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Image Above: Picture: Left to right, Andy Whyle – Chairman of BESST, Paul Nelms – Epwin’s Group Environmental Manager

Epwin Window Systems has won the Sustainable Business Award from Business Environmental Support Scheme Telford (BESST) 2017, for Carbon and Energy Management.  Paul Nelms, Epwin’s Group Environmental Manager said, “We are delighted to have won this award.   As a business we are committed to ongoing energy reduction throughout our Telford extrusion plant and to collect a sustainable business award proves this commitment is being duly recognised.”

The Business Environmental Support Scheme for Telford (BESST) was launched in 2001 to help businesses improve their environmental performance and reduce their carbon footprint.   Members come from both the private and public sectors with represented industries ranging from manufacturing and engineering through to tourism and retail.

The BESST Group work in partnership with the Environment Agency and Shropshire Wildlife Trust.  Their methodologies and best practices are used as exemplars to universities and help influence decision making both at governmental level and strategically in the international arena.

This prestigious award comes hot on the heels of Epwin Windows Systems winning the BPF Energy Award 2017 for the facility BPF/F00150 within the Climate Change Agreement. Once again, the award was given in recognition of the company’s considerable ongoing commitment to energy reduction throughout their manufacturing processes.

The award was presented to the Epwin Windows Systems management team by Chairman of BESST, Andy Whyle, at the company’s Telford manufacturing headquarters in December.

www.epwin.co.uk

Picture above: Peter Rowlands and Simon Monks

VBH (GB) has promoted Sales Director Simon Monks to the position of Managing Director from 1^st of January 2018. Current Managing Director Peter Rowlands, who has been in the position for the last 10 years, moves into the newly created position of Business Development Director.

Simon will become responsible for leading the VBH team through the next phase of business development and growth, as well as the overall day-to-day running of the business.

In his new role as Business Development Director, Peter will be responsible for the development of VBH’s own brand, greenteQ, and managing the VBH engineering team in the Far East. He will also be working with VBH’s branded hardware partners, as well as existing and new customers to develop new business opportunities and partnerships.

Peter comments: “In an ever-changing window and door hardware market, it is vital for businesses that they do not stand still, but can reshape and adjust with market trends as well as creating opportunities in new markets.

“Simon and I have been with VBH since 2007, and during that time we have seen many positive changes in both the company and the industry. The management team at VBH has worked hard to shape the business into the innovative, customer and service driven company that we are today. I would like to thank all of our customers, suppliers and employees for their support during my time as MD, and to join me in congratulating Simon on his thoroughly-deserved promotion.”

For further information, call VBH on 01634 263263.

The brand new £212m Dumfries and Galloway Hospital has officially opened its doors after transferring staff and patients from their old site across the weekend.

Bennett Architectural teamed up once again with Laing O’Rourke on the construction of the 344-bed new build facility.

Off-site construction method DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly) was used to pre-install windows into high specification concrete panels saving on-site labour cost at Laing O’Rourke’s Explore Industrial Park in Worksop.

Lionel Grant, Managing Director at Bennett Architectural commented,

“We were delighted to support the building of this state of the art new hospital for NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

“Working with Laing O’Rourke we used DfMA, which we have previously used on two hospital projects in Cumbria and North Staffordshire. With less on-site installation work this also lowers the carbon emissions for the project as a whole; which is vitally important.”

Health Secretary Shona Robison added,

“The new hospital will transform the way services are provided to local patients in Dumfries and Galloway and I am very much looking forward to seeing the new facility.”

www.baasl.co.uk

uPVC recycling in 2016 has reportedly reached a new high with 120,392 tonnes being diverted from landfill. Camden Group are a huge contributor to this. An Eco-friendly company, they produce their very own profile system called the “Inliten” profile system which is used in all products and contains 80% recycled content. Camden Group, established in 1983, are a family owned company and are the largest trade frame manufacturer in the UK and Ireland and the only window company in UK and Ireland with full onsite recycling, extrusion, design, production and logistics facilities. Camden offer a wide selection of windows and doors including composite, patio and panel doors. Each door is manufactured to the customers own specific needs allowing them to choose from an array of styles, colours and accessories. All this is possible because of Camden Group’s investment in the latest recycling and manufacturing technology. Recycling is at the forefront of the Camden business with their very own extrusion and recycling factory on site, they have reduced waste to landfill by up to 160 tonnes per week.

