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Leka’s lightweight orangery roof system is available now from top South coast window and door fabricator, Window Warehouse. The new system, launched at FIT Show 2017, gives installers an opportunity to offer customers a light-weight flat roof system, to create stunning new orangeries or refurbish old inefficient conservatories.

Malcolm Cake, Managing Director at Window Warehouse said: “Window Warehouse is the Certified Leka Fabricator for the South. We were an early adopter of the Leka lightweight tiled conservatory roof system and it has proven very popular with our trade customers.

“Most of them report that homeowners are on the look-out for something a bit more special than your standard glass conservatory, so the Leka orangery roof system is a great addition to the range.”

The orangery system uses a Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) structural ring beam, ridge and rafters, for an orangery roof that weighs up to 40 percent less than industry equivalents. This means it is light enough to be installed on old conservatory frames for refurbishment projects.

The Leka flat roof system has a U-Value of just 0.15 and uses a combination of insulated Celotex sheets, a breathable waterproof membrane, a glass roof lantern and innovative Leka outer boards to create a highly-insulated orangery that can be used all year round.

Malcolm adds: “Buying Leka roof systems from Window Warehouse gives customers access to a whole host of sales, marketing and installation support, to help installers grow their sales. Our next training session in the summer, will give customers all the skills and information they need to get going with the orangery roof system.”

The next training day will be Window Warehouse’s fourth session run exclusively for customers who want to win more conservatory build and refurbishment projects.

The post Leka Orangery System available from Window Warehouse appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

This October sees the launch of a brand new advertising campaign with the Yale brand hitting TV screens nationwide.

The advert, which will be aired throughout the month on Channel 4, Sky, and ITV, will showcase the benefits of the new Conexis® L1 Smart Door Lock. It will highlight how the Smart Living solution can add convenience to everyday lives as well as giving peace of mind that your home is secure.

Paul Atkinson, Sales and Commercial Director for Yale, commented: “This is the first time in recent years that we have used TV as a platform to target UK homeowners, and we’re excited to see the Yale brand in living rooms across the country.

“As part of our research for this campaign, independent focus groups were carried out to gauge consumer opinions. One of the main findings showed that 80% of consumers would want the Conexis® L1 professionally installed*. This provides a huge opportunity for the trade to promote their services and enter a rapidly developing connected smart home market.

“Research also found that 55% of UK homeowners like the idea of being able to control their home security through an app, with 41% of those surveyed wanting a Smart Door Lock in their home**. By showcasing the Conexis® L1 Smart Door Lock, the new TV advertisement is aiming to capitalise on this increased awareness and demand for smart door locks, helping to drive sales for our trade partners and reinforce Yale as the security brand of choice.”

Backed by a robust online and social media campaign, this is Yale’s biggest ever media spend, helping to drive consumer demand during a key time for security sales when the nights start getting darker and burglaries increase.

Paul adds: “Yale is a globally renowned brand and the leading home security company in the UK. This recognition puts us in a strong position as homeowners instantly recognise the yellow circle and associate our products with trust and reliability. Our TV advert will serve to reinforce this positon.”

To help fabricators, distributors and installers take full advantage of this lucrative opportunity, Yale has a wide range of promotional materials available to customers. Simply contact your Yale Sales Manager or call 01902 366800 for more details.

For further information about the Conexis® L1 or the rest of the Smart Living range, please visit www.yale.co.uk or find us on Twitter @YaleDWS.

*Yale

**Smart Home Week 2017

Saint-Gobain Building Glass, market leader in the innovation and development of high performance glass, has been named as a finalist in two categories at the prestigious G17 Awards.

The business has been shortlisted in the Commercial Project of the Year category for its part in the creation of the Leeds Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF). The high-performance SGG COOL-LITE SKN 165 II solar control glazing provides the building’s impressive and distinctive floor to ceiling façade.  Chosen for its experience, sustainability credentials, knowledge and technical excellence, Saint-Gobain Building Glass was well-qualified to meet the required technical demands of the project. The business was the first of its kind to undergo Life Cycle Assessments for its products; an ethos that complements the RERF’s environmental and energy-saving aspects.

