Blog

RegaLead has announced the launch of new marketing to support customers of ColorSpray, its specialist coatings division for the glass and fenestration sectors.

Joint Managing Director Guy Hubble comments: “First introduced in 2008, the ColorSpray paint range which includes Original, Ceramic and Aqua has transformed the way in which glass is back painted. But as you’d expect from RegaLead, we do so much more than manufacture and supply the paint systems. We offer extensive marketing support too to ensure that ColorSpray customers have the tools needed to help them achieve glass painting success.

“New for 2017, we’ve launched sample packs, colour swatches and folders to bring colour to life; personalised brochures with ideas for back painting applications and designs for inspiration; showroom support including stunning product sample displays – one wall mounted and one free standing that can accommodate 19 colours or effects to help homeowners envisage their new kitchen or bathroom; and enhanced our splashback designer software with interactive colour configurator to any RAL colour. We all know that a picture can speak a thousand words but this new marketing support goes one step further, and shouts colour!’

For more information and to download the ColorSpray marketing brochure, please visit www.regalead.co.uk or call 0161 946 1164.

Trade fabricator Novaseal recently launched its exclusive Slim 60 lantern roof, and reports that feedback has been outstanding.

Home improvement specialist and builder Thomas & Son (Ltd) was the first Novaseal customer to install the new roof last year. According to Managing Director Jason Thomas, the Slim 60 roof is well-made, easy to install and a fantastic way of gaining extra space and light in flat roof extensions: “Slim 60 looks great and customer feedback has been excellent. It’s ideal for flat roof extensions – a cost-effective alternative to pitched roofs – because it lets more light in. And from an installer’s point of view, Slim 60 is quick and simple to put together.”

Thomas & Son has since installed several Slim 60 roofs and says demand for Novaseal conservatories is very strong. The family-run company has been buying from Novaseal for nearly 20 years: “We rely on Novaseal for a wide range of top quality products”, adds Jason. “Thomas & Son was established over 20 years ago and we’ve built our reputation on providing homeowners with top quality installations backed by a prompt and reliable service. Novaseal is the perfect fit for our business and we consider Novaseal a one-stop-shop for a wide range of products – we don’t buy from any other fabricator.”

Established in 1998, Novaseal is a leading trade fabricator in the South of England, supplying a wide range of home improvement products including Deceuninck PVC-U windows and doors, aluminium windows and doors, bi-fold doors, conservatories and PVC-U roofline. The company has enjoyed significant growth in recent years and opens a new purpose-built factory later this year.

For more information on Novaseal visit www.novaseal.co.uk or call 01329 233 500. Follow @NovasealLtd.

Modplan have long held a reputation for manufacturing one of the most comprehensive product ranges on the market today and their conservatory roof portfolio is no exception. With several roofing options available, Managing Director, Heidi Sachs is clear as to why choice is important. She comments: “We understand the importance of introducing homeowners to the difference that the right roof can make. Because while glass and polycarbonate are still the most popular options, there are a wealth of different solutions out there. Having a selection of these solutions in your portfolio will open up even more opportunities than ever before and mean you have the right solution no matter what the situation.”

The LEKA Warm Roof from Modplan is the latest addition to Modplan’s roof solutions and is ideal for new build and retro-fit projects. The LEKA Warm Roof is said to be up to 40% lighter than other solid roofs on the market today and has a U value of just 0.15W/m²K making it one of the best insulators of its kind too. It’s the only GRP structured, fully thermally layered roof on the market and because it has no aluminium or wood, there is no cold bridging or condensation.

For installers looking for a choice of glass, polycarbonate or tile-effect roof options, the Vertex conservatory roof system offers a unique one piece GRP peripheral main beam incorporating an integral gutter, giving the roof a much greater inherent strength. It’s been part of the Modplan portfolio for many years and is available with ogee or dentil moulding.

For installers looking for the traditional conservatory roof, Wendland is a highly configurable roofing system that can be used on all Modplan’s conservatories. It’s a BBA-approved system and has an array of design options.

Modplan recently added LivinRoom and Loggia to their portfolio and it has been an incredibly popular addition. At its heart, it is a classic conservatory roof system, but the addition of an internal engineered steel frame that is plastered to give a perimeter ceiling creates the sophisticated feel that today’s homeowner demands.

All Modplan’s roofing solutions are manufactured in their dedicated roofing facility at its headquarters near Newport Gwent.

For more information on any of the Modplan’s products and support, Ask the Man from Modplan.

www.modplan.co.uk

Specialist fabricator Mercury Glazing has just revealed that sales of its Spectus Vertical Slider are up 15% year on year. Chris Reeks, Mercury’s Sales and Marketing Director, commented: “Double digit growth in a year is impressive and reflects the market’s increasing interest in specialist windows as well as our ability to deliver a quality product.”

