Construction Industry Needs To Join The Upward Trend In Productivity

Image Above: Philip Collard, CEO,  myConsole

The latest ONS statistics on UK productivity show construction is yet to turn around productivity levels in line with other sectors.

Last week, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) released the latest statistics on productivity. Across the economy as a whole output per hour increased by 0.8%, however the construction industry is yet to take advantage of improving technology and techniques to increase productivity alongside the rest of the economy. (See below Figure 2).

“There are many simple ways for construction to catch up with the other sectors, and the sooner the industry acts, the better. New technology offers a proven, cost effective way to create efficiencies. myConsole is specifically designed to improve productivity in work winning – creating both time and cost savings across the entire process,” says Phillip Collard, CEO myConsole.

Pressure has been mounting on the sector over the last few years to increase productivity. Analysis and reports, including the Farmer’s Review (October 2016), have led the government, through the Construction Leadership Council, to recently announce a deal in November aimed at transforming productivity.

“Time is running out, construction and pre-construction businesses need to step up and innovate. We estimate myConsole will increase efficiency and reduce workloads by 20%.

Early feedback from our clients confirms that using myConsole will save them a day a week per person in the work winning process compared to their old methods.” Says Philip Collard, CEO myConsole.

Contact myConsole to find out how to use the power of digital to streamline the procurement process and win more bids.

Sales figures are a vital way to understand how consumer trends are changing and PatioMaster South East has just released sales figures that show how trends are changing in the patio door market.

One particular area of interest is in the growth in colour – for example, the company has seen a 20% growth in grey patio doors.

Co-owner Simon Spiers explains the reasons behind the growth: “Colour is an increasingly important theme for consumers and grey is a particular favourite when it comes to patio doors. Our grey patio doors are available from stock, which means they’re available on a rapid lead time. It removes one of the biggest barriers to purchase and sales have risen as a result.”

Another notable sales trend is in four pane door designs – the company has seen a 15% growth in this configuration. Simon comments: “The trend is to have bigger glazed areas and more and more consumers are choosing wider patio doors as a result.”

PatioMaster South East is a family-owned company run by Simon and Suzanne Spiers and it’s been an approved PatioMaster dealer since 2002.

Simon says his customers appreciate the quality and ease of fit of the PatioMaster product. He also knows they appreciate the level of service. “We work very closely with our customers, so we understand how the market is changing and what they need from us to capitalise on trends.”

The PatioMaster South East story is the perfect demonstration of the PatioMaster network approach. It’s a national company that supplies market leading inline sliding patio doors that offer the highest construction and security specifications yet are still simple to install. At the same time, thanks to the network of highly experienced local dealers such as PatioMaster South East, installers and consumers can support a high quality local company.

www.patiomaster.co.uk

Prefix Systems has announced a ‘significant’ investment in a new state of the art colouring facility, which includes a mix on demand paint system, at its head office in Blackburn.

Prefix says it is responding to increased demand for colour, with a facility to manufacture conservatory and lantern roofs, along with Verandah glazing bars and end caps in ‘literally hundreds’ of different RAL colours. Heritage colours, urban influences and even one-off projects can now be offered by the company, with stocks of black and anthracite grey being held across several product ranges.

For conservatories and glazed extensions, Prefix says it can colour any extrusion, injection moulding, or vac formed product. It adds that greater quality control, consistency of supply and new sales opportunities have been the rationale for the investment.

Prefix co-director, Chris Cooke, said: “Colour is one of the biggest talking points in the glazing and fenestration sectors. The days of just a few woodgrains and colours are now long gone and we are now able to produce fully manufactured products in a vast array of colours and with a 10-year finish guarantee.

“Our new colouring facility will provide customers with consistent supply, quality finish and with a quick turnaround from all four branches. We have a reputation for customer excellence and so this latest investment will again be testament to our commitment to service.”

The post Colourful start to 2018 appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Tradelink Window Solutions has opened a new manufacturing facility and Windowcenter in Stoke-on-Trent. The Stoke site is Tradelink’s fourth Windowcenter in the UK.

The Windowcenter at Stoke-on-Trent is said to give installers in the Midlands ‘easy access’ to Tradelink’s range of aluminium and PVC-U windows and doors, conservatories and sealed units.

Jim Moody, managing director at Tradelink, said: “This fourth Windowcenter has been opened so that Midlands-based installers can take advantage of Tradelink’s product range and our top service.

“We have invested £450,000 in machinery for the new manufacturing facility in Stoke. The new premises brings our total to six sites across the UK. We produce a full range of windows and doors, including our own Regiment composite door range and the impressive Residence 7S window system.”

At a three day opening event in December, the Stoke Windowcenter ran a series of giveaways and competitions for customers including the Tradelink Wheel of Fortune game with free spins on every quote and order. Winners received a range of great prizes including windows and doors, tool boxes and a Dewalt radio.

The new Windowcenter is in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent and features a showroom with working examples of its range of products.

The post New Tradelink Windowcenter opens appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Image Above: Tony Craggs, Managing Director, Virtuoso Doors,

Crafted precision is set to be the buzz word for 2018 as Virtuoso Doors – previously known as WB Group – makes its rise to fame.

Virtuoso Doors has kicked-off the New Year with a major re-launch to strengthen its position as a leading manufacturer of high end composite doors and PVCu door panels. Under the launch, the company has unveiled a bold new identity to capture the unique craftsmanship and precision engineering that goes into making every single Virtuoso door.

The move heralds the next exciting phase of rapid growth for Virtuoso Doors, which is part of the new Customade Group.

