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Epwin Window Systems has just announced its latest product development: a universal two-part cill.  Gerald Allen, Epwin Window Systems’ Marketing Manager, says: “The universal two-part cill is a simple product evolution but the advantages its brings are extraordinary. We already know from feedback on the launch at the FIT Show what a difference it will make in so many areas.”

The universal two-part cill means that door and window cills are installed in a two step process. The receiver is fitted during the construction process and the cill nose is fitted when the project nears completion.

The universal two-part cill offers the solution to the perennial problem of the cill nose getting damaged. Gerald comments: “Cill noses are easily damaged and we know how frustrating installers find it.” The development means that damage to low level cills in construction projects can be avoided. It also solves the problem of damage to cills during refurbishment projects and makes it much easier for installers to rectify any accidental damage to cills inflicted by homeowners post-installation.  In short, says Gerald: “Two-part cills are easier to install, easier to protect during the construction process and easier to repair in the future.”

The universal two-part cill comes with a choice of noses, all of which are compatible with Epwin Window Systems’ profile brands, Spectus, Profile 22 and Swish Windows. The cills are also available in all 28 colours in the colour ranges.

Epwin Window Systems is renowned for consistent product development. In the release of its new universal two-part cill it’s demonstrating why this approach is so intelligent and how the smallest of changes can sometimes make the biggest of differences.

www.epwin.co.uk

REHAU’s Marketing and Technical Director, Gareth Jones, has been chosen to chair the Glass and Glazing Federation’s new Systems House Group, a collective set up to maintain and raise standards among window and door system providers.

In the last three years, REHAU has made a firm commitment to being more actively involved with the GGF to help promote the industry, maintain and raise standards. This latest development highlights this continued effort by the company to become a central influencer in the industry.

At the first meeting in Birmingham in May, Gareth Jones was elected to chair the Group, which also means he will take up a seat on the GGF Board and the Home Improvement Executive.

The scope of the Systems House Group’s activities will include providing valuable input into the overall Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) strategy as well as looking at how to tackle restrictive planning conditions. The group will also be assessing the impact of new regulations, developing workable solutions to issues which may exclude some companies (namely small/micro fabricators) and ensuring System Companies are well represented and their voices heard in Industry Standard setting forums.

Gareth said: “Historically, REHAU has very much kept itself to itself, but three years ago we made a conscious decision to be more open and approachable and take an active role within the wider industry. We are ardent supporters of the GGF, providing co-operation, resources and expertise where it is needed, and are proud to be representing window and door system companies both on the coal face and Board level issues that really matter.”

Gareth’s appointment sees him join a group of REHAU employees already playing a role in the GGF, including Irene Smith, Marketing Communications Manager, who is a member of the GGF’s Marketing Communications Committee, Mark Gajda, Materials, Testing and Quality Manager, who sits on the Home Improvement Technical Group and a number of members of the REHAU sales force regularly participate in regional events. REHAU is also a regular attender to the GGF’s largest specialist group meetings, the Window and Door Group, and a hot off the press appointment was recently made in Declan Coulter, Divisional Sales Manager for Ireland and Scotland, who has been elected to chair the Ireland Southern Region.

For more information about the GGF please visit www.ggf.org.uk

Edgetech is marking 10 years of UK manufacturing and ‘warm edge excellence with a two-day long celebration.

On July the 13th, customers and colleagues from across the world will gather at the company’s Coventry headquarters to look back at what has been accomplished over the past decade, and forward to what it wants to achieve in the 10 years ahead.

After lunch and presentations, the focus will shift to the Coombe Abbey hotel for a drinks reception – followed by a lavish medieval-themed feast! The next day, guests are invited to take part in Edgetech’s annual golf day at nearby Staverton Park.

Edgetech managing director, Chris Alderson, commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to reflect on what we’ve achieved over the past 10 years, and how far warm edge technology has come in a relatively short amount of time.

“It’s also the perfect time to make some big announcements about our direction in the next 10 years – and it’s only right that our long-standing customers and friends from throughout the industry get to hear about them first. We wouldn’t be where we are today without our customers and suppliers, so we will be taking this opportunity to publicly thank them for their support.

“We’re officially fully booked for the day and evening and we look forward to seeing all our guests on July the 13th!”

www.edgetechig.co.uk

The post Edgetech gets ready to celebrate appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Euroglaze says its trade customers are seeing returns on its ‘ongoing marketing investment’, with leads generated now being distributed directly to them.

The Barnsley based Rehau fabricator reports a surge in enquiries from installers and consumers in response to its ongoing advertising, PR and web campaign and these are being passed to its stockists and distributors nationwide.

Managing director, Martin Nettleton, said: “Last month, we saw a record number of interactions from our website as a result of our advertising and PR, with enquiries coming directly from the contact form online, via email and via calls into our customer service department.

“We are a trade specialist so all retail enquiries and enquiries from smaller independent installers are handled by our customers, which means they are sharing directly in the success of our campaign.”

