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Clayton Glass has produced a time-lapse video to showcase the ‘revolutionary’ self-tinting Smartglass Dynamic in action on a conservatory roof on a hot summer’s day.

The new video, which can be viewed on the Smartglass website at www.smart-glass.co.uk/products/smartglass-dynamic is 2:39 minutes long and shows the change in the conservatory roof glass from clear at the beginning and end of the day to a darkened tint during the middle of the day, when outside temperatures touched 30º. It can also be seen on YouTube at here.

According to Clayton Glass, Smartglass Ultra 86 already provides the greatest performance of any conservatory roof glass with fixed performance levels, but it claims the new Dynamic glass offers a better G-value at 10% and tint of 6% when needed during the hottest days of this summer. Yet during the early and latter parts of the day this glass technology offers a 60% light transmission, approaching that of a standard IGU, along with an ‘impressive’ G-value of 34%.

There are also other videos on the website that showcase this glass technology for conservatory and lantern roofs, along with other residential and commercial glazing applications. This includes a production that shows how the new interactive Smartglass Dynamic sample kits work with just a cup of hot fluid.

Jason McCabe, commercial and site director Clayton Glass commented: “The feedback has been phenomenal from the homeowners of the first few installations and this new video really does help convey how this dynamic glass technology works. With a 10-14 day delivery UK wide, availability in any shape and no requirement for wires and controls, we believe this is certainly the future technology that the industry will adopt in the coming years.”

www.smart-glass.co.uk

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It is an irritating thing, being charge a couple of extra percent to pay for things on your credit card. Holidays, kitchens, and other big ticket items. Large purchases to the consumer can go up a fair few pounds just because of the type of card that is used.

The good news from a consumer perspective is that from January 2018, businesses here in the UK will have to stop charging customers anything at all to use their credit cards for purchases. This is a new EU Directive that comes into force banning it.

The bad news however, businesses will still have to continue to pay companies like Visa, or other card machine companies, to be able to use their card services. So businesses will still have to pay their charges, but consumers will have nothing to pay for using their credit cards.

This is going to affect all size of business, small or large. But from a window industry perspective, this is going to have some quite big implications for installers.

Take it on the chin?

I like this rule and I don’t. For example, I pay for my holidays, gig tickets, festivals etc all on credit cards. Mostly for the extra protection it gives me should anything terrible happen. I also accept that by doing so I am going to pay around 2% on top for the privilege. A £3000 holiday for example becomes £3060. Not a huge amount in the scheme of things, but it would pay for the booze that I want to bring back.

On the other hand, as I work for an installer, it irks me that as a business, we still have to pay the company we use to facilitate credit card payments. It’s only a small percentage per transaction, but those costs start to mount if we get a run of customers who decide to pay off large balances by credit card. For example, based on what I think we pay (I don’t do the finance stuff at work), if someone was to pay a £10k balance, £25-£50 gets added, I’m not sure what the exact tariff is.

Most established installers will offer the choice to home owners to pay their bills via credit card. So installers in our industry will face a choice at the beginning of next year: take yet another hit on their margins on the chin, or pass the increase on? Given how many price increases installers have had to stomach of late, they may be reluctant to take yet another hit on their margins.

How much the cost?

This may, or may not, be an issue for some installers. It may depend on how many of their customers actually pay by credit card. My guess is the younger demographic will use them more than older generations. So installers who appeal to a younger crown may find that they’re the ones worse off.

Even if an installer is only charged 0.25% per credit card transaction by the credit card company, these costs will start to mount if lots of credit card payments are placed. Especially if a series of large balances are all paid off in succession via those credit cards. So for those installers, how do they recover those costs?

I would deem it unfair for installers to take this on the chin, on top of all the other increases they’re having to juggle with, so I think passing it on to the consumer is what is going to happen. But the problem is, you can’t do this on a case by case basis. Installers won’t know how their home owner is going to pay their bill, so they won’t be able to account for that cost. The alternative is to introduce a blanket fee into their pricing structures, to cover all bases, just in case a home owner does decide to pay their balance by credit card. The problem there however is home owners who don’t pay by credit card are going to be hit with that fee, therefore paying more when they didn’t need to.

It’s going to be a balancing act for many. To weigh up absorbing the costs of credit card use versus passing on those costs to the home owner. It irks me too that it is once again business that is going to be taking up the burden of this. I am very much for consumer rights and protection of those rights and consumers. However, this is another EU Directive that only increases costs for the business. Would it not have been fairer to all the SME’s and home owners across the UK and Europe to look at the ways credit card companies charge for their facilities instead? Giving both business and consumer an advantage?

As an installer, what will you do? Will you take your credit card transaction fees on the chin? Or will you seek to recover your costs by raising your prices to home owners?

Jack Antosch has joined the team of LogiKal software technicians at BM Aluminium in Tewkesbury. Aged 18, Jack has been recruited as a trainee, but is already supporting customers with technical queries and updates.

Over the past 10 years, BM Aluminium says it has largely been able to mitigate the effects of the skills shortage by successfully training its own team. Senior installations technician Dan Hodges and junior technician Ben Knight, for example, both originally joined the company as trainees and benefited from the comprehensive workplace training programme which is in place.

In his new role, Jack is working closely with customers to customise their LogiKal software so that it takes into account bespoke options such as hardware and glass and enables them to generate their own reports.

