THE GL@ZINE - your glass, glazing and fenestration industry news first

Weekly Email News for the Glass, Glazing and Fenestration Industries
7th March 2006
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CRITIC'S CORNER

Profile 22 Watches The Armstrongs - Episode 2

Back for a second week of ‘The Armstrongs’ and we can only say things have gone from bad…to worse.

After another terrible month of sales (perhaps the buying cheap selling cheap philosophy is running out of steam?) and John’s reluctance to get on the phone, the dotty couple are struck with an idea that just might get their business back on track and inject some much-needed inspiration into the lifeless proprietor.

So, with a £10,000 a week shortfall, John and Ann decide to make for continental Europe with the ambition of selling ‘DIY Conservatoires*’ (music academies) to French builders via their new ‘Vous-Fit’ domain name.
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Spectus Window Systems is unveiling a new rosewood colour option for its Vertical Slider System, to satisfy demand for natural wood-effect finishes with a prominent grain
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Longevity of solution is the key word for Comar 5 Pi Cladding adaptors. The adaptor allows the specifier the design opportunity to incorporate windows into a façade without the need for additional flashings
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Duraflex fabricator, A-Plas Windows Ltd, has launched a Bi-Folding Door using PVC-U profile from the Duraflex Diamond Suite
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The ContourGrid system from US and international manufacturer GED Integrated Solutions turns flat, pre-painted, coiled aluminium into custom punched, formed, cut and shape-routed Georgian bar
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Quality Roofing Systems wants to help conservatory installers by offering the Allure aluminium conservatory roof system
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Elumatec's SBZ 630 has been designed to cut thick-walled aluminium profiles at high speeds and has a 7.5kW motor
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Comar Architectural Aluminium Systems has announced that Comar 5P.i. Tilt & Turn window passed the enhanced security British Standard: BS 7950
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Profile 22 Systems has introduced 'cost-saving' Safeware Super Steel reinforcement
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Jeffrey Rioux of Saint-Gobain Crystals presents a report on advances in the design and ballistic performance of the company's Sapphire Transparent Armour System
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Duraflex has added a high performance composite door to complement its popular PVC-U Diamond Suite
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Trade fabricator, Griffin Windows, has recently upgraded its residential doors to offer installers and consumers even more choice and greater benefits
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Ultraframe’s chambered top cappings have proved a big hit with installers of the company’s Classic conservatory roofing system
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Avocet says that it has redefined the accepted parameters for product style, quality and performance, in a new range appropriately branded Pioneer
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Product Archive
(300+ Listed Products)
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For a directory of products sorted by product type

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For a directory of products sorted by company in alphabetical order

Joinery manufacturers of high quality sash windows, A & W Gowers Ltd of Chelmsford, Essex is a family concern with an excellent local reputation
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Teeside based Synseal fabricator installer Budget Windows has seen huge changes since the management buy out. After completing the first year under new ownership the investment and changes are paying off
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When Glenhampton Conservatories was looking at roofing systems that would not only meet and fulfil homeowners' needs, but also exceed their expectations, Wendland's Styal system was the obvious choice
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Glasgow-based Thermashield Insulation has completed the final phase of Linstone Housing Association’s window refurbishment programme, with the fabrication and installation of more than 750 Sheerframe windows, plus doors at certain properties
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The 'Cologne Triangle' by architects Gatermann + Schossig is a striking yet slender 103 square metre (338 square feet) tall office tower wrapped in glass that seems to defy traditional laws of aerodynamics and transparency
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Smiths, a brand new contemporary 4 star hotel in Gretna Green has Synseal's Legend70 windows and patio doors installed by Preston based Lancashire Double Glazing
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Bringing light into the interior of a historic stately home recognised as one of a hundred endangered sites of significance worldwide, the Rooflight Company once again proves its conservation credentials in the restoration of Stowe House
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Beaufort's new Advanced aluminium system has met the aesthetic and performance demands of a hilltop conservatory in the heart of the Cotswolds
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Eric Gale has joined Profile 22 as specification manager for the North of England
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Becky Gibbs has joined Cheltenham-based door panel manufacturer Portal Products to enhance its customer service and administration team
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A new position has been created for Jerry Brookes as Synseal's Commercial Sales Development Manager
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Synseal newcomer Simon Walker is looking forward to his role as Area Sales Manager for East England
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Norvik PVCu Window Systems Ltd has signed new PR & Marketing Manager, Nick Hibberd
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Shepley Window Systems has appointed John Williams as Commercial Manager to spearhead the Group's entry into the commercial market
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Duraflex is strengthening its penetration of the commercial market with a new addition to its commercial sales team, Mike Maltby
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Now specifiers and contractors can access all the latest information on CGI's comprehensive range of fire and security glasses at the click of a mouse
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Wendland Roof Solutions has introduced a new online service for its network of fabricators and installers
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Daedalian Glass, the UK designer and manufacturer of architectural glass projects, has expanded its website content with an electronic newsletter
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The hardware group of the DHF has published three technical specifications which set out the standards for the products. The technical specifications are available on the DHF website
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EN 1279 'Glass in buildings - insulating glass units' has finally been posted in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ). This means that, from next month, IGU manufacturers will be able to CE mark their units - and by March 2007 all units must comply with the Construction Products Directive (CPD). And, said Adam Osborn of Notified Body BM TRADA Certification, CE marking is the most effective way to prove compliance
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Palram honoured the true spirit of Christmas this year helping the needy and the vulnerable, by offering free building materials desperately needed by the Crisis Open Christmas
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KAT UK, the supplier of patio doors and vertical sliding sash windows, donated £3,735.20 during 2005 to Care for the Wild International (CWI) to aid the charity's work in protecting wild tigers
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One company which has pre-empted the 'green' revolution is FSG Technologies. It is installing the Mustang® continuous aluminium guttering system, supplied by Aluminium Roofline Products, on 'eco-friendly' properties built by Paul Newman Homes.
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Clean PVC regrind from recycling of PVC window profiles is a valuable raw material, that can be used again for the production of PVC windows. But contamination such as by rubber from seals, polyamide, plasticised PVC, etc are problematic. The separation process used by hamos GmbH in Penzberg works however entirely automatically, i.e. without manual pre-sorting.
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EU policymakers, social partners and leading safety and health experts met on 12th December 2005 in Bilbao, Spain, to see how to better protect European workers from noise and to award those organisations that have already managed to implement effective solutions
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Is 'The Armstrongs' Bad for the Trade?

