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Earlier this year the whole FrameXpress Ltd team committed to a project that was very close to all their hearts. In April, the leading trade fabricator launched the Alfie’s Wheels campaign, in a bid to help Production Manager, Jim Hinds raise much needed funds for his son Alfie. By July the company had hit its target and then some! The combined effort has raised £8648

Alfie was born with a severe heart defect which limits what he can do physically and after several major operations, at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, he still needs constant supervision and help to get around.

With Alfie beginning secondary school in September this year, it became apparent that he would need a motorised wheelchair to be able to access different areas of the school, as various classrooms were on different floors and long distances apart.

Motorised wheelchairs don’t come cheap and after putting their heads together, the team organised a number of sponsored events including raffles, coffee mornings, a sponsored frameXpress bike ride and even a pink hair dying competition, amongst other things, over the Spring and Summer months.

A ‘Just Giving’ page was launched where generous donations from customers, friends and suppliers including JMS Materials, Winmac, Ingenious Locks and GT Locks, donated substantial amounts of money, all helping to boost the growing figure, as the September deadline got closer.

‘Alfie’s Bash’ was held on 9th June at Wellington Cricket Club, where again the whole community got behind the idea of helping to raise funds. Organised by Diana Collier, Receptionist at FrameXpress, there was a special auction which included a number of fabulous prizes including an AP McCoy Print, an MOT & Interim Service, a signed rugby ball, a Radley Handbag, signed England Rugby and Cricket shirts as well as Pizza Oven Hire.   After an evening of dancing, fun and frolics, the event raised £1456 in total.

Fundraising did not stop there as local people and more companies got involved, offering their services with all proceeds put into Alfie’s campaign. The local Telford Lodge Assembly gave generously to the cause alongside the Much Wenlock Primary School and Devil’s Ink Tattoo Parlour, which earlier this year held an open event with all proceeds from the day going to the Wheels For Alfie campaign.

In a combined effort with staff, customers, suppliers and friends, the FrameXpress team pulled together and raised a staggering £8,648.00 in just a few short months.

After being measured and tested, the motorised wheelchair now takes Alfie in and around school and helps him to retain his independence during the day.

After purchasing the chair and relevant accessories including a ramp, there is a considerable balance remaining, which after discussions with Alfie, will be donated to The Whizzkids charity and Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Jim and his family feel that the medical team at the hospital have supported Alfie all his life and now they wish to give a little something back to them.

Jim Hinds comments,

“Alfie, Jim Nicole & Ruby would like to say a huge thank you to all at Framexpress as well as suppliers and customers, who took on the mammoth fundraising project and smashed it.

A very special thank you to our families and friends for their continued support with Alfie’s journey and help with fundraising – generally going above and beyond.

People gave up their own time to help with Alfie’s project and we are eternally grateful, we could not have done this with out you.

For any child this can be a daunting new journey, but Alfie has been very keen and enthusiastic to begin the next stage of his education, particularly now that he can get around.”

Trade fabricator, Modplan, has announced a ‘dramatic’ upturn in sales of its Leka roofing collection, which it says is due to the rise in popularity of
feature-rich orangery roof solutions and solid-roof conservatory extensions.

Heidi Sachs, Modplan’s managing director, said: “Recent industry feedback confirmed a trend we all instinctively knew to be happening. After years of slow-to-no growth, sales of conservatories and glazed extension products are on the rise. This is being particularly fuelled by the renovation, maintenance and improvement (RMI) sub-sector – homeowners upgrading their existing conservatories with more thermally efficient roofs and demand for feature-rich, high-end specification roof products. Our Leka orangery roof and warm roof systems offers product choice to suit all domestic roof installations.”

Launched by Modplan in early 2017, the Leka orangery roof is said to be packed with features designed to appeal to installers. It comes in kit form in four, lightweight pre-assembled ladder sections, with all materials pre-cut/fabricated to exact specifications and boasts a ‘U’ value of 0.15 W/m²K. The Leka warm roof system – a solid roof that is reportedly up to 40% lighter than other solid roofs on the market – has a ‘U’ value of just 0.15 W/m².