But Chris says that what is interesting about the growth is how it breaks down. “We tend to think of Vertical Sliders as being products for heritage projects. But our sales breakdown reveals something very interesting. While white foil is the most popular colour, over half of orders are for coloured profiles. And of those, one of the biggest sellers is Anthracite Grey, indicating that the market is mixing the traditional looks of a VS window with a modern colour.”

Chris says that the most popular choice of glazing detail remains the Astragal bar, which Mercury colour codes to foils where required. He has also noticed an increased demand for curved verticals and commented: “The interest in what is a very specialised area indicates two things. First that the market is making bolder decisions in modern window design and second that PVCu Vertical Sliders have gained complete acceptance in heritage properties.”

Mercury Glazing is one of the UK’s largest Spectus Vertical Slider manufacturers and says its sales figures are an excellent guide to wider trends in the market.

www.mercuryglazing.co.uk

The Glazerite UK Group Ltd may have earned an enviable reputation for supplying one of the most expansive product ranges on the market – including four PVC-U and conservatory roof systems, two flush sash systems and a full compliment of bi-fold, patio and composite doors – but with a dedicated in-house design and marketing team, business and technical support, plus a host of installer support schemes, it offers one of the industry’s most comprehensive support packages as well.

Thanks to its marketing team, Glazerite is equipped to help customers with everything from bespoke sales brochures, advertising and website design, to advice on how to manage social media, access the latest state-of-the-art online ordering and quoting software and much more besides.

The company’s technical and business support is equally as impressive, offering professional guidance on industry legislation, human resources, accounting, IT and health and safety – as are its quality management system and production standards, which ensure all products are CE and Kite marked, and come with 10 year guarantees, including all ironmongery, which is in excess of the manufacturers warranties.

In addition to that, Glazerite also provides a wide range of support packages to its customers. These include membership of Network VEKA and its Approved Installer Scheme, the EdgeTech SuperSpacer Dealership Installer and Saint-Gobain Planitherm Installer Network schemes, plus extended guarantee and insurance schemes from hardware suppliers MACO, ERA and Ultion.

Combine all that with the Assure Windows and Doors competent person scheme, that provides help on Minimum Technical Competency, Insurance Backed guarantees, WER’s and DER’s and its clear to see that Glazerite really has gone the extra mile for both existing and prospective customers.

Glazerite’s National Sales and Marketing manager, Chris Thompson, said: “To compliment our extensive and market leading product range, we provide an outstanding package of support that can be used in its entirety, or with the option for customers to pick and choose what they think will work best for them.

“We offer the same support for any size business – from a small trader working from home, to large companies with multiple showrooms and trade counters – so should our customers need advice on anything from sales software to a new website and everything in between, Glazerite has the expertise and resources to help.”

www.glazeritewindows.co.uk  

Birmingham based trade fabricator Flair Windows has recently switched fully to the Yale Mantis 3 door lock for its Kömmerling PVCu single and double doors. Originally Flair used Mantis on just their PAS24 doors but decided to fit them ‘across the board’ following positive feedback from customers and installers.

Flair advises that, in addition to the lock’s performance, the instant brand recognition that comes with all Yale’s products as standard was a major reason to move exclusively to the product.

The locks are supplied by VBH, who provide Flair with greenteQ and Yale hardware for their PVCu and aluminium production lines.

The lock is part of a Yale/greenteQ hardware package that has been tested to PAS24 at BSI. The resulting certification enables Flair’s installer customers to quote for new-build work as they can produce documented evidence that their doors meet the requirements of Document Q.

Flair was recently presented with Certificates of Excellence for its doors, windows and PremiFold slide and swing products by VBH. The certificates state the hardware required for Flair’s products to meet the Document Q standard, and are prominently displayed for customers to view.

Other PAS24 products coming out of Flair’s factory include aluminium bi-fold doors using the greenteQ Clearspan hardware system, and tilt and turn windows.

Dan Powell of VBH says ‘Flair is a prime example of a company who constantly seeks ways to help their customers sell, as they demonstrated last year with the introduction of PremiFold.

‘By supplying Document Q-ready products fitted with market leading Yale and greenteQ hardware they are once again providing their customers with the tools needed to be successful in new markets.’

Adrian Keegan of Flair added ‘The decision to switch 100% to Yale locks was an easy one for us as it standardises our products at a high quality level and reduces our stock holding.

‘The fact that we can now supply so many PAS24 and Document Q approved products across doors, windows and patios means that we are in a position to quote for larger, more prestigious jobs than ever before, including new-build contracts. VBH have been invaluable in helping us get to where we want to be.’

