Building the Skills of the Lancashire Trade Frames Team

Picture above: Dave Broxton

Bohle has continued its investment programme with the acquisition of high-profile US shower and bath accessories manufacturer, Portals Hardware.

Set up in 2001 and operating from Kansas City, Missouri, the acquisition of Portals Hardware, significantly extends Bohle’s reach in the United States.

Arne Klöfkorn, CEO at Bohle AG said the cultural fit between the two businesses was strong, with a common focus on customer service and product quality.

“Bohle and Portals Hardware are two leading and steadily growing companies in the American market and joining forces allows each to offer their customers an even better service”, he said.

With a state-of-the-art distribution centre just outside Manchester, Bohle supplies an extensive rage of consumables, tools and machinery for the processing and handling of glass.

Dave Broxton, Managing Director of the company’s UK operation, Bohle Ltd said that the deal demonstrated Bohle’s continuing willingness to invest in its overseas markets.

He said: “We have a very strong presence here in the UK but Bohle remains a global business. That’s a key benefit to our customers here at home because it means that we have the resource to invest in growth as well as a continuous programme of product development.

“This puts us but most importantly our customers, at the forefront of innovation in glass processing technologies.”

For more about Bohle’s product and service offer visit website www.bohle-group.com/en-gb email info@bohle.ltd.uk or call the customer services team free on 0800 616151 for more information.

Wakefield-based fabricator Conservatory Outlet has marked its ‘best year ever’ with an award ceremony at its 2017 Employee Christmas party to recognise the dedication and hard work of its team.

In the last 12-month period, the company has joined forces with retailers Clearview Home Improvements and Pennine Home Improvements to form the Conservatory Outlet Group.

The team at Conservatory Outlet has also launched two new products to add to the company’s portfolio; the Extreme 3 Security Locking System and the Envisage Flush Casement Window, both of which have said to have contributed significantly to sales during 2017.

Michael Giscombe, managing director of Conservatory Outlet said: “2017 has been a fantastic year for us at Conservatory Outlet and it’s extremely important to us that we recognise our employees and thank them for their dedication in helping us to achieve everything we have this year, I couldn’t be prouder of the way in which we’ve really pulled together.

“2018 will be crucial for our company as we take our current projects to the next phase. It’s down to the energy, passion and integrity of our fantastic team that this is made possible.”

www.conservatoryoutlet.co.uk

The post Celebrating a strong year appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

With the myriad of glass types available now, it is often confusing what to choose in terms of safety, thermal and solar performance and balancing cost with the benefits on offer. Richard Burgess, Managing Director of patent glazing and roof light manufacturer Lonsdale Metal Company Ltd shares his experience of thirty years in the industry.

SAFETY

Above all, safety is the critical factor in overhead glazing and the table below summarises what type of glass complies with current Building Regulations at time of writing:

From time to time, it is desirable to use Wired Glass in double glazed combinations. However, there is a high risk of breakage due to thermal stress and advice should be sort from the sealed unit manufacturer.

It is not recommended to use toughened glass in single glazing or to the inner pane of double glazed units over swimming pools, food & beverage preparation units or any areas where the small broken pieces characteristic to this glass type, could cause subsequent injury due to contamination. In these situations laminated glass or polycarbonate would be the best choices.

DOUBLE GLAZING

More or less without exception, the outer pane of a double glazed unit should be toughened glass. The inner pane may be toughened or laminated depending upon location and height above ground. Generally two sheets of toughened glass provide the most economical solution for domestic projects where the roof light is no more than 5m above floor level. If the height exceeds this, then laminated glass should be used for the inner pane.

When it comes to performance, the following are features to consider:

Low-e coating – offers improved thermal efficiency retaining more heat within the building.
There are to type available standard ‘hard’ coat finish or the more popular ‘soft’ coat which offers a typical centre pane uvalue of 1.2W/m2 when combined with an argon filled cavity.

Tinted anti-sun glass – body tinted toughened glass can be used as the outer pane combined with a laminated low-e softcoat glass to give the added benefit of reducing solar heat gain in the summer months at reasonable cost. This is most commonly used in blue, but green, grey and bronze colours are also available. Typically this provides a 50% reduction in solar transfer and 50% light transmission.

Neutral solar control glass – has a special coating that provided improved solar control and appear more neutral in colour albeit with a slight grey/green tint. This is often described as 70/30 meaning it offers a 70% light transmission, but only 30% of the sun’s heat enters the building.

TRIPLE GLAZING

All of the above glass type can be combined in a triple glazed units achieving both improved sound insulation and U-values as low as 0.60W/m2.K Consideration however, must be given to the additional weight and handling during installation.

