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At the back end of March, TruFrame customer Spire Glass, e-mailed to say that a combination of TruFrame’s manufacturing quality, combined with choice of hardware partner, Yale, had helped ‘avert a burglary’.

There were numerous attempts to prise the sashes open on a window combination, at a house located in Salisbury, Wiltshire, but thankfully with no success. It was only when the homeowner concerned, realised what had happened later that week, when they were cleaning the window boards.

The Yale lifetime warranty, offered with all TruFrame windows and doors, is said to be a ‘major selling point’ to consumers, especially given the fact that it reportedly has a 98% brand recognition with homeowners. In this instance, the combination of one of the most highly regarded PVC-U frame manufacturers with a global hardware brand, has ensured that the homeowner didn’t suffer a break in, or any consequential loss.

Sam Locke, operations manager of Spire Glass. commented: “What could have been a potentially disastrous ending to the story, has been thwarted thanks to the quality of the TruFrame window frame and the Yale hardware. The homeowner needs a new window, but doesn’t have to consider the cost of any losses, nor the emotional distress. This is a clear message that product quality and specification has never been so important within the industry.”

David Firmager, managing director of TruFrame, concluded: “Every 45 seconds in the UK, there is an attempted burglary and every 76 seconds, it’s successful. So, it’s for good reason that we spend so much time on ensuring our frames are manufactured to the most exacting of tolerances and furnished with what we believe is the best hardware specification, backed up with an impressive lifetime warranty.”

www.truframe.co.uk
www.spireglass.com

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Innovation has always been key to the success of Liniar – and this philosophy has now been acknowledged at the highest level with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

The accolade, recognising outstanding achievement in the Innovation category, has been bestowed upon the Liniar ModLok™ bi-folding door. This is testament to the impact the ground-breaking product has had on the fenestration industry since its launch in 2014. The unique ModLok™ exoskeleton, combining reinforcement and security with a patented thermal lock, offers a PVCu bi-fold that acts as an aluminium door.

The prestigious annual awards, announced on the Queen’s birthday, means Liniar joins a very select group of UK businesses to be honoured by Her Majesty.

Only 1,357 companies have been awarded the Innovation accolade since it was launched 51 years ago, with Liniar among around just 50 firms adding to that list this year.

With just over 6,000 companies receiving a Queen’s Award across all categories since its 1966 inception, this highlights how difficult it is to earn the honour.

“The Queen’s Award is the ultimate tribute for a business,” said Liniar CEO Roger Hartshorn. “So to win an award, particularly for innovation, is a massive honour.

“I’m delighted that the Liniar ModLok™ bi-fold has been recognised for its revolutionary design. It’s a great reflection on the exceptional team we have here and the high standards of the products we have created.

“Not only is this award great news for us as a company, but it’s also fantastic for our customers who will benefit from the prestige that this will bring by underlining the outstanding quality of the ModLok™ bi-fold to homeowners .

“Winning this award comes in the same year we’ll officially open our impressive new 178,000ft² warehouse and showroom facility, further cementing our commitment to expansion and improvement.”

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the highest official UK awards for British businesses and were established by Royal Warrant in 1965.

The awards are made on the advice of the Prime Minister after examination of applications by an advisory committee composed of leading individuals from industry, commerce, trade unions and government.

Roger has been invited to attend a reception held by Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace, and Liniar will be visited during the year by a royal representative to present the physical award of a crystal chalice and scroll.

The Liniar ModLok bi-folding door is part of the fully matching, energy efficient range of Liniar products. Launched in 2008, the Liniar range is designed and manufactured by HL Plastics at its state-of-the-art factory in Derbyshire. The innovative range of lead-free uPVC windows, doors and conservatories continues to take the industry by storm and remains one of the fastest-growing systems in the UK.

