Window and Door's Fensterbau Showcase

Ambitious Isle of Wight fabricator GTI Glazing Systems has become the latest fabricator to switch to profiles and products from Eurocell – the UK’s manufacturer, distributor and recycler of window, door, conservatory and roofline products. Director Neil Johnson cites quality of service, competitive pricing and innovation as the three main reasons for changing suppliers. “Service is important and we felt we weren’t receiving the support and attention that we should have, and Eurocell delivers that as well as providing well-designed, well-engineered products at a good price”, he says. “We’re always keen to grow and we need a pipeline of new and exciting products to do that, so Eurocell fits the bill”.

Another plus for GTI is the comprehensive range of roofline products and conservatory roofs in particular. “Conservatories are an important element to the business so we’re very interested in products like the Equinox and the Skypod that make them warm and comfortable all year around,” Neil adds.

The process of switching from one type of profile to another was very simple, he reports, with a loss of just one day’s production. “The changeover was very smooth,” Neil says. “We changed from one profile to another in the course of just one week and took only a couple of days to adjust the machinery”.

Founded by Neil and his two partners, Michael Roberts and Patrick Brady, in 1992, GTI Glazing Systems has grown to become the Isle of Wight’s largest window and conservatory fabricator and installer. GTI has more than 50 employees and numerous installation teams specialising in all aspects of the glazing and building industry. Now fabricating up to 300 windows per week, GTI has 10 teams working exclusively on windows and conservatories, while other teams focus on commercial contracts and new build projects.

“This is a company that really knows its market. All the directors are local, their business covers everything that island will need and their attention to detail is exactly what we’re looking for in a Eurocell fabricator. Our reputation depends upon the skill, experience and quality of the fabricators and installers, so we’re very pleased to have GTI on board,” comments Jason Bird, National Business Development Manager.

Switching to Eurocell profiles is streamlined and simple because each new fabricator has its own technical support engineer who handles everything from initial set-up and advice on production efficiency through to trouble-shooting. The engineer is supported by a technical team ready to advise and a skilled team of designers and engineers that can write sample specifications for bespoke projects.

Eurocell technical support extends to BFRC accredited simulators that provide specifications and reports that prove to customers that the products meet the necessary BFRC performance standards. The company also offers product training, either on-site or at its purpose-built research and development centre in Alfreton, which has a dedicated facility for product simulation, prototyping and testing.

On the marketing side, Eurocell has its own in-house design studio and marketing team to promote the fabricator’s business with services such as the RightSite customer website build service, providing either an off-the-shelf website or create a bespoke design at subsidised rates, bespoke brochures and direct mail. These include effective mailers, sales letters and campaigns to increase leads and prospects.

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First Job: Waiter on the QE2 for 3 years, which meant I could travel the world in a more luxurious environment than backpacking! It seems a distant memory now…

When did you join current company: I joined Rocal Group in 2003, as sales manager, just over 14 years ago when the panelled door market was in full swing.

Most useful/favourite gadget: iPhone, though any device for effective business communications is a must.

Favourite/most useful website: BBC News – it’s an information-rich portal for general and business news, along with sport, culture and just about anything that impacts on your life.

Business person you admire: John Caudwell, a tenacious self-starter.

Recommended hotel for business: Premier Inn. They are consistently good, clean and cost effective.

Favourite UK restaurant: Winteringham Fields, near Scunthorpe. The food is sublime as is the location, with a working farm.

Best business decision: Rebranding the Endurance® Doors composite door range early in 2014 and subsequently investing heavily in its further development.

Other interests: Fitness classes, while my three dogs and five children keep me fully busy at all other times.

Working Day: My working day typically starts around 7:45am, unless I’m on the road any earlier and I’m always eager to get in and make a daily plan. As we’re a group of companies my remit goes beyond our hugely successful Endurance® Doors brand into foil lamination, extrusion and other manufacturing processes, including door panels. It’s important for me to touch base with our new team of senior management early in the day and inevitably there are meetings and important customer visits to attend. At the end of the day I’m a person who adopts a clean desk policy and so it’s important for me to catch up on all phone messages and e-mails before leaving around 6:30pm, though we operate a 24-hour operation.