Heidi concluded: “Our Leka roof range is a great value-added product to have in your portfolio because it taps into today’s consumer roof trends and allows you to capitalise on the opportunities this sector presents. It sits well alongside our extensive range of additional glass, polycarbonate and tiled conservatory roof products and means you can offer your customers a complete range of roofing solutions from one trade supplier.”

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Profine Group has announced that it has expanded its production facilities in Pirmasens, Germany, for the continued growth of the Kömmerling brand in key markets, including the UK.

The international manufacturer of PVC-U profiles for windows and doors, says it has recently purchased a 750,000ft2 site from the city administration in Pirmasens to support future growth.

From summer 2018, Profine plans to develop the new production site, as part of a long-term growth strategy, which will also realise an increase in the workforce from the current level of 1,200, making it one of the largest employers in the area. According to the owner and CEO of profine Group, Dr. Peter Mrosik, the company has plans to invest a two-digit €multi-million amount by 2022.

Stefan Seidel, managing director of Kömmerling and Profine UK, commented: “This investment in Germany will not only support their local geographical market, but also our activities in the UK. We have a firm strategic plan in place for the UK, which is both exciting and dynamic and I look forward to sharing it with our profile partners in due course.

“With the launch of System 76 in the casement, flush sash and fully reversible due at the end of quarter one, 2018, our position as the leading PVC-U systems innovator will be further realised.”

www.kommerling.co.uk

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Construction industry specialist, NBS, has launched a report on the impact of Building Information Modelling (BIM) from the viewpoint of construction product manufacturers.

With the support of the Construction Products Association (CPA), the report is now available for manufacturers to understand what impact BIM is having on the industry.

“What’s great to see is the shared attitude between designers and manufacturers that BIM is the future,” said NBS CEO, Richard Waterhouse.

“Collaboration is at the heart of BIM, and through the standardised information held in well-structured models, manufacturers and designers will be able to work increasingly closely together, making sure the right product is selected, installed and used through the life of a project.”

According to NBS, the majority of UK manufacturers are already taking steps to provide product information in a format that can be placed into the designers’ own model, and manufacturers reportedly agree that BIM information will be increasingly required by specifiers.

However, work to support this community is still needed, as only a minority – 21% – believe they are confident when it comes to BIM knowledge and skills.

And for those who are progressing well, the community is relying on collaboration from those outside their own organisations to help overcome barriers to BIM.

Peter Caplehorn, CPA deputy chief executive and policy director, said: “Whilst still far from the norm, there is no doubt the UK construction industry is on the cusp of a technological advancement.

“Currently, we are in a situation where the supply chain is not as well coordinated as it could be, but through digitalisation our industry will find more efficient, cost-effective and smarter ways to do things. It is not surprising the majority of construction product manufacturers are already taking steps to adopt the use of BIM, but what is needed now is to ensure that they feel confident to do so. Surveys like this are useful in highlighting the gaps where industry must work together to encourage adoption, particularly with issues around standardisation and Product Data Templates.”

Manufacturers believe that BIM will deliver real benefits, including reducing costs and creating time efficiencies through the design, build and maintenance lifecycle. These benefits are in line with the government’s construction strategy goals; yet 64% don’t believe that the government is enforcing BIM.

Over half of those who responded believe that the BIM mandate set for April 2016 has not been successful due to a lack of rigorous enforcement. However, just under half of respondents still believe that the government is ‘on the right track.’

To download the full report: visit www.thenbs.com/nbrm17

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After a positive summer for housebuilding with more than £7 billion of housing contracts awarded between June and August, the sector experienced a cooler autumn with figures decreasing by 10% and falling for the second month in a row.

