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Quanex company Edgetech, the leading experts in warm edge technology called on the industry knowledge and expertise of Insight Data for their special anniversary event to mark 10 years of UK manufacture.

As part of the proceedings which celebrated Edgetech’s decade of success at their UK headquarters in Coventry and highlighted their bold plans for the future, Insight Data’s Managing Director Andrew Scott provided an in-depth analysis of the fenestration industry using Insight’s unrivalled industry-specific data.

“When Edgetech – a long-standing Salestracker customer, asked me to be a part of their event to delve into the state of the industry, I was more than happy to oblige,” comments Andrew. “Through our pioneering live data, specific to the wider construction and fenestration industries, we are able to see where the industry is heading, the growing movements and trends as well as forecast the opportunities and challenges on the horizon.”

“It’s a great privilege to partner with Edgetech to celebrate their success and see such a positive reception from the dignitaries, members of the media and industry professionals in attendance for Insight Data and our findings. Over 700 users including leading systems houses, fabricators, component suppliers and IGU manufacturers rely on Salestracker and our data to transform their sales and marketing strategies.”

In a full programme of events which also saw Edgetech unveil their new £1 million distribution centre, Andrew presented alongside the firm’s UK Managing Director, Chris Alderson and executives from Edgetech’s parent company Quanex including Chairman and CEO, Bill Griffiths.

“We thank Andrew and the Insight Data team for their continued partnership and for providing their expert analysis of the UK market,” comments Charlotte Davies, Head of Marketing at Edgetech UK. “It’s clear to see from the findings how much the industry has changed over the 10 years we’ve been manufacturing Super Spacer in the UK. We look forward to seeing what the future brings with our new facilities and a clear vision for the next decade and beyond.”

As well as curating their renowned industry reports, Insight Data is the force behind Salestracker which combines an online prospect database, CRM system and now an integrated email marketing platform. Salestracker provides accurate, real-time data for over 60,000 prospects, validated by a thorough seven stage verification process.

For a demo of Salestracker or for more information, contact Insight Data on 01934 808293 or via email at hello@insightdata.co.uk.

The FOM LMT65 aluminium machining and cutting centre stands as the continuation of Sternfenster’s major investment programme. Purchased from the Promac Group, the FOM LMT65 has been strategically integrated into Sternfenster’s strategic growth plans, allowing them to double bi-fold door capacity whilst simultaneously cutting manufacturing and lead times.

This allows Sternfenster Approved Installers to benefit in a number of ways, including lead times of as little as three days, increased quality and efficiency, enhanced flexibility and improved opportunities for higher margin sales. This demonstrates the investment that Sternfenster place in their Installer Network.

The FOM LMT65 utilises innovation and intelligence to create a flexible aluminium cutting and routeing line. The multi-spindle preparation unit with a 360° variable angle allows access to all four sides of the profile, which is then automatically linked to the sawing unit which features a 650mm diameter blade with electronic tilt control. This allows high quality to stay consistent.

This aluminium machine and cutting centre also features a bar feeder and pick up system with an adaptive rotating gripper. Overall, this means that the FOM LMT65 has the in-built flexibility to handle a wide range of different profiles. This allows Approved Installers to offer a wider range of aluminium products in a quick, simple and efficient way.

Becoming a Sternfenster Approved Installer is quickly becoming the smart way to invest in the future of the industry, with aluminium on course to reach a 17-year high topping 220,000 frames by 2020. This also includes growth in the bi-fold door market of 30% in the same period to 55,000 door sets, with aluminium accounting for sales of more than 35,000 units.

The range of aluminium products that Sternfenster offers their Approved Installers allows their customers to stay at the forefront of double glazing design. With the Secured by Design aluminium bi-fold door and the brand new aluminium vertical sliding sash window in tow, the FOM LMT65 makes the process of offering market-leading products to homeowners smoother and quicker.

This investment also ties in with Sternfenster’s latest venture, a high performance powder coating facility. With the Sternfenster Approved Installer Network growing from strength to strength, Sternfenster is continually demonstrating their investment in quality, innovation and product options to allow their Approved Installers to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Mike Parczuk, Managing Director of Sternfenster, commented on the new FOM LMT65:

“We are always looking for ways to offer more to our Approved Installers. This new aluminium cutting and machining centre integrates into our brand new aluminium factory, which now represents a total investment of £3.6 million. We understand the importance of being one step ahead in the industry, which is why we always strive to offer our customers the tools to do so.”