What does Camden Group recycle and where does it come from?

Camden recycle as much as possible. We recycle uPVC to create 80% of our unique profile. This uPVC is brought to the company through various methods including partnerships made with other companies to use their excess, unused materials.

What can Camden Group not recycle?

Although we try to recycle as much as possible, we cannot use the rubber, metals etc. that would be used in uPVC products such as windows.

What does Camden Group do with the materials they cannot recycle?

With the materials that cannot be recycled they are distributed to companies that can use it. For example, the rubber found in old windows is used by a local company to make cow mats and also used by for flooring in equestrian arenas. This allows Camden to extend their commitment to the environment and help other companies to do the same.

What does this mean for the Camden customers? 

This means the product the Camden customer is receiving is environmentally friendly containing 80% recycled content. However, the remaining 20% is the external face which is created with virgin uPVC.  Even though Camden products are manufactured with 80% recycled material they are still produced for longevity, maximum design impact and of course, strength and security.

The post Camden invests in recycling and manufacturing quality products appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

One of the UK’s foremost manufacturers of slimline heritage sealed units, Slenderline Glass has seen a fantastic performance from their email marketing strategy – designed and implemented by Insight Data.

Slenderline Glass; which is part of the Kent-based E.J. Cocker Group, specialises in advanced sealed units for all heritage and sash windows. The firm joined forces with Insight Data to promote their full range of sealed units for all traditional rebates through dynamic and powerful email campaigns.

“We partnered with Insight Data looking to take our slimline units to a wider, nationwide audience and we can’t believe the success,” comments Andy Cocker, Director at Slenderline Glass. “Email marketing has generated unbelievable interest in our product range and really helped raise awareness of the Slenderline brand, which is exactly what we wanted. The response has been so impressive we’ve had to change the way we operate to answer the deluge of leads.”

“It’s great to work with a company that fully understands our business, the market and the businesses we’d love to connect with. Slenderline is really flying with sales up on last year and as a Director, I can’t spend time writing email campaigns or teaching our provider what our product is. So, it’s great to work with Insight Data and their team of writers and designers who not only have that industry knowledge but can manage and send the campaigns for me. We’re delighted to be working with Insight Data and we are excited to see what this relationship brings in 2018.”

Insight Data are the industry’s leading provider of market intelligence and prospect data specifically for the fenestration and construction industries. Boasting a database of over 60,000 potential customers, Insight’s in-house marketing team works with businesses across the industry to manage email campaigns, telesales campaigns and direct mail campaigns including newsletters, flyers and advertisements.

Jade Greenhow, Insight Data’s General Manager comments: “We work with a wide range of businesses from systems companies to fabricators, component suppliers and sealed unit manufacturers to help them raise their profile and win new business. We do this through our dynamic marketing solutions and through Salestracker, our pioneering software which combines an online prospect database, CRM system and an integrated email marketing platform.”

“It’s really great to see Slenderline Glass receive such fantastic results from their email marketing campaign. At Insight Data, we pride ourselves on the strength of our data – updated in real-time using a seven-stage verification process, which ensures we can deliver high-impact campaigns to achieve lead-generation, boosted brand awareness or both!”

For more information contact Insight Data on 01934 808293 or via email at hello@insightdata.co.uk

Following GAP’s announcement in August of the acquisition of SIG Building Plastics & Windows, the company has been working non-stop to welcome all their new team members and customers on board. No sooner had the ink dried on the dotted line that the GAP Directors were hitting the road visiting all 66 new depots and team members, from Inverness to Isle of Wight and everywhere in-between. The team at GAP prides itself on ensuring all staff feel part of the family and the information gained will help shape the integration strategy.

