Hardware & Security Articles
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Simon Monks, MD of VBH, gives an example of how customers benefit when hardware and profile suppliers work in partnership. As one of the largest and longest serving hardware specialists in the business, we are often asked to work alongside companies from other aspects of the window and door industry to develop hardware products. Having our own greenteQ hardware brand,...
By John Crittenden, managing director of Carl F Groupco. I’d like to congratulate the 19 fenestration companies with their ‘united front’ open letter, and their approach to the current unprecedented and unrelenting challenges that we as an industry have faced since March 2020. As an independent hardware distributor of leading manufacturer brands, Carl F Groupco has always been at the...
By John Crittenden, managing director of Carl F Groupco. I’d like to congratulate the 19 fenestration companies with their ‘united front’ open letter, and their approach to the current unprecedented and unrelenting challenges that we as an industry have faced since March 2020. As an independent hardware distributor of leading manufacturer brands, Carl F Groupco has always been at the...
Window Ware’s managing director Sam Nuckey discusses why the company is looking forward to ensure that current volumes are sustainable when things get back to normal – and why it has a strong foundation to build upon. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of talking about record sales months and, judging by the continuing increased orders volumes, I won’t...
By UAP. Managing the complex phased construction of multiple buildings as part of the same development is always demanding, particularly in prestigious locations like Canary Wharf. Ensuring that management of the built assets is efficient throughout the lifetime of the development is equally important and, at a current mixed-use development across 32 buildings in Canary Wharf, the key control strategy...
By Nick Dutton, CEO of Brisant Secure. Supply problems disrupt business. They can even stop it dead. Recently, the shortage of HGV drivers was one of the factors that led to a limited supply of fuel, which caused chaos across the UK. Globally, supply chains are failing. China is facing an energy crisis: Goldman Sachs estimates 44% of China’s industrial...
When selecting hardware to complement your doorset portfolio, you need to be confident that the products will not let you down and will enhance the overall offering. Ideally they should be safe, reliable and high-quality, performing exactly the roles required of them on your doors. Ultimately, the reputation of your business depends on the correct product selection. By Yale. Yale...
Danny Openshaw from UAP discusses the role of the humble window restrictor in ensuring windows offer family-friendly safety. With UK temperature highs topping 32º this summer, windows up and down the country have been flung open to let fresh air in. The problem is an open window can also be a health hazard. RoSPA figures indicate that around 4,000 children...
By Marco Verdonkschot, managing director at IronmongeryDirect. As the number of jobs available in the UK climbs to over one million for the first time since records began, the number of vacancies in the construction sector has also reached its highest ever level, with 37,000 listings between June and August. This is an increase of 2,000 from May to July,...
The problem of disappointing hardware – of finishes that pit and peel – has scarred the industry, says Nick Dutton, CEO at Brisant-Secure, who offers a solution. Homeowners take pride in their front doors: no-one buys a front door with gleaming hardware to look beautiful for just two or three years. People expect their new door to age gracefully and...
With next year marking the 30-year landmark for Rapierstar, founder and managing director David Furness talks about the company’s journey so far. Rapierstar originally formed as Architectural Supplies in 1992 when there was an opportunity to challenge the convention that fasteners were either low grade, cheap, poor quality products, or over-engineered and phenomenally expensive. We knew we could bring to...
Kerry Blackford, head of product at ERA, explores how fabricators can stay ahead of competitors by incorporating both traditional and smart hardware systems into the manufacturing process to provide customers with a total security solution. Driven by increasing consumer demand for home automation, app-controlled systems continue to disrupt the UK home security market, as individuals look to streamline efficiencies and...
Roseview will be showcasing its smart technology collaboration with Rehau on its stand at the FIT Show in September. Director Mike Bygrave reveals all. There are few elements of our industry more traditional than sash windows. They’ve been a quintessential part of British architecture for more than 300 years, and they’re what Roseview is known for. But while style remains...
By Yale. The average cost of a residential burglary in the UK is £3,030, which is a significant amount for any household and a potentially disastrous loss for many. But it is not just about the money. Consider the risk to items so valuable that a number can’t be placed on them, such as family heirlooms, and the argument for...
It was six months ago that Richard Gyde at Mila first wrote to the press to sound an early warning about the storm brewing in the freight market. Here, he gives an update. Half a year ago, booming demand in the west, lack of capacity on container ships and a shortage of the physical containers themselves were already starting to...
Marketing’s importance is only strengthened in time of a crisis, but it has to have synergy with the whole business to truly flourish, argues Maco’s marketing manager Mark Enderby. Covid had an impact on everything and everyone but, as when any crisis hits, having a plan and processes in place make responding to one much more effective. As with many...
Eric Collins, managing director of Jackloc, reflects on how marketing effected success during a difficult time. As soon as the first lockdown hit, we were immediately affected; our business is heavily weighted towards the trade market, and with businesses having to close initially, our sales declined. Our first reaction was to cut back. We needed to have staff in the...
Fabricators sourcing the right aluminium hardware to meet demanding commercial contract work such as school repairs and office refurbishments will find the perfect supply partner in Window Ware, argues Richard Fraser, Window Ware’s business development manager for aluminium. Window Ware offers a wide range of highly specified aluminium hardware for commercial projects, including Caldwell folding openers, Highline electric and manual...
Hardware stocks are finally returning to normal says Richard Gyde, managing director at Mila. You don’t need to be MD of a UK hardware business to know that this sector of the market has faced immense challenges to keep up with demand since the return to work last May. In fact, the entire supply chain has been creaking under the...
By Giovanni Laporta, Smart Ready. The fenestration industry has seen an enormous increase in sales over the last nine months and I believe this puts it in a strong position to welcome and embrace change as we continue into 2021. For that change to benefit the industry as a whole, we must widen our consideration to include the other businesses...
