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Spectus says it is just about to enhance its reputation as one of the best systems companies to partner with by launching its Excellence as Standard installer scheme at The FIT Show.

Carmen Velilla, Spectus’ brand manager, said: “The core aim of Excellence as Standard is to enhance loyalty and trust between installers and their homeowner customers. By signing up to the Excellence as Standard charter and obtaining member status, installers will be demonstrating that they are fully committed to raising standards and will profit from tangible benefits that will help them to grow their business.”

Benefits of signing up to the Excellence as Standard charter include access to qualified leads via the Excellence as Standard lead generation programme, access to Level 2 & Level 3 NVQ training courses at discounted rates, access to Excellence as Standard branded marketing material with bespoke options and potential kickback offers from Excellence as Standard Trusted Partners.

Spectus says it has always provided ‘the most powerful partnerships’ for fabricators and in its Excellence as Standard initiative, it is extending this to installers too. Carmen said: “We are especially keen to meet installers at The FIT Show to tell them more about Excellence as Standard and discuss how Spectus provides a great brand with the widest catalogue of products all backed up with genuinely proactive marketing and technical support.”

Alongside the launch of the Excellence as Standard scheme, Spectus will also be showcasing its product portfolio at the FIT Show. This includes the Elite 63 and Elite 70 systems for casements and tilt & turns, the newly enhanced Spectus VS for vertical sliders, the FRW reversible system and flush casement and flush tilt and turn styles. The company will also be launching a brand new range of prepped and unprepped composite doors. Also on show will be the latest additions to the company’s already impressive ancillary range: an enhanced triple glazing option and a two part cill that will further extend the opportunities available.

To find out more about what the Excellence as Standard installer scheme could bring to your business and see Spectus’ impressive product portfolio for yourself, visit stand B34 at The FIT Show, which runs 23 – 25 May at the NEC in Birmingham.

www.spectus.co.uk

The post Spectus to unveil installer scheme at The FIT Show appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

This year, The FIT Show 2017 is inviting guests to ‘step into the alleyways of deepest, darkest Paris’ for a burlesque themed gala dinner.

The event is only weeks away and according to The FIT Show’s organisers, ‘tickets are flying out the door faster than you can say “Toulouse Lautrec”.’

Taking place at The NEC, Birmingham, on the evening of Wednesday 24 May, the black tie event is reportedly set to be a sell out, despite increasing the capacity and being bigger then ever before, hosting more than 1,000 guests.

Featuring ‘lavish drapes, intimate lighting and raunchy entertainment’, The FIT Show says gala dinner guests can expect showgirls, can-can dancers, mime artists, contortionists and living statues from the burlesque show.

Hosted by Nick Knowles, TV presenter and star of SOS DIY: The Big Build, the evening will see guests enjoying a champagne reception, followed by a three-course meal with wine.

And after the newly introduced FIT Show Awards and the presentation of £10,000 worth of prize money to the winners of the Master Fitter Challenge, guests can party into the early hours with some ‘fun features’ and dancing.

Nickie West, event director for The FIT Show, said: “After last year’s roaring success with the Great Gatsby themed night, this year we are transporting gala dinner guests to another night of excitement and entertainment.

“We’re delighted Nick Knowles will be overseeing the proceedings and we’re sure everyone will be wowed by what’s in store, from the moment they arrive until the lights go up at the end of the evening. We look forward to see you there!”

For more information or to book a table at the gala dinner, contact Nickie@fitshow.co.uk.

The post Putting on the ritz at FIT appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Glazerite UK Group customer, Liverpool based Picton Glass and Joinery, completed an impressive renovation project recently in one of the city’s key conservation areas.

A total of 48 windows were installed on the Parkfield Road building, which is home to nine apartments in the Sefton Park area. The project took around three months to complete.

Frank Hare, owner of Picton, was approached by a long-standing customer to supply and install the windows and together, they worked with the city’s conversation department to satisfy specific planning requirements, which included providing sample windows and technical information for prior approval.

Frank said: “The installation included a selection of products to the front of the property, including Residence 9 flush casements and Veka vertical sliding windows, with Veka FS70 casements to the sides and rear of the building. The original timber architraves were retained inside to keep the authentic period appearance, and all were finished in a white foil. The property owner is really pleased with the finished results.”

Glazerite’s group director, Jason Thompson, said: “Looking around at the surrounding properties that still retain original windows it is very in keeping with the heritage style, but with greatly improved security and thermal efficiencies, and Frank’s customer will have much less upkeep over the years to come.”