Working Location: I now live just 3 miles from the office; however, for the first 10 years I had a 150-mile round trip. A short journey home after a long day is a pre-requisite for spending family time and recharging the battery for the following day. I firmly believe that effective management requires rest, focus and commitment. My physical office is close to the action in customer service and sales, which is a great barometer of how we are operating as a business. It also means that I can address any customer needs quickly and effectively and also through our senior management team. On the days that I’m out on the road, technology also allows me to interface with the main office.

Few people know that we were one of the founders of the solid core composite door sector back in 2002, when we traded under the Rocal brand. At that stage in the composite door life cycle, GRP doors dominated, yet we dared to be different. For the first ten years, we built a strong business and spent considerable time fine-tuning our product offering, particularly with the core of our door. We wanted a solid timber core that didn’t warp, twist or delaminate and furthermore offered additional performance enhancements to eliminate the risk of water ingress. Today, the Endurance® Doors specification includes the taping of all apertures and also the integration of our unique Moisture Barrier System to the foot of each door, in the form of a cellular foamed extrusion, manufactured within the group. For over 4 years we have also been working with 3D Laminates with their unique CoolSkin product, which offers a life expectancy in excess of 25 years and comes with a comprehensive 12-year warranty. This door skin provides a unique finish to our doors that is a perfect match for the foils used on our Rehau door frames, unlike GRP which must be painted, stained or embossed.

As an industry, we need to be mindful of the fact that an entrance door is subject to far more wear and tear than a typical replacement PVC-U window and consumers will expect effortless long-term performance and striking good looks, something that’s part of our product mantra at Endurance® Doors. Our customers wholeheartedly buy into this philosophy, as our impressive financial performance shows. In 2016, we proved to be one of the fastest growing brands in the composite door sector, with sales up over 40% on the previous year and November 2016 we were up an incredible 63% on the previous year. Growth has in fact increased in 2017 with audited figures just short of 45% for the first six months with the trend continuing into July and August.

The composite door market is growing, there is no doubt about that, yet our statistics are clearly highlighting the fact that we’re taking market share. The market has clearly polarised between the cost-effective GRP doors and the solid-core composite doors, with the latter segment outgrowing the other. Consumers are inspired by the designs and colour options inside and out from solid-core composite doors and we’re now able to offer 17 different door slab finishes and similarly 14 different door frame options. We don’t rely on door blanks, rather we are a manufacturer of bespoke entrance doors and there’s a clear and fundamental distinction here, which is also reflected on our Door Designer. This online Door Designer is receiving heavy usage from both installation partners and consumers looking to create their ideal door. It’s a relatively simplistic process that doesn’t require an App, but does allow for an accurate design to be created, saved, shared or even placed on top of an existing image of the homeowner’s property.

We’ve also created a Preferred Installer network who enjoy pre-qualified sales leads and our latest statistics from Google show that web traffic is up over 300% on the previous year, whilst we rank very highly across the board of search terms. Our marketing function has already grown, with two full-time members of staff managing our activities, along with key external partners. While digital marketing technologies and techniques have helped generate direct enquiries, more traditional means of support are all part of the marketing mix. Our 92-page brochure is a comprehensive resource for anyone in the industry and has been recently supported by The Finishing Touches publication, designed to communicate glass and hardware options, helping to create the most individual of designs for an Endurance® Door.

Market research remains a little-used tool within the industry, but now we’re harnessing the Survey Monkey platform to generate further customer feedback, on what we do and how we can respond to the needs of our customers. The result of this is the #youaskedendurancelistended initiative, which has been a huge success with new point-of-sale materials coming on the back of it. It’s also been a useful process to assess what colours and finishes our customers would like to see next. We’ve just launched duck egg blue on the back of this important feedback, with a unique and dedicated CoolSkin foil from 3D Laminates, which are now specified on 95% of our doors and for good reason; they perform far better than other foiled sheets and certainly ABS sheets. During the course of 2017 we have also added new hardware options including an impressive bull ring knocker and new heritage and architectural hardware ranges, as our thirst for product innovation continues. These new suited hardware ranges have again come from our close business partnerships, this time with ERA and will facilitate the design of period-inspired doors and the more contemporary options, which are becoming increasingly popular. Our sales analysis now shows that our Mayon door from our Urban Collection is our most popular design, with anthracite grey and schwarzbraun accounting for nearly 40% of sales.