Simon Bird, GAP’s Joint Founder commented: “We’ve been hugely impressed so far by the knowledge and talent of our new team, together with their desire to grasp this unique chance. We’ve also been taken aback by the size of opportunity this deal has presented GAP. The quality of the team that has joined, together with the strategic locations of the new depots, has provided GAP a game changing opportunity to become the number one manufacturer and distributor of PVC-U building products for quality, service and choice.”

Whilst planning and preparation started well in advance of the deal, further investment has continued in logistics and manufacturing to ensure the new combined network of 112 depots can provide customers with what they need when they need it, from small traders to national house builders. Phase one of the integration involves the new depots benefitting from a mini make-over, new signage and team workwear. The scale of the change is illustrated by the huge workwear order placed by GAP for 805 T-Shirts, 805 Polo Shirts, 270 Jackets, 532 Jumpers, 330 Hoodies, 810 Pairs of Trousers and 390 Pairs of Shorts. Stock is also being switched at the depots to offer customers the wide range of colours and styles available through GAP’s own brand of roofline products; Homeline.

Charles Greensmith, GAP’s Joint Founder added “This continues to be a very busy yet exciting time for all involved. We’ve got big challenges ahead, but we’re making great strides together. Over the coming months we’ll do everything we can to make our new team members and customers feel part of GAP.” 

The post GAP takes big strides forward following acquisition of SIG appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

Right market conditions

Polyframe Livingston teamed up with its local fire crew to deliver some potentially life-saving training on identifying door locks that can be breached quickly. The Green Watch crew from Livingston Fire Station visited Polyframe’s 50,000-square foot site in Livingston where the Polyframe team was on hand to share its expert knowledge on the three most common door locks that the firefighters would face during a call-out and how they could tackle them in an emergency. Green Watch then set about breaking into the locks and found that they could only break one of them with the readily available tools.

Martin Linden, managing director of Polyframe, Livingston, explains: “We all know that seconds count in a fire, literally making the difference between life and death, so this was an important exercise for the crew. We examined the different locks and talked about the common techniques used to snap the cylinder. The crew could not break some of the higher security locks.  If they were to face those locks in an emergency, they would eventually have to cut through the door or break it down to gain entry – all of which obviously costs valuable time. Thanks to this training, the team now knows which locks they can’t break quickly and, if they encounter them in a real-life situation, they can break the door without wasting time working on the lock.”

John McKenna, watch manager at Livingston Fire Station, said: “This was an extremely valuable training session for our people – the best they have done this year. We now have a greater understanding of modern door construction and the steps we would need to take when attempting entry. We were all impressed with the Polyframe door, which was fitted with high security hardware – we think it would be easier for us to gain access through the building wall if we came across one of those doors! 

“We are a large employer in the region and it’s important for us to develop strong links with our local community, so we were delighted to welcome Green Watch to our site for this training. It’s rewarding to have contributed towards protecting the lives of the 55,000 people who live in Livingston,” added Martin Linden.

Polyframe operates nationally and has four PVCu production sites in Norwich (fabricating Rehau), Halifax (fabricating Halo and Eurocell), Gloucestershire (fabricating Duraflex) and Livingston (fabricating VEKA) which will collectively fabricate more than 13,000 frames a week when the expansion is completed at Livingston.  Polyframe delivers first class support to help customers achieve greater efficiencies and enhance their businesses.Since its merger with Polyframe, the enlarged, full-service Customade Group is now the biggest fabricator in the UK with revenues of more than £100 million. The group brings together an enviable range of products and some industry-leading brands, which include Polyframe (PVCu), REAL Aluminium (aluminium), Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions (glazed roofs), Virtuoso Doors (composite doors and PVCu panels), Hourglass (sealed glass units), and Fineline Aluminium (specialist glazing).

The post Polyframe extinguishes myths about locks with local fire crew appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.