Picton Glass was set up by Frank in 1969 and the family-owned firm has been buying from Glazerite for five years. Frank added: “We believe that Veka is one of the best profiles out there and as a small company that largely goes off recommendation, we believe in only using the best products to retain our quality reputation. Glazerite not only offers a fantastic product, but also a great support package, which we have made use of with marketing support such as flyers and brochures for local promotions.”

 www.pictonglassandjoinery.co.uk
www.glazeritewindows.co.uk

The post A conservative conservation installation from Picton appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

In a previous post I identified that price increases were one of the biggest threats to our industry right now. In a poll, plenty of you agreed. And it looks like we’re all about to be hit with another round of price increases. And they’re not going to be small ones.

I have been reliably informed that companies at the very beginning of the supply chain have begun to implement rather hefty price increases. These are coming from companies right at the very start, the ones that supply the systems companies with the raw materials they need to start making product. Those increases are going to filter down the supply chain fairly quickly. And after taking several price increases on the chin in 2016, this one is going to sting.

This one is also totally unjustified.

No clear reason

The last time price increases were implemented, the drop in the value of Sterling, higher oil prices and the rising cost of production were the main reasons. However, Sterling has stayed at it’s current level within a cent or two against other major currencies for quite a while now. Oil has actually dropped a fair old bit since the last price increase, which means the cost of production is as it was too. So where are these new price increases coming from?

Sterling can’t be blamed this time. Even diesel and petrol costs have been falling at forecourts. It was suggested to me that many will be using current economic conditions to boost their profit margins.

If so, that could present a very tricky argument for suppliers to put forward to their installers. I don’t think anyone begrudges anyone else from trying to make a profit. However, after a series of hefty increases not that long ago, and the economic situation not changing, these will be increases that most installers are going to find unjustified.

Perhaps if Sterling had fallen further, or oil had jumped up another $20 a barrel, or the economy was starting to tank Great Recession style then you could probably understand why prices would need to go up. But the status quo has not changed in real-time economic terms. So from the outside this would look just like profiteering.

A balance that’s becoming tougher

I know that as an installer if one of our suppliers came to us to tell us their prices were going up another 5% and they’re only justification was that they were being charged more by their syscos and there was no other reason, I’d be pretty peeved. Most installers understand that if things outside the industry have adverse effects then it will at some point hit them. If the reason appears to be “just because”, then that’s when things start to turn sour.

But internal industry politics isn’t the biggest issue here. The bigger one is how much of these increases you pass on to the home owner. Generally speaking the economy is still in good health despite Brexit. But inflation is starting to rise and the rate in which wages are growing is stagnating. This means spending power may becomes a little less strong in the coming months. As an industry, is now really the time to be increasing the price of our goods by large single percentage figures?

I am all for charging the right amount. Installers, fabricators and syscos all need to make a decent margin to keep their businesses in good health. But at the same time we have to be sensitive to those doing the buying, namely home owners. We sell big ticket items. Products that only get bought once or twice on average by most home owners. Therefore, home owners are sensitive to price. If our whole industry decides to start passing on these pretty large increases in full, we can expect to see home owners put their window and door purchases on the back burner until either their finances improve or our prices become more affordable.

It’s a difficult balance. We cannot afford as an industry for margins to be eaten away, nor can we raise prices too much that it limits home owners. The frustrating factor for installers will be that these next price increases won’t necessarily come with a reasonable excuse. So when those letters start to land on desks of installers, it;s likely that relationships between installers and their suppliers are going to be a tad strained.

Playing the situation

Where there is a problem there is also an opportunity. I am thinking from the point of view of a fabricator. It’s likely that most fabricators are going to be passing on their price increases in the coming weeks. It won’t go down well. You can bet that some installers who are already at breaking point with their current suppliers might feel as though this is the last straw.

The more opportunistic fabricators out there, prudent enough to see the long term advantage and not raised their prices by as much or at all, could step in. There will be certain fabricators out there who may be proactive enough to approach installers who buy from fabricators who have been raising their prices a number of times in recent months. This would be an ideal opportunity to steal some unhappy installers and boost their own figures in the mean time.

I personally believe competition between fabricators could become very heated in the coming months. The more bullish fabricators out there could market themselves to installers as the ones who didn’t raise prices when others have. They could attract a number of new installers to their ranks to boost their own revenues.

Still, the likely mass reaction to these increases will be to pass them down to installers, albeit at a watered down rate in comparison to further up the chain. The balancing act is about to get a bit more difficult.

The forthcoming 2017 FIT Show at Birmingham’s NEC has been billed as ‘the biggest and best yet’, and thanks to the late opening hours on the first day of the exhibition, exhibitors are making plans to ensure that the evening of ‘BIG Tuesday’ really will be one to remember.

