Hardware Extra
Flexibility from hardware specialist
makes it easier for customers
» HARDWARE SPECIALIST
VBH has reduced its minimum
order value to just £10 per order
to give fabricators and installers
the flexibility to place smaller
orders while they ‘get their ducks
in a row’ following a return from
lockdown.
The company hopes this added
flexibility will help customers get
back to normal working practices
as quickly as possible.
VBH remained open during
lockdown, with a reduced
number of staff covering key
functions from home and a
vastly reduced warehouse team
coming in to the Kent site as and
when required to satisfy urgent
orders.
THE ART OF SECURITY
VBH kept their customers
informed regularly about the
situation and the best means
of making contact as the crisis
developed.
Now that much of the industry
is returning to work, the reduced
warehouse team’s hours have
increased and the team are keenly
observing all the proper working
practices to keep themselves and
staff from VBH’s partners safe.
Managing Director Simon
Monks states “We were quick to
pull our sales team off the road and
instruct them and their office-based
colleagues to work from home
from the week before lockdown.
“Since 1st April we’ve had a
skeleton crew across the business
keeping things moving and
working on a number of exciting
new product developments and
services for later in the year.”
As orders pick up VBH advise
that they will bring more staff
back to work to ensure that
customers receive their window
and door hardware on time.
Returning workers will phased in
only when demand requires.
Simon adds “Our customers
are working strange hours at the
moment. We would recommend
that those who don’t already
use the VBH24 online shop to
place orders and check stock
consider doing so, as that service
is available to them whatever hour
they’re working.”
www.vbhgb24.com
» DOOR GROUP, A UNIT OF ASSA
ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland,
has supplied the National Gallery of Ireland
with security, ballistic and fire rated doorsets,
for the refurbishment of a 150-year-old listed
building.
The National Gallery of Ireland in
Dublin has had extensive refurbishment and
modernisation of its historic wings on Merrion
Square. The building also required an updated
fire safety plan, from which followed the need
to install new security and fire rated doorsets,
complete with locking systems.
The extensive refurbishment came in at
close to €30 million, in order to restore the
building to its former glory and meet today’s
high fire safety and security standards.
For this prestigious project, the doorsets
were specified by Henegan Peng Architects
and then ASSA ABLOY Door Group worked
closely with Modubuild, a specialist trade
contractor, alongside main contractors John
Paul Construction to fulfill the specification.
James Blanchfield, Pre-Contracts Manager
for Ireland and Mainland Europe at
Modubuild, a Trade
Partner of ASSA ABLOY Security Doors
said: “We pride ourselves on working very
closely with our customers to understand their
specific requirements and to provide specialist
and tailored solutions. Doorsets for this
particular project had to be fully compliant
to achieve the latest standards and meet the
specialist needs of each situation. Factors to
consider included fire, acoustics, air tightness,
high-security and pressure resistance.”
Approximately 30 steel doorsets, including
a mixture of LPS 1175 security rating and
fire rated glass doorsets, were delivered to
the Dargan and Milltown Wings in Merrion
Square in order to maintain maximum
security as well as adhere to the strictest fire
safety regulations.
Logistically, the delivery of the doorsets
presented some challenges as the National
Gallery of Ireland is in Dublin’s busy city
centre. Similarly, solutions had to be carefully
chosen to meet the unique demands of the
listed building. However, these needs were
taken into consideration at an early stage to
ensure the project ran smoothly.
Sean Rainbird, Director of the National
Gallery of Ireland, explained: “For the first
time the gallery has an integrated system of
lighting, heating and security. It’s very much
state of the art; we’ve been able to specify
really good technical equipment.”
www.assaabloyopeningsolutions.co.uk
52 » JUN 2020 » CLEARVIEW-UK.COM