HYDRO BECOMES WORLD LEADER WITHIN ALUMINIUM BUILDING SYSTEMS

Hydro Aluminium has reached agreement to acquire the Technal Group, finalising the deal announced on October 30th 2001. The Technal Group is a major European player in the aluminium building systems sector, which has its headquarters in Toulouse, France and its UK subsidiary based in Leeds.

In 2001 the Technal Group had a turnover of EURO 275 million, approximately 10 per cent up from 2000. Hydro paid approximately EURO 73 million for the equity of the Technal Group and assumed at the same time the EURO 38.3 million debt of Technal.

The Technal Group is one of Europe's market leaders in the design, manufacture and distribution of high performance aluminium glazing systems, including doors, windows and curtain walling systems. It has a presence throughout Western Europe including France, Spain, Portugal and the UK as well as export operations and licensees in a number of other countries.

In the UK, Technal has established a strong market position over the past 20 years. In addition to its Leeds head office, it has a southern sales and distribution centre located in Basingstoke and has recently opened an office in Dublin to further expand its market share in Ireland.

Hydro Building Systems is part of Hydro Aluminium Extrusion, one of the seven business sectors of Hydro Aluminium. With this acquisition Hydro Building Systems will be the world leader in building systems based on aluminium extrusions, with over 3,200 employees and operations in more than 20 countries.

'With the acquisition of the Technal Group we will not only be by far the biggest player within aluminium building systems in France and a leading one in the rest of Europe, but also have a strong position for further growth, especially outside Europe', says Jan Fredrik Meling, Executive Vice President of Hydro Aluminium Extrusion and Head of Hydro Building Systems.

'The Technal brand with its excellent reputation ideally complements our WICONA and DOMAL brand range as well as our geographical spread. It is our intention to retain our decentralised business concept and run the Technal brand in parallel to our existing Wicona and Domal ones.'

Patrick A Tanguy, Chief Executive Officer of the Technal Group, stated, 'We are pleased to become a part of Hydro Building Systems. We believe that combining the strengths of both companies will accelerate the development of global presence of Hydro Building Systems.'

Bob Welsh, General Manager of Technal in the UK, said, 'The acquisition of the Technal Group by Hydro Building Systems has created a major force in the international building industry. Our new parent company shares our vision to build on Technalís already strong presence in the UK and Ireland. The scope and scale of Hydro will support our continued growth and will ensure we remain at the forefront of product innovation in the aluminium systems sector to the benefit of our customers and specifiers.'

Ultraframe crashes into the glass business

Ultraframe, a leading international designer and manufacturer of conservatory systems, is set to shatter the conservatory and glazing sectors with the launch of ConservaglassTM, a dedicated conservatory glazing system which promises to 'leave other proprietary systems - such as Pilkington K glass - in the shade'.

Fundamental to 'creating a conservatory for all seasons', Conservaglass offers a combination of performance characteristics far better than any comparable product - and will 'future proof' the sector against any potential changes to the Building Regulations.

ConservaglassTM simultaneously offers good thermal performance - 25% better than Pilkington K glass - and lower solar heat gain, in this instance being twice as effective as Pilkington K. A 'peel clean' factory film helps installers to hand over pristine conservatories, while a 'easy clean' finish reduces homeowner maintenance. ConservaglassTM double glazed units (DGUs) are also guaranteed for 20 years - double the typical industry norm.

ConservaglassTM enhances summertime comfort in conservatories by reducing overheating. Thermal modelling of a conservatory over a typical UK summer shows that this could increase usage by up to 70 hours over Pilkington K Glass - and makes it twice as effective at excluding solar heat.

ConservaglassTM DGUs offer thermal performance 25% better than Pilkington K Glass - providing for warmer conservatorY interiors in winter. The U value of ConservaglassTM is l.1 WmK2oC, meaning that it wiil meet any prospective changes to Part L of the Building Regulations as and when amended.