The demand for greys is industry wide across the home improvement sector in both PVC-U and aluminium, but in the composite door market we are yet to see the real adoption in flat colours. We’re on the cusp of the adoption curve for such finishes, which will also be supported by the introduction of metallic finishes, which look as close to aluminium as you’ll ever get. 2018 in my view, will be a game changer for the composite door sector as it seeks to compete head on with aluminium in the entrance door market. But what of our direct challenges as a business? We are owner managed, which means we can adapt to the needs of the marketplace quickly with a short product development cycle. We can also harness group resources in terms of extrusion, foil lamination and finance to support our sustained growth, but staff development and customer care will remain core to our values. Collectively, this will fuel the continued growth of Endurance® Doors today and long into the future.

The post Stephen Nadin, Managing Director of the Rocal Group appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

Leading specialist fabricator Mercury Glazing Supplies Ltd has just invested a six figure sum in new machinery to help it achieve ambitious growth plans over the next three years. Chris Reeks, Mercury’s Sales and Marketing Director, commented: “This investment will help us continue to deliver exceptional quality and exceptional lead times as our order volumes increase.”

Mercury has invested in two machines from leading supplier Haffner Murat: a new FA526 Automatic 2 Head End Milling Machine and a new SC220/VS Machining Centre.

Mercury is one of the UK’s largest manufacturers of the market-leading Spectus Vertical Slider and it recently cemented its status as the go-to supplier by becoming the first fabricator to start manufacturing the new Spectus mechanically jointed Vertical Slider, which opened up a new level of opportunities for its customers. The new machines will support Mercury’s fabrication of the new Spectus mechanically jointed vertical slider as well as general window production.

An established manufacturer, Mercury has a reputation for leading the way in fabricating the specialist products the market demands. Alongside the addition of the mechanically jointed Vertical Slider to its range, the company has also added the Designer Door range from Smarts Aluminium and the TD68 commercial door from Jack Aluminium.

Chris commented: “Our success has been built on delivering high quality specialist products backed up with proactive, customer-focused service. Our intention is to build on this success and grow our business by 35% in the next three years. We have been working hard to put the foundations in place without compromising any of the quality for which we are known. We are expanding our product range, offering new products, installing new systems and investing in new machinery from Haffner Murat.”

Mercury Glazing has an exceptional reputation in the industry and – as its expansion plans demonstrate – is set to bring its high quality offering to an even greater numbers of customers.

www.mercuryglazing.co.uk

The Residence Collection are experiencing an increase in trade enquiries, thanks in no small part to the integrated nature of the profiles and glazing beads, along with product availability in single lengths. It’s also a system that’s supported by one of the strongest marketing programmes in the sector.

With 15 different bead and system combinations, customers are able to make each job bespoke to the needs of their discerning homeowners, whilst minimising their respective stockholding. The single length ordering for main profiles across R², R7 and R9 is supported by a 4 length per pack quantity of glazing bead in the form of 28mm square, decorative and a unique heritage staff bead, along with the triple glazing variants of 44mm square and decorative.

With relatively low start-up costs along with the clever profile and glazing bead integration, it’s proving to be the perfect supplementary system for fabricators looking to make a higher margin. Customers such as Window Tech Trade have not only begun on their Residence journey, but have actively changed their business model to solely focus on The Residence Collection.

Sarah Hitchings, sales and marketing director of The Residence Collection commented: ‘With shared profiles, glazing beads and single length ordering for main profiles, customers don’t have the worry of tying up cash on their racks and furthermore they are able to harness a business model that can generate strong double-digit margins. With an unrivalled marketing support programme, we’re also actively supporting our manufacturing partners and installers with the tools to sell, so there’s never been a better time to become one of our partners.’

For further information for both retail and trade partner enquiries please visit www.residencecollection.co.uk, e-mail journey@residencecollection.co.uk or call 01452 348650. You can also add to the considerable following on Twitter @residence9 and engage with them on other social media platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and Houzz.