Meanwhile Chris Lloyd, Product Technical Support Manager is a finalist in the Unsung Hero category. Described as ‘passionate, diligent and a technical font of knowledge’, Chris has earned an unparalleled reputation for excellence over his 10 years with the business.

Craig Dodsworth, Head of Marketing at Saint-Gobain Building Glass said: “We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted in two categories. Being named as a finalist in the G17 Commercial Project of the Year award is a testament to how hard our team has worked together to create a one-of-a-kind building. As a business, we constantly strive to innovate and deliver glass products and solutions to make living and work spaces more comfortable, but it is equally important to us to make buildings that are environmentally friendly.

“We are also all very proud of Chris for his much-deserved nomination in recognition of all he does for customers and colleagues alike. His technical expertise and excellent communication skills have made him an invaluable member of our team and an award win would be a very fitting reward.”

www.saint-gobain.com   www.saint-gobain-glass.com

With FIT Show 2017 still fresh in the memory of the window, door and conservatory industry, attention now turns to the future and FIT Show 2019, especially as it hopes to top the huge success of this year’s first show at the NEC. The move to the National Exhibition Centre prompted a surge in exhibition stand bookings last year when the new venue was announced. This year sees a similar trend only this time instead of the new venue being the catalyst previous exhibitors are booking their stand space so they can start planning how they are going to top this year’s show. With 22 months still to go until FIT Show 2019 – taking place on 21^st to 23^rd May – 50% of the exhibition floor space has already been booked. And while this is quite a feat, it’s even more of a feat when you learn that the gross floor space for FIT Show 2019 is 30% larger than this year’s show.

“With the rapid growth of the FIT Show we knew we had to move from Telford to the NEC and it proved the right decision looking at the numbers from our first show in Birmingham,” said Nickie West, Event Director of FIT Events Ltd, the company behind the FIT Show. “With a visitor increase of almost 17% in comparison to our previous show we owe that to some of the most creative marketing campaigns from exhibitors and impressive stands we’ve seen yet. And having 50% of floor space for 2019 booked already just shows the commitment this industry has to its industry event.”

Some of the names that have signed up for FIT Show 2019 include: Konig UK, AluK (GB) Ltd, BSI Group, Wintech Engineering, Roseview Windows, Apeer, Renolit Cramlington Ltd, Customade Group, Profine Group, KAT UK, Leica Geosystems Ltd, Kawneer, Ultraframe, Veka, Camden, Iso-Chemie GmbH and more.

For a full list of exhibitors visit: http://www.fitshow.co.uk/exhibitors

“The fact that there’s still 22 months to go until the show takes place we’re pretty confident that this one will be a sell out if half of the stand space has already been booked in just over two months,” Nickie continued. “We’re excited for the next show as are our exhibitors. All the stops will once again be pulled out and the stands will be more extravagant and more creative because the industry has seen the results the FIT Show can deliver.”

The post 50% of floor space already booked for FIT Show 2019 appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

For 45 years, Titon says its core product has been the window trickle (or ‘background’) ventilator, claiming to be the biggest manufacturer and supplier of these products in the UK. Titon says it has maintained its position as the industry leader through constant research and product development, ensuring the company is still able to offer the largest range of trickle vents on the market today – having sold more than 50 million vents to date.

According to Titon, its trickle ventilators assist in compliance with ventilation regulations in the UK and overseas, and are suitable for all types of window – including timber, aluminium or PVC-U, offering increased ventilation that it says ‘other manufacturers cannot match’. As a result, specifiers can pick Titon products to ensure compliance for a choice of ventilation systems in different dwelling types, without constant specification changes. Additionally, says Titon, fabricators can remain safe in the knowledge that only the minimum number of ventilators required need to be used to achieve compliance.

By providing adequate levels of background ventilation, trickle vents also play a key role in removing air pollutants from inside a property and ensuring good levels of indoor air quality (IAQ). While this subject has made headlines during the last 18 months, Titon says its products have been ensuring excellent levels of IAQ for decades.

Movement of air helps disperse general moisture in other habitable rooms (besides bathrooms and kitchens); if the moisture doesn’t escape, it can build up, leading to potential mould growth problems, affecting not only occupants’ health but also damaging the building itself. It also ensures volatile organic compounds (VOC) do not stay in the air indefinitely.

