Home Featured Articles Fabricators Articles
Posted On - 10/07/2024
For busy installers, the advantages of working with one fabricator for all their needs has a wide range of benefits. Nigel Leivers, managing director at Frame Fast, explains why. They say that cliches are cliches because they are true. Here’s a few for you… time is money, one-stop-shop, everything under one roof, quality is key, and trust is the cornerstone...
Posted On - 05/07/2024
Sue Davies, Victorian Sliders’ head of sales, explains why the manufacturer has invested significantly in online foiling. Thirty years ago, when the original double-glazing boom was at its peak, it was extremely rare to see a window that wasn’t white. Fast-forward three decades, and that situation has transformed. Yes, most windows sold and installed in the UK are still white...
Posted On - 05/07/2024
By Danny Williams, managing director, Pioneer Trading. Everest has once again bitten the dust, this time seemingly for good, though rival Anglian has bought the brand and order books, as indeed it also did when Safestyle went south. Everest last went pop in 2020, the result it said at the time, of staff being unable to make sales and installation...
Posted On - 05/07/2024
Sue Davies, head of sales at Victorian Sliders, explains the intention behind the company’s latest optional upgrade to the EcoSlide sash window. Over the last ten years, there’s been a big shift – for homeowners, installers, housebuilders and others, energy efficiency has jumped to the top of the list of priorities. Partly, that’s down to soaring energy costs, which have...
Posted On - 05/07/2024
Sternfenster’s managing director, Mike Parczuk, explains why he changed his mind about sustainability. I have been in the window industry for 35 years, and Sternfenster has been in business continually for 50 years. In that time, I have introduced more efficient methods of fabrication, invested heavily in Investors in People (we are a Gold IIP business!), and we have a...
Posted On - 05/07/2024
Sternfenster’s sales director, Nathan Court, explains why we shouldn’t take the demand for energy efficient products for granted. When it comes to energy efficiency for windows and doors, companies cannot afford to slip up, because if you can’t demonstrate low U-values or Window Energy Ratings of A and above at the point of sale, then you may as well go...
Posted On - 04/07/2024
By Danny Williams, managing director of Pioneer Trading. Sustainability? In my opinion, it is one of those words that is bandied about ‘willy nilly’ by people that want to sound ‘woke’ and trendy: ‘OK ya – our organisation is aiming for total sustainability by 2030’. There are several fairly consistent definitions of the word offered following a search of the...
Posted On - 04/07/2024
We talk to Dekko Window System’s sales director, Kurt Greatrex, to discuss the fabricator’s latest news and developments. Glass Times (GT): Firstly, can you tell us a bit about Dekko? Kurt Greatrex (KG): Dekko is a leading manufacturer of premium windows and doors, and with over 25 years of experience in the industry, we have established ourselves as a trusted...
Posted On - 03/07/2024
Combilift is demonstrating a commitment to sustainability through the development of electric trucks and in greener production processes. Combilift’s original green corporate colour was a reflection of the company’s Irish roots, and has become globally synonymous with the brand since it was established just over 25 years ago. It has also recently introduced its new vibrant, eco hi-vis green colour...
Posted On - 03/07/2024
Simon Jarman, CEO of Clever Bean Accounting, discusses the lack of value being added by accounting activities in the window and door industry. Fresh out of university, I joined one of the renowned accounting firms, known today as PriceWaterhouseCoopers although it was called something different back then. The prestige associated with this firm was undeniable, but I quickly discovered that...
Posted On - 03/07/2024
With a growing focus on environmental responsibility, the merger between CDW Systems and sister company Clearway Doors & Windows brings both companies green practices together for a more sustainable future. Sustainability requires a forward-thinking approach to make a proper difference, and the recent merger between specialist aluminium fabricator CDW Systems, based in Gloucester, and sister company, Cheltenham-based supplier and installer...
Posted On - 03/07/2024
Specialist aluminium fabricator CDW Systems has merged with sister company, supplier and installer Clearway Doors & Windows. In this exclusive interview, we chat with Jeremy Phillips, managing director, to delve deeper into the motivations behind the move and its potential benefits for customers. Glass Times (GT): Jeremy, it’s hugely exciting news for CDW Systems. What were the reasons behind the...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
By John Park-Davies, group managing director at Vertik-Al. As the UK’s market leading independent powder coater, we colour for the country’s foremost extruders, manufacturers and providers of architectural aluminium and associated components. This means we coat anything from a nut and bolt, through to a dual colour 6m insulated aluminium bar and all things in between. This is quite an...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
After a solid 2023, Jeremy Phillips, Group Chairman of CDW Systems says this year will be an ‘interesting one’ for fabricators. The doom and gloom predicted for 2023 never fully materialised, and it was only towards the end of the year when there was a drop off in orders. While we don’t want to see the market slow down, some...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
Glass Times editor, Luke Wood, visits Devon based installer ADS Windows & Doors, a company that has enjoyed significant success since its launch in 2009 and which is now targeting further growth through its burgeoning commercial operations. Based in Ivybridge, Devon, ADS Windows & Doors was established in 2009 with just three office-based employees and one team of fitters. Since...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
In an uncertain market, Warwick North West director, Greg Johnson, explains why going above and beyond for customers is the key to navigating the storm. Looking to the new year, Jeremy Hunt’s recent forecast that the economy is set to grow by 0.7% in 2024 doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, especially when interest rates remain at a 15-year high with the...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
Dual sourcing is a huge reason behind TWR’s success with installers, explains the company’s group director, Laura Richardson. When installers choose a new supplier, they have a checklist of boxes they need ticked to make sure they find the right one. Reputation, quality of product and delivery and capacity are, of course, hugely important, but a fabricator that dual sources...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
Quickslide’s managing director, Ben Weber, explains why installers must make it their business to know about their suppliers’ businesses – beyond just their products and services. Like most manufacturers, at Quickslide we're often guilty of talking about our products all day long. We're really proud of what we produce. Our product offering is continuously evolving, but so is the ongoing...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
Glazerite UK Group marketing manager, Michelle Wright, highlights how the leading trade fabricator will support installers into 2024 and beyond. With external factors making for difficult times, achieving success this year might feel challenging. As a fabricator-partner, we are focused on how we can best support our installers and help them to stand out in a fiercely competitive market. Product...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
By Danny Williams, managing director, Pioneer Trading During the intensive brain-storming and editorial planning meetings that always precede the research and production of every Rear Window column (!), for this issue editor Luke asked me to give my crystal balls a polish and, quite simply, predict the future. Not too much of a task, he said, just 2024… Playing safe...
Copyright 2024 | Glass Times is the Industry Leading Magazine reaching 10,531 professionals each month. 100% individually reader requested | Sitemap