After the second edition of The Armstrongs on BBC2 this week, and our subsequent coverage, there have been various rumblings across the trade about how much damage this is doing to the reputation of the industry. This is what the intrepid pair - who run 'Coventry's third largest conservatory company' (and who sell DIY conservatories for under £2500) - had to say on their blog, (while admitting that John Armstrong was drunk when he updated it):

'The double glazing industry apparently is upset because with the Armstrongs going on television, their self imposed TV critic say's it was a chance for the industry to get the recognition it deserves... Hello Profile 22, the series is called the Armstrongs, it's about us (and it's obvious you don't like us but we don't care about that), not about the industry. They don't like the fact that we have driven down prices in the industry and are griping about the fact that we have been responsible for eroding the profit's [sic] in an industry in crisis.... Hello, you lot may be in crisis but our business is booming thanks you very much: our customers can recognise down to earth, honest people who offer the best value conservatory on the market.'

Profile 22 puts Customers 'Ahead of the Game'
Representatives from over 100 fabricators and installers attended a recent Profile 22 seminar to hear about forthcoming revisions in the building regulations.
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Masterframe at Ecobuild
Masterframe Windows Ltd promoted the Window Energy Rating at construction exhibition Ecobuild in Earls Court 2, London, on 22-23 February.
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British Rooflight will 'Steel' the Show
A new British made rooflight 'Lumen' is being launched at this year's National Homebuilding and Renovating Show (2nd - 5th March 2006, NEC Birmingham).
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Dorluxe Back at Homebuilding Show
Having enjoyed success at the Homebuilding & Renovating show at London's Excel last year - Plastmo fabricator, Dorluxe (the specialist stable door manufacturer) is increasing the size of its exhibition stand.
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Open Days at GTI, 5th-8th March
'GTI Kombimatec is not going to Glassex for the first time in 22 years. We feel we can offer our customers and partners a better experience of seeing window machinery work and have a go at making real windows themselves,’ says the company.
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Industry Wide Seminar Set for May 10th 2006
Keeping up to date with rapidly changing energy efficiency issues and environmental legislation is of paramount importance to everyone in the window and glass markets. Edgetech UK and other industry experts are holding a free one day seminar on May 10th at Coventry football team's home ground the Ricoh Arena.
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Glassex ’06: 'The Most Diverse for Years'
Glassex has long been regarded as the barometer of the glass and glazing industry, with the event in recent years of course more closely representing windows, doors and conservatories.
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Get 'Six Appeal' at G06!
Make Friday 15 September a night to remember - the date for the G06 Awards Presentation, the industry's most sparkling event, has been announced.
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Proskills Apprenticeship And HR Events
Proskills, the Sector Skills Council with responsibility for the Glass and Glazing industries, in partnership with The Glass and Glazing Federation, British Glass and the Learning and Skills Council, is holding three, free of charge, Glass Industry launch workshops for Training and HR staff.
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Henkel Joins List of Interbuild Newcomers
Henkel is among the key names on a growing list of 63 companies set to make their first appearance as exhibitors at Interbuild 2006 the UK's premier building and construction show (NEC, April 23-27).
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Exhibition Calendar
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for upcoming exhibitions in the UK and the rest of the world.
UPDATED!!

