Awards Shortlist And New BWF Stairs Design Guide To Be Launched Timber Expo

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) will be showcasing joinery excellence and promoting new best practice guidance for stairs and fire doors at Timber Expo this October.

Part of UK Construction Week, Timber Expo runs from 10-12th October at the NEC, Birmingham, and is the most important event on the UK construction calendar dedicated exclusively to timber. Visitors are able to find out more about the latest products, innovations and developments across the timber sector.

The BWF will be hosting two events at Timber Expo on the Confederation on Timber Industries (CTI) Stand. The shortlist for the BWF Awards will be announced at a reception on 11th October and a new version of the BWF Stair Scheme Design Guide will be launched on 12th October.

The awards highlight technical innovation and excellence in joinery projects and joinery product design, process efficiency, health & safety, as well as rewarding the rising stars of the industry. The winners are set to be announced at BWF’s popular Annual Dinner at Drapers’ Hall, London on Friday 24th November. The BWF Annual Dinner & Awards are kindly sponsored by Accoya, Teknos, W18 Exhibition, Didac and CITB.

For specifiers, architects or other parties involved in the design or manufacture of stairs for a project, the updated BWF Stair Scheme Design Guide will help make sure that the stair is compliant with relevant standards and regulations, while producing fabulous and beautiful design results.

Booking details for both events will be available shortly on the BWF website at www.bwf.org.uk/news/events. Visitors to the CTI stand will also be able to find information on what BWF has been doing for the UK joinery industry and the benefits of joining BWF for joinery manufacturers and suppliers to the industry.

BWF-Certifire will also be linking up with Exova during the show to launch a new fire door installation guide. At the launch, Exova will also be holding live demonstrations on correct fire door installation. BWF will be giving away a limited number of copies of its acclaimed Fire Door Best Practice Guide on the CTI Stand.

Registration to attend Timber Expo is available now and you can register for free at: www.timber-expo.co.uk/register

The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) is looking forward to a very positive future, despite some media speculation of internal disruption as the organisation undergoes a transitional period.

John Agnew, GGF President issued the following statement to reassure GGF Members and related stakeholders that the GGF and its group of subsidiary companies are on a progressive path to grow and serve the industry.

GGF President’s Statement

As President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Glass and Glazing Federation, I would like to highlight the positive changes at the GGF in the last 12 months.

The changes to the management structure and the organisation’s direction were unanimously agreed by the GGF Board. It is worth noting that the GGF Board is made up of representatives from across the main sectors of the glass and glazing industry.

GGF Board Directors are democratically elected by GGF Members and the positions are entirely voluntarily and unpaid. In the past, some Board Directors have resigned due to the non-declaration of conflicts of interest.  The GGF has always had firm rules in place to declare any conflicts of interest and all Board Members must sign this agreement before being ratified as GGF Board Members and at every Board meeting the Chair remind all in attendance of the rules regarding conflicts of interest.

The Board decisions taken and resultant changes in the past year are to be applauded as they were strong decisions made in the best interests of GGF Members and the wider industry. The changes have also been accepted and welcomed by the GGF Group Staff.

With the appointment of Phil Pluck as the new GGF Chief Executive in May this year, along with the subsequent management restructure aligned to the new additions to the GGF Board, I can confidently state that the GGF and its group of subsidiary companies are now in a better position than ever before to serve GGF Members and the industry.

As with most businesses during a transition period, there will inevitably be some more changes along the way, but rest assured none will be to the detriment of the GGF and its Members.

With record numbers of companies joining the Federation this year, we are now looking forward to our annual Members Day next month when we will unveil the GGF’s long term strategy to help GGF Members and the industry cope with the many challenges ahead.

I am pleased that all connected to the GGF and its group of subsidiary companies have so much to look forward to as the restructure takes shape to enhance all the benefits and services the GGF Group provides to the industry.

The GGF has come a very long way since its foundation in 1977 and as we mark our 40th Anniversary and reflect on the GGF’s great achievements, we also must focus on our future. The changes that have occurred in the past 12 months, will ensure our Members and other stakeholders in the subsidiary companies will continue to get the best service from the industry’s main trade body.

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In partnership with leading British and European brands a new business is delivering high quality aluminium doors and windows to the trade industry in Exeter.

Exeter Trade Aluminium (ETA) will hold its launch event at its showroom and factory at Apple Lane, Sowton, on Friday and Saturday, September 22nd and 23rd.  Visitors will have the chance to explore the products on offer, speak with experts and take a factory tour to see products being made. Food and drink will also be provided along with a free prize draw!

With 35 years industry experience, the experts behind ETA will offer a fast efficient service using their own on-site manufacturing facility making use of the latest in CNC technology, says the company.

