do the calculations and we’ve designed a ‘structural goalpost’ that’s hidden in the UltraSky roof and allows for the use of bi-folds or large spans of glass up to 6.5m. It’s these components combined with our extensive roof range that today, enables our network partners to tackle any job.

“Using UltraSky Roof as our centrepiece at the FIT Show really enabled us to further demonstrate the versatility of the Ultraframe range and how we can meet the needs of today’s homeowner and critically, our retailers. It’s clear that solid roofs are having an impact on industry growth, but in addition, at Ultraframe we’re seeing an uplift in what we are calling ‘performance conservatories’ glazed extensions and orangeries, testament that with the right, thermally efficient solutions, the conservatory industry is evolving too.”

The post Ultraframe’s ready for the extension market appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

The DW3 Products Group is excited to have three of its market leading brands reach the finals of this year’s G-Awards in no less than five categories. The Group owns the premium brands Solidor, Residence Collection and Window Widgets.

Solidor, the leading timber core composite door manufacturer, is a finalist for Fabricator of the Year, Promotional Campaign of the Year – Retail, and the G17 Unsung Hero Award with Logistics Manager Danny Barnett.

Pioneers of the timber-alternative flush sash window system Residence Collection is shortlisted for New Product of the Year with its innovative Residence 7 (R7) window. Beautifully flush inside and out, R7 is experiencing fast and strong growth as its installers embrace the benefits of selling a premium collection.

The UK’s leading ancillary manufacturer Window Widgets is nominated for Component Supplier of the Year. Window Widgets produces high quality, universal ancillaries that meet all the standards and make life easier for fabricators and installers.

DW3 puts Innovation, Quality and Design at the heart of everything it does. Over the past two years it has worked hard to turn manufacturing and operations into a service that more than meets customer expectations and future product requirements.

Building on already high service levels, the Solidor Group, Residence Collection and Widgets are achieving a remarkable 100% OTIF (orders delivered On Time, In Full). These world-class levels mean that customers get service and satisfaction all the way along the supply chain.

DW3 Products Group CEO Gareth Mobley says: “We’re thrilled to be shortlisted in five categories of the prestigious G17 awards. There has been a lot of effort across the Group to improve our range, manufacturing and service so we can be the best for our customers and help them do well too. Being a finalist across so many categories is recognition of our efforts”.

The black-tie ceremony takes place on 17^th November at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, London.

To find out more about the DW3 Products Group visit  www.dw3.co.uk, call 01782 694 716, or follow @dw3products on Twitter.