Find out more about the Liniar ModLok bi-fold at www.liniar.co.uk/doors/pvcu-bifold/modlok-bi-fold

Activity in the construction industry is rising at a faster pace following the EU referendum than initially expected according to the latest forecasts by the Construction Products Association (CPA). Construction output is expected to rise each year between 2017-2019, by 1.3% in 2017, 1.2% in 2018 and 2.3% in 2019.

While the figures may fuel hope of a resilient UK construction industry amid Brexit-related anxieties and rising costs, the growth masks a considerable difference in activity across the key construction sectors. Infrastructure projects are expected to be the industry’s main growth engine, driven by a strong National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline valued at £300 billion over the next four years.

In particular, growth to 2019 is expected to be primarily driven by a 34.5% increase in infrastructure activity due to major projects in the energy, rail a

Noble Francis

nd water sub-sectors, which would offset expected falls in commercial and industrial construction.

House building is also expected to remain a key source of growth, with private house building starts rising by 7.2% between 2017 and 2019, underpinned by a continued upward trend in house prices, demand from first-time buyers and the Help to Buy equity loans. In 2016, Help to Buy accounted for 39.8% of new home sales in Q4 and has been a significant government policy for supporting building activity.

Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association said: “Construction output has been sustained post-referendum, primarily due to projects signed up to before June 2016. Activity is expected to remain strong in the first half of this year in all the key construction sectors: private housing, commercial, industrial and infrastructure. Looking further forward, a fall in contract awards during the second half of last year, is likely to impact greatest where Brexit uncertainty affects sectors requiring high investment up front for a long term rate of return, such as commercial offices and industrial factories.

“We forecast that output in commercial offices will fall 1.0% this year and a further 12.0% in 2018. Industrial factories construction is expected to fall 5.0% in 2017 and 4.0% in 2018. However, this is expected to be offset by strong growth in infrastructure and private housing. Infrastructure construction is expected to increase by 7.3% in 2017 and 11.1% in 2018, primarily driven by major projects such as main works at Hinkley Point C and High-Speed 2. Private housing starts are forecast to rise 3.0% in 2017 and 2.0% in both 2018 and 2019.

“Looking forward, given the dependence of construction industry growth on activity in the infrastructure and private housing sectors, it is essential that government focuses on delivery of infrastructure projects in its National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline. In addition, as major house builders are reliant upon Help to Buy equity loans, which are due to end in 2021, it is vital that government outlines its plans early to support house building growth as we approach the end of the scheme.”

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Finding the right glazing products and evaluating the technical performances of your glazing specification has just got easier with the launch of CalumenLive by Saint-Gobain Building Glass. CalumenLive is a free online and responsive specification tool, giving you access to the information you need directly on your mobile device, laptop, PC, Mac or tablet.

CalumenLive is the new and improved successor to Calumen II, delivering a more intuitive and fluid user experience for glass configuration and insulated glass unit (IGU) composition. The new interface also enables you to share your results faster as you can email them directly from within the service or export your specification as a pdf document.

By using CalumenLive’s range of filters you can search based on the “comfort” factors that are most important to your project, such as maximising light transmission, minimising solar heat gain, achieving high performance acoustics, reducing external light reflectance or a host of other options. As a cloud based system, CalumenLive updates automatically, ensuring the next time you login, you have access to the very latest product information and technical data. CalumenLive is a free service and registering an account is quick and easy. Try it now by visiting www.calumenlive.com.

The post Saint-Gobain Building Glass launches CalumenLive: online glass specification tool appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

Visitors to Epwin Window Systems’ stand at this year’s FIT Show will find plenty to interest them. Sharn Samra, Marketing Director at the company, commented: “We will have new innovations across all our window and door brands on display, all designed to help our customers grow their businesses.”

Visitors will be able to explore the new enhancements on the  Spectus vertical slider and see just why it remains the VS of choice for so many businesses. The game changing Optima system from Profile 22, winner of the New Product of the Year category at the 2016 G Awards, will also be on display. Swish Windows and Doors will be showcasing its newly enhanced range of colours, which now includes 28 colours from stock and available on express delivery. And PatioMaster, one of the UK’s leading patio door brands, will be introducing three key developments on its inline sliding door, all designed to open up new opportunities in this product sector.