Comar Architectural Aluminium Systems has announced that its thermally efficient Comar 5 P.i. Reversible Pivot Window exceeds the requirements of the BS 6375 Part 1: 1989 Classification for Weather Tightness.
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GU Ferco's new G4 range of Europa security multi-point locks has been awarded (British Board of Agrement) BBA No: 2569 approval.
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Just over a year since it was set up, Frameline Ltd on Merseyside has been awarded BS 7950 and BS 7412 accreditation for its PVC-U windows fabricated from the Duraflex Diamond Suite.
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A recent convert to the Duraflex PVC-U system, Select Window and Door Systems in Maldon has just been awarded Secured by Design accreditation for both its Bevelled and Featured range fabricated from the Duraflex Diamond Suite.
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'A company's staff is its greatest asset,’ says Adrian Locker, Newstead Trade Frames' Managing Director, ‘which is why we were recently awarded the prestigious Investor in People standard.
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Wexford-based Edgetech customer Senator Windows Ltd is the first manufacturer in Southern Ireland to achieve a BFRC C rating on its casement windows.
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When Steve Simpson of Tudor Glass in Bury takes a break from his day job, he is still surrounded by reminders of the Pilkington product range he works with on a daily basis. A keen and successful amateur rally driver, Steve's car is now emblazoned with the logo of Pilkington Activ™
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The importance of an issue can be gauged by the amount of air-time it receives. Concern for the environment is continuing to rise and with it, so is the number of TV programmes showing how best to be eco-friendly. Aluminium Roofline Products is appearing in one such show - 'The House That Dick Built'.
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Britain's ever growing lorry-spotting cult has a new challenge this month with a unique set of liveries to watch out for. This follows the introduction by the Yorkshire-based Style Group of a fleet of six new articulated vehicles worth almost £1/2 million with exceptionally lively and easily recognisable star-studded livery.
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Approved Swish Installer Barry Gwinnett Building & Joinery Services has made good a botched roofline installation that featured on the BBC1 consumer watchdog programme Rogue Traders.
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As Spring approaches, Ultraframe is helping its customers prepare for their busiest time of year by providing installers with the tools to maximise their marketing campaigns.
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North Western Lead has produced a brochure with 48 photographs of decorative glass panels: 24 with lead and film and 24 featuring Decra Bevels. NWL trade customers can have their own logo, their own name and address, plus full contact details professionally overprinted on the brochure for a nominal fee.
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Bohle has launched the latest version of its huge and highly comprehensive catalogue of everything the glass and glazing industry could ever need.
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A new consultation that aims to provide the Government with a framework to guide future progress in the construction industry was launched on 2nd February by the Rt. Hon Alun Michael, Minister of State for Industry and the Regions. The draft Strategy for Sustainable Construction Report 2006 consultation will seek views from key construction stakeholders on the direction they think the industry should take with a view to developing and maintaining a more sustainable future.
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The team from Rehau's London office has just completed its 40th CPD seminar since the office was opened at the Building Centre one year ago this month.
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Part L and J (Scotland) have affected Roof Window specifications, with particular emphasis on thermal transmissions and installation systems. Fakro Roof Windows has a pro-active Research and Development section
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PART L ARCHIVE

The exhibition duo HOLZ-HANDWERK and fensterbau/frontale takes place again in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 22-25 March 2006. The combined trade fairs with over 1,200 exhibitors and well over 90,000 trade visitors will again be a unique industry platform and the meeting-place for the industries concerned in 2006.
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A new exhibition plant is growing out of the desert sand: More than 2,800 trade visitors and conference participants attended the first Intelligent Building Middle East (IBME).
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Reed Exhibitions plans to hold the next Interplas on 15-18 May 2007. This is five months before K, the world’s largest plastics event that takes place every three years in Düsseldorf, Germany. The next Interplas was originally due to run on 7-9 October 2008.
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More leading companies are following the example of Eleco and Akzo Nobel in backing a concerted push by TRADA, the Timber Research & Development Association, to raise the profile of timber at Interbuild 2006.
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MosBuild+ 2005 Exhibition was the biggest Windows & Doors exhibition ever to be held in Russia. The event hosted over 300 Exhibitors and 40,000 visitors over the four day International Event. The 2006 show will be 4-7th April.
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GPD China will once again be held in conjunction with China Glass 2006 in Beijing, China. This time, it will be held just before China Glass. The venue will be announced later.
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Exhibition Calendar
Go Here:
for upcoming exhibitions in the UK and the rest of the world.
UPDATED!!