An innovative tool called Sashmate – developed by safety solutions specialist Glazesafe and available to buy at Window Ware – is helping locksmiths, double glaziers and window repair specialists across the country to work smarter, not harder, as well as win more jobs with cheaper scaffold-free quotes and a novel approach that solves all kinds of access issues.  So even awkward repair jobs on windows above conservatory roofs, over kitchen worktops or baths, and up high-rise buildings are brought within easy reach from the safety of inside the property.

It takes one-person mere seconds to set the system up to hold the sash firmly in place leaving both hands free to remove stubborn fixings, fetch tools and carry out repair work – hassle-free! And because you don’t need a second worker, ladders or scaffolding, you keep your costs down, your prices competitive and you can tackle jobs where external access is simply unworkable. Even if you always send out two people to a repair job as standard, Sashmate frees up the second person to carry out a health check on the other windows, helping to create a value-added service for clients and generate new business for you. Then when the job is done, Sashmate packs down quickly into a compact carry bag, which can be stored in your van, ready for action. According to A&C Contracts, Sashmate “saved the client over £3k on hydraulic access equipment”.

Though the Sashmate system has been on sale at Window Ware for several years, it’s enjoyed a surge of interest since its recent appearance on prime-time TV when it won the backing of not one, but two millionaire entrepreneurs! It wasn’t just Sashmate which caught the investors’ eyes, Glazesafe’s Stronghold mobile anchor and barrier system also garnered support. It ensures two workers can operate safely and securely on harnesses around window openings, lift shafts and many other kinds of apertures – from inside the building at any height. At the same time, Stronghold creates a visible barrier to cordon off the work area and keep other contractors and the public out of harm’s way.

Stronghold is portable (weighing just over 30kg), fast-erecting (set up in under 5 minutes) and free-standing to minimise damage to internal walls or floors. But when it comes to load bearing, it’s no lightweight; Stronghold is capable of supporting 1.9 tonnes. This mighty, yet mobile muscle means it meets the requirements of the British Standard BS EN 795 B:2012 and TS 16415:2013.

Both the Sashmate and Stronghold systems are available from Window Ware now – call sales on 01234 242724 or visit www.windowware.co.uk/brands/glazesafe to find out more and buy online.

With the news that the WarmCore Inline Patio Door has passed PAS 24:2016 security testing, Head of Research & Development Phil Parry talks about the importance of these stringent standards

PAS 24 is the UK benchmark for security testing and is one of the first things specifiers, fabricators and installers look for when choosing their product ranges. As homeowners become more aware of Secured by Design as a security scheme, it’s becoming more important than ever for suppliers to design products which will meet the latest PAS 24:2016 requirements. At the end of 2017, our new WarmCore Inline Patio Door was successfully tested to meet PAS 24:2016 requirements, meaning we now offer a complete suite of secure aluminium products including bi-folds and a full range of windows. When we set out to design WarmCore, security was one of our top priorities – alongside thermal performance and ease of fabrication. We consider these to be the three core criteria our customers are looking for in an aluminium product, particularly when choosing to specify aluminium instead of PVC-U.

Secure as standard – Of course there are a range of PAS 24 compliant patio doors available on the market, but from the outset we wanted to ensure that the WarmCore Inline Patio Door met PAS 24 requirements as standard. This may be a novel idea to many fabricators and installers, who have grown accustomed to paying more for additional hardware or plunge bolts in order for the product to be PAS 24 compliant. With WarmCore, however, there’s no need for any alterations. The standard specification includes a bespoke bi-directional lock developed with ILH which is secure to PAS 24 standards when locked not only internally, but externally too. This is an important specification consideration often overlooked, which is crucial when considering a patio door slider for annex buildings and garden rooms which are often only locked externally. This opens up new opportunities for installers as more homeowners look to extend their properties to add value.

We believe we have the only patio door on the market which meets this criterion – giving our customers a unique selling point against their competitors in the marketplace. For savvy homeowners who understand the importance of Secured by Design, this added benefit will certainly catch their attention. Attempted break in – At the end of last year, we heard from a WarmCore customer, SBS (Cumbria), that one of their homeowners has had an attempted break in. The burglar tried to access the property through the WarmCore windows and doors and simply couldn’t get in – which is a great example to support the standards set by PAS 24, but also a great anecdote for our fabricator and installer customers to add substance to the claims they make about the security of our products. Sometimes it takes a real life experience to really appreciate the value of SBD-approved products, and the homeowners in this circumstance will certainly appreciate the precision engineering behind WarmCore which makes it such a security-focused product – and be glad they chose the recommended glass specification.