Nick Sandbrook said: “We are looking forward to supplying the trade with competitively priced aluminium doors, windows and roof lights. We will also be offering sliding doors, bi-folding doors, entrance doors and commercial glazing solutions. Our friendly experts will work with you, offering top customer service and quality products made to order, direct to the trade.”

ETA is conveniently located 2 minutes from junction 30 of the M5 at Unit 15, Apple Lane, Trade City, Exeter, EX2 7HA. The showroom and factory open days will take place from 9am to 6.30pm on Friday 22nd September and 8am until 4pm on Saturday, September 23.

www.exetertradealuminium.co.uk

Premium product fabricator Dekko Window Systems has been inundated with leads following an appearance on the hit ITV programme Love Your Home and Garden, which is hosted by renowned presenter Alan Titchmarsh.

Dekko’s RÄUM aluminium bi-folding doors featured prominently on the ‘Get the Look’ section of the programme, which shows a close up of key products and guide prices, and within minutes, enquiries came flooding into the RÄUM and Dekko websites. Dekko had over 100 leads on the night of the show, with more filtering in over the following days.

“We were delighted with the response,” commented Sales Director Kurt Greatrex. “Most enquiries were from homeowners, and we passed these on to our trade customers. Interestingly though, around 30% of the leads came from businesses such as installers, builders and joiners, so we were able to go direct to these customers ourselves.”

Dekko initially decided to get involved in the programme after hearing about the tragic circumstances of the family in Banbury that was going to feature in the episode.

Kurt explains: “The mother had gone almost entirely blind after suffering a stroke, and was then diagnosed with breast cancer, forcing her to leave her job. The house was completely unsuitable for her needs, and Alan Titchmarsh and his team wanted to design a layout that would let more natural light into the home and allow for an easy transition from the home into the garden. ITV asked if we could supply a set of RÄUM aluminium bi-folds and we were more than happy to help.”

The RÄUM aluminium bi-fold is a premium door featuring super slim sightlines and can be used to open up entire walls, with two to seven panel combinations creating entranceways up to 7m across. It is available in hundreds of colours, including White Sand and Space Grey, and a choice of matt, gloss or special Coatex finish. A realistic wood effect finish is available for consumers who prefer traditional aesthetics.

For more information contact Dekko on 0161 406 0055 or visit www.dekkowindows.com

Picture above: Winston Osborne

As consumer demand for glazed roofs continues to rise, more installers than ever before are discovering the unmatched qualities of the revolutionary Atlas lantern. Pioneered by a team of technical experts, it changed the industry forever.

Breaking the mould back in 2009 to become the very first roof in the industry to not require a boss or hood, the Atlas lantern is still widely recognised as ‘the original and the best’ system out there.

Winston Osborne, technical sales manager at Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions, and his team were behind the development of the boss and hood-free system. He explains:

“Unsightly and bulky, a boss and hood intrudes onto the ridge and restricts the amount of glazing that can be incorporated into a roof lantern. Originally, the only roofs that didn’t feature a boss or hood were timber and we knew we had to create a radical roof system that would strip out these intrusive components.

“As one of the original slim aluminium glazed roof manufacturers, we wanted to make aluminium the material of choice for roof lanterns so we began developing a new generation of aluminium roof where the rafters could run right up to the ridge without obstruction. The result was the super-slim Atlas roof, which was, and still is, the best-looking lantern on the market.

“The market is more populated with aluminium lanterns now and some manufacturers have followed that incredible Atlas engineering to eliminate their boss and hood. What continues to set the Atlas lantern apart though is the sharp, square edges of its profile which look ultra-modern when compared to the more traditional ovolo curved profiles that some aluminium lanterns feature. Its clean lines deliver exactly what architects want which is why the Atlas roof is specified on more architect-designed schemes than any other roof. It is ‘the architect’s choice’ because it’s beyond compare.”

Leading family-owned business Thames Valley Windows, was the first installer to take the re-engineered Atlas roof to the domestic market after it was launched. Paul Schofield, design director at Thames Valley Windows, worked closely alongside the Atlas team throughout the development of the new roof to perfect the design.

Paul says: “The industry was ready for a watertight lantern with no boss or hood to interrupt the roof’s slim-line ridge and we couldn’t understand why no manufacturer had succeeded in developing one. We were really excited to be involved from the beginning and to see what Atlas came up with. It was the best lantern in the country then and it still is today. It helped to shape the lantern roof scene and set a precedent for other fabricators to follow.

“We fit hundreds of lanterns each year and the Atlas roof is the only system we use. We like to sell this roof because it’s so crisp, clean and contemporary and our customers love it because it looks amazing from both the inside and outside. There is absolutely no compromise on looks with the Atlas lantern and that’s why it’s so widely specified.”

