Editors Comments
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Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell welcomes news that companies in the fenestration industry are working together to tackle challenge head on. In a previous weekly comment, I discussed how not enough was being done to help installers, and that customers were not educated enough in the issues facing the industry. I doubt that my words were any form of catalyst,...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell reports in the spiralling energy costs. The glass and glazing industry has had to tackle some very difficult working conditions over the last 18 months, which it has done, largely, with patience and fortitude. The latest crisis to best this industry – and everyone else – is the spiralling energy costs. There is not a...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell attends a podcast recording. Yesterday, I attended my very first podcast recording. I was there mostly to report, but I still threw in my observations. It was organised by Aluk, and hosted at its design studio in London, situated between Moorgate and Old Street tube stations. The purpose of the podcast was to generate an...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell argues that some marketing messages are not just about selling products. I think the trend in recent years for suppliers to talk to the end user – particularly the homeowner – has been successful. It was the Apeer’s new TV ad that got me thinking about it. The discussions I had with installers 10-15 years...
Bohle has announced that former national sales manager Nelson Graham passed away on the evening of Monday September 20. Nelson was well known and respected throughout the UK and Irish glass and glazing industry. In a career spanning 26 years, Nelson was initially employed in April 1987 as commercial manager for Berlyne Bailey and Co and, following the subsequent acquisition...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell reports on a successful face-to-face networking event. Thank you to everyone who attended last week’s Glass Times Race Day, which was held at Epsom Downs Race Course. And thank you to all the sponsors who made it happen: Aluk, Emplas, Extrudaseal, Quickslide, Supalite, Unique, Window Widgets. We also held a charity raffle, organised by Sarah...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell reports on the National Audit Office’s assessment of the Green Homes Grant scheme. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) did not sufficiently understand the challenges facing installers before the Green Homes Grant scheme was announced, failing to learn from previous schemes, according to the National Audit Office (NAO), which published its findings...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell argues that green is no longer a nice-to-have. This week, we have collated news stories and articles with a distinctly green focus. The effects of climate change, driven by the increased amounts of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, are becoming more obvious with each passing year. The built environment, either during the construction phase or...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell reports on a delay that companies will be able to get behind. Businesses will have an additional year to apply new product safety markings for most products placed on the market in England, Scotland and Wales, the government has announced. “Recognising the impact of the pandemic on businesses, the government will extend this deadline to January 1, 2023 to apply UKCA marks for certain products to demonstrate compliance with product...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell argues that it isn’t just homeowners who we need to convince that we are a modern industry. This week, we report the news that Certass has teamed up with Which? Trusted Traders. The key reason given by Certass for this partnership is the enduring negative perception of door-to-door sales – usually associated with double glazing....
This week’s leader comment is handed over to Mike Parczuk, managing director of Sternfenster. It’s great that everyone is busy but we face a number of challenges, and I don’t only mean those impacting the supply chain. The net effect of increased demand and disruption is that the cost of each retail job has gone up. It’s not only that...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell discusses the latest FIT Show announcement. I’d been hearing murmurs of unease about this year’s FIT Show for a few weeks now, so it wasn’t a complete surprise to hear that the decision had finally been made to postpone it until next May. It is still, nonetheless, a disappointment. I think everyone was hoping that...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell discusses a report released this morning (July 21) which calls for a significant overhaul of the home improvement market. Otherwise, climate change targets won’t be met. Climate change targets won’t be delivered unless the home improvements market is overhauled, according to a new report ‘Building on our Strengths’ published jointly by the Federation of Master...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell wonders if things have just got more complicated. The lifting of social distancing restrictions from next week (July 19) completely changes the dynamic of how we handle the pandemic – in England at least. Up until now, we have been subjected to the rules laid down by government. However, from Monday, all social distancing officially...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell discusses the proposed changes to Part L of the Building Regulations. This week I came across a news story about how one housebuilder was revealed to have opposed the government’s plans to dramatically cut carbon emissions from new homes. However, it was in a small minority of only 2% of such responses to the government...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell mourns the cancellation of the Race Day, but celebrates the chance to win £10K just by getting a passport stamped at the FIT Show. As you will no doubt have heard by now, the Glass Times Race Day has been put on hold for another year. To say that we are all very disappointed doesn’t...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell wonders if relationships up and down the supply chain have changed for good. If you are busy trying to keep up with the current levels of demand, do you stop looking for opportunities? It was a question that occurred to me this week, as I considered the number of recent conversations I’ve had with companies,...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell reports on efforts to look at what lies beyond the lifting of all restrictions. As we come to terms with another four-week delay to the complete lifting of restrictions, the general news emerging from industry is more of a long-term view. Many companies have been about fighting fires for the last 18 months, with long-term...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell discusses the Herculean task to reduce the carbon footprint of every existing building. I received a press release this week from the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council arguing that we must act quicker and harder to improve the energy efficiency of the 250 million existing buildings in the EU (along with Norway, Switzerland and the...
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell enjoys some time in the sun. Over the bank holiday weekend, I spent a day by the beach along with hundreds of other people – families and friends all getting out during half term to make the most of the nice weather. Normally, I would avoid crowds, but I couldn’t help but enjoy seeing everyone...