Technical appointment

Rapierstar has appointed Paul Balfe as its new technical consultant for the north of England.

Paul joins Rapierstar following three years with KAT UK, where he was product development manager – a role that involved working extensively with its aluminium window and door customer base and several systems extruders.

His expertise in this arena is now set to benefit the window industry more broadly as Rapierstar develops its range of austenitic stainless steel fasteners specifically for aluminium systems. Paul will also be involved with the continuous development of Rapierstar’s Star PVCU range of window screws for plastic windows and doors.

Overall, Paul’s career spans more than 30 years, which includes 12 years running his own door and window manufacturing and installation business, plus various roles within Spectus and Heywood Williams. His expertise covers both PVC and aluminium.

Managing director David Furness said: “[Paul] joins us at an exciting time for the business as our strong growth continues and we add new products to our range which stem from our ongoing innovation programme. Our range of fasteners for aluminium typifies this as we work closely to help customers optimise quality and provide credible customer warranties.”

Paul said: “Choosing the right fasteners for every aspect of the window or door construction and installation is absolutely vital if the finished product is to deliver on the promised security, safety, functionality and longevity. Together with my colleagues, we will help our customers to avoid the pitfalls and arrive at the best solution.”