High performance acoustic vents such as Titon’s SF Xtra Sound Attenuator, are also said to offer vastly improved levels of sound attenuation. The basic versions of this surface mounted aluminium slot ventilator are the shortest available capable of providing 5,000mm2 EA – while being equally suitable for domestic or non-domestic applications. This short length means fewer vents are needed to comply with an application’s required EA. Plus, there are two width variants (one for use over a 13mm slot, the other for a 16mm slot), as well as made-to-measure sizes or bar lengths for self-assembly, all of which can be used with either a plastic or aluminium canopy.

Commenting on the company’s extensive product range, Tyson Anderson, sales and marketing director at Titon said: “We have been producing trickle ventilators for 45 years now, and window manufacturers, specifiers and fabricators rely on us for our knowledge and advice. This has become more commonplace since the recent increased industry and consumer awareness of the dangers of poor indoor air quality, plus more focus on sound attenuation requirements. At Titon, we have the expertise and the product portfolio to ensure there is always a trickle ventilator option available, which will perform to the required standards and be competitively priced.”

www.titon.co.uk

The post 45 years of trickle ventilation from Titon appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

One of the UK’s leading experts in insulated glass units with almost half of century of experience, has appointed Purplex as their PR and marketing agency.

Based in Kent and operating across the UK, The E.J. Cocker Group is comprised of E.J. Cocker & Son; which manufacturers and supplies IGUs for internal and external use in residential and commercial properties, and Slenderline Glass which supplies joiners, fabricators and contractors with advanced solutions for all heritage and sash windows.

E.J. Cocker has appointed Purplex to develop a strategy encompassing PR and email marketing to showcase their full range of products and services as well as their commitment to quality craftsmanship.

Andy Cocker, Director at E.J. Cocker comments: “We have a strong reputation within the industry for high-quality, high performance sealed units. We want to build on this further and continue to grow the Slendlerline brand as the only source for advanced, uncompromised heritage sealed units.”

“We chose to partner with Purplex because of their experience of helping businesses build their brands and gain nationwide exposure. We have ambitious growth plans and we knew to accomplish them, we had to work with the industry marketing experts.”

“We’re absolutely delighted to be working with E.J. Cocker,” comments Sam Cross, Account Director at Purplex. “With decades of experience manufacturing IGUs, E.J. Cocker is the authority in the sector and one of its most trusted names. This will be reflected in their PR coverage and overall marketing strategy as we promote their range of products and Andy and his team share their opinion on the industry.”

Purplex Marketing was founded in 2004 by Andrew Scott who was previously Marketing and Sales Director for several companies in the building products and home improvement industries. Purplex was created to provide businesses in this sector a port of call for marketing consultancy and expert PR, branding and digital marketing. Clients range from small home improvement firms to global building product manufacturers.

The post IGU specialist seals the deal with Purplex appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

In the wake of the Grenfell tower inquiry, I am able to publish a well written guest article by Mike Rigby, CEO of MRA Marketing. I also want to note that MRA Marketing worked with the Passive Fire Prevention Federation (PFPF) for five years before its merger with the ASFP. The nature of the tragedy was severe, and I can only hope that as a result, this country’s attitude to building and keeping buildings safe changes swiftly and for the better.

It takes a disaster, major loss of life or destruction to property to get Britain to focus on fire. So, fire regulations have only improved significantly after serious fires, starting with the great fire of London in 1666.

After the Grenfell Tower fire, people will remember external cladding as the culprit because the search narrowed rapidly to focus on a single cause of failure. It doesn’t seem that PVC windows were implicated in any way, despite attempts by anti-PVC campaigners to implicate them. But experience of what went wrong in previous fires suggests multiple failures will be to blame. It will be a mix of product, practice and policing, not just one cheaper product, or one inappropriate spec.

However fire starts, it’s essential to contain it to its point of origin. But typically we find many routes for fire to spread: fire doors not maintained, wedged open or missing; openings for pipes not stopped; the inadvertent creation of ‘chimneys’ behind the external cladding to accelerate fire etc. So when there is a fire there’s a high risk of it quickly getting out of control.