The latest edition of the Economic & Construction Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI, highlights the levels of construction contract values awarded in October across all regions of Great Britain. The overall contract value for October was reportedly £7.1 billion based on a three month rolling average, a small increase on September, but the highest total monthly construction figure for almost two years. However, the large HS2 contracts commissioned in September – worth £7.2 billion alone – are still having a major impact on overall figures, masking the slide in housing construction contract value.

Across the industry, project numbers were down in October by almost 10% when compared to the same time last year, indicating that a number of larger projects were awarded within the month rather than a large succession of smaller contracts. It was a mixed bag for various sectors this month with industrial, medical and health construction joining housing as sectors that saw a drop in contract value, at 16.2 and 9.9% respectively. Whereas infrastructure, commercial, retail and education all saw slight increases on the month and hotel, leisure and sport construction saw a major increase in monthly contract value of more than 50%.

The highest value project in October was 1-5 Grosvenor Place in Belgravia, London, which was valued at £500 million – more than three times the value of the second highest placed project, 340 flats and commercial units on Portugal Street in Manchester. 53% of the value from the top 10 biggest projects was located in London.

Regionally, London took back the top spot with 25% of the total construction contract value from the West Midlands, which benefited greatly in September thanks to the HS2 contracts. Joint second was the South East which contributed 14%, which included the £40 million McArthurGlen retail outlet in Kent, alongside the North West which had the biggest residential project in October, the aforementioned Portugal Street project in Manchester.

Commenting on the figures, Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, said: “It’s evident that the major HS2 projects commissioned in September are masking an underlying softening of activity in certain sectors of construction such as housebuilding. Housing has been driving overall industry growth across 2016 and parts of 2017 as infrastructure lagged behind but is now flagging. Without the HS2 developments we would be looking at a much bleaker picture in our results for October.”

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GM Fundraising has announced the final Paddle2Pedal fundraising total of £108,494.

The total was announced at the industry G Awards on Friday 17 November, where those from the team who were in attendance were invited onto the stage to hear the announcement.

The inaugural female only event, which took place in August, challenged 12 ladies from the fenestration industry to canoe 100-miles of the River Wye, abseil 135ft down Symonds Yat and cycle 120-miles to Hope House in Oswestry.

“This fantastic total is a true reflection of the team’s sheer grit and determination shown throughout, not just in the challenge itself, but in their training and fundraising efforts too,” said Gary Morton, chairman of GM Fundraising. “This was the first all-female challenge GM Fundraising has ever organised and the 12-strong team certainly gave the boys a run for their money, myself included. Over the 20 years of GM Fundraising, and with all the events we have organised, you develop certain expectations of an inaugural event but the girls smashed it in every way. The camaraderie and team ethic was so strong; each and every member dug deep, pulled through and supported each other to do the same. What a huge success!

“Special thanks must go to our headline sponsor, Epwin Group, who not only contributed financially to this challenge, but also allowed the time for two of their leading ladies to take part, including the finance director who lead the canoeing element of this challenge.

“All the money raised goes directly to Hope House Children’s Hospices as each of the team covered their own costs for the challenge. We were also supported by our Headline sponsor Epwin Group, along with FIT Show, The Glazine and CentralRPL.”

Andy Goldsmith, chief executive of Hope House, added: “Every year, long-time supporters GM Fundraising go that extra mile to help the children and families who need us. This year they went even further than even they dreamed possible with the Paddle 2 Peddle team, who have raised over £108,000. This is enough to pay for all the running costs for specialist care to children at Hope House Children’s Hospice for 10 days, which is truly staggering! There are not enough words in the English dictionary to describe how grateful we are or how lucky we feel to have such wonderful support from the whole team. A huge thank you.”

Gary concluded: “Thank you to everyone that has supported us throughout – and not just from GM Fundraising and the Paddle2Pedal team, but from all the children, families and staff at Hope House.”