The glass and glazing industry has always been known for its social scene, but with ‘BIG Tuesday’ allowing for an extension of opening hours to 8pm, visitors to this year’s show will be able to ‘mix business with pleasure’ thanks to everything from champagne receptions to ‘80s themed discos, a host of anniversary celebrations and even a pub quiz and ballet dancing performance, once the exhibition begins to unwind after 5pm.

For those looking to relax after what is likely to be a very busy first day, companies such as Victorian Sliders, Veka and The Camden Group will be offering visitors to their stands the chance to ‘let their hair down’ with drinks and nibbles, with Swisspacer UK laying on a champagne reception; Iceni Windows serving pizza, Prosecco and beer; ECI offering an assortment of Irish whiskey and Yale Door and Window Solutions a selection of bespoke cocktails from a gin bar.

Stevenswood will be hosting a party to mark its 20th year in business, Selecta Systems will be welcoming all-comers to its 35th birthday with an ‘80s and ‘90s disco and Advance70 Ice Bar, while both Roseview and the Glass and Glazing Federation will be celebrating 40th anniversaries in style.

James Lee, director of marketing and communications at the GGF, said: “Our stand for this year will include a special ‘Life Begins at 40’ members lounge. The FIT Show is a perfect opportunity to celebrate our 40th anniversary with the industry, and we are looking forward to welcoming both members and non-members for a few drinks and some fun entertainment!”

The likes of Ultraframe and the Synseal Group will also be inviting guests onto their stands on the evening of Big Tuesday, while others such as RegaLead, The Georgian Bar Company and KAT UK, will all be enjoying a ‘blast from the past’ with 1980s themed parties.

There will also be a competitive element to the proceedings, with The Window Company Contracts (UK) announcing the winner of a Makita on-site battery powered radio and AluK challenging visitors and exhibitors alike to take on its team of ‘AluK Experts’ in the Big FIT Show Quiz. Sika will also be offering prizes for ‘gunning out’ the straightest line with one of its specialist adhesive dispensers, although visitors might be advised to attempt this before venturing onto the drinks parties elsewhere in the show!

Last but not least, OnLevel will literally be taking it to another level with performances from Dutch ballet dancer, Nathalie Hombergh, and close up magician, Robert Ellams.

The FIT Show takes place 23-25 May 2017. To book a stand 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 Are you FIT for ‘Big Tuesday’? appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

March data revealed a slowdown in growth across the UK construction sector, led by a weaker rise in residential building activity. The latest survey also pointed to only a marginal increase in new work, which contributed to slower employment growth and a slight decline in input buying.

However, construction companies remain relatively upbeat about their near-term growth prospects, partly reflecting a stabilisation of client confidence from the post-referendum lows seen in 2016. Optimism regarding year-ahead business activity picked up in March to its second highest since December 2015.

The seasonally adjusted Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dropped from 52.5 in February to 52.2 in March, to signal the joint-slowest upturn in overall construction output since the current period of expansion began in September 2016.

Tim Moore, senior economist at IHS Markit and author of the Markit/CIPS Construction PMI, said: “UK construction firms experienced a growth slowdown in March, with the loss of momentum centred on housebuilding. A weaker trend for residential work has been reported throughout 2017 so far, which provides an indication that the cooling UK housing market has started to act as a drag on the construction sector.

“Civil engineering projects were the construction sector’s main growth engine in March, driven by rising infrastructure spending and a strong pipeline of new work throughout the UK.

“March data showed a slight rebound in commercial construction activity. Survey respondents noted that the resilient economic backdrop and receding Brexitrelated anxieties have helped to stabilise client demand after the disruption to development projects last summer.

“Despite a relatively subdued rise in new work during March, UK construction firms reported a more sanguine assessment of their year-ahead growth prospects. Business confidence was among the highest seen since the end of 2015, which construction companies linked to upcoming tender opportunities, plans for increased marketing expenditure and hopes of a sustained recovery in clients’ willingness to spend.”

Duncan Brock, director of customer relationships at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “Where the housing sector acted as the main engine of growth over the last four years, this month it was slower and stuttering, while overall purchasing activity in the construction sector was disappointingly tame, shackled by a lack of new orders and rising costs.

“This downbeat effect took a small bite out of any strong rises in employment levels, as the increase in staff hiring was at a three-month low. But as the sector showed strong optimism for future business, concerns over the skilled labour availability are likely to persist in coming months.

“Pressure on suppliers remained intense, as they battled against lower stocks and made greater efforts to fight the pincer movement of a shortage in some materials and the continued force of higher global commodity prices.