Tony Craggs, managing director of Virtuoso Doors, explains: “Virtuoso Doors will be the name on everyone’s lips in 2018. We have a new name and we have a new look, but what we stand for remains the same. We create doors with ‘crafted precision’ and our team of experienced craftsmen and craftswomen use cutting edge machinery to make the best quality doors with an attention to detail that only a human eye can give.

“Virtuoso Doors isn’t like any other door manufacturer. With a reputation for manufacturing superior quality doors and providing unrivalled personal service, we have a genuine passion for perfection in everything we do. Making doors is a real labour of love for us.

“It’s been a phenomenal year for Virtuoso since we joined Customade Group. We’ve already launched Virtu-AL – our ground-breaking aluminium effect composite door – and there are more exciting innovations to come in 2018. We’ll be taking Virtuoso, and the industry, to the next level – watch this space!”

Based at an 80,000-square foot site in Birtley, County Durham, Virtuoso Doors recently invested £750,000 in new specialist machinery and IT systems. The move has boosted Virtuoso Doors’ capabilities and created additional capacity for future growth and development. Now, with nationwide distribution and a sales team serving the whole of the UK, Virtuoso Doors is set to extend its reach and significantly increase market share.

To find out more about Virtuoso Doors call 0191 410 9333, visit www.virtuoso-doors.co.uk or follow @virtuosodoors on Twitter.

Yale has announced the introduction of Rapide into its window hardware portfolio. Formally known as Blade, Yale says the redeveloped window locking system offers the highest standard of strength and security for fabricators, installers and consumers.

According to Yale, the new Rapide has ‘fast to fit’ features, requires as little as six screws, and due to the long curvature of the lock, removes the need to line up the keeps as you would with a standard espagnolette lock.

Grant Stratford, technical director for Window Hardware, commented: “We have worked closely alongside our fabricator partners to produce a window lock that improves the fabrication and installation process, while maintaining the high standard of security Yale is known for. Following feedback, we redeveloped the keeps on Rapide to improve aesthetics and offer compression adjustment.”

The Rapide lock is said require fewer fixings than most industry standard window locks and offers greater engagement for additional security as it connects along the full length of the keep.

Grant continued: “Whilst developing this lock we carried out comprehensive time and motion studies, enabling our fabricator customers to clearly assess how much money they would be saving in the manufacturing process when using Yale Rapide. The reaction to the product has been extremely positive and we’re excited to showcase the new design to our customers.”

Made from aluminium, Yale claims that the Rapide has three times the locking surface area of a standard, multi-point or shoot-bolt window lock. The lock can reportedly withhold ‘huge weight’ and has been mechanically tested to withstand 4,500 newtons of force. In addition, Yale says it has been tested for corrosion resistance for 480 hours and exceeds 30,000 cycles.

Yale Rapide features a unique fully retractable lock, allowing it to sit flush within the Eurogroove. This is said to create a ‘modern, sleek and discreet’ aesthetic that has proved to be popular amongst homeowners in consumer research and in actual sales.

Designed, developed and manufactured in the UK, Yale Rapide has also been independently tested to far exceed British security standard PAS24:2016 and is Secured by Design

www.yale.co.uk

The post A Rapide solution appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Warwickshire based, MWBC, have been building bespoke homes since 1989. MWBC pride themselves on offering a one-stop solution. Design and concepts begin with their architectural team and are consolidated by a range of talented in-house teams, from building, plastering, joinery, plumbing, electrical plus all the other services required to bring each project to a successful completion. Managing Director, Mark Webster commented, “We offer a total building solution – each element of the build is completed by one of our in-house teams, and that process gives us total control over our resources and project timelines”.

MWBC have heavily re-invested profits back into the business continually over the years. They have recruited a strong workforce enabling them to build a solid reputation for excellence in their bespoke building projects.

Mark added, “Stratford-Upon-Avon is an affluent area and my aim for MWBC is to become the ‘go to’ company within a 10mile radius for people that want to build a bespoke home. We also buy land/developments locally to build beautiful high-end homes to sell on – nearly all of our referrals coming through or from our existing large customer base. April 2018 will also see us open our own shop attached to the new architectural office where customers will be able to come and discuss their requirements/choose their products for all aspects of the proposed project”.

All MWBC properties have a requirement for bespoke joinery work. This is completed in their joinery workshop. Quest supplies all consumables to the workshop, with a sales rep visiting regularly to discuss any upcoming requirements. Mark commented, “Our joinery team find Quest very helpful and friendly, we have built up a great relationship since trading with them. Consumable orders are topped up by contacting our Quest representative and all orders are sent from stock on a next day delivery, delivered by a Quest driver”.

Daniel Wells, director at Quest commented, “As the business grows and develops, we adapt our offering to suit their needs for consumables, hardware, power tools and other solutions, making sure we always keep up to date with MWBC’s requirements”.

MWBC have continuous plans to expand their joinery workshop to cater for their increasing requirements for kitchens, furniture, staircases, windows and doors. Mark added, “It’s not only important to have satisfied customers, it’s also really important to take your employees and suppliers with you as you grow. I am passionate about my employee’s and their individual success. Whether it be a supplier, a staff member or associate in general I want all individuals to be successful by association with myself and MWBC. We invest in people, and work closely with our suppliers, which helps us make sure we have everything we need to continue to achieve consistent and rapid growth year on year – a full team effort with staff and managers empowered to make their own decisions”.

During 2017 MWBC have also successfully started their own inhouse spray/paint shop. This is an exciting addition and compliments the joinery shop so all aspects of furniture can truly be finished by MWBC before going to site. Another example of Mark Webster’s drive to become a ‘one stop shop’.

www.questhardware.co.uk