Part of the reason for the surge in enquiries is reportedly becuase Euroglaze’s website currently ranks on page 1 of Google searches for Rehau frames. This is attributed to the fact that the company’s web partner has updated the website’s architecture, switched the security protocols and kept pace with Google’s changing algorithms on SEO.

The new architecture also means the pages on the content rich site now load in milliseconds, ensuring that potential customers visiting the site are engaged for long enough to register their interest.

Martin Nettleton added: “We invested in the campaign to target those larger installation and distribution companies increasingly dissatisfied with the big fabricators who are starting to compete with them by setting up their own networks of trade counters and distribution outlets.

“We have vowed never to compete with our customers but instead to support them with exceptional product quality, friendly and efficient customer service and turnaround times of as little as 3 days. That’s proving a very powerful message particularly via the PR and we’ve been delighted with the response.

“A by-product of our success has been enquiries from smaller companies who want to buy our frames as well, and we are happy to forward these enquiries to our partners who can provide our products locally.”

www.euroglaze.co.uk

The post Euroglaze customers ‘see returns on marketing investment’ appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

The global powder coatings specification for powder coating over aluminium now in its 14th Edition has its strength in the ‘triple lock’ approval system, firstly, the pretreatment chemistry, secondly the application process, and thirdly the powder used, where for each of these three elements independent approval and inspection is required. For the vast majority of architectural applications, the standard QUALICOAT approved one coat system is perfect, where the strength of weathering is identified by the Class of powder chosen.

BUT there are a few occasions where real consideration can be given to the effective use of two coats. QUALICOAT, in recognition of these developments has now approved a number of excellent two coat systems, these can be seen on the approved powder systems list at www.qualicoat.net

“So, why two coats!”, I hear the refrain. “Is this a ruse by the industry to charge more for powder coating?”.   Well…..no.

Alan Maginnis – QUALICOAT UK & Ireland Chairman

Two coats, or multi coat systems have been available in the paint industry from the beginning, starting with wet paints. Powder coatings from their inception have penetrated the paint market well often on economic grounds as it is an effective one coat system. For powder coatings, as the technology has improved the use of multi coat systems has become more common place typically for industrial purposes over steel e.g. for plant, machinery and equipment.

For the architectural world for powder coating over aluminium a ‘two coat system’ maybe relevant in specific circumstances. What might these be?

The corrosion class of the environment where the building is located is the main consideration, followed by the material to be coated, and then from a commercial point of view, for the warranty period to be offered.

Environmental corrosion classes from C1 to C5 are outlined and described in ISO12944-2, where C5 is the most corrosive environment.

In more challenging environments (C4/C5) certain aluminium materials and fabrications may be more susceptible to corrosive attack.

Let us consider perforated aluminium sheets. Probably the weakest area for any paint finish is the sharp edge. Sheets have 4 sides and potentially 4 sharp edges. A perforated aluminium sheet additionally has 100’s of punched, sharp perforations. This multiplies the risk areas considerably.

Commercial Warranty.

QUALICOAT is a specification label and is not involved in such considerations. The approved applicator however and the approved powder supplier are the parties who offer warranties. Where a location is hazardous; where the coated part is challenging; where a long period warrant is required, a two coat system will help.

Two coats provide an additional barrier to the negative weathering effects of UV light, temperature and moisture. And a two coat system can provide superior edge coverage. For these reasons, an applicator who chooses an approved QUALICOAT two coat system may have more confidence in the warranty period to be offered after discussion with their powder supplier.

Two coat systems over aluminium are gathering traction and have a role to play in the armoury of QUALICOAT approvals designed to better tailor the finish quality to the clients’ requirements.

QUALICOAT remains one of the leading specifications because it evolves its approvals and tightens its limits with the 15th Edition due for release later this year. All designed to provide reassurance to the client. Quality and consistency of quality, continues to be highlighted by the association which includes third party testing of all certified powder formulations and pretreatment systems that make up the QUALICOAT approval process. For specification support, any member of the association can offer advice and guidance. For updated information about the use and specification of QUALICOAT in the UK and Ireland, please visit the associations’ website at www.qualicoatuki.org

Mike Davis, MD (left) and Jerry Webb, group chairman (right)

A specialist manufacturing company is celebrating yet another strong period of trading as it looks to end the year as a record-breaker.

In its last fiscal year, CDW Systems put in its best trading performance which saw the group turnover increase by 19%, resulting in it hitting the £10m mark for the first time in its history.

Directors at the group have revealed that they are now on course to surpass last year’s trading figures, with the launch of new products contributing to this.

Mike Davis, managing director, commented: “The climate remains tough as we have had consumer uncertainty take hold following the General Election, as well as Brexit and other external factors.

“But the world doesn’t stop turning and many consumers are still spending on home improvements and for companies offering the very best products and service, growth is more than possible.

We’ve been in business for more than twenty- five years and we’ve always been determined to never stand still. This means innovating, always developing and launching new products.”

Mike explained that the company had added Reynaers aluminium lift and slide patio door sets to its product portfolio this year; and the products had proved popular with installers.

