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Image Above: Richard Katz of Glass Futures

Plans have been unveiled for twin centres of excellence for glass in the north of England aimed at putting the UK at the forefront of global manufacturing.

The £50m Glass Futures project brings industry and academia together in a consortium including Guardian Glass (USA), the University of Leeds, Siemens and Swarovski, together with many other major glass companies and universities. Half the project cost is expected to come from industry with matched funding sought from Government.

The sites under consideration are the mothballed line at the Pilkington Glass Watson Street works in St Helens on Merseyside, with the other at the University of Leeds new research and innovation campus in West Yorkshire.

The proposed industrial research hub at St Helens could create around 50 direct jobs, and the Leeds research hub another 50 or so direct jobs, with up to 1,000 indirect jobs in total.

The facilities will bring together world class experts to carry out research into energy and emissions reduction, glass formulation and new high-tech products.

Richard Katz, director of Glass Futures, a not for profit company specifically set up by the industry to bring industry and academia together, said: “The glass industry has amazing potential for growth and, by bringing academics, manufacturers and technology companies together, we can grasp that potential and bring real benefits to the UK economy.

“We believe Glass Futures will act as a demonstrator to other heavy industrial sectors, leading the way for the UK to re-establish itself at the vanguard of global technology and manufacturing.”

Glass Futures partners and supporters are lobbying MPs and ministers at a House of Lords reception today (FEBRUARY 7). The event is hosted by former Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) minister Lord David Prior and will be attended by current BEIS ministers, senior civil servants, and representatives of the Northern Powerhouse, Innovate UK, Liverpool City Region, St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council and several universities, amongst others.

Other partners already involved in Glass Futures are: the world’s largest glass bottle manufacturer Owens Illinois; glass bottle manufacturer and logistics company Encirc; glass plant engineers and contractors Tecoglas; the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London; the British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation; Glass Technology Services and Sheffield Hallam University. Other universities, including Cambridge, Liverpool, Nottingham and Swansea are also supporting the project with their expertise.

If it goes ahead, the St Helens site would focus on the ‘hot’ side of glass production, with a large experimental glass furnace capable of producing 30 tonnes of product per day for windows, bottles or fibre glass. Research there would concentrate on raw materials and alternative energy sources to reduce carbon and other emissions by over 80 per cent.

The Leeds site would focus on the ‘cold’ side of glass production, with research into coatings, structure and the use of glass in medicine. The exact location of the Leeds site has yet to be determined, but is expected to be within the city.

Dave Dalton, chief executive of British Glass, one of the partners, said: “With glass furnaces running 24/7 these centres will give us the chance to carry out research that is impossible to do with continuous production facilities in the commercial world.
“And by doing that research we can ensure that the industry is fit for the future and actually leading the way in innovation and sustainability.

“Glass may have been around for thousands of years, but it has a vital role to play in the future whether in bottles, buildings or health applications. And, unlike many other materials, it can be recycled time and time again.”
If the scheme goes according to plan, work would start on the two sites later this year, and be operational in spring 2019.

More than 6,000 people are directly employed in manufacturing glass at 20 or so major sites across the UK, contributing around £3bn to the economy. A further 100,000 or so jobs rely on glass in industries as diverse as food and beverage filling lines, window installation, construction of wind turbines and electronic circuit boards.

The CORGI Fenestration Installer Scheme has been launched. The Scheme comprises: –

The CORGI Fenestration Quality Mark: registered installers will have passed a rigorous audit process. CORGI Fenestration does not add another level of red tape – but purely assesses existing management processes, quality of installation work, customer care and qualifications of staff. Once registered installers will be able to use the CORGI Fenestration name across their business.

Notification & Self-Certification: a web-based service for all installation jobs. It covers windows and doors, replacement and new build, across domestic and commercial premises and extends to a raft of fenestration products ranging from conservatories to guttering.

Building Regulations self-certification is being offered in partnership with STROMA Certification Ltd and includes the required consumer financial protection. Homeowners will receive a CORGI Fenestration branded installation certificate.

CORGI Fenestration RateYourInstallation: all consumers will be invited to rate their installation for inclusion in a ‘TripAdvisor’ type consumer ratings service run by CORGI Fenestration. In due course this will allow homeowners to choose installers independently rated by other satisfied customers. This is another valuable installer marketing tool.

