Enviroguard Windows

The changing face of the fenestration industry is reflected in an innovative Multi-Purpose Rack launched by the UK’s number one manufacturer of glass-carrying transport solutions.

Supertrucks designed the latest addition to its market-leading range of vehicle racking in response to the rapid growth in popularity of bigger, heavier products, such as bi-fold doors and windows, and orangeries.

The St Helen’s-based specialist has fitted the first example of its new rack to a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van supplied by East Midlands Dealer Mertrux Truck & Van, with which its parent company, the multi-faceted Bevan Group, enjoys a close relationship. Mertrux is now offering this vehicle for trial by prospective customers.

Fabricated from lightweight aluminium, Supertrucks’ Multi-Purpose Rack is secured to the exterior of the vehicle without the need to drill the sidewall. This is an important factor in helping to ensure that any paint or bodywork warranty provided by the manufacturer remains valid, and that the resale value of the vehicle is protected.

Instead, the new rails are fixed at the top to a roof rack, and at the bottom, depending on the base vehicle, either by making use of pre-existing holes or by drilling one or two new ones on the underside, where they cannot be seen.

Key features of the Multi-Purpose Rack include:

• A choice of folding ledges capable of carrying products with a depth of 150mm or 225mm – the industry standard is 90mm;

• Protective strips in grey, rather than the traditional black, rubber, to prevent marking of aluminium or plastic fixtures;

• New front and rear pillars, the leading edges of which feature a re-profiled radius designed to reduce wind resistance and thereby improve fuel-efficiency;

• An easily-used strap securing system and second-stage trim carrier.

Supertrucks has various fitting locations throughout the UK and Europe, and also offers a collect, fit, and return service at weekends.

Bevan Group Engineering & Production Director Ian Roberts says: “The window industry has witnessed massive change over the last couple of years. There is a lot more architectural work, with bi-folds and orangeries becoming more affordable and popular.

“The upshot is that products are getting bigger, heavier and more difficult to transport. Our Multi-Purpose Rack addresses this issue head on, by enabling customers safely and securely to transport larger products than was previously possible on a standard van.”

Andrew Kerrane, Group Van Sales Manager at Mertrux Truck & Van, adds: “Supertrucks parent the Bevan Group is now well established as our preferred partner for a variety of body types. Its product quality and service levels are second to none, and the relationship between our two businesses goes from strength to strength.

“We already supply Mercedes-Benz vehicles to a number of customers which operate within the glass and associated industries, and are aware of several others for whom Supertrucks’ new rack is likely to offer significant advantages. We were therefore delighted to provide a Sprinter van for demonstration purposes.”

Prospective customers interested in trialling the new vehicle should contact Mertrux Sales Controller – Van, Frank Murray, on 0115 9248 121 or 07779 123525, or by emailing frank.murray@mertrux.co.uk

BS EN 1279 accreditation is the latest cause for celebration at Peterborough’s HiTECH Blinds Ltd, the fast-growing integral blind firm taking the market by storm.

Subjected to rigorous testing at BSi, HiTECH’s best-in-class products passed with flying colours. EN 1279 Part 2 requires glass units to have moisture penetration of less than 16%, but HiTECH’s product was found to have penetration of just 3%. What’s more, a member of test centre staff commented that the product’s fog test performance was the best he’d ever seen.

Founded in 2017 by Nigel Greening along with Mike Yerrell & Michelle Scotney of respected commercial aluminium fabricator AGF Ltd, HiTECH Blinds was established to bring reliable, hassle-free, outstanding-quality integral blinds to fabricators and installers throughout the UK, Ireland & the Channel Isles.

With the help of integrated blinds specialist Ian Woolley, the company has grown rapidly in its first twelve months, as customers switch suppliers in ever-increasing numbers.

Michelle commented: “We’re absolutely delighted to be EN 1279 accredited. We’ve come a very long way in our first year in business – and this is another important milestone on the road to becoming the biggest, best and most respected integrated blind supplier in the UK.”

Sales Director Ian Woolley added: “I’m extremely pleased our products fared so well in testing – but at the same time, I’m not surprised. The materials used and the staff we’ve trained are of the highest quality, and we’ve invested a huge amount of time and effort in developing the best-performing integrated blinds on the market today.

“Our Magnet-operated blinds are extremely easy to use, easy to install, and they come with a ten-year no-nonsense guarantee – twice as long as any of our competitors.

“If you’re interested in learning more about how HiTECH Blinds can help your business grow, get in touch today.”