Managing director, Dean Hodges, said: “Experience has shown that the best way for us to recruit and retain the high calibre staff we need is to provide our own training in house. Obviously, our software technicians have to acquire the technical skills necessary to support customers, but it’s also essential that they adopt our meticulous approach from the outset and deliver on our commitment to providing exceptional levels of customer service.”

www.bmaluminium.co.uk

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Emplas, managing director, Ryan Johnson is taking on the Great North Run for cancer support charity, Macmillan.

The largest half marathon in the world, the Great North run, covers a tough 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields.

Ryan is running for Macmillan in memory of his late Nan, Jean Handy, who received support and palliative care from Macmillan nurses and the Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Kettering.

Ryan said: “My Nan, Jean, was loved by everyone who knew her and she’s missed by all of her family and friends. Saying goodbye was very difficult for everyone.

“We were able to draw some comfort from the exceptional care that she received during her final days from the Cynthia Spencer Hospice, Age UK and the Macmillan nurses, who cared for her, allowing Jean to pass away in comfort and with dignity in her own home.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Macmillan, which is why I’m doing the run and asking anyone who can, to donate to my justgiving page. It doesn’t matter how much or how little. Every penny counts.”

To donate to Ryan’s justgiving page please visit http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ryan-johnson12 or go direct to justgiving and search for Ryan Johnson.

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An award-winning rooflight company recently welcomed Bury St Edmunds MP, Jo Churchill, to its factory to demonstrate its full range of products.

Sunsquare, named Business of the Year in the East Anglian Daily Time Business Awards 2016, says it has ‘blazed a trail’ for ‘quality design and performance’ in the UK rooflight industry.

It claims to be the only skylight manufacturer in the UK to receive the BSI Kitemark Standard following rigorous testing of its products for air permeability, watertightness and wind resistance.

Chris Chaney, managing director of Sunsquare, said: “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to show our local MP our manufacturing facility and demonstrate our full range of products.

“We have great plans for 2017 and would like to continue to expand, providing more jobs in Suffolk and boosting its economy in the process.”

Jo Churchill visited the Sunsquare factory as part of her commitment to supporting business and enterprise in Suffolk. She said: “Enterprise and local businesses are a cornerstone of Bury St Edmunds and of the region.

“As a former business woman myself, I know what it takes to support and grow a business.

“I firmly believe that in order to grow and drive our towns forward, we must do this with the vision and tenacity of the local business community.”

www.sunsquare.co.uk

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Thermoseal Group, the UK insulated glass (IG) component manufacturer and supplier to the window industry for over 37 years, has purchased the stock and assets of North Western Lead adding its DecraLed decorative product range to its already comprehensive range of IG components on offer.  Decra Led® adhesive lead strip and wide range of Decra Glow® Films; Decra Bevels®; as well as infused tiles and a multitude of decorative accessories are all part of the DecraLed range which has been manufactured to highest quality standards and developed with skills honed over 60 years in the industry.

“Purchasing the DecraLed decorative product ranges was an excellent opportunity for us to add a multitude of premium products to our ever-expanding IG component range,” says Gwain Paterson, Managing Director at Thermoseal Group.

He continues: “We are a one-stop-shop for IG sealed unit manufacturers and aim to continue to expand our manufacturing operations to ensure that we are offering products which are subject to our own rigorous testing and quality control procedures. “There is a high demand for DecraLed coated products from international customers and we expect to develop this export business alongside our Thermobar and Thermoflex Warm Edge product ranges. To date, we manufacture over 50% of the products we supply which also include Perma Led Adhesive Lead which we purchased in 1999. In taking on DecraLed production of high quality decorative products we aim to strengthen the DecraLed brand by providing innovative and interesting solutions for our customers’ decorative needs.

“We have already made significant investments in a new state-of-the-art design studio in Wigan. This studio will enable us to produce bespoke designs for our customers to incorporate into their own insulated glass products. “I’d like to assure customers that we value the DecraLed range and the quality of the products and will continue to manufacture to the highest standards. “Thermoseal Group is a BSI Certified ISO 9001 company and we are now working towards the latest revised standard.”

Tel: 0845 331 3950

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The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) Joinery State of Trade Survey Q2 2017 has indicated that although rising raw materials costs and labour availability are exerting pressure on joinery manufacturers, the industry is optimistic over sales figures and product investment opportunities.

BWF policy and communications executive, Matt Mahony, commented on the state of the joinery industry: “With optimism over sales volumes and with order books holding up well, our survey paints a picture of an industry working hard to protect its margins against significant cost rises.

“It has been a theme of recent months that the joinery industry is having to think on its feet and diversify its offering. We know from the Q2 survey that investment in product improvement has been rising, and anecdotal evidence suggests that companies are taking on more of the burden of design and specification on account of knowledge gaps within the supply chain.

“Broader construction industry information supports our findings. The Construction Products Association (CPA) has reported that UK construction product manufacturers are experiencing continued growth in activity but high input costs and uncertainty have dampened expectations for the near future. Our story is more positive. After a mixed start to 2017 for joinery, 42% of respondents noted an increase in sales from the previous quarter with almost two-thirds expecting improved sales volumes for Q3.

“There are challenges out there. Labour availability remains a factor with skills shortages within the sector contributing to increased wage bills. In addition to this almost all BWF members noted that raw material costs are now a significant inflationary factor for unit costs.

“Joiners, not least BWF members, are natural problem solvers both on site and off and we will be working hard with members to ensure that they are capable of addressing these challenges.”

www.bwf.org.uk

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