Its weather-directed face - features a special silicon dioxide coating which gives the surface an 'easy clean' surface. This coating differs from other proprietary offers in that water sheets off rather than beads, obviating unsightly rings left by other systems.

ConservaglassTM features a unique 'peel clean' film that is applied to the outer and inner faces of the unit. This low tack film is left on until installation is complete - then being peeled off to reveal pristine clean units. This saves installer time on cleaning down, and also provides for protection against scratching duilng transit and handling.

ConservaglassTM DGUs are guaranteed for 20 years - double the typical industry norm. The system will be manufactured, and fully Kite Marked, to BS EN 5713: 1979 - the standard for hermetically sealed flat double glazing units. The glass is toughened to BS EN 6206 - the standard for impact performance of safety glazing in buildings.

'This will greatly reduce the possibility of call-outs to the installer, while freeing the consumer from the traditional fear of problems with failed DGUs'.

ConservaglassTM comes in two marginally differing versions - for roof or walls, offering a complete glazing solution for conservatories. Roof DGUs differ from those for walls by having a slight tint to help in solar glare reduction. The system is distributed in two ways. Roof DGUs are offered as part of a Selection of modular roofs' - where glass and roof come in single priced packages. These come in three styles - Victorian, Georgian and Lean-To - providing 16 size options; and are available from Ultraframe in five working days from confirmed order. Alternatively, roof - and wall - DGUs can be sourced in custom shapes and sizes.

NEW PARTNERSHlP FOR SAPA AND CDW

A new partnership has been forged between Sapa Building Systems and CDW Systems. CDW Systems has become a Glostal trade fabricator, fabricating the complete range of Glostal ptoducts for the commercial sector, to complement its existing commercial door, ground floor framing and curtain walling operation.

CDW Systems Ltd, formed in 1992, has enjoyed considerable growth over the last 10 years, establishing itself as one of the leading commercial door fabricators in the Country, with its products being specified by many local authorities and contractors. This growth has meant a move to new premises from its old base in Cheltenham, to nearby Gloucester, maintaining close proximity to the motorway system fot easy distribution.

Peter Urquhart, Managing Director of CDW Systems explained the reason to become Glostal fabricators: 'As well as strong growth in our commercial door and framing range, we were receiving increased enquiries for commercial windows and high-performance products such as tilt & tum, pivot and Glostal Stormforce doors. With our move to new premises we felt the time was right to extend the fange we offer. We took the decision to use the Glostal system because we are familiar with it and we felt their range represented one of the most comprehensive avaitable. For our customers it means they can now order all their commercial requirements from one single source, which we feel is a major step forward'.

Jon Palethorpe, Sales Director for Sapa Building Systems followed this by saying: "We are naturally delighted with this new partnership. CDW fabricates for customers from all over the country, but being based where they are, it particularly strengthens our South West dealer base having them on board; especially as we ourselves are seeing an increasing number of specifications for Glostal products coming out of this region. But, as CDW already distribute around the country, I'm sure that all of our customers, no matter where they are geographically, will take advantage of the capacity CDW have for providing commercial fabricated only products.'

The extent of CDW's commercial expertise is a matter of satisfaction for Peter as he lists some of the projects they have fabricated for, which include hundreds of school refurbishments, the BBC, Granada Motorway Services, and, more locally, a great number of Gloucestershire Police Stations and the Stroud and Swindon Building Society. As CDW do not offer any site installation service, it is never in competition with its customers, which is another strength.

Mila has introduced Centra-Lock

In a move that will give window and door manufacturers and installers a major boost to sales, hardware manufacturer and distributor Mila has introduced Centra-Lock, the UK's first affordable, practical and easy-to-fit household central locking system.

Making its debut at Glassex, Centra-Lock locks and unlocks doors and windows by operating a small, hand-held transponder unit, just as for a car. The electronics, designed for rigorous use, are housed in units that may directly replace existing handles for doors and windows, utilising existing espagnolette, shoot bolt and multipoint locking systems used throughout the replacement door and window industry.

