Editors Comments
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A huge congratulations to all those who came away with a trophy at the G25 Awards, which were held last Friday at the Hilton on Park Lane, London. As usual it was a very glamorous affair and one that celebrated all the best people, products, businesses and initiatives of the last 12 months. I was particularly proud to be able...
I was invited to Regency Glass earlier this week, to get a preview of the glass manufacturer’s ambitious move to a new, 420,000ft2 factory that will be based in Warrington. The relocation represents a multi-million pound investment by the company – creating what will be the largest glass processing and IGU manufacturing facility in the UK – and is the...
Does it pay to have a positive mental attitude? According to an article that I read recently, that highlighted research on how repetitive negative thinking can eventually lead to cognitive decline, it would seem that there are indeed some benefits to keeping a stiff upper lip and focusing on the positives. It’s certainly true that an awful lot of successful...
In last week’s newsletter I highlighted a mixed outlook from the industry, with some sectors of the industry continuing to face very challenging conditions, while others were reporting that they were doing relatively well. There is no doubt that 2025 has been a tough year and that tax rises forecast for the upcoming Autumn budget will do little to boost...
As we head into November, the feedback from the industry – across retail and commercial sectors – is that some businesses are doing relatively well, despite broader economic conditions, while others are continuing to face considerable challenges. This is based on various ‘off the record’ conversations I’ve had with organisations up and down the supply chain, but also reflects data...
Two years ago, I was invited to Quickslide’s Brighouse based factory for the official unveiling of a new £1.71million Schirmer machining centre. With a footprint of 4,120ft2 it was twice as big as the fabricator’s existing Schirmer machinery and had taken three days to be delivered from Germany, plus two months to install. It was such a substantial and unique...
Anyone who has been in the glazing industry for a certain amount of time, or has watched the sitcom White Gold, will know that – ‘back in the day’ – it was a sector that had a reputation for attracting a certain roguish element. These days, I think it is fair to say that while a minority of ‘cowboy traders’...
The Glazing Summit was held last week at the Coventry Arena, a new venue for the event following many years at Edgbaston. A staple of previous Summits has been the Insight Data State of the Industry report, presented by Andrew Scott, and for this year the latest data revealed that the overall number of fabricators and installers has dipped slightly...
The 2025 Glazing Summit, which is being hosted tomorrow at the Coventry Arena, has a number of new topics on the agenda including a keynote on the Building Safety Regulator and a panel discussion on AI, as well as some ‘firm favourites’ – such as how to encourage new talent into the industry. The skills gap was a major talking...
The finalists for the 2025 G Awards were announced last Friday, so congratulations to all those who have been nominated across all 14 categories. The G Awards are always a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the success of so many hard-working businesses and to recognise the innovation, products and people that make the industry such a vibrant and rewarding sector. For...
The use of artificial intelligence continues to become more widespread within the industry, with the latest example being the launch of Claria, an AI powered assistant that has been developed by Guardian Glass A feature that is now built into the Guardian website, Claria has been designed to help users with a range of common tasks, such as answering technical...
Glass Times magazine welcomed over 300 industry people to Epsom Downs last week, for the second race day of 2025 following Haydock earlier in July. Once again it was a fantastic day out, with guests enjoying fine dining and seven races sponsored by Yale, FIT Show ’27, Emplas, Chigwell Window Centre, Residence Collection, DoorCo and Quickslide. And while there was...
In the UK, new windows and doors have traditionally been sold to homeowners on the promise that they will keep the cold air out, and all the warm air in. But this summer, which will go down as the warmest on record with a mean temperature of 16.10 degrees centigrade (surpassing 2018’s 15.76) has demonstrated that keeping building occupants cool...
The latest Business Pilot barometer, which highlights trends from retail installers using Business Pilot software, has revealed a drop in leads, sales, order values and conversion rates for August. This could be down to the time of year, with homeowners focusing on the holiday period rather than investing in their properties, but it could also indicate that consumer confidence is...
In an age where marketing is being so heavily influenced by Artificial Intelligence, it is interesting to see how old-fashioned sales tactics can still prevail in the modern world. This was demonstrated recently by Preston based installation firm, Lee Kelly uPVC, which is an official trade partner for the Gerda range of aluminium and steel entrance doors, a brand that...
It seems that barely a week goes by without a major industry acquisition…and this time it’s the turn of hardware provider, Brisant Secure, which has been bought by Allegion. Allegion is a leading global security products and solutions provider, and acquired Brisant for an undisclosed sum through one of its subsidiaries. This latest deal follows hot on the heels of...
With the summer holidays now well underway, the outlook for the industry for the remainder of 2025 remains mixed, with many businesses coming to terms with increases in tax and low consumer confidence. According to a recent report, almost 50,000 British companies are on the brink of collapse, with those in ‘critical financial distress’ in the second quarter of the...
As Artificial Intelligence expands its reach into our everyday lives, there has been plenty of discussion over the last 6-12 months on how the technology can positively – or negatively – impact our industry. In fact, AI has been adopted by a number of forward-thinking companies for some time now, and the benefits are wide reaching. This is typically because...
Last week I reported on the recent industry roundtable event hosted by Deceuninck, a forum that highlighted a number of important topics, not least of which were the current pressures on businesses up and down the supply chain – and the challenge of maintaining a healthy profit margin. But what can businesses do, to remain proactive, when leads are harder...
Is the current state of the market worse than the 2008 crash? Does the industry really care about sustainability? Where are the opportunities for growth in the retail and commercial sectors? These questions, and more, formed part of an industry round table, hosted last week by Deceuninck at its impressive Calne facility. The event was well attended and included fabricators,...