Grow your business the smart way by becoming a Sternfenster Approved Installer. Get in touch by calling 01522 51 25 25 or by visiting www.sternfenster.com for more information. It’s never been easier to offer your customers the best in class.

N&C Glass, said to be the UK’s largest independent supplier of glass and glazing products, has reportedly invested more than £250,000 in new manufacturing equipment to meet increased demand for shaped Pilkington fire glass and enable the business to become a one-stop shop for fire-resistant glass, regardless of its complexity.

The company, based in Beckton in London’s Docklands, specialises in fire-resistant glass, safety & security glass, window glass and high-performance commercial units. Through its on-site manufacturing facilities and owned distribution network, it supplies sealed units and stock glass to a broad range of customers, from high value commercial projects to independent glaziers.

Over the past 12 months N&C Glass has reportedly experienced increased demand for fire-resistant glass in a variety of shapes, as customers request products that not only meet the necessary safety requirements, but are also aesthetically pleasing. The new investment will enable N&C to deliver a complex product that meets both challenging design and performance requirements.

N&C Glass’ recent investment has seen the company add a state-of-the-art waterjet cutting equipment and new vertical saw to its manufacturing facility. The new kit means N&C Glass can complement demand for straight edged panels with more complex, non-linear shapes. As a result, it has more than doubled its output of cut to size glass, while also reducing lead times for customers.

Graham Ingle, product manager, clear fire protection glass at Pilkington United Kingdom, said: “N&C’s significant investment in two new pieces of equipment reflects the growing demand for shaped fire-resistant glass across the industry. It is now a one-stop shop for the complete range of fire-resistant glass, regardless of its complexity.

“Fire-resistant glass plays a critically important role in protecting both buildings and their occupants, and because of this we only work with a handful of trusted firms across the UK to process and supply Pilkington fire-resistant glass products. N&C has fully met our expectations over the years and we look forward to seeing the business continue to go from strength to strength following its investment.”

Richard Howe, operations director at Nicholls & Clarke Glass, added: “Fire-resistant glass plays a major role in our business and the decision to invest £250,000 in new equipment to meet the increased demand for shaped fire-resistant glass was an obvious one.

“We’ve worked alongside Pilkington for more than two decades now, providing its products to our customers, and our two new machines will enable us to continue to meet customer demand more effectively and efficiently.”

www.pilkington.co.uk

The post N&C invests following demand for Pilkington fire-resistant glass appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Warm edge experts Edgetech welcomed VIPs from throughout the industry to a celebration marking a decade of UK manufacturing.

The company’s Coventry factory became the first warm edge manufacturing facility in the country back in 2007. Exactly ten years on, dignitaries including Bill Griffiths and George Wilson from parent company Quanex and John Blundell, Deputy Lord Mayor of Coventry, marked the anniversary by officially opening a $1.3m extension to the same site.

Attendees heard presentations from Edgetech UK Managing Director Chris Alderson, President of Quanex IG Systems George Wilson, who has since been promoted to COO of the Quanex Group, Quanex Chairman and CEO Bill Griffiths, as well as industry expert Andrew Scott, Managing Director of Insight Data. Guests were also treated to a virtual tour of the new facilities.

“We were absolutely delighted to welcome so many colleagues, customers, members of the media and others to our HQ to celebrate such a major milestone and unveil our new facilities,” comments Chris Alderson, Edgetech UK Managing Director. “This event has given us a fantastic opportunity to reflect on everything we’ve accomplished over the last decade, and to say thank you to our customers, many of whom have been with us since day one.

“It also gave us the chance to share our vision for the next decade and beyond – and demonstrate both our strong relationship with Quanex, and our unwavering commitment to product research and development.”

The Quanex Chairman’s Safety Award was presented to Works Manager John Stark to recognize Edgetech UK’s impeccable safety record, while Head of Marketing Charlotte Davies received a £1,000 donation from the company towards her efforts for Paddle2Pedal, the all-female event from GM Fundraising that will see 12 fenestration professionals canoe, abseil and cycle hundreds of miles in August to raise money for the Hope House Children’s Hospice.

Attendees made generous charity donations also totaling £1,000 sterling and – reflecting the international guest-list – a further £500 in dollars and euros which brings Charlotte’s fundraising total so far to over £4,000.

