R&D is the name of the game
Gary Gleeson, marketing manager at hardware specialist VBH, explains how ironmongery for casement windows is still very much a vital component of the company’s product range.
The team at Glass Times and the other trade magazines go to a great deal of effort to bring you, the reader, a selection of topics each month. Regular subjects include profile, glass, people, current issues, companies, windows, doors and, importantly, hardware.
Is it just me, though, or has anyone else noticed that although the pages are stacked with interesting content introducing readers to a plethora of wonderful new door locks, cylinders and door handles for you to choose from, there isn’t much going on in the way of new window hardware development?
Could it be that window hardware is now being treated as a commodity and is being overlooked?
Not at VBH it isn’t.
With a typical UK three bedroomed semi-detached house having somewhere between six and 10 windows, window hardware makes up a big chunk of business for all of us. That’s why we have continued to invest in new product development of window hardware.
Over the last few months, we have introduced two new casement window locking systems to the market to bring the number of products within our own greenteQ window lock family to three.
Last year we saw the introduction of our greenteQ Invicta window shootbolt. It has been very well received and a good number of prestigious manufacturers now fit Invicta as standard to their windows.
Invicta suits many of the most popular profile systems, as it is available with a choice of industry standard 20 and 22mm backsets, and two mushroom cam heights.
From February 2022, fabricators can also manufacture two-sash French casement windows using Invicta, as our first deliveries of passive and active sash French casement shootbolt extensions have arrived into stock.
Our first bulk deliveries of the brand new greenteQ Securitas security window espagnolette arrived in December and January. Securitas was developed in response to calls from customers who prefer the speed and convenience of fitting a security espagnolette to their windows rather than a shootbolt, but wanted to use the trusted greenteQ brand.
Securitas offers great levels of protection against forced entry and, being a one-piece product much like a standard espag, is quicker to fit and easier to stock than a shootbolt system. All the fixings are applied from one direction, and there is no cropping and connecting required.
Both Securitas and Invicta are covered by Kitemark KM727991 and are approved to Q-secure Premium level, which means that they can be fitted to Q-secure windows made by approved manufacturers. Q-secure Premium will pay the homeowner up to £8,000 direct in the event of a successful break in.
These new products join our standard window espagnolette, which is available for windows where a high security locking system is not required, such as those that cannot be reached from outside, for example.
The greenteQ Suite includes the Alpha window handle, which is currently available in eight finishes to suite in with our resi-door and patio door furniture. Look out for further additions to the greenteQ handle range throughout 2022.
VBH is all about giving customers choice, and our new products join those from a number of our key supply partners who also offer top quality third party branded locking systems, handles and friction stays for casement windows.
VBH may now be a market leader in the supply of patio door hardware, but by developing our own innovative window hardware solutions to offer alongside our third party brand products, we also continue to give UK window fabricators real choice and a constant stream of new products for casement windows.
Product development is the name of the game for VBH across all of our ranges.