Visitors to the stand will also be able to find out about Epwin’s range of over 80 ancillaries, including the latest additions. The range suites across all systems, making life easier for fabricators and installers as well as giving their customers more choice. And businesses that work in the new build sector will want to visit the stand to see the depth of the Epwin offering and the new developments being introduced in this area.

Away from the products, installers will want to find out more about Excellence as Standard, Epwin’s ground-breaking new affiliation programme that will be launched at the show. Member benefits include qualified leads via the Excellence as Standard lead generation programme, access to training courses, Excellence as Standard branded marketing material with bespoke options and offers from Excellence as Standard Trusted Partners.

In short, fabricators and installers who are already Epwin customers will want to visit the stand to find out more about the new developments designed to help their businesses. And businesses who aren’t already customers will want to visit to find out more about what the company has to offer.

www.epwin.co.uk

Mila has delivered what for many fabricators is the perfect combination of security and durability. It has launched a new version of its hugely popular ProSecure two star security handle in Supa stainless steel.

The SupaSecure handle is designed primarily for use in coastal and high pollution environments, but Mila also expects it to appeal to all those fabricators who are increasingly using stainless steel hardware to target the buoyant premium sector of the doors market.

Richard Gyde, Mila’s Managing Director, said: “We’ve responded to specific demand from customers who want to be able to supply stainless steel as a standard option on their premium composite doors and offer it as an upgrade on their other ranges, without compromising on security.

“The big advantage of the new SupaSecure is that it has all the security credentials of our existing zinc alloy, two star ProSecure handle, including PAS24 and Secured by Design accreditation, combined with the proven performance and durability of our Supa stainless steel. We think that’s a winning combination.”

Like the ProSecure handle, the SupaSecure version can be used with a 1 star cylinder to meet the requirements of TS007. It features chamfered backplate shoulders to provide anti-grip protection for mole grip resistance and an integrated cylinder guard visibly raised within the backplate to protect against snapping. The cylinder face itself is fully shielded by a slotted, rotating disc.

The SupaSecure handle is available in both Mila’s SS304 extreme grade stainless steel for general applications and in SS316 marine grade for postcode regions within 10 miles of the coast and areas of high pollution.

Mila is so confident in the quality of the material and on its testing and quality assurance procedures that it offers a straightforward 25 year guarantee on both the performance and finish of the handle, as long as the right grade has been chosen for that location. There is even a postcode checking service available to make it easy for installers to fit the right one.

Before launch, the Supa handle range was independently performance tested to hardware standard BS EN 1906 Grade 4 at Exova and the 316 grade passed more than 1000 hours in a salt spray test.

The new SupaSecure handle is the latest addition to Mila’s extensive stainless steel range, which already includes a standard door handle, letter plates, door knockers and escutcheons, enabling customers to offer a fully suited standard or premium door. The whole range is also available in three colour options – polished stainless steel, polished gold stainless and brushed satin stainless steel to suit all tastes and door styles.

Further details are at: www.mila.co.uk

This year’s FIT Show is proving to be a massive hit with new exhibiting companies, who see the opportunities that they confidently expect will come from being present at one of the best trade shows in the business.

The show, which takes place at Birmingham’s NEC from 23^rd to 25^th May, has attracted no fewer than 99 new exhibiting companies, illustrating the huge interest it can generate within the industry.

FIT Show organisers are delighted that so many new companies have signed up to show off their products and services. Companies exhibiting for the first time include Gwent-based AluK, for whom – as the name suggests – aluminium lies at the heart of everything it does.

Door companies Longden Doors and Mexin Doors have both booked their spot for 2017, so too has the newly formed price comparison site for window prices for homeowners, Comparemywindows.com, as has sealants company European Chemical Industries.