For more information visit www.hitechblinds.co.uk or call 0330 6780 280

Now installers can deliver an authentic looking slate finish on Celsius Solid Roof installations with a new slate-effect tile, made from 100% recycled, lightweight plastic.

This new tile option is the latest addition to Synseal’s popular Celsius Solid Roof, which is the only major system to use a warm timber construction. Using structural insulated panels (SIPs), this technique avoids the cold bridging associated with aluminium frames and subsequently delivers excellent thermal performance and reduces the risk of condensation.

The launch of the new slate-effect tile follows the introduction of the WarmCore Fixed Roof Light last year (both pictured), a discreet, ceramic bordered, glass fixed light using WarmCore thermal technology – exclusive to Celsius Solid Roof customers.

The expansion of the Celsius Solid Roof offer gives fabricators and their installers more flexibility to integrate conservatories and extensions into existing structures, complementing both traditional and more contemporary properties.

Nev Gleed, Conservatory Roof Technical Manager, explains:

“Celsius Solid Roof has proven popular with our customers as a warm construction roof for both conservatory renovations and easy-to-build extensions.

“One of the key factors for homeowners is finding a product which matches the existing structures at their property. With the addition of the new slate-effect tile, our customers can now offer a choice of four lightweight roof tiles to complement a variety of different properties, helping homeowners to find a perfect fit.

“Recycled plastic tiles are hugely beneficial for all along the supply chain – they are easy to fit, easy to clean, self-draining, self-ventilating, and are made from 100% recycled polypropylene. This makes them the ideal, environmentally-friendly product for all weather conditions and a very low-maintenance choice for consumers.”

The new slate-effect tile is now available as an option on Celsius Solid Roofs, including both single and double tiles.

If you are interested in adding Synseal’s Celsius Solid Roof range to your conservatory offer, call 01623 444390 or email info@synseal.com to find out more.

Image Above: David Leng

Customade Group has rounded off a historic year since it merged with Polyframe and is on course to double its scale to become a £200 million business. Now comfortably the biggest fabricator in the UK, claims the company, with revenues of more than £100 million, the group is poised for an era of rapid growth with new group chief executive David Leng driving its ambitious plans.

David Leng, who was formerly Synseal Group’s chief executive officer, joined Customade Group in February. He is leading the next phase of development for the business, which has invested £2.5 million in site developments, machinery and IT in the last 12 months.

He says: “It’s been a terrific first year for the group, which has made a string of major investments in the last year and affirmed its position as the industry’s largest fabricator. There have been many landmark achievements for the group with major investment, product development, top industry award wins and growing national presence to name just a few – and we’re now ready for the next exciting stage.

“The group has an enormous capacity for further growth and an appetite for improvement and I believe it will double in size to become a £200 million business within the next few years. We have some bold plans for the future and a team of 900 people to deliver our growth strategy. I’m very much looking forward to building on the scale and strength of the group to help it fulfil its potential.”

A substantial investment programme of £2.5 million across several manufacturing sites has significantly increased Customade Group’s capabilities and doubled production output. Three of the group’s nine sites in Livingston, Gloucester and Norwich have recently expanded to cater for increased demand across both PVCu and aluminium. With additional capacity and unrivalled purchasing power, the group has welcomed more than 500 new customers on board and will roll out a number of new products nationwide during the year.

David adds: “We’re set to grow at phenomenal pace, but our ultimate goal is to be the best that we can be. Investing for the future is fundamental in maintaining our position at the forefront of the industry and this multi-site investment will ensure that customers are well placed to thrive in a competitive market.”

“The Group is forward thinking and quality driven and new product development is the natural next step for us. Our new innovations are all about anticipating the market and driving long-term growth for installers with a range of fenestration products, profiles, materials and price points that guarantee good margins. This year will be a big year for Customade Group and its customers and you can expect to see more exciting new developments coming soon.”

To find out more about Customade Group and its range of products, call 01453 826884 or visit www.customade.co.uk.

People are surprised when I say I’m expecting the first ever colour-only fabricators to emerge this year.

But colour is growing fast. It’s already a large and profitable part of the market. Six of our top fabricators are over 50% colour and I’m getting calls all the time from forward looking fabricators who now want to talk about colour.

So what’s driving this change?  It’s coming from truly colour-focused installers, who are selling mostly colour. These installers are doing well and growing fast because they’re selling to the Haves – these being the over 55 homeowners with no or low mortgages, the people with money to spend who want to improve their homes. And the Haves are not interested in white PVC-U any more.

There is fast, profitable growth up for grabs here, but to take advantage, the whole supply chain needs to be colour enabled.

