Fabricators Articles
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In an industry where reliability can make or break a business, DL Window Systems’ Damian Simpson says working with Genius is proof that the right supplier can make all the difference. When it comes to building highly productive long-term partnerships in fenestration, trust, consistency and support are key. For Damian Simpson, managing director of Dewsbury-based DL Window Systems, those qualities...
By Nigel Leivers, managing director at Frame Fast UK. Sustainability is no longer a buzzword in construction – it’s a requirement. Whether you’re working on a new-build housing scheme or replacing windows in a period property, energy efficiency, carbon impact and responsible sourcing are now central to specification decisions. Glazing plays a huge role in that conversation. Windows and doors...
Dekko Window Systems managing director, Kurt Greatrex, discusses why aluminium remains a key focus for the company. It’s fair to say that few materials have made an impact quite like aluminium has in our industry over the last 10 years. At Dekko, we’ve had a front-row seat to the material’s evolution of the market. When we chose to expand into...
Amelia Gaughan, head of marketing for Affordable Windows Group, explains how installers can benefit by switching to a supplier that provides extensive support beyond just products. There was a time in the not-so-distant past when a supplier was just that – a supplier. Installers would place an order, receive products, and that was it. But those days are long gone....
Greg Johnson, managing director of G-Award Fabricator of the Year Warwick North West, expands on the ideas he shared at the FIT Show – offering insight into business leadership and entrepreneurship. I never planned to end up in fenestration. Like many in our industry, I fell into it, joining my family's business with little idea of where it might lead....
The Haffner MAC 345 has transformed production efficiency and consistency for Universal Trade Frames, taking fabrication of the Residence Collection to new levels of engineered precision. An awful lot of work has gone into enabling this machine to achieve its maximum potential,” says Duncan Saunders, operations director at Shrewsbury-based manufacturer, Universal Trade frames. He’s referring to the company’s recent investment...
Are health & safety regulations stifling UK businesses? Danny Williams, managing director of Pioneer Trading, argues that in many cases, H&S is strangling the industry. My impressive friend Roger Hartshorn, he of Sheerline fame, referred in the column he wrote in the June issue of this fine publication, to the ‘Unfair Competition from Overseas Imports’ and the imbalance in trading...
As the UK’s aluminium fenestration market continues to expand, Romanian manufacturing giant QFort has set its sights firmly on long-term growth with the launch of its first UK showroom in Egham, Surrey. Glass Times editor Luke Wood was among the guests at the launch event, which attracted more than 100 visitors from across the glazing industry, keen to explore the...
By Joe Trueman, director, Glyngary Joinery. Six months into my new partnership with Glyngary Joinery, I’ve quickly come to appreciate the intricacies – and the pride – that come with working in the world of timber windows and doors. I’ve also discovered something that continues to surprise me – how many companies promoting themselves as UK-based suppliers are actually outsourcing...
With over three decades in the fenestration industry, Steve Collett steps into his new sales director role at Dekko Window Systems and shares why Dekko stood out, what’s next for the market, and how he plans to support the company’s continued growth. Glass Times (GT): Steve, you’ve had a successful and varied career across major names in the fenestration industry....
Research from Deceuninck shows that the availability of finance is key in driving sales of energy efficient home improvement products. Despite easing inflation, newly-released research from Deceuninck found that almost a third of homeowners have delayed home improvement spend due to concerns over the cost of living; a concept which is at odds with the need to improve energy efficiency...
Glass Times talks to Mike Bygrave, director at Roseview Windows, about how buying an independent foiling company has delivered flexibility and some unexpected wins. Over the last decade, the window industry has seen a shift in homeowner preferences. Smooth white PVC-U windows – once the only option – are no longer the default. Today, customers want choice, and not just...
Danny Williams, managing director of Pioneer Trading, gives his thoughts on the 2025 FIT Show, and on the price pressures that are now being applied to premium products. Although by the time you read this, thoughts of the FIT Show will be far from most people’s minds, at the time of writing this, my latest sharing of wisdom, FIT Show...
Following FIT Show 2025, regional sales manager, Mike Wilson, at Everglade Windows, reflects on the event and how the show put a spotlight on the importance of added value in a product-rich market. While another FIT Show has come and gone, it was a powerful reminder for us and the industry as a whole. Walking the corridors of the NEC,...
Warwick North West’s managing director, Greg Johnson, discusses how the industry can stop talking about the skills shortage and start taking action. The skills shortage in the construction and fenestration industry isn't news to anyone. We've all read the headlines, seen the statistics, and probably contributed to countless discussions about the crisis. The Construction Products Association tells us we're set...
By Danny Williams, managing director, Pioneer Trading. I am prompted to revisit this issue as rumours abound about the closure of a substantial factory that bears the name of an industry PE repeat offender. By the time you read this, all might be revealed. Our industry continues to be a magnet for Private Equity, something that baffles me after so...
Glass Times editor, Luke Wood, talks to Jamie Newall, CEO of Atlas Aluminium (the newly rebranded Real Aluminium Products Limited), which acquired the aluminium businesses of the Customade Group (Real Aluminium and Atlas Roof Solutions) out of administration. Luke Wood (LW): Atlas Roof Solutions and Real Aluminium were acquired by Real Aluminium Products from Customade in December last year –...
In an industry where efficiency and quality are paramount, Genius PVC Trade Frames is using lean manufacturing principles to drive an ambitious growth strategy that it says will position both the business and its customers for future success. Five years of unprecedented growth for Genius PVC Trade Frames might suggest that, for the next five years and beyond, ‘if it...
There are many misconceptions about replacing windows in conservation areas. Roseview’s Mike Bygrave helps clear up the confusion. Roseview has more than 40 years of experience in manufacturing sash windows. Throughout that time, we’ve seen installers and homeowners struggle with conservation areas; it’s a subject shrouded in uncertainty, misconception and false assumptions. This is understandable; conservation lacks a single defining...
By Danny Williams, managing director, Pioneer Trading. Whilst few of us wear masks now and contracting Covid has become as inconsequential as a bout of ‘normal’ flu, we continue to feel its economic effects five years after it hit the world and locked the UK down on 23 March 2020. The pandemic sent shockwaves through the planet and here, at...