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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...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
How can Dekko Window Systems help you prepare for the future? Sales director, Kurt Greatrex, explains… The current cost of living crisis has placed a significant burden on homeowners, making it essential for them to make wise investments that provide long-term value. In the realm of fenestration, homeowners are increasingly recognising the importance of premium products that offer superior performance...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
It’s said that fabricators now need to be more than just a supplier. With changing regulations, they are often the first port of call for installers, while the increasing complexity of projects means that they need to provide advice to a customer on the right products. Jeremy Phillips, CDW Systems’ group chairman, explains more. Fabrication is no longer just about...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
Nicola Harrison, MD at timber window and door supplier Bereco, explores why timber is a highly sought-after home improvement material thanks to its sustainability and durability. If you’re reading this and you’re a housebuilder or developer you may be familiar with people often questioning the cost, quality and performance of timber windows. Unfortunately, it’s not just people within the industry...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
Back in 1993, a 19-year-old Gerry Buckley decided to quit his motor mechanic apprenticeship and join his brothers in working at local trade aluminium window and door fabricator, A Plus Aluminium. “I was almost at the end of my apprenticeship too,” laughs Gerry. “But the wage was just too tempting so I jumped ship.” Watford-based A Plus Aluminium was an...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
By Danny Williams, managing director, Pioneer Trading. As my regular reader might expect, I cannot leave the Safestyle stone unturned. There has been an outpouring of opinion about the why’s and wherefores of how the industry’s number one retail player hit the skids, with a popular view that flogging white plastic squares is a recipe for disaster, a view that...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
Glass Times editor, Luke Wood, visits Nationwide Windows and discovers how the company prioritises its people – and its service – above anything else. Founded in 1986, Nationwide Windows is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of fenestration products into new build and local authority projects. The company, which predominantly fabricates Eurocell profile – incorporating Kubu ‘Smart as Standard’ technology –...
Posted On - 04/02/2024
With autumn’s casualties in the fabrication sector we ask what’s ahead for trade fabricators and their customers? Is it going to get worse before it gets better? Going into the end of this year that’s a question on the lips of fabricators up and down the country. High labour costs, high energy costs and a lacklustre market in the face...
Posted On - 03/02/2024
By John Park-Davies, group MD, Vertik-Al. As one of the UK’s largest independent powder coaters we have exceptional insight into colour usage and trends in the UK architectural aluminium industry. Looking at our usage data for the last 200,000kg of powder we have sprayed onto thousands of pieces of aluminium, the results are interesting and informative. Over a relatively short...
Posted On - 03/02/2024
With more than 50 processes involved in the manufacture and supply of fasteners used every day in window and door manufacturing, there is more than meets the eye to the smallest components used by the industry. Andy Holland, technical & marketing manager at Rapierstar, explains more. With the average cost of a window screw just £0.0081, you could be forgiven...
Posted On - 03/02/2024
Quickslide has invested £1.71million into a new, bespoke Schirmer machining centre. Glass Times editor, Luke Wood, visits the company’s Brighouse based HQ to find out more about how the new machine is helping to revolutionise production of the company’s vertical sliding window range. Whenever I talk to someone who has been in the industry for any length of time, and...
Posted On - 03/02/2024
Grey, green and blue colours are now helping to add tens of thousands of pounds to property prices according to recent national statistics. Deborah Hendry, managing director of Kolorseal, says that those who only fabricate in white PVC-U are causing many homeowners to lose value on their properties. Thanks to our bespoke colour coated options at Kolorseal, there is a...
Posted On - 03/02/2024
Glazerite UK Group has undergone something of a transformation in recent years. With a new management team at the helm and a passion for continuous improvement across its operations, Darren Rhodes, managing director at Glazerite North West, explains why partnerships with the likes of leading machinery supplier, Haffner, play a central role in the fabricator’s drive for quality. It's our...
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