The decision to move the show to the NEC has clearly proved popular with the industry, with its larger exhibition space and the added bonus of great facilities nearby, including bars, hotels, restaurants and health clubs.

The venue move, together with the thumbs-up from the industry, shows how the FIT Show is going from strength to strength.

And while remaining space is at a premium, there is still time to book a spot in which to showcase your product or service. But hurry, with all these new exhibitors coming on board, you’ll have to be quick!

Taking place 23-25th May 2017, to book a stand at FIT Show 2017 please contact Freya Humphries on: 07572 623457, or email: freya@fitshow.co.uk. To register as a visitor for FIT Show 2017 visit: www.livebuzzreg.co.uk/2017/fit17

The post FIT Show 2017 reveals nearly 100 brand new exhibitors appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

Picture above: Mike Davis, CDW Managing Director

China has spent decades building its industrial capacity but is now turning its attention to pollution as the priority policy.

The recently introduced Air Pollution Control regulation has been imposed to eliminate coal usage and reduce the emissions of almost every other pollutant across 28 cities.

As part of this, the government has imposed targets to cut industrial metals production including aluminium.

Although aluminium is considered a ‘green’ building material, many older and smaller production facilities in the cities source their power from coal, the main target of China’s anti-pollution initiative.

As a result, China is forcing aluminium smelters to cut outputs by 30 per cent over the winter heating season (November – March), with estimates that the cuts will mean the loss of 2.71 million tonnes of aluminium.

China is the world’s largest producer of aluminium and it is anticipated the new environmental regulations will impact supply-demand dynamics, sending shockwaves through the global supply chain.

The news has already seen a hike in global aluminium prices. On the London Metal Exchange, aluminium hit a near two-year high of $1,957 per tonne.

Mike Davis, Managing Director of aluminium specialist CDW Systems, comments: “The aluminium market’s main problem for many years has been over-supply, primarily in China so a cut in output will help to reduce the vast inventory overhang and hopefully work towards a long-term reduction in output from China.

“There is no denying the new regulations will have an impact on the global supply chain, driving up supplier prices and putting pressure on manufacturers to do the same. But the years of excess production should provide a cushion against drastic disruption.”

For more information call 01452 414853 or visit www.cdwsystems.co.uk

Duncan Wietscher, director of Newview Windows & Conservatories

A new report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has reportedly revealed that the UK construction industry could lose almost 200,000 EU workers post-Brexit.

The report warns that failure to secure access to the single market could place the UK’s predicted £500 billion infrastructure pipeline under threat.

Duncan Wietscher, director of Newview Windows & Conservatories, commented: “It is in our best interests to make a success of Brexit and secure the best trade deals we can, but a loss of access to the single market has the potential to impact in the short term, making it harder for our cities to compete on a global stage and negatively impacting the economy.

“We desperately need to secure access to the single market or put alternative plans in place to safeguard the future of construction and our country.”

Much of the industry is dependent on EU workers, with 30% of construction professionals surveyed by RICS reportedly stating that hiring non-UK workers was important to the success of their businesses.

Duncan stresses that more importance should be placed on technical construction skills. He commented: “A simple first step would be to ensure that construction professions feature on the ‘UK Shortage Occupations List’. You can forge a good career in construction and we need to ensure the next generation is aware of this and prepare our own young people to enter a profession with a proven career path.”

Chancellor Philip Hammond briefly addressed the construction skills shortage in the March Budget, with the confirmation of the launch of new T-Level qualifications.

More than £500m a year is to be spent on new-style technical courses that offer an alternative route than A-levels into many careers, with construction prominent among them.

“While it is good to see, the skills shortage recognised as a priority issue, the new technical education reforms will be a drop in the ocean compared to the numbers we need to meet the demands created by our infrastructure programme. The industry needs to act now. We have to be relentless in securing a stable pipeline of nationally significant projects that will fuel economic growth,” concluded Duncan.

www.newview-homes.co.uk

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