CORGI Fenestration Skills Card: CORGI Fenestration recognises only the best in glazing sector qualifications and all registered installers must employ qualified staff. Installers will be encouraged to move to a fully carded workforce carrying this Skills Card. These cards are linked to an online Skills Register which allows homeowners to check who they are letting into their homes and how qualified they are. Only glazing sector NVQs assessed and approved by the GQA, the industry’s leading qualifications provider, are recognised.

Risked Based Inspection Rate: as CORGI Fenestration registered installers are subject to at least an annual business audit and satisfy the requirements of best practice they may undergo fewer installation inspections. This lower inspection rate is calculated by CORGI Fenestration’s proprietary risk assessment system – the Quality Standards Indicator. As a result, an installers total costs may be lower than through existing schemes.

Customer Care Excellence: CORGI Fenestration is committed to providing all registered businesses with the best in customer care. We will practice what we preach.

“We are not asking installers to do anything extra to become CORGI Fenestration registered. We are not asking them to add to their bureaucratic burden,” says CORGI Fenestration CEO Chris Mayne. “We assess and recognise existing best practice procedures – however achieved and recorded.”

“Installers need to be committed to be the best and demonstrate they are achieving it to register with CORGI Fenestration,” Mayne added. “It’s not for everyone. If a business is just about satisfying minimum requirements across management, regulations and qualifications then CORGI Fenestration is not for them.”

Prices: Annual registration fee £200; Audit fee £600; Notification fee £15 per installation.

Note: the notification fee is all inclusive so there are no additional insurance costs to pay. All fees are ex VAT.

“Up till now there has not been a widely recognised quality mark – let alone a name known by consumers – that has allowed the most professional, excellence focussed companies in our industry to set themselves apart from the pack,” Mayne concluded. “There is now!”

www.corgifenestration.co.uk

The post Launch of CORGI Fenestration installer scheme with self-certification appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

As more trade customers ‘Ask for Ali’, Senior Architectural Systems has responded by adding weight to its domestic product range with the launch of the new slimline Ali VU aluminium window.

Offering attractive slim sightlines, the new thermally broken Ali VU aluminium window perfectly complements Senior’s popular Ali FOLD range of single, double and bi-fold aluminium doors to offer the trade a complete suite of glazing solutions for the residential market.

The inherent strength of aluminium allows the Ali VU windows to combine attractive slim sightlines with high performance, energy-efficiency and security. Featuring a polyamide thermal break, Senior’s Ali VU aluminium double-glazed windows have been designed to achieve a Window Energy Rating (WER) of A, with the triple glazed option designed to achieve a rating of A+. Robust, safe and secure, the Ali VU windows also successfully meet the requirements of PAS 24 and Approved Document Q.

The new Ali VU windows offer exceptional design flexibility, with a choice of configurations, including standard or ovolo feature outerframe, flat faced, stepped face or radius vents, and square or chamfered beads. Benefiting from Senior’s established manufacturing expertise, the strong yet slim profile aluminium frame of the new Ali VU window can accept glazing up to 44mm thick and is available in a low-maintenance powder-coated or anodised finish.

Commenting on the new product launch, Senior Architectural System’s sales director James Keeling-Heane said: “Along with Senior’s established Ali FOLD aluminium doors, the new Ali VU aluminium window has been specifically developed with the trade fabricator and installer in mind, offering a range of benefits that can be passed on to the domestic end-user. Easy to fabricate, adjust, install and maintain, the slim profile of the new Ali VU window also looks great and offers high thermal efficiency and low U-values.

We are committed to giving our customers the products they need with the high levels of service they deserve and we are excited to be able to offer a full range of glazing solutions that are ideally suited to the residential market where the popularity of aluminium glazing systems continues to soar.”

For more information about Senior, visit www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk/architectural-systems/ali-vu-window/

Today house owners are looking for those quality final touches to dress their windows which are not only a significant investment but are a highly visible part of the building fabric. Over time though inevitably trickle vents get damaged. The kids hang off them, footballs miss the goal and accidents just happen! Just think how many hundreds and thousands of vents are needed across the country!

So, you want new vents, what do you do? Where can the home owner get a replacement? This is where the problems start. What size is it, will it fit over the routs, how do I fit it, can I do the DIY can I get the vents to match the window colour? With well over 100 different products on the market most end up with unsightly gaffer tape.

