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Blu, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of 316 Marine Grade stainless steel door and window hardware – has launched its blu book – Edition B.04 – featuring over 60 leading products from across its range.

Renowned for its beautiful, stylish and high performance door and window hardware solutions – all manufactured from 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel – the new blu book is an essential directory for door and window manufacturers, joinery firms and architects.

Available free upon request from blu by emailing sales@blu-performance.com – the new book features the company’s latest product launches and leading products including a range of suited products for external doors, windows, bi-folds and straight sliding door systems.

Featured new products include a new range of sliding patio door handle kits, solid Stainless Steel Bi-fold handles and new lever handles on oval and rose plates.

According to blu MD Loren Jenner, the new blu book gives customers the opportunity to quickly and easily select high performance hardware from what has become one of the UK’s most comprehensive range of 316 Marine Grade solutions.

“For anyone looking for high performance, high quality stainless steel door and window hardware, the new blu book is an absolute must have.  Since we launched blu in 2016, the range has continued to develop and grow. The combination of style, manufacturing quality and its ability to thrive – even in the harshest environments – is something our growing numbers of customers really value.

“For them to be able to offer their customers a complete range of 316 Marine Grade hardware that they can fit and forget knowing they are providing their customers absolute peace of mind is reflected in the fact we are collaborating on some really exciting projects with the UK’s leading performance door and window manufacturers.

To order a copy of the new blu book, find out more about the blu range of performance hardware or to discuss specific requirements, contact blu’s brand ambassador Euan Pallister on sales@blu-performance.com or telephone 01726 871 724.

Brisant Secure has been nominated for Best Hardware Company in the National Fenestration Awards. The company has seen the hugely successful launch of Ultion, its flagship lock which has taken cylinder door locks to a whole new level. Ultion comes with Sold Secure Diamond, Secured by Design and BSI kite marked TS007 3 star and has helped create a premium market for locks that provide real-life security. It also comes with a unique £1,000 guarantee against break-ins.

Nick Dutton, CEO of Brisant Secure, comments: “It’s been an incredible journey since we started Ultion. We help composite door manufacturers and installers sell more doors – and the successes have been brilliant. We’ve built on the launch of Ultion and earlier this year we introduced Lock Lock, our new high security handle. Being nominated for an NFA Award is a great acknowledgement of how far we’ve come.”

Other initiatives such as Keycap and Keyring were launched in 2017, enabling homeowners to personalise their keys and to locate and ‘call’ them using TrackR technology, linked to their smartphone. Coupled with the Ultion lock, these help provide homes with real-security against real-life attacks. In fact, Ultion has even been captured on video defeating a real burglary attempt.

Information is readily available on Ultion’s website, and the ‘Find A Door That Locks’ feature has been used more than 13,500 times in the last year to help buyers locate fabricators, installers, and locksmiths in the local area, using the postcode search. Homeowners also have access to national crime statistics and a crime-checker which allows them to see crime rates in their area in the last six months.

To watch a short video of why you should vote for Brisant, visit www.brisant-secure.com/latest-news.

To vote for Brisant, go to www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/hardware-company-2017.

To find out what selling real-life security can do for your business call 01924 410 200, visit www.ultion-lock.co.uk or follow @UltionLock on Twitter.

Brisant Secure, the company behind the Ultion high-security cylinder lock and the radical new security handle Lock Lock, is sponsoring the Composite & Panelled Doors category in the 2017 National Fenestration Awards.

NFA Co-Founder and Director Jason Grafton-Holt comments: “It’s fantastic to welcome Brisant to the NFAs. Brisant’s success with Ultion is practically unprecedented: it took the industry by storm. Lock Lock looks set to the same, having secured several high-profile customers already, including Solidor as official launch partner. We look forward to working with Nick Dutton, Steve Stewart, and the rest of the talented team there.”

Nick Dutton, CEO of Brisant Secure, adds: “We were delighted to be approached by Jason to sponsor the NFAs. Now in their fifth year, these independent awards have quickly become a popular fixture in the industry’s calendar, supported by some of the biggest brands in the glazing trade.”

“Our sincere congratulations to all the finalists in this very competitive category: Bowater by Birtley; Distinction Doors; Endurance Doors; DoorCo; Door-Stop; Hurst Plastics; IG Doors; Masterdor (Synseal); Phoenix Doors; Shepley; Solidor; Total Doors; Virtuoso Doors (Customade Group) and WB Group.”

Brisant is one of the market leaders in high-security door cylinder technology with Ultion, which has TS 2007 3 Star, Secured by Design and Sold Secure Diamond. It’s a product that much of the residential door market has been very quick to take up, with installers often removing the cylinders that come with their composite doors, and switching them for Ultion.

The 2017 National Fenestration Awards campaign is now up and running, with 12 out of 17 #NFA17 categories currently live at the time of writing. For further details, visit www.fenestrationawards.co.uk.

To find out what selling real-life security can do for your business call 01924 455 444, visit www.ultion-lock.co.uk or follow @UltionLock on Twitter.

