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Mark Warren.

Mark Warren, managing director of Lister Trade Frames, has decided to step away from his role and hand over the reins to his two fellow directors, Darren Pusey and Phil Warren with immediate effect.

This follows what is described as a ‘stellar career’ at the helm of Listers for nigh on 30 years, as well as taking on the roles of president of the GGF and chairman of Fensa.

Under Mark’s stewardship, Lister’s became a ‘dominant force’ in the industry scooping Fabricator the Year at the G-awards three times, as well as being the first recipients of the Derek Bonnard Award. But it was his relationship with his staff and the Stoke on Trent community that is said to have ‘truly stood Mark apart from his contemporaries’.

He firmly believed that a company is only as good as its staff and with the vast majority of the workforce having more than 15 years’ service under their belt, Mark is said to have garnered ‘total respect and dedication’ from his team.

“And that is the magic of Mark,” commented Phil Warren, sales director. “People wanted to work for him. Whether you were on the shop floor, working on the skips or manning the sales office, Mark knew everyone and had time for us all. Being the boss and a friend, is a tightrope not many men can walk, but Mark seemed to manage it effortlessly.”

In his time as MD at Lister’s, Mark helped grow the business from operating in a shed at the foot of the garden to a £12m company with over 120 staff. His long-time friend and co-director, Darren Pusey, said: “Mark was absolutely key to building team spirit as well as ensuring the business remained ahead of the curve. Working with him kept all of us motivated to succeed…and I do mean all of us!”

The post Mark Warren steps down as Lister’s MD appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

To help fabricators and joiners show the beauty and benefits of aluminium clad timber windows and doors, AluWood has created a striking retail brochure.

Packed with information about the window and door styles, energy efficiency and hardware, the new brochure has everything there is to know about AluWood windows and doors.

“For fabricators and joiners who want to add AluWood to their range, they can use our new 8-page retail brochure to help them win more sales,” says Callum Grant, Commercial Director, AluWood Windows Ltd.

“The aluminium clad timber window market is growing. There’s a demand for windows and doors that have a stylish look and high-quality performance. We’ve launched the retail brochure to help fabricators and joiners show how great AluWood windows and doors look when fitted, and so they can give information to customers about design options and energy efficiency.”

To get your copy of AluWood’s retail brochure, visit www.aluwoodwindows.co.uk/downloads

Six new products – 40+ in total

* Extra hammering, grinding, shearing, nibbling and extracting options
* Innovative safety, programming and energy efficiency features
* Highly efficient long-life batteries with full compatibility
* Convenient mobility system

Bosch has underlined its status as a key player in the growing 18 Volt cordless power tool market with the introduction of six new products. Adding extra options in terms of hammer drilling, angle grinding, shearing, nibbling and dust extraction, they expand the Bosch Professional 18 V Li-Ion range to more than 40 tools.

Covering every trade professional’s needs, the collection includes a wide variety of drills, drivers and hammers for different applications. There are other tools for sawing, cutting, grinding, planing and sanding, along with dust extractors, lights and even an onsite radio.

The new models are:
GAS 18 V-1 Professional Dust Extractor
GAS 18 V-10 L Professional Dust Extractor

Innovation
Bosch points out that its latest 18 Volt cordless tools continue the spirit of innovation which has drawn so many individual tradespeople and group buyers to Bosch in recent years. Often the innovations relate to safety, as with the GWS 18 V PC and PSC Professional Angle Grinder whose automatic safeguards include KickBack Control, Restart Protection, Soft Start and Vibration Control.

The angle grinder also benefits from this manufacturer’s pioneering developments in tool connectivity. Its uses here include customisation of adjustable parameters and monitoring of tool condition. An inbuilt user interface on the PSC model makes programming functions and access to information even easier.

To combat dust-related illness, which has been a focus of recent safety campaigning by Bosch, there are two new extractors. The GAS 18 V-1 Professional Dust Extractor is light and compact but features two rotational airflows which effectively remove most dust before it even reaches the filter. For sustained high suction over long periods, Bosch offers the GAS 18 V-10 L Professional Dust Extractor. Its specialised HEPA filter captures more than 99.99% of all dust.