For the trade, especially trade counters, distributors and stockists they have the same problems. How can they stock every vent on the off chance of a walk-in for that vent on the shelf? That’s why in general the vents end up as a different type as it just happens to be the only one stocked and who would buy a minimum quantity for the same reason.

Many installed windows also have those old standard 4 colours fitted to them, brown on Golden Oak, yellow on Irish oak , black on grey and how many other mismatched solid colours against the frame. Most will be white but the Glazpart new vent is available to order from stock in over 30 colours including woodgrains…all without you spraying.

So, there are a vast quantity of installed damaged, mismatched colour vents that don’t work all leading to poor air quality and look terrible. Therefore, an RMI (Repair, Maintenance and Improvement) product to address these issues would be ideal.

That’s where Glazpart comes in with the Link vent Mk2, packaged and branded under Glazpart’s highly successful Packers for Professionals product range for counter sales.

If as a trade counter, stockist, hardware shop or distributor you were able to stock one product, that fits the majority of installed window routs and could replace the majority of the damaged, trickle vents installed in frames. Your customers or installers could DIY fit them as an RMI product in minutes…… how many thousands could you sell a year.

Taking a closer look at the Link vent Mk2 (5000) which is close to the size of a traditional 4000 vent. You will see 13 fixing positions which would look odd to most? However; put the vent up to the window, fit the 4 clips (in the bag) where there is a rout and push fit the vent in seconds (if needed fit with screws into the frame material) and you are done. The Link vent Mk2 (2500) with 2 clips replaces a traditional 2000 vent, both fitting 10mm to 13mm rout heights.

So, one vent product in two sizes fits all and could grow your footfall and walk-in’s whilst not significantly increasing your stock.

Installers can now carry a couple of repair vents for those occasional RMI jobs with the confidence they will fit most surface mounted applications.

According to Dean Bradley – Sales and Marketing Manage  “The new DIY version of the link vent Mk2 addresses a need in the market that has benefits for trade counters, distributors, installers and home owners. Air quality improves with a product with very low air leakage and a wide-ranging colour palette. Stockists minimise stock investment, maximise stock turn and address a profitable market niche and who knows what else customers will buy whilst they are on your site “

ERA has officially opened its new, purpose-built facility on the i54 business park. The 135,625ft² headquarters, which effectively combines three existing facilities in the West Midlands, was opened by David Huse OBE, chairman of the Neighbourhood Watch, and has been heralded by ERA as the ‘perfect platform for future success’ in the design, development, manufacture and distribution of its home security products.

Darren Waters, CEO at ERA, said: “Our brand-new home is a great fit with our long-term business strategy and will help to differentiate our brand, both as an innovative supplier and as a responsible employer.

“The new site is home to our state-of-the-art research and product development hub, manufacturing and warehousing, as well as test and training facilities. In addition, our bespoke Customer Suite showcases the entire ERA Total Security portfolio, including our extensive range of trusted hardware as well as our cutting edge smart home security solutions.”

With regards to its new warehouse, the impressive facility currently houses £9m of stock and around 6,500 parts, but has also been constructed in order to accommodate additional capacity in the future – not just from new product development and acquisitions, but also with a view to potentially reshoring product manufacturing from China and the Far East.

The warehouse also features a state of the art management system, a 40-strong logistics team, specialist loading bay systems, a more efficient set up for the manufacture of multi point locks and the ability for next day delivery if orders are received by 3pm.

ERA’s new home also includes a custom built UKAS accredited test laboratory, which the company claims is one of the best equipped of its type in the country, and which is designed to offer enhanced security, durability and weather resistance testing, including tests in accordance with PAS24 and BS6375. This is accompanied by both an innovation centre, which is said to be currently managing over 115 new product developments and which includes a dedicated area for brainstorming and concept development, and a training centre that has been set up to offer both practical and theoretical instruction across ERA’s entire product portfolio,

Aside from the money spent on technology, warehousing and testing, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of ERA’s new facility is the considerable investment that it has made for its employees.

With 150 staff on site, staff are actively encouraged to ‘take a break’ to promote health and well-being, have access to flexible work stations, ‘break out’ areas, personal working pods and computer facilities to internet access in lunch breaks.

With a view that its people ‘are the key to making the business successful’, ERA’s new facilities also include a canteen and dedicated chef, and there is an ‘all-inclusive’ policy that is designed to allow office staff and warehouse employees to socialise during down time.