The Eden Project's new education and resource facility has bespoke PowerGlaz building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) glass/glass laminates manufactured by Romag
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Malcolm Wicks recently outlined his vision for micro wind turbines, solar panels and other microgeneration technologies at the launch of the Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College in London
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There was even more fun and frolics from The Armstrongs this week, as reported by our regular 'TV Critic' slot (see top left hand column or click here, with John and Ann deciding to pull themselves out of a sales rut by exporting to France. This was not without its mishaps of course: dropping into the factory before setting off, the Armstrongs decided to collide with one of their own delivery trucks, ripping off the rear wing of their Jag in the process. The driver of the Ufit truck resigned in disgust at the way he was spoken to, at which point Ann uttered the immortal line: 'We don't need that w**ker, we've got enough w**kers working for us already'.

Given that there are pockets of the industry which still behave like The Armstrongs it is timely to be reminded that the GGF is an approved scheme operator for TrustMark and can sign up firms that meet its standards. The GGF is the glazing industry's driving force behind TrustMark and was one of the first approved scheme operators that received a licence last October. We feature a short statement from them below about who is an approved scheme operator, and more importantly, who is NOT!

• More news from Glassex, meanwhile: Day 2 appears to be on a par with last year in terms of visitor numbers, which organiser EMAP is delighted with given the state of the market. Rehau launched its Dimension conservatory roof, and the Supreme winner of the Glassex Conservatory Challenge - Franklin Conservatories - was announced.

WE HAVE EMAIL...

PVCu Direct the Small Business Supplier for 2006
PVCu Direct Ltd has been successfully supplying the trade throughout the UK for many years now and we feel that 2006 will be another growth year for us. The reason for this is that the company's market will continue to be the small to medium size customers ie one man bands to small retailers, the guys who need continuous service and support, the ones the big boys have not been interested in for many years now.
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GLASSEX 2006

Our Glassex Preview is here should you still wish to visit the show (it closes Wednesday at 4pm). We also have exclusive details of some of the winners of the Glassex Conservatory Design Competition, full editorial on the stand presentations of over 70 companies, the fully updated Exhibitor List (with over 20 new exhibitors listed) full details on the excellent Seminar Programme, which has been changed in the past few weeks.

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PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Opening the Door to Performance Without Compromise
A ‘third generation’ of thermoset doors developed using state-of-art materials and technology originally pioneered for the high specification automotive and aviation industries is bringing to the market an option that the manufacturer claims overcomes the majority of problems being experienced with existing composite doors.
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Product of the Week Archive here

PROJECT OF THE WEEK

Total Fade to Grey
PVC-U windows in two shades of grey were supplied by Liverpool-based trade fabricator Total Glass and installed by Cheshire Windows to meet the specific design requirements of a new student accommodation complex in the city centre.
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THIS WEEK'S NEWS

Glassex Visitors ‘cue’ to Meet the New Face of Network VEKA
Six times World Snooker Champion Steve Davis proved to be the hardest worker at Glassex with a three-hour marathon of almost non-stop autographs and handshakes.
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Want to join TrustMark?
GGF is an approved scheme operator for TrustMark and can sign up firms that meet its standards.GGF is the glazing industry's driving force behind TrustMark and was one of the first approved scheme operators that received a licence last October.
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ELECON Acquires Foilcraft in £2 Million Expansion Plan
Bolton-based Chartered Accountants Cowgill Holloway has advised the ELECON Group on its acquisition of Foilcraft for an undisclosed sum. The ELECON Group produces accessories for conservatories, windows and doors, supplying its products to major conservatory manufacturers. ELECON’s products are used in nearly 25 per cent of all UK conservatories installed, the company says.
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Nine of the First Twelve A to C Ratings used Super Spacer®
12 window companies have achieved C or higher ratings, nine of them using warm edge technology Super Spacer® from Edgetech I.G. Inc. at the time of writing. Congratulations are due to all, and especially to the three firms who have crashed through the energy savings barrier with coveted 'A' ratings.
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Pilkington Helps to Achieve 'A' Grade
Products from Pilkington have been instrumental in creating an industry first. With the industry adopting Window Energy Ratings (WERs), the British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC) has passed the first ever 'A' rated window, an achievement that had not been expected for several years.
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FMB and K2 in Search for Britain's Best Conservatory Installer
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has launched its annual search to find the best builders and conservatory installers in Britain, with the overall winner set to receive a brand new Nissan Light Commercial Vehicle of their choice.
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Towards Greater Profits with Total Glass
Recognising the continuing trend towards outsourcing by companies which cease to manufacture, trade fabricator Total Glass has launched a comprehensive guide for firms planning to go down this more profitable route.
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