“Now the trigger has been pulled to propel the UK out of the EU, the construction sector must keep an attentive eye on how the UK Government’s negotiations will play out and whether consumer and business caution returns to hamper further progress.”

The post Weaker housing activity growth weighs on UK construction sector appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Spectus is just about to enhance its reputation as one of the best systems companies to partner with by launching its Excellence as Standard installer scheme at the FIT Show. Carmen Velilla, Spectus’ Brand Manager, says: “The core aim of Excellence as Standard is to enhance loyalty and trust between installers and their homeowner customers. By signing up to the Excellence as Standard charter and obtaining member status, installers will be demonstrating that they are fully committed to raising standards and will profit from tangible benefits that will help them to grow their business.”

Benefits of signing up to the Excellence as Standard charter include access to qualified leads via the Excellence as Standard lead generation programme, access to Level 2 & Level 3 NVQ training courses at discounted rates, access to Excellence as Standard branded marketing material with bespoke options and potential kickback offers from Excellence as Standard Trusted Partners.

Spectus has always provided the most powerful partnerships for fabricators and in its Excellence as Standard initiative it is extending this to installers too. Carmen comments: “We are especially keen to meet installers at the FIT Show to tell them more about Excellence as Standard and discuss how Spectus provides a great brand with the widest catalogue of products all backed up with genuinely proactive marketing and technical support.”

Alongside the launch of the Excellence as Standard scheme, Spectus will also be showcasing its product portfolio at the FIT Show. It includes the Elite 63 and Elite 70 systems for casements and tilt & turns, the newly enhanced Spectus VS for vertical sliders, the FRW reversible system and flush casement and flush tilt and turn styles. The company will also be launching a brand new range of prepped and unprepped composite doors. Also on show will be the latest additions to the company’s already impressive ancillary range: an enhanced triple glazing option and a two part cill that will further extend the opportunities available.

To find out more about what the Excellence as Standard installer scheme could bring to your business and see Spectus’ impressive product portfolio for yourself, visit stand B34 at the FIT Show, which runs 23 – 25 May at the NEC in Birmingham.

www.spectus.co.uk

Image Above: Global President of QUALICOAT, Mo Panam of Barley Chalu

QUALICOAT UK & Ireland were proud to be supporters of the 2017 Surface World Live Show recently held at the NEC. Now located in a Hall 7, the show brought together specialists in the coatings industry to discuss new equipment, techniques and systems. QUALICOAT UK & Ireland offered a ‘drop-in’ stand to answer visitors questions about the association and technical issues.

QUALICOAT UK & Ireland were delighted that the Global President of QUALICOAT, Mo Panam of Barley Chalu, took time to be at the show and offer visitors a unique insight to the workings of the association. His seminar, titled ‘Maintaining Quality and Maximising Sustainability’ explained how the association continues to push the boundaries of what we know about architectural coating and at the same time offers the only independent member inspection regime in the industry.

Jan Lukaszewski, QUALICOAT UK & Ireland’s Technical Secretary, manned the associations busy stand at the exhibition, where a number of interesting leads were taken. Jan offered technical support with discussion and guidance to places on internet which were known to be authoritative sources of information.

Copies of the Qualicoat standard, currently in its fourteenth edition, with a 15^th edition available soon, is downloadable through the UK association website, www.qualicoatuki.org, together with an up to date list of manufacturers and applicators. Printed literature and telephone support is available from Qualicoat UK & Ireland’s Head Office in Birmingham on 0121 601 6746. You can also follow the association on Twitter @Qualicoat.

Supaglaze Ltd, trading as Shepley, has undertaken a management-led acquisition with new investment partner CorpAcq Ltd, which purchased all shares on 24 March 2017.

CorpAcq specialises in buying successful companies, and has a philosophy of keeping their existing identity and culture. These things are important to the management team at Shepley.

Along with the investment, Ian Griffiths becomes managing director, with Tony Ball as Shepley’s sales director and Lindsey Roden as finance director. The outgoing MD Tim Walker and operations director, Tony Fry, remain on hand to offer support.

“Careful consideration went into choosing CorpAcq, who we believe is the ideal fit for Shepley,” says Ian Griffiths. “We wanted a partner with whom we could maintain our independence. CorpAcq is a local company based down the road in Altrincham and it invests in successful companies for long-term growth.”

Shepley is said to be the UK’s largest fabricator exclusively using Rehau frames. The investment sees it continue to strengthen its customer support and products.

“So it’s business as usual for Shepley,” added Ian. “We will continue to develop the successful business plan that has been in place for the past nine years to deliver high quality products and fast reliable service to customers.”

www.shepley.com

The post New investment for Shepley appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).