A combination of high power and efficiency is promised by the GBH 18 V-20 Professional Rotary Hammer Drill, an SDS-plus model which delivers 1.7 J of impact energy along with impressive runtimes. When it comes to ergonomic design, the GSC 18 V-16 Professional Shear and GNA 18 V-16 Professional Nibbler score highly with their small grip circumference and perfect balance. Like the angle grinder, they can be fitted with batteries of up to 7.0 Ah capacity for long uninterrupted shifts.

Battery life
Bosch innovations in battery technology, as well as motor efficiency, continue to push the boundaries of runtime. Building on the inherent advantages of its Li-ion packs, Bosch has invented new systems to extend their lifetime even further. Bosch Electronic Cell Protection (ECP) prevents overloading, overheating and excessive discharge, while Bosch COOLPACK temperature control adds as much as 100% to a battery’s life compared to a pack without it.

Full compatibility
An important characteristic of all Bosch 18 Volt power tools is their full compatibility – forward and backward – with each other’s batteries and chargers. The tools and their accessories are also fully compatible with the Bosch Mobility System. Its space-saving L-BOXX storage units, which click and stack together for convenient transport, ensure that everything is held securely, protected from damage and well organised.

Available now
The latest Bosch 18 V Li-ion power tools, and all others in this comprehensive range, are available now from specialist retailers. Further information is available on www.bosch-professional.co.uk 

Epwin Window Systems has just announced that Natalie Tellis-James has joined their team in a Customer Marketing Support role.

Natalie, whose background is in marketing, project management and customer service, said: “I am delighted to be joining Epwin Window Systems. The company has an exceptional reputation for the quality of the support it gives to its customers and I’m thrilled to be part of such a proactive team.”

Gerald Allen, Epwin Window Systems’ Marketing Manager, said: “Natalie has lots of valuable experience and we’re delighted to have her on board.”

Natalie will be part of the marketing support team that works directly with Epwin Window Systems’ customer accounts, helping them take advantage of the bespoke marketing Epwin offers. The team is one of the largest in the industry and this is reflected in the reputation Epwin Window Systems has for its proactiveness when it comes to working with its customers and the level of marketing support it provides.

The latest example of the company’s commitment is Excellence as Standard, the membership programme that aims to drive and promote excellence at every level of member businesses. Its members enjoy a wide range of benefits to help them and their business, from continuous training and advice through to product discounts and marketing support.

www.epwin.co.uk

Leon Day

Former Universal Arches managing director, Leon Day, has joined Kaliber Group as head of its PVC division for KAT. He will also continue as a consultant to Kaliber’s recently acquired Universal Arches.

Based at the KAT headquarters in Cheshire, Leon will draw on his ‘niche’ market expertise and contacts, maximising the group’s current and potential growth opportunities.

As part of his role, Leon will drive product development as well as sales and marketing strategies for the Group’s PVC offering, focusing immediately on KAT’s comprehensive range of residential door and window products to meet ongoing large volume requirements in the UK and Ireland.

Upon joining Kaliber Group, Leon said: “I am delighted to follow Universal Arches to Kaliber, to expand the benefits of this partnership. In my new wider group role, we plan to hone our existing full range of products, to meet all spec and price requirements of our diverse customer audience.

“With Universal Arches’ niche service offering, the company marries perfectly with Kaliber to allow us to provide a one-stop-shop for all doors and windows PVC.”

David Richards, chairman, Kaliber Group, added: “Leon’s addition to the senior team gives us yet another advantage in meeting our product and service aspirations. We are confident in the vast range of products available through our companies, from entry level through to one-off bespoke glazed projects.

“We now aim to bring all our companies in line with the national service offering with our dedicated delivery fleet and pre and after-sales customer services to ensure our customers come back to us for every requirement, be that a single build project or a whole development. With Leon’s commitment, we are significantly strengthened and we are on target to exceed expectations.”

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