VBH (GB has added the new Yale Conexis L1 Smart Lock to its range of innovative hardware. With Yale’s prominent TV advertising campaign across ITV, Sky and Channel 4, the Smart Lock opens up new selling opportunities for fabricators and installers, and locksmiths for retrofit installations.

Yale Conexis L1 Smart Lock is a keyless product, operated via a key card, key tag, phone tag or a secure smartphone app, ‘Bluetooth Twist & Go’. Homeowners can monitor who is entering and leaving the home, from wherever they are.

The app also has the functionality to send temporary access ‘mobile keys’ to anyone with a smartphone – so no more children waiting on the doorstep when they have mislaid their key! The mobile key can be programmed to give access from a few hours to a number of weeks. The app also allows you to revoke access at any time, so the homeowner is in total control at all times.

Dan Powell, Maintenance & Locksmiths Product Manager at VBH says: “With the new Yale Conexis L1 homeowners can upgrade their lock easily and with no fiddly wiring. The Smart Lock uses four AA batteries that give the homeowner plenty of warning when they’re running low. And even if the batteries run flat, a standard 9V battery can be connected temporarily into a concealed port. If the lock is tampered with, an anti-intruder alarm is triggered via either the app or mobile key.

“The TV campaign on prime channels is sure to boost awareness and interest,” continues Dan. “We’re anticipating strong demand and have ensured we have plenty in stock!”

To place your order or for more information on the new Yale Conexis L1 Smart Lock, call 01634 263300.

Fabricator, TWR Group, has claims that it is set to roll out record-breaking lead times that, it believes, have never been seen before in the industry.

From February 2018, the TWR Group says it will be able to give installers dual-coloured bi-folding doors within 15 working days.

The group’s managing director, Terry Richardson, says that the super-fast lead times will not only apply to standard grey, black and white but for any RAL colour and combination.

The company is currently said to be investing in, and setting up, the required machinery to roll out the launch and already boasts a state-of-the-art powder coating facility.

The latest investment will be housed at TWR Group’s newly acquired 17,000ft2 factory, which is close to its 25,000ft2 headquarters in Peterlee.

The company also has a factory in Sunderland.

Terry commented: “This is a game-changing development and will benefit our customer base greatly. Dual-colour products and exciting colour combinations are popular amongst consumers and this move will ensure installers can shift more volume and shortened lead times for end-user.”

The option for super-fast lead times is currently only available on Eternal bi-folding doors but Terry says that there is scope to roll this out to other products too.

The post Record breaking appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Picture above: Carl F Groupco staff pictured on a fund-raising dress down Friday. Stef Brown from the company’s internal sales team who organised the charity initiative is pictured centre (seated) with bake sale cakes and jar of money raised.

Kind hearted staff at Carl F Groupco have chosen Homes 4 Dogs as its new nominated charity. Over the course of the year, money is being raised for the organisation which for over 30 years has rehomed thousands of dogs and puppies. The company previously supported Little Miracles, a charity that assists families that have children with additional needs, disabilities and life limiting conditions. Both charities are local to Carl F Groupco’s UK administration and distribution centre in Peterborough.

Initiated by Stef Brown who works in Carl F Groupco’s internal sales team, the company has a ‘dress down day’ every Friday with each participant donating 50p to the designated charity. Other events that have also contributed to the funds raised have included bake sales.

www.carlfgroupco.co.uk

Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions is helping to tackle the industry’s shortage of skilled labour and inspire young talent into a career in fenestration. Under its commitment to support industry progression, the company has donated two full-sized glazed roof lanterns, which will be used to provide apprentices with essential practical training at two top fenestration learning centres.

The contemporary Atlas roof lanterns have been specially made for West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmonds and Total Support Training in Middlesex. Both centres provide a range of specialist courses from GQA Qualifications – a leading awarding body for glass, fenestration and construction.

Gareth Thomas, sales director at Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions, explains: “Our industry has been re-invigorated with some truly innovative new products but, sadly, it is still hindered by a shortage of skilled people to install them. We want to bring more passion in to the industry and boost its professionalism by inspiring young people to join the industry and stay in it. We can’t think of a better way to breed new talent than through practical training and we’re delighted to donate these roof lanterns which will help the apprentices to develop their installation skills.”

As part of their Level 1, 2 or 3 training in Fenestration Installation and Fenestration Surveying, the apprentices will develop their installation skills by fitting a number of products – including the Atlas lantern – into purpose-built 3×3 metre pods. The pods were previously used in the Master Fitter Challenge at this year’s FIT Show and have also been donated to the colleges.

Mick Clayton, chief executive officer at GQA Qualifications, added: “GQA has long highlighted the skills gap within fenestration and industry support for our approved centres is vital to ensure that practical training facilities are available. It’s fantastic to see Atlas making this investment and commitment with West Suffolk College and Total Support Training and I look forward to seeing the facilities in use.”

GQA Qualifications provides training courses at more than 70 centres throughout the UK, including West Suffolk College and Total Support Training.

Tim Warnock, programme manager at West Suffolk College, said: “Practical training is fundamental to our apprentices, providing them with the vital skills and confidence to become highly qualified installers and surveyors. For many apprentices, the only way they could learn about how to fit products was in a real-life installation, which was understandably a daunting experience for them.

