Great start to Glassex for CoolTemper

GLASSEX got off to a great start for Dave Raven, Managing Director of Unilam International.

Within hours of the show opening, he’d sold a £350,000 CoolTemper furnace to a glass company in Glasgow.

"We’ve been working on this lead for six months, so I was very pleased to finalise it today," said Mr Raven. "It’s been a very good first day, certainly a big improvement on last year, and I’m looking forward to it being a good show. The interest so far has been tremendous."

The compact and low-energy CoolTemper system, manufactured in Taiwan, is becoming increasingly popular because of it’s high perfomance on low-e glasses.

See Dave on Stand GP054

Bohle launches Dri-Cool 'freeze-dried' sealant at Glassex

Bohle will officially launch a revolutionary coolant for glass processing machinery at Glassex. The coolant, which comes in the form of a powder is a high performance freeze-dried concentrated powder designed to address the production needs of all glass processors whilst addressing one of the biggest problems.

Successful field trials have already been carried out in the UK with glass processors, Nelson Graham, Bohle UKs Sales Manager told us - "Perhaps the biggest problem with coolants is their storage and handling, particularly for big processors, where traditionally several 200 litre drums can be hanging around. Remarkably with Dri-Cool you get up to 720 litres worth of coolant from a standard 1kg tub, which you can hold in your hand!" Bohle say that this remarkable compact solution cuts down on expensive and valuable storage space to eliminate risks associated with handling large drums.

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the cost is dramatically less than the equivalent traditional liquid form coolants commonly used in the UK at the moment.

See it on Stand A040

THE FIRST conservatory franchise operation in Britain

THE FIRST conservatory franchise operation in Britain was launched on the opening day of Glassex 2002. As a sign of its commitment to its manufacturing base, Planet has invested £1m in machinery from Promac, which will increase output from 800 to a potential 2000 items per week. Fifteen months of planning had gone into the launch by the newly-formed Planet Franchising, part of the Lancashire-based Planet group.

The company is seeking existing independent installers and small conservatory businesses to take up the 40 territories that they have mapped out across the UK, who they hope over the next three years will spread the Planet brand nationwide. Over the next five years they plan to become the largest installer of conservatories in the country, with a projected turnover for the group in excess of £100 million and a flotation planned in 2005.

Planet chairman Dean St John told The Gl@zine: "We’ve got a proven system, from a proven formula, and now we’re rolling it out on a national scale."

And to cope with the anticipated extra business, Planet has invested three-quarters of a million pounds on new machinery, which is currently on display on the Promac stand. At the end of Glassex, the equipment will be loaded on to lorries and shifted to Planet’s manufacturing base in Leyland.
Franchisees who sign up for a Planet licence will pay a monthly service fee, in exchange for a discount on Planet conservatories and full marketing, business, sales and training support.

By the close of business today, Planet had garnered 50 serious enquiries from interested installers. "We’ve had a phenomenal response today," said Dean St John. "We’re presenting the whole package to people who come to the stand. The territories are going fast because there’s no other operation like it."

COVA PRODUCTS has extended its Cova XL range

COVA PRODUCTS has extended its Cova XL range of exterior grade woodgrain and plain coloured foils for the window market with the launch of three new veneers, collectively called the Shogun range. Visitors can see for themselves at Cova's Press Launch at 12.15 am today on stand B030.

With its realistic appearance of finely textured wood, the thermoplastic range has already been widely adopted by leading German profile systems company Schuüco International. Suitable for any windows or doors, the range is guaranteed against the effect of weathering, is RAL approved and BBA assessed.

Also new for Glassex is a new light-coloured, exterior grade veneer called Bavarian Beech, developed in conjunction with window manufacturer Weru. While beech coloured wood is more commonly associated with flooring and furniture, the new foil is suitable for lamination on any window profile.

For further information contact Janette Rowland at Cova Products Limited. Telephone 01670 718222.

THE industrial division of Northumberland-based Cova Products Limited has been bought by Belgium plastics(ck) giant Solvay SA. Sales and marketing director, Derek Taylorson, announcing the acquisition at Glassex, said: "We are confident this move will strengthen our position in the market from the product and service standpoints".