Shaken and stirred
Customade Group celebrated its merger with Polyframe at the FIT Show; the Customade team welcomed visitors on two stands at the show and told them about what the enlarged, full-service group can deliver to the industry since its merger in February.
Customade Group now claims to be the biggest fabricator in the UK with revenues of more than £100 million and a vast product range which extends across PVCU and aluminium windows and doors, composite doors, aluminium glazed roof products, sealed glass units and specialist glazing.
The group has just embarked on a major repositioning programme to stimulate the market and spread the message among fabricators, installers and retailers about the advantages of collaborating with a large, established group with national reach.
John Lightowlers, Customade Group’s managing director, said: “We’re tremendously excited about this year’s FIT Show because it’s the first industry event since Polyframe merged with the Customade Group. We are perhaps the biggest name that many people may not have heard of, yet, but that’s all about to change and we’ve been setting the scene at FIT. We have some terrific plans for the future and a team of 900 people to deliver a formidable five-year strategy. This is a step-change for the industry and we’re excited to tell everyone all about what our collective ability will bring.
“We’re currently repositioning ourselves within the market and rebranding the Customade Group. This enlarged group gives us a unique presence and strength within the market, delivering a complete solution for customers with strong, challenger brands behind us. The combined product portfolio of the group is unmatched by any other fabricator in the industry and we’ll be working very closely with customers to help them to achieve sustainable growth. The response from our customers since the merger has been extremely positive and they’re really enthusiastic about a promising future with us.”
Customade Group now includes Polyframe, Real Aluminium, Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions, Virtuoso, Hourglass Seal, and Fineline Aluminium. The group operates nationwide and employs 900 people in multiple manufacturing sites across the UK.
www.customade.co.uk
Caption
From left: Tony Craggs, managing director Virtuoso; Richard Lee, managing director Polyframe Halifax; John Adams, customer service director; Gareth Thomas, group sales and marketing director; Claire Miller, group marketing manager; John Lightowlers, group managing director; and Nick Gibbons, chief operations officer.