Centra-Lock is as easy to install as conventional handles, and may be sold as a retrofit or for new installations. It may be installed as a standalone unit, for example on a front entrance door, or as a fully integrated system on doors and windows throughout a house. The system runs off batteries that automatically give a warning one-month before they need changing, and the advanced technology designed by Mila ensures that the system monitors itself every hour to ensure all linked units are functioning correctly.

The state-of-the-art system has total flexibility, allowing homeowners to leave any windows open if required. But should a window or door be left open accidentally a buzzer will give a warning. Another enhancement will be the availability of special smoke detectors. In the event of fire, these wiil automatically unlock doors and windows to allow quick release for safe egress.

With the use of such devices now standard on most cars, Centra-Lock is expected to be an immediate hit with homeowners whose primary reaction, according to research, is 'Why hasn't such a device been available before?'

Mila's Marketing Manager Kelvin Green believes that this is the biggest thing to hit the door and window market for years: 'Centra-Lock will actually stimulate sales because it is a sexy device that brings with it very real benefits to homeowners, which they can immediately envisage. This is the first real change to the way we lock our homes for literally hundreds of years!'

Heritage Unveils New Glass Bevelling Technology

USA based Heritage Sign & Display recently unveiled new glass bevelling technology at its facility in Pennsylvania. The new automated glass-bevelling machine is the first of its kind in the industry, enabling Heritage to produce custom straight and wave bevels with a single piece of equipment. This new technology allows Heritage to greatly expand its line of custom point of purchase (P.O.P.) advertising signs and displays to include custom bevelled mirrors and a wide variety similar products.

The Wave 2000 beveller is the first and only machine of its kind. Designed by Samtech, a Korean company specialising in glass cutting machinery, and built in Italy by Delta Machinery, the Wave 2000 is the only beveller to combine wave and straight beveling in a single process, performing all the edge grinding and polishing in one digitally controlled operation.

Samtech bills this machine as 'the first major innovation in glass bevelling in the past 1000 years.'
'This new capability allows us to do more than just bevel mirrors,' explains Jason Amodea, company President. 'We view glass bevelling as an alternative to conventional framing techniques. We'll be able to integrate this technology with our current product line. It's just one more thing we can offer our clients to help their product or service stand out in a highly competitive, visually oriented marketplace.'

In addition to enhancing their line of custom P.O.P. displays, the acquisition of the Wave 2000 beveling machine affords the company an opportunity to branch out into new areas, including upscale licensed collectibles as well as custom mirrors for the retail market and interior decorating industry.

Because it provides major timesavings and production control advantages over more costly and time-consuming conventional beveling methods, the new machine also allows Heritage to act as a cost-effective resource for other companies.

Heritage Sign and Display is an award winning designer and manufacturer of custom P.O.P. signs and displays. Its modern, 55,000 sq. ft. factory houses facilities for custom woodworking, CNC milling and routing, vacuum forming, UV and conventional screen printing, acrylic fabrication, mirror making, mirror beveling, custom framing, product assembly, packing and shipping.

Sales contact: Heidi Mann (570) 645 8701 ex 117
http://www.popsigns.com
heritage@popsigns.com

IDEAL WINDOWS FOR THE IDEAL HOME

JELD-WEN (UK) Ltd - the UK supplier of doors, windows and stairs - is a supplier for the Daily Maii's prize show house at this year's ldeal Home Show Exhibition.

The company was invited to supply 11 of its Boulton & Paul windows for the Daily Mail Show House, which is a replica of a £250,000 property the newspaper is giving away through its readers' competition. The 2002 show house will be situated in the Show Village, an exhibition space designed to reflect the English Countryside.

A total of 11 windows from the Sovereign Stormsure Horizontal Bar range, were supplied fully glazed and ready to fit. From the Boulton & Paul collection, Sovereign Stormsure windows are fitted with Low E glass to achieve thermal insulation that meets Part L. For security, the windows are also compliant with BS7950 and meet the requirements set by Secured by Design - the police approved security specification to assist with the development of greater security in the community.