LARGE PANE ROOFLIGHTS

The most economic glass tends to be 4-6mm thick which rarely can be installed wider than 1000mm, hence most domestic roof lantern and conservatory installation featuring glazing bars every 600 to 900mm. However, with the current trend for flat rooflights, single pane rooflights can be installed up to 3m x 6m in one pane of glass. This calls for specialist manufacturing and installation by experienced companies with the necessary handling equipment and expertise. Much thicker toughened & laminated glass is required so as not to deflect and care must be taken to ensure compliance with building regulations and local, design wind & snow loads.
For readers wanting to learn more about Lonsdale’s products and services, a wealth of information is available at www.lonsdalemetal.co.uk

The Glazerite UK Group and their installer partner Thistle Windows and Conservatories has installed a Solidor composite door after being contacted by a customer who suffers from a very rare neuromuscular condition.

Having recently purchased their own bungalow, Shanice and her partner contacted Thistle about help with adapting the property to suit her needs, which included updating the bathroom and installing ramps to help Shanice access and live in the property with ease.

Jason Thompson, director of the Glazerite UK Group said: “When Thistle found out about Shanice’s circumstances they promised to do everything they could to support her with the very necessary changes to her property. After talking with Andy Cadman, Thistle’s trade sales director, together we identified that a Solidor composite door would be perfect for Shanice’s requirements, due to its auto-locking and high-spec features. Solidor kindly provided the slab and Thistle, with the support of Independent Network (VEKA), were able to install the door. Working together, we were able to provide this installation for Shanice free of charge.”

www.glazeritewindows.co.uk

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Research conducted by Swish Window and Door Systems has shown that the internet has revolutionised the customer journey when it comes to purchasing doors and windows.

Gerald Allen, marketing manager for Epwin Window Systems, highlights the impact this has on fabricators and installers: “Whereas before homeowners would contact their local installer when they were researching windows and doors, these days, people overwhelmingly turn to the internet and social media first. The next most popular option is friends and family. Going straight to an installer is the third most popular option. It shows that people want to arm themselves with the facts and get validation from their peers before they go any further. It’s a shift fabricators and installers need to recognise if they want to avoid getting left behind.”

Gerald highlights two ways fabricators and installers can reflect the change in the customer journey.

“Reputation matters more than ever now because social media is super-sized word-of-mouth. Make sure your website and any social media presence you have is up to scratch. Business initiatives such as our new membership programme Excellence as Standard help you drive the quality you’re looking for as well as boost your internet presence and give you the tools to make the most of your testimonials online.” By doing this, says Gerald, you will be top-of-mind when the homeowner is ready to move to the next stage and contact installers.

“Homeowners want to know they are choosing a reputable supplier and a quality product,” Gerald says. “It means when it comes to your choice of product, it pays to choose wisely. Our research showed that Swish is the most recognised brand after the big national names. A known name gives homeowners the necessary level of trust and reassurance. Of course, it helps that Swish also delivers all the aesthetics, security and thermal efficiency homeowners are looking for too.”

If you’re hungry to achieve, you need to stay ahead of changes in consumer trends and deliver the experience homeowners are looking for. Swish has been around for over 40 years because it’s been able to help its fabricators and installers do exactly that.

www.swishwindows.co.uk

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Ambitious Isle of Wight fabricator GTI Glazing Systems has become the latest fabricator to switch to profiles and products from Eurocell –  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”.

“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.

www.eurocell.co.uk

The Glazerite UK Group is said to have become one of very few fabricators to offer a choice of three flush sash systems, with the addition of the Residence 7 system from the Residence Collection alongside its existing Residence 9 and Halo flush sash choices.

The R7 is more than just a price-competitive companion to the original and well-established R9 – its slimmer 75mm front-to-back profile means it is quicker and easier to install in most retrofit settings without having to cut back the plaster.

The slimmed-down size doesn’t mean compromising on thermal, acoustic and security spec however, with its seven-chamber construction more than matching rival systems and achieving WER up to A+ and a Passivhaus-standard U-Value of 0.8 W/m²K.

“Reaction to our R9 and Halo flush sashes has been phenomenal,” said group director Jason Thompson, “Demand from homeowners, commercial and new-build customers has continued to grow with two of the best products to respond to that demand.

“Now, with the addition of Residence 7, we can offer three specific price points in this vibrant and still-growing sector so that our installers have a flush sash solution, whatever the job and budget.”

www.glazeritewindows.co.uk

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