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Epwin Window Systems has announce that Katrina Earl has been promoted to National Sales Manager, Fenestration Division.  In her new role, Katrina will report directly to Paul Lindsay, Sales Director and will be responsible for the development of sales within the Fenestration Division working across both Epwin Window Systems and the soon to be launched, Epwin Glass business.

Commenting on her appointment, Katrina said: “I am delighted to accept this new position within the company and look forward to developing sales across the two business areas. We are fortunate to have a professional and proactive customer base too that is well placed to help us deliver the ongoing sales growth we are seeking going forward. It’s exciting times for the Group and I am delighted to be part of this successful business.”

Previously holding the position of Northern Regional Sales Manager for Epwin Window Systems, Katrina has been instrumental in helping build the company’s well-respected position in the market. Her appointment as National Sales Manager, Fenestration Division reflects the strength of her abilities and her commitment to the success of the business.

Katrina takes up the new position with immediate effect.

The post Katrina Earl, National Sales Manager, Epwin Window Systems Fenestration Division appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

Rob McGlennon, managing director, Deceuninck UK

As we get back into the new business year, it’s time to get out our crystal balls. Economists have already made their predictions which have come with a handful of health warnings. Perhaps most worryingly, Britain is set to have the worst wage growth of any wealthy nation next year, ranking behind Italy, Greece and Hungary at the bottom of 32 OECD countries as real earnings lag behind inflation. Representing the biggest squeeze on living standards in generations, it’s no surprise that many households are pessimistic about their finances.

For many in our industry, this lack of consumer confidence reared its head in the second half of 2017 when core market growth stalled. I use the word ‘core’ for a reason because all the evidence points to the fact that white, square ‘bread and butter’ windows fell at the first hurdle, while higher value, differentiated product sales excelled.

Trend spotters like Deceuninck predicted this trend over 12 months ago when we spoke to our customers about a market move from distress to discretionary purchases.

For Deceuninck’s customers, having the ability to offer colour on fast lead times, a range of premium heritage products and true aluminium alternatives is already paying off. While overall market sales of the white PVC squares the industry has relied on in the last 3 decades is down by up to 20% in some cases, sales of higher end products has increased by double and even treble digits over the last 18 months. Significantly, this increase is reflected in both sales volume and value.

2018 will no doubt see this gap between the haves and have-nots broaden and like our target customers, there will be winners and losers in our industry. The losers will bury their heads in the sand and carry on doing what they’ve always done.

The post 2018: A game of two halves? appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Flush casement windows are one of the products tipped for the biggest growth in coming years and it’s clear that the Optima Flush Casement Window from Profile 22 delivers everything the market is looking for.

Gerald Allen, Marketing Manager at Profile 22, commented: “The Optima Flush Casement Window delivers three major advantages. The design is based on a traditional British timber cottage window and we’ve worked hard to ensure it looks better than anything else on the market. It offers market-leading thermal efficiency. And because it’s part of the Optima range, it’s easy for fabricators and installers to use with its intelligent features such as common ancillaries across the entire range to minimise stockholding.”

The British heritage appearance of the Optima Flush Casement Window offers traditional features such as a putty line sash, a traditional wide bottom sash rail, slim depth sashes plus the option of a partly or fully mechanically jointed finish. Period hardware, period colours and finishes, cill and glazing bar options and a French Flush Casement option complete a truly distinctive window.

While the appearance may be of a heritage period, the construction is anything but. The system offers better thermal performance than its rivals (U-values as low as 1.2W/m²K can be achieved). It surpasses the requirements of UK and EU Building Regulations and PAS24 on all options and is accredited by the British Standards Institute.

Because the Flush Casement Window is part of the Optima system, it’s been designed for the 21^st century from the ground up and is packed with a wealth of benefits for fabricators and installers. Alongside the common ancillaries are advantages such as easy-to-locate hardware, optimised drainage and perfectly positioned seals for long-lasting performance.

It seems that the quality of the Profile 22 Flush Casement Window is being reflected in its sales, which are up 500% year on year. Proof, if any were needed, that the market appreciates Profile 22’s best-in-class product.

www.profile22.co.uk

FIT Events Ltd, organiser of the highly successful FIT Show, has announced changes in its shareholding structure. Angus Montgomery Ltd, which has been organising events globally since 1895, has become the majority shareholder. Co-founders Matthew Glover and Paul Godwin remain shareholders and directors of the company with Matthew as Chairman, as does Event Director Nickie West. John Beaty, an investor in the business since 2015, has relinquished his shareholding and left the business. In most other respects the business remains unchanged.

Matthew Glover explained the decision: “The FIT Show has gone from strength to strength thanks to tremendous support from the industry, whose loyalty we hope we have returned by producing a show that connects the whole of the window, door and related glass and glazing industry.