To reduce the number of serious fires, we need to raise awareness and change attitudes to the way we build and look after buildings.

Generally, people don’t know what they should do, nor what good practice is, and legislation doesn’t change that. Continuous large scale marketing communications so everyone does know is a first step. Then ‘policing’ to remind people, bring regulation breakers to book, and telling everyone they’ve been caught so people get it. We do it when we want to change risky practices such as seat belts, or drinking and driving. Why not fire?

Everyone was appalled by Grenfell. But the building is not a one off. Evidence suggests many buildings are at risk, and we’ll suffer more serious fires unless we improve Britain’s awareness and understanding of fire protection, and change our attitudes to the practice and policing of regulations. More legislation won’t make a difference. Those who scrupulously implement regulations will adopt the improvements. Those who don’t, won’t bother with new ones.

After Lakanal House ten years ago, where six people died, around 200 tower blocks across the UK were risk assessed and local authorities rectified them at considerable expense. There was an investigation and report with recommendations. But who put them into practice?

Fire professionals warned that Lakanal or worse could happen again, and it did. Nine years later, this February, Southwark Council was fined £570,000 for breaking fire safety regulations. Let’s hope someone in Government is listening this time.

Mike Rigby

CEO

MRA Marketing

The results are in for Thermoseal Group, with the specialist insulated glass (IG) component manufacturer and distributor of over 2,000 IG products, reporting highest ever customer satisfaction ratings from its latest Customer Satisfaction Survey.

With 38 years supplying to the window industry, Thermoseal Group supplies to the majority of IG manufacturers in the UK and now to a range of export customers in 22 countries across 5 continents.  Its long-standing service to the industry is a direct result of its focus on customers and ability to respond quickly to market demand.

The Group’s Head of Marketing and Communications, Samantha Hill, tells us:  “The data collected is invaluable to our continual efforts to provide a premium service to customers.  As any intelligent supplier would do, we value our customers and take all feedback on board to improve our products and service.  As we have increased our focus on manufacturing, working with customers has become more important to us in developing our products to suit current manufacturing methods, whilst ensuring we offer industry-leading product performance.  This is why we have set up our own Technical Centre and EN1279 test facilities to ensure that we continually enhance our products, closely monitor the quality and focus on innovating new products to futureproof our offering.

“The Customer Satisfaction Survey is just part of what we do to ensure that we maintain 2-way communication with our customers.  Our dedicated account managers continually seek customer feedback and work closely with our technical centre and branch operations to improve our products and service.  We also have a range of product trials running with a selection of our long-standing customers to ensure that the products we introduce into the market are worthy of our industry-leading status.

“Our survey is distributed to all of our customers and contains a range of questions relating to our products and service.  There are also some key questions in there seeking opinions on the industry and future plans.  This way we can work with them to ensure that we continue to meet their requirements.  In the latest survey, we achieved the highest customer ratings yet, with the average overall rating of 96% with the knowledge and capability of our sales team commended throughout.  We are obviously delighted with the results.

“Our customers gave us some invaluable product feedback and suggestions for future innovation which we are currently reviewing in line with our plans to develop new products. The service feedback was also extremely helpful and as a result we are already putting new systems and processes in place to ensure that we offer the best service available.  Part of these plans include a new delivery tracking system and a premium website with a range of new services to improve the way we interact with our customers. We are also working with customers to carry out presentations and tailored training on our Thermobar and Thermoflex Warm Edge Spacer Systems and their contribution in the production of highest performance IG units.

“As a thank you to all customers completing the survey, Thermoseal Group entered all respondents into a prize draw.  Mark Christie from Christie Glass and Louise Wright from Windowright Ltd were both presented with a FitBit Charge 2 and Andrew McKenzie from Ace Glazing received a nice champagne to celebrate with us.

“Thank you to all customers for taking part in the survey.  We value your feedback and will look to strive for 100% next time.”

To find out about Thermoseal Group and its comprehensive range of insulated glass components and machinery for glazing manufacture, call +44(0)121 331 3950 or visit www.thermosealgroup.com.  For full information about the Group’s warm edge spacers see www.thermobarwarmedge.com and www.thermoflexwarmedge.com.