The event culminated with a fun-filled medieval banquet, and Edgetech’s annual golf event the following day.

A video of the event is currently in production, and will be published on Edgetech’s website. If you would like a copy, please email Head of Marketing Charlotte Davies on charlotte.davies@edgetechig.com.

For more information on Edgetech’s range of spacers and to stay up-to-date with the latest developments from the company visit: www.edgetechig.co.uk.

For more information on Edgetech and its wide range of products call 02476 639931 or visit www.edgetechig.co.uk

Award-winning panel and composite door supplier Vista has seen incredible growth thanks to increasing demand for XtremeDoor, their best-in-class composite door.

The Merseyside firm has reported a remarkable surge with sales up a full 15% compared to last year. The continued success of XtremeDoor now means Vista produces an astonishing 150 composite doors a day.

“It’s great to see three-years on from its launch, XtremeDoor is continuing to soar,” comments Keith Sadler, Managing Director of Vista. “I firmly believe XtremeDoor’s recent success is down to our expanded range and our brand-new brochure. We added six new door styles at the turn of the year which really freshened up the range and gave our customers everything they were looking for. The latest brochure also has a larger selection of hardware and locking options as well additional colour options. These have all gone down really well with our existing customers and helped us to bring in new clients, who were looking for something different.”

Recent legislation also meant the XtremeDoor had to toughen up even more, Document Q testing lead Vista to double the thickness of the highly-durable GRP skin to 4mm to conform with the cut-through test. This gives composite doors three minutes to survive an attack using a Stanley Knife and two chisels (a 6mm and a 25mm). If in three minutes or less, the tester can cut a 50mm hole which is large enough to get an arm in and open it, the door fails. XtremeDoor passes this test with flying colours and has resulted Vista securing more newbuild work than ever before.

“We’ve worked closely with our marketing partners Purplex to re-launch our consumer facing website (www.xtremedoor.co.uk),” adds Keith. “One of the new features which is gaining a lot of interest is a new door designer. The designer can also be added to our customer’s websites which is a really valuable sales tool and helps to create even stronger relationships with our customers who are the lifeblood of our company.”

“With XtremeDoor, we’ve created something we are incredibly proud of and our trade customers love to sell. It’s great to see increasing demand for XtremeDoor and we will be repaying that with even more innovation, investment and new products later this year.”

For more information call 01516081423 or visit www.vistapanels.co.uk

Noble Francis

Growth prospects for the construction industry in 2018 have been downgraded as the UK prepares to leave the EU, according to the latest forecasts by the Construction Products Association (CPA). Output is expected to ‘soften’ as a slowing economy, falling real wages and rising costs adversely affect the industry, growth for 2018 is therefore only expected to rise by 0.7%, the slowest in six years, and a downward revision from 1.2% in previous forecasts.

For now, activity on site is high and output is expected to rise by 1.6% in 2017, a revision upwards from 1.3% in previous forecasts. This will be partly due to a sharp rise from new contracts and activity in the £6.9 billion public housing repair, maintenance and improvements to deal with short-term urgent measures that will need to be made in light of the Grenfell Tower fire.

An increase in infrastructure activity and private housebuilding are expected to be the primary drivers of growth over the next two years which will help offset a sharp fall in the commercial and industrial sectors. Growth in infrastructure will be due to major projects in rail and water & sewerage such as HS2 and the Thames Tideway Tunnel, with activity forecast to grow by 7.4% in 2017 and 6.4% in 2018. Growth will be reliant on delivery of these projects and the extent of the continued delays to main works at Hinkley Point C have resulted in it no longer included in the CPA forecasts.

Growth for the industry in 2018 will also be heavily reliant on private housebuilding, however the sector is still reliant on Help to Buy equity loans to drive housebuilding numbers. The policy is in place until 2021, which is expected to support demand for new build and drive growth in private housing starts of 3.0% in 2017 and 2.0% in 2018. However, this is slower than in previous years given uncertainties over the strength of consumer confidence and falls in real earnings.

Looking further ahead, growth for 2019 is projected to be 1.8%, but given the unprecedented economic and political uncertainties following the lack of a significant majority for the UK government as the UK leaves the EU, the risks around this forecast are considerable.

Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association said: “Construction firms are still reporting that activity remains high and there are still lots of cranes around. But there are clear signs that construction output is slowing and that next year, in particular, will be difficult for the industry. Prospects for construction have been adversely affected by slowing UK economic growth and falling real wages on one side and sharp rising costs on the other. A fall in new investment, especially where it is large international investment looking for a long-term rate of return, is forecast to lead to declines in the commercial and industrial sectors.”

“Despite the slowdown in the general housing market, particularly in London, house builders continue to increase supply, albeit more slowly than in recent years. Currently, more than a third of new house building is being sustained by the government’s Help to Buy and should continue to do so over the next 18 months if the wider economy and housing market don’t slow further. However, if economic conditions do deteriorate further, house builders can react quite quickly if necessary.

“Increases in infrastructure investment are also expected to offset these declines and be the key driver of any construction growth going forward. However, concerns regarding rising costs and delays to major projects continue to dog the sector so there remains a high degree of uncertainty around infrastructure growth in the next few years. And this infrastructure investment will be vital for the industry as a whole. Without it, total construction output would fall by 1.0% in 2018.”

The post CPA: UK construction industry growth forecast to slow ‘to lowest in six years’ appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

The spotlight is shining on three proud Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions installers who have been showing off their very best design and installation skills.

Sherborne Windows, Vision Conservatories and Panoramic Windows have created three spectacular installations and scooped the latest winning places in the Atlas Installation of the Month competition.

A fabulous Skyroom demonstration model at Sherborne Windows’ showroom impressed a family from Ascot in Berkshire. With teenage children to accommodate, the owners wanted to create extra space at the rear of their property and had settled on a traditional Edwardian-style conservatory to mirror their neighbours. They visited the showroom and were inspired by the super modern appearance of the Skyroom. The 5.6 x 4 metre installation, which was the Atlas Installation of the Month winner in June, opened up the back of the property and helped to blend the transition between the interior and exterior.

Chris Long, managing director at Sherborne Windows, said: “This installation was such a triumph, not just because it was a winner in this competition, but because it has roused other neighbours who now want a Skyroom! Many homeowners still feel that a conventional conservatory is the best thing for their home and this lovely installation shows that you can create something far more special by using clever design and innovative products. We’re very proud of it and it goes without saying that the customer is too. It’s the talk of the neighbourhood!”

Vision Conservatories created a real showpiece installation on a period property in Wiltshire which ultimately helped the owners to sell their home. The 4.8 x 4 metre extension was cleverly designed to fill an unsightly dead space in the garden and bring light into an otherwise dark zone. It combined an eclectic mix of building materials – reclaimed bricks, cedar cladding, glass and aluminium – and was crowned with a large pyramid lantern roof to bring a striking and unique flavour to the property.

Mike Keeling, managing director of Vision Conservatories, said: “This beautiful orangery gave this traditional property such a contemporary lift. The owners found their dream home not long after we finished the project and put this property on the market. Without a shadow of a doubt, the orangery was the selling point, and the owners were lucky enough to have four buyers bidding for their home. It proves that well-planned spaces don’t just transform homes, they do actually add value and increase saleability too.”

Bristol-based Panoramic Windows showcased their fine design skills when they created a sensational light-filled Skyroom on a detached village property in North Somerset. The retired owners wanted an elegant extension to connect with their garden and had originally set their minds on a conventional orangery. They had a complete change of heart however when they saw the Atlas Skyroom on display at Panoramic Windows’ showroom. The team at Panoramic went on to create a well-proportioned design which incorporated floor to ceiling glazing to provide uninterrupted views of the garden. Large bi-folding doors were key in helping to merge the new 6 x 3.5 metre extension seamlessly with the outside.

Angus McCubbin, sales and marketing manager at Panoramic Windows, said: “This project was all about maximising light and thermal performance and the owners were really inspired by what they could achieve by thinking outside the box. With its ultra-slim profile and striking good looks, the Skyroom was the perfect choice for them – it brought an abundance of light and space on the inside and contrasted beautifully with their traditionally-styled property on the outside. This project is a stunner and we’re delighted to win an award for it.”

Every month, an installer will win a £200 Screwfix voucher and a £50 Majestic Wine voucher. There’s also trade industry PR and promotion through the Atlas website, as well as entry into the Atlas Installer of the Year award finals which will be held in January 2018. All entries submitted with completed installation pictures will receive an Atlas thermal mug.

For further information, please contact Atlas on 02838 327741 or visit www.atlasroofsolutions.co.uk.