Fabricators Articles
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As the fenestration industry faces an ageing workforce crisis, Warwick North West managing director, Greg Johnson, shares how the fabricator is building a pipeline of young talent through innovative leadership structures, educational partnerships, and a commitment to diversity. The skills shortage in construction isn't just coming, it's already here. Across the fenestration industry, the average age of workers continues to...
By Mark Flanagan, managing director, Ventrolla. Anyone in a heritage, listed or period property will understand how important retaining the home’s original features are. Timber sash and casement windows are a prime example of this, they add more value than being just functional, they embody the craftsmanship, history and architectural charm of the building. At Ventrolla, we always take a...
Direct Trade, a nationwide Veka fabricator since 2005, has further strengthened its long-standing relationship with the system house by signing a new 10-year supply agreement earlier this year. This milestone cements more than two decades of partnership and according to Veka, demonstrates a shared vision for delivering premium PVC-U products to the fenestration market. At the heart of this collaboration...
With higher margins and lower competition, Universal Trade Frames says Conservation Areas can be lucrative for window and door installers offering the right products. As big-ticket items, windows and doors need to perform well and look exactly right for homeowners to justify the purchase, especially in spaces such as Conservation Areas, where authenticity is essential. “In the premium heritage market,...
Amelia Gaughan, head of marketing for Affordable Windows Group, discusses how AWG’s aluminium range, Decorio, can help installers capitalise on the demand for steel-look systems and indoor-outdoor living. Homeowners are consistently on the hunt for ways to make their properties stand out, and in recent years, a clear preference for heritage-inspired designs has emerged. The industrial and Art Deco aesthetics...
A game-changing safety system for the fenestration industry, Stronghold offers business owners of installation companies a safer, faster, and more cost-effective alternative to scaffolding for many projects. It’s time to rethink working at height... For many installation business owners, scaffolding has long been the default solution for working at height. But what happens when you need to replace a single...
Glass Times talks to Roseview’s Mike Bygrave about how sash windows and secondary glazing give installers the tools to win heritage work. Glass Times (GT): Heritage projects are often seen as tricky. Where do sash windows fit into that? Mike Bygrave (MB): Heritage jobs can be complex. They often involve planners, conservation officers and detail-oriented customers that can test installers’...
Nestled away in a humble industrial estate on the rural edge of Wolverhampton, sits Ashmore Glass & Mirrors – a fabrication business with family at its heart. The showroom is full to the brim with Rehau windows in all styles and sizes set against a backdrop of rolling farm fields that welcome customers. Established in 1997 and founded by life-long...
Pioneer Trading’s Danny Williams contemplates the possibility of the People’s Window and Door Manufacturing Collective and speculates on tax rises in the Autumn Budget. In the decade and a half that I have been assaulting the senses of the one or two readers that might have stumbled upon my rantings, I always try both to entertain and offer words of...
Lee Darcy, sales and marketing manager at Heritage Trade Frames, explains why stability and consistency have defined the business for more than three decades and continue to guide the way it supports customers today. Expectations across the industry are rising. Products must achieve higher levels of thermal performance, projects are expected to run seamlessly, and all of it has to...
Why Silka’s bold move to make ceramic entrance door finishes mainstream could be the best sales opportunity installers see this year. Ceramic finishes aren’t new to architecture, but they’re almost unheard of in quick-to-fit, quick to profit, residential entrance doors. Silka’s latest additions to its Kärben Collection changes that. By integrating bonded Italian porcelain into its hybrid aluminium entrance door,...
Glass Times met with Tracey Jackson, business development manager of Howells Patent Glazing, the aluminium glazed roof product specialist, to discuss her route into the industry, hopes for the future, and how she chooses to spend her downtime. Glass Times (GT): When did you join the family business? Tracey Jackson (TJ): I started at Howells in January 1997, after the...
With homeowner expectations evolving and demand for aluminium on the rise, installers are looking for ways to offer more choice without adding complexity. Framexpress’ joint managing director, Stuart Green, explains how the company’s move into aluminium, alongside its established PVC-U offer, is giving customers greater flexibility, faster turnaround times, and the confidence to win more work. The last few years...
The Rhino Aluminium Door range has been one of the aluminium market’s stand out success stories of 2025. Launched in January and showcased on the AluK stand at the FIT Show in May, sales are reportedly so far above target that Rhino has already invested in a new, additional state-of-the-art bonding press to keep pace with demand from trade customers...
By John Park-Davies, group managing director of Allumette. As group MD of Allumette I have privileged insight into the architectural aluminium industry – from the price of raw material to the demands of global construction companies, manufacturers, developers and architects. No two days are the same. This insight is backed by more than 85 years’ experience. Vertik-Al will celebrate 60...
By Jon Palethorpe, co-managing director of A Plus Aluminium. As an established trade aluminium fabricator operating in the commercial sector, we must ensure our customers have access to proven products that satisfy the requirements of the Building Safety Act and the most recent revisions to Approved Document B, which came into force on 2 March 2025. It is one of...
Glass Times editor, Luke Wood, visits Universal Trade Frames to learn more about why the fabricator has invested over £500k to deliver the ultimate Residence Collection offer. When it comes to premium fabrication, few companies in the UK window and door sector match the ambition and precision of Universal Trade Frames. Based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and operating from a 30,000ft²...
Danny Williams, managing director of Pioneer Trading asks – have we created a ‘snowflake’ generation of installers? Deceuninck held a round table discussion recently, a worthy and welcome effort. With my general disdain for golf, for which the discussions were a precursor, I did not attend. According to published reports and a subsequent discussion with Luke, editor of this magnificent...
Quickslide’s managing director, Ben Weber, explains how the fabricator’s multi-million-pound investments in production, combined with comprehensive marketing support, have enabled its trade partners to remain highly competitive in a challenging market. In a market that is continuing to face considerable headwinds, we are acutely aware of the challenges currently facing the industry and the significant pressure that installers are under...
Glass Times editor, Luke Wood, visits Origin’s new showroom, a space that has been perfectly curated to underline the leading British manufacturer’s premium offer. When Origin Global launched its new showroom earlier this year at its Bicester headquarters, it wasn’t just unveiling a physical space – it was making a powerful statement about what the future of premium aluminium fenestration...