The post A new ERA is born appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

ISO-CHEMIE’s high performance expanding foam sealing tape has been specified for an innovative project that could herald a new approach to building affordable housing.

The ISO BLOCO ONE tape has been used to provide a high performance airtight, acoustic and thermal seal for the ModCell TAM project located in the grounds of the Filwood Community Centre in Bristol.

Developed to provide people with rapid, effective and affordable housing, TAM is also one of the most environmentally friendly building systems in Europe, combining advances in high-quality, low energy design with the innovative use of renewable construction materials, including prefabricated straw-filled panels.

Sustainability is a key driver of the project, so the ISO-BLOCO tape has been used to seal the expansion joints and gaps around the window and door frames. This will significantly help to achieve an excellent Passivhaus target of <0.69 m³/hour/m² measured at 50 Pascals air tight seal per completed building – a good standard for the construction industry is anything between 3 – 5 m³/hour/m².

Finlay White, business development director at Bristol-based ModCell, said that TAM is currently being considered by several social housing providers, and added: “ISO-BLOCO ONEis an excellent product, meeting the requirements for an easy-to-install, cost effective and extremely reliable all-round sealing solution.”

Andy Swift, ISO-CHEMIE’s national sales manager, said: “Systems like TAM are gaining increasing traction in meeting the UK’s housing demand. It has been specified as a practical and energy efficient solution for the Filwood Community Centre development among other projects.

“So, for us to be involved in this latest ground-breaking initiative not only reinforces our strong environmental credentials, but also strengthens the requirement for longer lasting sealing tapes that deliver airtight, acoustic and thermal benefits.”

ISO-BLOCO ONE is claimed to offer a single product ‘fit and forget’ solution for fast and effective sealing based around the European RAL principles of three level sealing – the inside seal area is more airtight than the external one, allowing any trapped moisture inside the joint, or within the wall, to escape outwards rather than into the building.

The external seal area provides weather resistance and breathability with a minimum resistance of 1000 Pascals (hurricane forces), while the intermediate seal area provides extra thermal and acoustic properties, with a U-value between 0.55 and 0.8 subject to tape size, and the internal one air tightness and humidity regulation, the tape installation itself gives less than 0.01 m³ air loss when tested at 1,000 Pascals air pressure difference. All three levels are designed to accommodate movement between the adjacent materials.

Once installed, ISO-BLOCO ONE ensures a building is better protected from elemental factors like wind, dust and moisture ingress by accommodating the changes in structural movement caused by environmental, cyclical and settlement factors.

Product, which has Passivhaus certification, has CE marking and complies with energy saving regulations (EnEV) on windows and doors as well as the RAL quality assurance association, has an EC1 rating for very low emissions and a B1 fire resistant rating. It can accommodate extremes of temperature changes – from -30°C to + 80°C and is available with a 10-year performance warranty. More at www.iso-chemie.eu/en-GB/home/

Aperture Solutions LTD, part of the global home improvement products manufacturer, ODL Europe and exclusive reseller of the Capstone Door Slab, has recently appointed Suzanne Nicholl to the role of Business Development Manager.

Suzanne, known to many from her previous role at Polyframe, has the responsibility for heading up sales across the whole of the UK, from the company’s head office in Bootle, Merseyside and has already won orders from a number of new customers during her short time in the role.

Managing Director, Nathan Barr commented, we are delighted that Suzanne has joined the Aperture Solutions team, it’s a great time for the business and she is making excellent progress in creating awareness amongst customers of the relatively new Aperture Solutions brand, this with our recent investment in manufacturing equipment and expansion at our Bootle site means we are starting 2018 in a great position to grow, Suzanne has made a great start and we wish her every success in the role.”

Suzanne is no stranger to the sector, having over twenty-two years of industry experience to call on, she started selling hardware from her late teens and has developed her skills and experience across several roles to the present day.

Suzanne comments, “I am looking forward to meeting as many customers as possible over the next few months, I have received a very warm welcome in the role and it’s been great to be demonstrating the many features and benefits of the Capstone slab, to both existing and new fabricators and installers. I really enjoy meeting up with customers and as my role is mainly field based, I get the opportunity to see first hand how our range of products can make a difference. I would encourage any potential customers to contact me if they would like to discuss any potential requirements.”