Number one priority – From the work we do with housebuilders, we are fully aware that the first question they ask about a new products is, “Does it come with Secured by Design approval?” Homeowner preferences are dictating the marketplace, and they are looking out for these seals of approval not only for retrofit applications but when purchasing for the first time too. As security becomes a pressing concern for homeowners, this knock-on effect is going to make it the number one priority further up the supply chain, so we will continue to ensure our products are designed and produced with the highest standards in mind to meet this demand.

The post Surpassing stringent security standards appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

Working alongside John Sisk & Son and specialist contractor Elite Aluminium Systems, Senior Architectural Systems has delivered its largest order to date for its thermally-efficient PURe® aluminium windows at Manchester Life’s new Cotton Field Wharf residential development.

Cotton Field Wharf is the first scheme to be completed as part Manchester Life’s plans to create over 1000 new private rental homes across the Ancoats area of Manchester.

The 302 new apartments at Cotton Field Wharf benefit from the use of Senior’s patented PURe® aluminium casement windows, which offer some of the lowest U-values available on the UK market. Senior’s PURe® FOLD aluminium doors open up to private terraces, many of which enjoy picturesque waterside views thanks to the scheme’s location overlooking the New Islington Marina. On the lower levels, Senior’s slim profile aluminium curtain walling system has been used to frame the communal areas, which include a gym and club room, and maximise the sense of light and space.  Senior’s robust and secure SPW501 commercial aluminium doors complete the development’s attractive glazing package.

Through early engagement with Elite Aluminium Systems, the team were able review the initial specification for the project and pioneer the use of Senior’s PURe® system. Elite successfully demonstrated that unlike alternative products, the PURe® aluminium windows and doors could provide exceptionally low U-values at a competitive cost.  Quality and reliability could also be assured through the use of Senior’s advanced in-house powder coating facility and standard 25 year warranty on all coatings.

Commenting, Mark Longmore, general manager at Elite Aluminium Systems Ltd said: “We have worked with Senior Architectural Systems for over twenty years now and so it was an obvious choice for us to look to their extensive product range for a cost-effective solution for the Cotton Field Wharf contract. Senior’s PURe® system fitted the bill perfectly by offering a range of benefits to the client whilst also being a pleasure to install.  We are really proud of the results and to have secured additional contracts with Manchester Life as part of the ongoing regeneration of what was once the centre of Manchester’s industrial revolution.”

Simon Scholefield, Senior Architectural System’s architectural advisor for the North West region added: “Product innovation and supply chain collaboration have played a key role in the delivery of Cotton Field Wharf and we are extremely proud to have been involved. We are also delighted to be continuing our relationship with Elite, John Sisk and Manchester Life following our appointment to supply to the fenestration package for the new Smith’s Yard scheme that forms part of the same development.”

Senior’s patented PURe® aluminium window system is the first on the UK market to benefit from an enhanced thermal barrier manufactured from expanded polyurethane foam (PUR). Traditionally used in cladding and insulation products, the innovative use of PUR as a thermal barrier in windows and doors gives the PURe ® range the potential to achieve U-values as low as 0.71W/m² K when calculated as a commercial CEN standard window and 0.93W/m² K when calculated as a CEN standard door.

www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk 

Central London’s newest luxury boutique hotel is said to offer guests a sleek, contemporary interior enhanced by the installation of Crittall Windows’ screens and doors.

The Radisson Blu Edwardian Hampshire Hotel features bespoke Crittall steel products, designed and supplied by Lightfoot Windows (Kent), to delineate the various public areas within the ground floor.

The screens and doors are constructed from W20 double-glazed, polyester powder coated components. The inherent strength of the steel makes possible the slimmest of frames and glazing beads to ensure the maximum amount of light enters the interior spaces.

The installation also includes a cold form door from the Jansen ECO 50 range supplied by Crittall Fabrications. In addition to the lobby and ground floor interior Lightfoot has also installed screens and doors in the hotel’s exclusive penthouse suites.

The post Crittall enhances West End hotel luxury appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).