Any Systems Company can make colour to order. What I mean by “colour enabled” is having a wide range of colours in stock with matching ancillaries and trims. If you order it, it comes. No surprises. No bad news.

Deceuninck has 26 colourways and matched ancillaries and trims in stock. Our in-house foiling team is world class. We store our products in a 140,000 sq ft warehouse in Calne and, with Deceuninck Online, customers can see what’s there in real-time, put their name on the profiles they want, and have them on their next delivery. No ifs, no buts, Deceuninck is #BestInClass for colour. Deceuninck is #ColourEnabled.

So who’ll be the first colour-only fabricator?

Sincerely

Rob McGlennon

MD Deceuninck UK & Ireland

Simon Clarke has been confirmed as the new General Manager of Global Glass, overseeing daily operations at their four UK based sites.  Previously of Glass Systems Group, Simon joins the glass company owned by Synseal Group to replace Mark Cerrone, who has taken up a Director role at The Glass Machinery Company Ltd.  In Simon’s role as General Manager, he will oversee the company’s four glass production facilities in Nottinghamshire, Blackburn, Wigan and Essex, reporting to Glass Managing Director Derren Gittins, who joined Global Glass last April. Since then, glass orders have increased by 40%, filling the additional capacity gained in the purchase of Global Glass Essex in December 2016.

With more than 28 years’ experience in glass processing, Simon started his career as a plant engineer before spending two decades in domestic IGU manufacture as both an Operations Manager and General Manager at various businesses within Pilkington. He has subsequently spent the last two years in the role of UK General Manager at Glass Systems Group. Commenting on his appointment, Simon said: “I am delighted to be joining the Global Glass team at Synseal Group. This is an industry and customer base that I know very well and I’m looking forward to using the expertise gained from many years at Pilkington and Glass Systems Group to help improve Synseal Group’s already impressive glass business, with the aim of giving our customers the very best possible quality and service across the whole of the UK.”

Derren Gittins, Glass MD for Synseal Group, added: “Simon joins us at a very exciting time, following us winning Glass Company of the Year at the G17 Awards last year. He has a proven track record in the glass business of building and maintaining excellent operational standards and will help us in our campaign to become recognised as a world class manufacturer.”

The post New General Manager for Global Glass appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

Duggan Systems, one of Ireland’s leading aluminium fabricators, has been using BM Aluminium’s LogiKal software for more than 10 years – in fact, it bought the software when BM Aluminium was still a division of Business Micros and before it had been set up as an independent business.

At the time, LogiKal represented a major investment for the window and curtain walling specialist, but it has gone on to become an integral part of Duggan’s business, repaying that investment many times over.

Managing Director John Duggan says: “We’ve created our own bespoke version of LogiKal over the years which helps us manage every element of our process from quotation right through to production and labelling.

“We started on a fairly small scale in 2007, but by 2010/11 we were really starting to get the full benefit. LogiKal has certainly grown with us, and we’re constantly adding valuable new functionality every time new updates are released from the developers Orgadata.”

Duggan Systems fabricates in a mix of Reynaers, AMS and Schueco profiles along with many of its own systems, so it makes perfect sense for it to use a software package like LogiKal which is capable of switching seamlessly between all of them.

The company uses the standard data sets but adjusts them to suit the specific way that it uses the profile sections, and has also integrated its own in-house unitised curtain walling system. This, John Duggan adds, is relatively straightforward thanks to the intuitive way that LogiKal works.

Dean Hodges, Managing Director, BM Aluminium

BM Aluminium and Duggan Systems have remained close partners since the supply of the software, and the programming team at BM Aluminium’s Tewkesbury head office are in regular contact with the design and manufacturing departments in Co Limerick, advising on new aspects of the software.

Over the years, the BM Aluminium team have also helped to train Duggan Systems’ staff on the software and provide a service which John Duggan describes as ‘hugely helpful’.

One of the key areas where BM Aluminium continues to support is in the linking of Duggan’s machinery. Three CNC machining centres, including a recently added 12 axis Emmegi Quadra, and two CNC saws have all been linked to LogiKal, meaning that set ups and optimisation are all carried out automatically.

Duggan Systems believes that the fact that LogiKal has been able to keep pace so easily with its expansion over the past decade or so has been a critical element in its success. The Irish construction market has bounced back strongly from the 2009 collapse and Duggan Systems has been at the very forefront of that recovery, growing rapidly and expanding across the whole of Ireland and even into the US.

Further information is available at: www.bmaluminium.co.uk and www.duggansystems.ie