Outside of work, Suzanne is keen on running and keep fit, with a daughter involved in dancing and theatre productions, she follows her daughter’s career and enjoys attending the many shows in which she performs, that have taken her to many foreign locations.

If you would like any further information on the Aperture Solutions product range or Capstone Door slabs, Suzanne can be contacted on 0151 933 0299, or via the aperture solutions website at www.aperturesolutions.co.uk

VEKA Recycling Ltd, a division of one of the world’s biggest PVC-U window profile manufacturers has chosen Wellingborough for the location of what will be Europe’s most advanced facility dedicated to recycling PVC-U window and door profiles. The company has taken over a former metals recycling plant in Neilson Road on the Finedon Industrial Estate in the north east of the town and will spend more than £8 million to create build a facility ready to accept and convert UK unused offcuts and old PVC-U windows into re-usable polymer.

The 5.5 acre Wellingborough plant will be the third such facility to be built by VEKA Umwelttechnik GmbH, the specialist recycling subsidiary of the VEKA AG Group, of which VEKA Recycling Ltd is a wholly owned division. The company has pioneered PVC-U recycling in Europe with its first plant opening in Behringen, Germany as long ago as 1993. A further facility was opened in France in 2006.

The latest, the Wellingborough plant, will enable VEKA Recycling Ltd to fully re-process PVC-U window and door frames into material that can be re-manufactured as new products including window profiles, cills and trims and also a range of products as diverse as cable management and construction products. Plans are for the plant to open initially this year and to be fully operational from spring 2019, with up to 50 jobs expected to be created.

Rubber, metals and other impurities will all be separated from the PVC-U to enable re-manufacture as part of the most sophisticated process of its type installed anywhere in Europe. The combined capacity of the three plants will exceed 100,000 tonnes of PVC-U windows a year.

Speaking for VEKA Recycling Ltd the company’s Managing Director, Tony Cattini said: “This is a real-world commitment by the VEKA Group towards the UK and recognition of the continued importance of the British market post-Brexit.”

Simon Scholes, Commercial Director added: “The Neilson Road site will be substantially re-developed and equipped from scratch to take advantage of the latest recycling technologies. This will give us the ability to produce the highest quality polymer for use in a range of construction products, including brand new window and doorframe profiles. We will have the ability to promote and deliver PVC-U windows as truly sustainable at a time when plastic generally is under close scrutiny, and to make the most of what is a tremendous resource.

“But whilst other plastic products are coming under fire, the recycling of old windows in the UK is very advanced with most taken out of buildings being recycled into new products. The new plant allows us to take and reprocess even more and within the UK.”

Image Above: from left to right: Nick Dutton presenting the cheque to Gary Morton.

Brisant Secure have donated £5,000 to GM Fundraising, to celebrate the revolutionary Lock Lock door security handle surpassing an unprecedented 5,000 hour salt spray test.

GM Fundraising has been the industry’s charity of choice over the years, raising over £1.8million in the process, with the aim of achieving £2 million within the next 2 years. Several epic cycling adventures and a recent ladies only ‘Paddle2 Pedal’ event, continue to capture the imagination of all those involved, including many long-term supporters.

This donation is a fitting way to mark the fact that Lock Lock, with a bathroom furniture grade coating, has surpassed a never heard of level of durability at 5,000+ hours. Typical testing standards require 240/480 hours, which equates to an improvement of over 1,000% against other tested handles.

Nick Dutton, CEO of Brisant Secure commented: ‘We’re redefining expectations for hardware. Our aim is to develop an unrivalled product range in terms of longevity and performance, and with a new suited hardware range tooled up for production in the coming months, we’ll again be challenging convention in the sector. We felt this was a fulfilling way to mark this milestone.’

Gary Morton, founder of GM Fundraising concluded: ‘It’s a hugely magnanimous donation and I’d like to thank Nick, Steve and all the team at Brisant Secure for this kind gesture. It still amazes me just how the industry has adopted GM Fundraising in terms of the events we do and more importantly for the money raised for Hope House Children’s Hospices. We also have news to come in the coming weeks about our 2018 and 2019 plans.’

For further information on GM Fundraising, please visit www.gmfundraising.co.uk or follow @gmfundraising, you can also contact Gary directly at gary@gmfundraising.co.uk. For further information on Lock Lock please visit www.lock-lock.co.uk, e-mail locklock@brisant-secure.com or call 01924 410200. You can also follow them on Twitter @UltionLock.