“With these pods, the students can practice installing products and not be afraid to make mistakes – not that we anticipate many with the Atlas roof which is known to be a fitter’s dream to install! It will certainly show our apprentices that well-designed, modern fenestration products aren’t necessarily complicated to work with.”

Sharon Alderton, managing director of Total Support Training, added: “I’ve been working with many specialist suppliers across the industry and we all agree that there’s a wide skills gap to fill. We are committed to capturing youngsters and encouraging them into this industry, so we’re very excited about our brand new training facility which is just about to open in Milton Keynes. It will be equipped with a modern classroom and two training pods, which will include fitter-friendly products like the Atlas lantern. This investment in our future talent will help to combat the skills shortage and raise professional standards in the industry.”

To find out more about the Atlas range of Contemporary Lanterns, contact Atlas on 02838 327741 or visit www.atlasroofsolutions.co.uk.

Most of the headlines about the Autumn budget have focussed on the Chancellor’s stamp duty cuts. The threshold has been raised to £300,000, supposedly to help first-time buyers and families who are desperate to move to bigger properties. Chris Coxon, head of marketing at Eurocell, considers the announcements:

“The jury is definitely out on whether the stamp duty break will have its intended effect. But the detail that caught our eye was plans to lift borrowing caps on Housing Revenue Accounts for local authorities in areas of ‘high affordability pressures’ so that they can build more council homes.

“This follows on from Theresa May’s announcement of an additional £2bn funding to deliver 25,000 homes for social rent, during her embattled speech to the Conservative Party Conference in October. And while neither gesture can be considered a game-changer, what they do demonstrate is a change of heart from the Government towards local authority house building.

“This is good news all round. On a social level, affordable rented properties are the only answer for many struggling households. From an industry perspective, a visible and substantial pipeline of house building projects could give supply chain companies like ours the confidence to invest in innovative technologies and alternative contracting solutions.

“In truth, council house building is already on the rise. An October report from think tank, The Smith Institute, identified that 150 local housing companies, such as Newham Council’s Red Door Ventures, Wolverhampton’s WV Living and Gloriana in Thurrock, have already been set up. That number could rise to 200 by 2020 if their current rate of growth continues.

“Local authorities are fuelled by the dual demands of housing shortages among constituents and the need to generate revenue as funding from Central Government dwindles. Models vary, but councils are generally setting up partnerships with private-sector developers and developing on a modest scale.

“Could this growth in council house building be accelerated? The experts say yes. The Local Government Association thinks that the borrowing cap should be lifted for all local authorities and The Smith Institute suggests that Right to Buy receipts could be ploughed back into local housing companies to make them less dependent on the private sector.

“The challenge, of course, when there is any increased activity in house building, is finding the skills, resources (and materials) required. And here we return to the need for new technologies and approaches. We must look to manufacturing-led processes such as flying factories and component-led design if we are to really deliver the housing that people so desperately need.”

The post Budget boost heralds council building boom appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

A recent consumer survey carried out by lead generation specialist, Leads2Trade, has given an insight into consumer spending patterns.

According to Leads2Trade, it contacts thousands of consumers each month when qualifying sales leads, and has used this opportunity to ask them about their home improvement plans.

Despite recent political and economic turmoil, the results of the company’s survey are said to provide an ‘overwhelmingly positive’ outlook for installers and tradespeople.

A total of 80% of respondents stated that, over the next five years, they are more likely to renovate their current home than move to a different house.

This response marks a clear continuation of the ‘Improve Not Move’ trend, which has seen growing popularity thanks to increasing house prices.

64% also stated that they are either ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to seek out home improvement services over the next 12 months, showing that homeowners are interested in investing in renovations in both the short-term and in the long-term.

The survey also enquired about how much respondents expected to spend on their home improvements.

The answers given to this question suggest that homeowners may be planning renovations and developments of varying sizes, as 20% revealed that they anticipated spending over £10,000 on their home improvements and 30% stated that they had a budget of less than £1000.

The most popular room for refurbishment in the next 12 months was also found to be the kitchen.

Leads2Trade’s questionnaire then asked consumers about their reasons for considering improvements to their property. 32% said that their motivation was to increase their property’s value, indicating that, despite recent interest rate rises, investment in one’s property remains a popular option.

30% also stated that they would consider paying for home improvements to increase their home’s energy efficiency, showing a growing concern amongst consumers for the environment as well as for their own wallets.

Leads2Trade points out that installers can draw upon this information when trying to win sales and should try to point out the products which have the best energy efficiency and ‘U’ values.

Furthermore, for those who said they were interested in investing, new windows, security and a more energy efficient boiler were the top priorities. This indicates a promising future for installers and sellers of these types of products, especially seeing as a low price was a concern for only 4% of respondents.

The managing director of Leads2Trade, Andy Royle, commented: “Being able to carry out this survey gives installers and our members added value as they are given an insight into what consumer are actually thinking, when it comes to investing in home improvements.

“Overall the results were positive and consumers across the UK don’t look to be too impacted by Brexit and other economic factors.”

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