The team was comprised of: Clare O’Hara (Epwin Group), Katrina Earl (Epwin Group), Christina Shaw (Glass News), Natasha Erskine (GGF), Charlotte Davies (Edgetech), Sarah Ball (Balls2Marketing), Tina Moorhouse (Oakland Glass), Deborah Hendry (Kolorseal), Amy Perrin (Quickslide), Helen Noble (Liniar), Nikki Dunbar (Liniar) & Sioned Webb (ALUK), and were supported by Gary Morton (GM Fundraising), Alan Sadler (GM Fundraising), Graeme Bailey (GM Fundraising), Glyn Moorhouse (Oakland Glass) and Justin Lazenby (Glass News).

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Promac Group has continued its investment in customer service and machinery sales aftercare with the launch of its new Service Agreement Plan.

Officially launched this month, the new aftersales package allows fabricators to tap into special discounts on consumables, spread the cost of servicing and maintenance and to call in priority repairs on in-warranty machinery.

Lee Marriott, Sales and Marketing Manager, Promac Group said that with 19-engineers on the road, Promac offered its customers ‘industry-leading’ through-life machinery support.

He said: “We have more engineers out there than anyone else but the really key difference is that they’re employed directly by us – not on a sub-contract basis.

“That means that they go through rigorous training and development, for example we have two current apprentices, who are working with our experienced master technicians in the field as part of their training.

“All of our engineers also continue to train and develop expertise through the partnership programmes that we have in place with our suppliers. This means that they have a currency that sub-contractors just don’t and we can offer a better service to our customers.”

As part of the new support offer, customers make monthly payments towards regular servicing costs. This allows them to spread the cost of routine maintenance throughout the year. They also get 10% off all consumables orders.

“We have the UK’s largest machinery consumables offer with more than 3,500 parts and consumables in stock for a wide range of PVC-U, aluminium and glass processing machinery from FOM-GS Group, BDM, Pertici, Forel, Rapid, Pegic, Urban and MTL amongst others”, says Lee. “You take that discount and you look at your annual consumables spend and it’s a big saving.”

Spares and consumables from Promac are available for next day delivery up to a cut-off point of 4.30pm the day before through its online shop, www.promacshop.co.uk 

This features manufacturer approved consumable parts and tooling; router, cutter and espag drills; power tools; airline and air tool accessories; saw blades; lubricants; finishing products; hand tools; groove knives; safety equipment and glass consumables.

“We see the through-life support that we’re able to offer to our customers as a key differential”, said Lee. “It’s not about unboxing it and walking away but a partnership, which allows our customers to access support from our expert field service engineers but also from machinery manufacturers.

“It means we can offer manufacturers an incredible depth of resource, knowledge and support.”

For more information log on at www.promac.co.uk or call a member of the Promac team on 01788 577 577.

The Glazerite UK Group claimed one of the most prestigious prizes at the recent industry G-Awards in London, by winning G17 Fabricator of the Year.

The company says that it has ‘come a long way’ from its humble beginnings in 2000, with just one site manufacturing 50 frames per week.

“We are thrilled to have won such a highly-coveted award, especially when we were up against some of the finest companies in the industry,” said director, Jason Thompson. “It is a great reflection of the hard work and effort consistently put in by everyone across our business.”

Glazerite’s operations director, Ian Lloyd, said: “This year has been a particularly challenging one whilst we have been integrating the new East site into the business. We have continued to invest in its development and expect service levels here to soon be in line with those achieved throughout the rest of the company. Everything is now in place to make 2018 an even better year, with a continued focus on providing our growing base of installer partners with the most comprehensive product portfolio and support packages in the industry. Glazerite will certainly be doing its upmost to retain the trophy at the next G-Awards.”

Jason added: “The genuine congratulations we received from customers, suppliers and competitors alike were hugely appreciated and celebrating with our installer partner, Thistle Windows, who won Conservatory Installer of the Year, was a particular highlight.

“Winning this award has been a very proud moment for all at Glazerite, but we could not have done it without our valued customers. Their continued loyalty and support, especially throughout the difficult times, is greatly appreciated.”

www.glazeritewindows.co.uk

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