Every cloud

Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell wonders if bad news is always bad news.

Read a news story once, and you view it as negative. Read it a second time, and you may well see the positive side to it.

Today’s news often gets bundled up with an unhealthy dose of opinion, so it is often difficult for the reader/viewer/listener to form their own opinion. Tragically, we may even get to a point where we don’t bother trying, in that the opinion is the news.

In the context of our industry, the negative consequence is that companies may well take perceived bad news – market reports, doom-laden Brexit scenarios, etc – and make decisions that could have a damaging impact on their business.

Alternatively, they could look for the opportunities, which is what Dortech did.

A glazing manufacturer and installer for 25 years, Dortech found a new revenue stream: maintenance.

James Sutherland, managing director, said: “The recession had led to a contraction of the construction industry and new build projects had slowed, but as a direct consequence of such market forces, the desire to maintain, repair or even refurbish commercial windows and doors soon emerged, with businesses recognising this as a far more economical alternative to replacing with new.”

As a result, Dortech’s maintenance division is the fastest growing part of the business.