Bringing its trademark of ‘MORE SKY, LESS ROOF’, this fully aluminium, thermally broken system features the slimmest sightlines in the industry. Comparative tests reveal that the Atlas lantern features a 60% slimmer ridge and 38% slimmer hip internally and an external ridge and hip, which is more than 50% slimmer than alternative aluminium lanterns.

The subtle profile of the roof is 25% less bulky than rival systems to maximise the amount of glazing. From the outside, the lantern has far lower external sightlines than bulkier alternative systems. The lantern has been carefully designed to be perfectly proportioned too with the internal ridge, rafters and hips the same 40mm width for a sleek appearance.

Despite its extensive glazing, the lantern delivers outstanding strength, thermal performance and wind pressure resistance. The ridge and rafters feature a thermal break to prevent the cold from penetrating to the inside of the rafter. The rafter is twice as thermally efficient as its nearest rival and is capable of achieving a U-value of up to 0.9 W/m²k with triple glazing

The lantern continues to evolve with improvements being made to satisfy consumer demand.

For further information on the Atlas lantern, please contact Atlas on 02838 327741 or visit www.atlasroofsolutions.co.uk

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).

Thermoseal Group has released 7 new versions of its ‘Warm Comfortable Homes’ consumer video to showcase the benefits of its Thermobar and Thermoflex Highest Performance Warm Edge Spacers.

The video is available in English; French; German; Spanish; Italian; Polish and Chinese.  It highlights the series of high-profile awards the Group has been presented with in the past year including the honoured Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2017.  Watch the videos now at: www.thermosealgroup.com/news

Samantha Hill, Thermoseal Group’s Head of Marketing and Communications, tells us:  “Starting with a warm family kitchen scene where parents are calculating their costs, ‘Warm Comfortable Homes’ zooms into a window and shows its deconstruction right back to the warm edge spacer which separates the two panes of glass in the double glazing.  Quoting figures of how ‘warm edge glazing is up to 65% warmer at the edge’, the video then goes on to showcase the differences between Thermobar rigid tube spacer system and Thermoflex silicone rubber spacer system – both of which achieve highest thermal performance figures of 0.14W/mK and 0.135W/mK respectively.  They also achieve highest passive house ratings of phA+.

“These new videos also showcase the numerous accolades we have been presented with over the past year, which, in addition to our prided Queen’s Award, includes: ‘Component Supplier of the Year’ at the glass and glazing industry G-Awards (for the second year in a row); ‘Amazon Growing Business Award – Export Champion of the Year’; ‘Wigan Business Award for Export’ and the EEF Future Manufacturing Award for the North West Region for Export.

“We are extremely proud of the recognition we have received for our export drive.  As a result of our continued product development and focus meeting the challenges of the varying requirements of export markets, we supply to 22 Countries on 5 Continents and currently have product trials running across the world.”

For more information about Thermoseal Group’s range of insulated glass components and machinery for glazing manufacture call +44(0)121 331 3950 or by email sales@thermosealgroup.com.

Polyframe has embarked on a major expansion programme to increase the factory space of its Norwich site by 50 per cent and ramp up production rates by 55 per cent.

The new purpose-built factory will increase Polyframe’s production space on the site from 48,000 square feet to 72,000 square feet. Operational by the end of October, the enlarged factory will allow the Norwich site to boost production output from 4,500 frames a week to 7,000 frames a week on a 24-hour shift basis.

The expansion is the biggest landmark development at Polyframe since it became part of Customade Group earlier this year and it will enable the business to comfortably maintain its position as the largest fabricator of Rehau frames in the UK, says the company.

150 people are currently employed on the site and the headcount is expected to rise in line with increased production. It is now the second largest production site within Customade Group after the group’s 200,000 square foot Polyframe Halifax site, which fabricates Halo and Eurocell frames.

David Eagle, managing director of Polyframe, Norwich, says: “It has been a pivotal year for us since we merged with Customade Group and we are really proud to be accelerating production at this site at such pace. This expansion certainly gives us significantly more capacity but it also allows us to drive continuous improvements in both product quality and service, which is vital for us as market leaders.”

Nick Gibbons, chief operating officer at Customade Group, added: “The aim of Customade Group is to grow sustainably and match market demand and that means investment in our manufacturing capability. These commitments will enable us, and our customers, to provide an enhanced offering and remain at the forefront of the industry. This terrific growth is a credit to everyone who works in Norwich and I’m tremendously excited about the future of the site.”

For further information on the Polyframe range of multi-system PVCu windows, doors and conservatories, contact 01422 330460 or visit www.polyframe.co.uk