INDUSTRYNEWS
ONLINE LEARNING EVENT IS A HIT FOR FIT
September saw the launch of FIT Show ’ s inaugural live , online learning event , coinciding with what would have marked the return of its live show at the NEC .
» FIT SHOW CO-FOUNDER , Paul Godwin kicked off the two day-programme . Hundreds of people registered and logged on for the sessions , which included a combination of live webinars and panels tackling key industry issues , delivered by experts from across the fenestration industry .
Alongside sessions covering topics such as ‘ tackling mental health in construction ’, technical webinars covered ‘ changes to building regulations ’, ‘ the importance of performance ratings ’ and ‘ trends in outdoor living ’ delivered by RISA , BFRC and Renson UK respectively .
Social media was a prominent content theme within the programme . JC Media ’ s David Glenwright delivered two sessions covering ‘ LinkedIn for thought leaders ’ and ‘ how to create a visual brand presence on Instagram ’. Installers were also given an insight into ‘ how to work smarter , not harder ’ and ‘ avoiding the lost lead ’ in two sessions fronted by Elton Boocock of Business Pilot .
FIT Show event director Nickie West comments : “ We couldn ’ t have anticipated a better response to our online event this week . The response from our community has been fantastic - from our speakers and panelists through to the trade media and all of our online attendees .
“ We know that nothing beats the power of face-to-face interaction and bringing people together at live events , but we ’ ll be back to doing that at FIT Show 2022 next May .”
Lively panel debates , all expertly hosted by Nichola Reeder of 12th Man Solutions , saw the likes of Fit for Trade ’ s Joanne Taylor , Tracey Jackson of Howells , BABSI ’ s Justin Ratcliffe and Endeavour ’ s Joshua Thompson discuss the growing skills gap and how to attract and retain new talent into the industry .
Gio Laporta of SmartReady ® and Nick Dutton of Brisant- Secure shared their thoughts on smart home technology and how to better equip installers to sell the benefits of these innovations to homeowners on the closing panel of the day . This panel , which also included Jey Jeshingham of ERA Home Security and Masterframe ’ s Alan Burgess , drove much engagement and debate .
www . fitshow . co . uk
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Over the past year , we all know there ’ s been a fairly radical shift in the supply chain dynamic – and not just when it comes to demand , supply and labour .
» ONE OF THE MOST interesting changes that ’ s taken place is in the relationship between the supplier and the customer . Where once the onus was on suppliers to invest in the relationship and try to build customer loyalty , that ’ s been completely turned on its head and it ’ s now customers having to do most of the hard work .
I ’ ve been in this industry for decades and I ’ ve never known a situation like we are in now where customers at various points in the supply chain are having to compete with one another to get hold of stock . Understandably , there ’ s allocation going on at every level – from raw materials and profiles to hardware , glass and finished frames , but the decisions about who is getting that allocation seems to come down to relationships as much as it does to buying power .
I ’ m regularly hearing of component suppliers and fabricators shedding customers as they prioritise those who are easiest or most profitable to deal with , and certainly I know plenty of installers have found themselves almost without stock as a result .
As a commercial installer buying upwards of 500 frames per week and with a track record for always paying our bills promptly , we would consider ourselves to be a ‘ good customer ’. Certainly , we ’ ve never had any problems getting hold of frames before , but this year that ’ s been as much down to the time we ’ ve spent visiting suppliers , negotiating on deadlines , and dual and triple
sourcing , as it has to our ability to pay .
I ’ m not sure how long this situation will continue or whether it represents a permanent shift in how the supplier / customer relationship will work but , if it does , where does it leave the smaller installers in this industry who don ’ t have time to invest in keeping their suppliers on side and who don ’ t have the resources or buying power that we do ?
David Thornton Chairman The Window Company ( Contracts )
www . thewinco . co . uk
18 » NOV 2021 » CLEARVIEW-UK . COM