“Other than the ownership structure of the company there will be few discernible changes: The FIT Show will continue not just as it has done in the past but with the sales, marketing, operations and administration team all remaining in place. However, we are now strengthened through more robust internal systems and structures and through the expertise that will come through working with one of the world’s longest established exhibition organisers.”

Angus Montgomery Ltd is a fifth generation family business. It is responsible for events within the building and construction sector including ‘W’, the UK national show for the joinery and furniture industries, Surface Design Show, Interbuild Africa and Glass Expo Africa, the latter of which take place in Johannesburg biennially. The company has events in a wide range of other sectors including Art and Photography, Food and Drink, Hospitality, Security and many others, operating a total of 55 events worldwide.

For Angus Montgomery Ltd its Managing Director Damion Angus said: “We have been very aware of the FIT Show and the tremendous success that the event has become since its first show in 2013; it is greatly admired in the exhibition industry. Becoming involved with the event and the people behind it will greatly enhance our activities in the sector specifically and our events overall and we believe we can offer a great deal of experience to the FIT Show and its exhibitors – this is very much a two-way arrangement. We are very excited to be working with Matthew, Paul and Nickie and the rest of the team.”

www.fitshow.co.uk

Euroglaze officially launched its Switch without a Hitch service at the start of this year, with the specific aim of making the process of switching supplier as smooth and rewarding as possible.

The Rehau trade fabricator has brought together its distinctive blend of friendly efficient customer service and precision quality products into a package which is easily accessible for stockists and installers.

Switch without a Hitch guarantees that the Euroglaze team will be by the customer’s side every step of the way. From the outset, new customers are allocated a dedicated customer service advisor within Euroglaze who walks them through all their early orders from initial contact to delivery, and they are introduced to the despatch team and regular driver to discuss their specific delivery requirements.

The aim is to make all new customers feel part of the Euroglaze family and ensure that they get exactly what they expect right from the start of the relationship.

While the official Switch without a Hitch package is new, Euroglaze has actually been offering the one to one service which is at the heart of it for nearly a year, and some of the first companies to benefit from that have spoken about the benefits.

Tim Randell, for example, from retail installer Wiser Improvements in Tardebigge, near Bromsgrove, explained: “Working with Euroglaze has been a great journey so far. As a young business, we understand that developing a good working partnership with our suppliers is vital to our success.

“Euroglaze has become a big piece in our jigsaw now, and we couldn’t be happier with the products and service we receive. Our dedicated customer service advisor Nicky Park is key to that. She sorts out all our enquiries and resolves any issues we have promptly and efficiently.

“Euroglaze have shown that they are customer driven and will go above and beyond to make sure they meet the high standards they promise. We’re certainly looking forward to developing and growing with them as our fabrication partner.”

And, John Aston from AT Plastics in Warrington was similarly enthusiastic about the support from the customer service team. He added: “We started working with Euroglaze when we were a start up business last year. We have a great relationship with all the staff there, but I would like to personally thank Nicky for looking after us in the early days. We’re very excited about continuing our partnership with them for plenty more years to come.”

Euroglaze supplies what is arguably the widest range of Rehau products of any UK supplier, matching bigger fabricators on range, quality and price but constantly striving to outdo them on service.

www.euroglaze.co.uk

AluFoldDirect has been named a triple finalist in the Red Rose Business Awards. The awards celebrate the most successful Lancashire businesses and AluFoldDirect has made the shortlist for the categories of Manufacturing Business, Growing Business and Medium-sized Business of the year.

Craig Miller, Managing Director at AluFoldDirect explains: “It is fantastic to have our success recognised in our region by some of the biggest businesses in the North West. These finalist places are a real testament to our fantastic team at AluFoldDirect, and it also highlights the rapid, growing success of our customers.”

2017 was a record year for AluFoldDirect, with an impressive turnover of £8.3 million in its third trading year.

The Red Rose Business Award winners will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday 8 March at Winter Gardens in Blackpool.

The organiser of the FIT Show, FIT Events, has announced that Angus Montgomery has become the majority shareholder.

Matthew Glover and Paul Godwin, co-founders of FIT Events, will continue to be shareholders and directors of the company with Glover continuing as chairman and Nickie West continuing as event director.

The reason for this change in shareholding is down to John Beaty handing over his shares and leaving the business, an investor who was in the business since 2015.

Glover explained: “With growth of the FIT Show in such a relatively short time, couple with ambitious plans for its future development, it became clear that we would benefit from expertise and investment.”

The new majority shareholder is a fifth-generation family business with a range of sectors including food and drink and hospitality, having a total of 55 events around the world. Within the building and construction sector, Angus Montgomery is responsible for events such as ‘W’, Interbuild Africa and Glass Expo Africa, which takes place biennially in Johannesburg.

Damion Angus, managing director of Angus Montgomery said: “Becoming involved with the event and the people behind it will greatly enhance our activities in the sector specifically and our events overall… We are very excited to be working with Matthew, Paul and Nickie and the rest of the team.”

The post Changes to FIT Events shareholdings appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).