Further information on Flair’s product range can obtained from www.flairwindows.com or by calling 0121 624 5001.

Darren Cunliffe joins Ultraframe as head of customer services on a mission to “put the customer at the heart of every decision we make”. Strong words, but with an impressive track record of working in businesses both in the home improvement industry and in the roadside assistance industry, Darren feels his expertise of working in high-pressured environments and offering immediate solutions will bring real benefit to Ultraframe customers.

Darren explains: “a vast amount of my experience has been in businesses where the customer service team has been relied upon to deliver immediate solutions to issues, it’s that fast-acting approach that I want to finesse at Ultraframe. You hear a lot about “customer excellence” in most businesses and I am really impressed by what I’ve already seen at Ultraframe, but like any function there is always room for improvement, particularly around upskilling and empowering the team to take immediate and decisive action. I’m also keen to ensure that our fabricator customers get the service they need, fabricators have a unique set of requirements compared to our retail customers and it’s vital that we continually recognise that and deliver on it.”

Commenting on Darren’s appointment, operations director Andy Crowe says: “Darren has previously worked in some really challenging environments where delivering an immediate and credible solution to an issue has been critical. His expertise at process management together with the customer service team’s knowledge will deliver a fantastic resource for our customers.”

Six years ago Ultraframe transformed the conservatory industry with the development of two industry-changing components – Cornice and LivinRoom insulated pelmet. Both systems were designed to give retailers value-added components that would allow them to transform a simple conservatory into something far more elegant, desirable and with the addition of LivinRoom, improved thermal efficiency. Today, with thousands of Ultraframe installations across the UK, Ultraframe’s LivinRoom is still the most flexible and thermally efficient pelmet system on the market, with many retailers citing upwards of 50% of their installations containing LivinRoom, Cornice or both.

Today, Ultraframe has revealed its new Cornice range giving retailers even further scope to give home owners a unique extension. The new range includes the original ‘classic’ Cornice and the addition of a contemporary ‘flat’ Cornice available as 1, 2 and 3 tiers.  Explaining the rationale for the new Cornice range, Ultraframe Design & Development Director Andrew Thomson comments: “the adoption of Cornice and LivinRoom has been incredible. For many of our network partners, the inclusion of both components has almost become standard across their builds, delivering a more refined look akin to a contemporary Orangery.”

The addition of the three new Cornice options available in any colour further enhances the opportunity for retailers to ‘bespoke’ every design and builds in a further layer of profit opportunity versus a standard conservatory. One of the key attributes of the LivinRoom insulated pelmet is its variable internal projection which allows retailers to choose the optimum width (300mm – 1200mm) to achieve the desired look of the interior space. As Andrew explains: “We’re seeing growth in demand for solid roofs, but for homeowners who want to retain a large proportion of glass and achieve a real-room feel, the integration of a wide LivinRoom insulated pelmet delivers the best of both worlds.”

Coupled with the new range of Cornice, Ultraframe is convinced that this ‘mix and match’ approach will continue to give retailers vast opportunity to maximise the profit opportunity of every job.

Andrew concludes: “our offer to retailers is entirely focused on giving them the broadest range of products that allows them to deliver against any brief – regardless of its simplicity or complexity. Whether a home owner is looking for an Orangery style structure but has the budget for a conservatory, then for a relatively small price uplift they can achieve an Orangery look and feel with the simple addition of Cornice and LivinRoom – and now with the addition of the new Cornice design, homeowners can choose either a traditional or contemporary look for their new Orangery.”

Mark Richmond is back in action as Sales Director at specialist sash window fabricator Victorian Sliders. Mark is a very well-known figure in the UK fenestration industry and his irrepressible character and dynamic approach is already making a big impact with customers at Victorian Sliders, one of Europe’s largest specialist manufacturers of PVC-U vertical sliding sash windows. “I visited their headquarters in South Wales and was totally blown away by the operational investments and forward-looking vision at Victorian Sliders”, says Mark. “I wanted to be part of this exciting success story, so after discussions I agreed to join the company as a member of the senior management team, in charge of sales.”

Brendan McCambridge, Managing Director at Victorian Sliders, comments: “We have enjoyed significant sales growth every year for the past 5 years, but there is no doubt that Mark Richmond’s appointment gives us an additional impetus to drive even more success, thanks to his passion for delivering customer service. CEO Scot Starkey and I are delighted that a proven sales professional and team leader of Mark’s calibre has joined our business, to serve our Trade installer customers across the UK and generate increased sales of ECOSlide sash windows.”

The post Mark Richmond, Sales Director of Victorian Sliders appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.