The company has also grown its footprint in the UK, taking market share in both the north and south of the UK.

Jerry Webb, group chairman, commented: “Under Mike and the team’s leadership, CDW Systems continues to grow, working on a diverse range of projects with both installers and architects. The challenge we’ve set ourselves is to keep growing the business; improving our infrastructure and operations and supporting our customer base to the best of our abilities. We’re excited about the future.”

CDW Systems is also looking to extend its factory to support the continued growth as well as employing new people to work at its headquarters in Gloucester.

www.cdwsystems.co.uk

The post Growth continues at CDW appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Pilkington Activ, said to be ‘the world’s first self-cleaning glass’, has been independently verified and is believed to be the first dual-action product to meet the new European Standard for self-cleaning glass.

EN 1096-5 tests and classifies the self-cleaning performance of coated glass. It is the only independent assessment that can verify the performance of products that use hydrophilic and photocatalytic properties to enhance the cleanliness of the glass.

Pilkington Activ, which this year celebrates its 15th anniversary, uses a microscopic coating with a dual action. Firstly, the coating is activated by daylight to break down organic deposits such as dirt and then, when rainwater hits the glass, the coating allows the water to spread evenly and run off in a ‘sheet’ – removing any dirt at the same time.

Independently tested by the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films (IST) in Germany, this result further validates the performance of Pilkington Activ, which has previously achieved Class A, the highest classification for coating durability in accordance with EN 1096-2. This standard tests the durability of a coating to natural weathering conditions, as well as abrasion.

Andy McDowell, commercial director at Pilkington United Kingdom said: “We’re seeing increased demand across both the commercial and domestic markets for self-cleaning glass as occupiers and homeowners look for products that help cater to modern life. As the pioneers of self-cleaning glass it’s important that we continue to invest in and develop our product range to ensure it remains best in class.

“Not only will this standard provide peace of mind for homeowners, who can insist on installers supplying self-cleaning glass that passes this latest test, it will also enable specifiers to differentiate between products with an official self-cleaning performance and those without.

“Pilkington Activ helps to reduce the amount of time and money spent on window cleaning, while providing clearer, better-looking windows, and this latest achievement is testament to the quality and strength of our offering.”

www.pilkington.co.uk

The post Pilkington Activ cleans up in Europe appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

The Trojan Group is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2017. Tony Chadwick, Trojan’s Group Managing Director, said: “After 25 years our passion and desire to offer the best-designed hardware products in the market remains as strong as ever. I’d like to thank all our staff, both past and present, our customers and our suppliers for their support over the past 25 years and say here’s to the next quarter century!”

While the company’s core mission may have stayed the same, in terms of its size it has changed out of all recognition in the past 25 years. Today it has manufacturing bases in the UK, China and Vietnam and is one of the biggest names in door and window hardware.

The company has reached its status thanks to products such as the Stallion 2 Shootbolt, the Sparta 2 Window Handle and the Patriot Plus High Security Door Hinge and ranges such as the Stainless Steel product suite that have revolutionised the door and window industry and given fabricators and installers solutions that add value to their businesses. The company’s latest product developments such as the Document Q-compliant TS008 Unicorn Letterplate and the TS007 2* High Security Door Handle prove the company’s drive to deliver products that make a difference to its customers remains undimmed. Combined with an unrelenting focus on quality, reliability and cost-effectiveness, it’s no wonder that more businesses than ever rely on Trojan’s expertise.

Trojan is one of the door and window industry’s most impressive success stories and we look forward to celebrating the 50 year milestone!

www.trojangroup.com

Image Above:  New Lock Lock handle on Solidor Peacock Blue composite door

Solidor is the first to launch the new security handle, Lock Lock, on its composite doors. The Lock Lock handle from Brisant Secure was introduced to the market at the FIT show, with Solidor as its official launch partner.

Lock Lock is a stunning new addition to Solidor’s wide range of handles and is available to order from end of July. It passed the TS007 2* security test with ease and is designed to be used with the 3* Ultion cylinder. The patented design protects against cylinder picking, bumping, drilling and snapping. Flick the switch on the inside and Lock-Lock’s unique spindle block is activated, so the door can’t be opened from the outside, even if the cylinder is breached.

Lock Lock’s curved design is available from Solidor in five different finishes – the polished Gold handle perfectly complements Peacock Blue from the luxury door colour range. The chrome and gold finishes are achieved with two layers each of copper and nickel (conventional handles have just one), ensuring it looks better for longer.

Gareth Busson, Head of Sales & Marketing at Solidor, comments: “Solidor is already known for being one of the most secure composite doors on the market, with PAS24:2016, Approved Document Q and Secured By Design as standard. With Lock Lock and Ultion, we’ve got a practically unbeatable combination we’re calling 5 Star Security. And with 99.8% of orders delivered on time and in full, it’s backed by 5 Star Reliability. There are no compromises with Solidor.”

For more information call 01782 950 941, visit www.solidor.co.uk or follow @SolidorLtd.