Adam Turk, JELD-WEN Sales and Marketing Director, said: 'lt goes without saying that we're delighted to have been singled out to supply our Sovereign Stormsure windows for the Daily Mail house. With our new product catalogue hot-off-the-press The ldeal Home Show is the ideal launch pad for what promises to be a successful trading year ahead.

lncorporating John Carr Doors and Boulton & Paul window and stairs, JELD-WEN provides security-enhanced products that not only meet the latest Part L energy efficiency regulations, but also conform to Building Regulations Part M, which are designed to make accessibility more convenient for the disabled.

The Daily Mail ldeal Home Show Exhibition runs from 6 March to 1 April 2002.

GBW HITS THE TARGET

Eighteen months since CBW moved to new state-of-the-art premises in Worcester, the company has announced record sales growth backed by an ambitious investment programme.

GBW relocated to its new 46,000 sq ft factory and offices to meet increasing sales demands, boosted by an expansion into composite doors and new product lines for panels. The company has achieved an overall growth of 44% for this year and, with the Discovery composite door range proving highly successful in both the domestic market and with local authority specifiers, sales figures are currently up by an impressive 100% on last year.

Following the move GBW has invested consistently in new product development and production equipment, including bringing in its own transportation fleet. In addition, significant resources have been put into sales personnel with the necessary skills and experience to target new markets. Customer support has also been strengthened and there is now a team of professionals in place, all with previous experience in customer services. Each member has been assigned to a specific sales area to provide customers with a dedicated contact for a more efficient and personal service.

As part of its ongoing investment strategy to enhance service levels, GBW is currently in the process of installing a new IT system. The integrated package will link customer services with finance and production in order to further improve order tracking, and smooth the progress of orders through the system.

Looking to the future, GBW is planning to consolidate the growth it has achieved, and build on its expanding customer base, which now includes a considerable number of major national and regional players. More new products are in the pipeline, and following a successful appearance at Batimat in Paris, further expansion into export
markets is under way.

Commenting on what has been an exciting year for GBW, Director of Sales, Geoff Foster says the business has developed into a sound and profitable operation over the past year and is now a major player in the highly competitive door and door panel market. 'I believe key to our success is our fresh approach to targeting new markets, in particular with our Discovery door which we are confident is the best of its type available today. This, together with the focus we've placed on getting the service element right, first time - on time, confirms our position as one of the top three specialist door and panel companies.'

Geoff Foster GBW
Tel: 08705 388377
Fax: 08700 778377

CE mark for windows and curtain walls

Key event of the meeting of the European fenestration trade in Antalya early November 2001 was adoption of the product standards for windows, external pedestrian doors and curtain walling. The texts of these standards and all papers and reports given at the EuroWindoor-Fall Meeting are now available on CD-Rom. The CD-Rom is entitled "CE Mark For All Windows"

The CD-Rom includes contributions relating to economy, politics, law and technology. It documents all the meetings of the FAECF ana FEMIB EuroClubs as well as the papers given at the workshops on training and further education, market and statistics, public relations, environment, economy and legislation. The CD-Rom contains also the presentations of the Annual Meeting of Pensad, the Turkish trade association which took place the day before the EuroWindoor meeting, as well as a report on the organization and the goals of the EuroWindoor China Club.

Focal point of the meeting was to speed up European standardization with the aim of introducing the CE-mark as soon as possible. Only this "passport" for construction products will enable the European industry to operate on a truly open market without any barriers to trade and achieve cost savings. The CD-Rom documents the product standards for windows, external pedestrian doors and curtain walls adopted by EuroWindoor. Further information to "read" on the CD-Rom covers the project of establishing a quality mark at the European level.

The CD is compatible with both regular PC and Macintosh-systems and available at 15 Euros plus shipping costs upon request from the EuroWindoor office - Phone: +49 (69) 95 50 54 0, Fax 09 - 95 50 54 11, or: eurowindoor@window.de