Systems & Profiles
Everything we ever wanted to know about VEKA
We talk a lot about industry insight in the trade press , at events and conferences . ‘ An accurate and deep understanding of someone or something ’ is often on the agenda when talking about sector issues , the business landscape and all matters across the supply chain ? But how often do we get insight into one brand or business ? When the invitation came for the VEKA ‘ Insight Day ’, would we get a genuine glimpse into what happens every day at Farrington Road .
But with a product named like ‘ OMNIA ’ making a star appearance at the press event , maybe it should ’ ve come as no surprise that we were really were offered a no holds barred view of VEKA . From the very first introduction by Jess Cooper , Marketing Director , we were assured that nothing was off limits . And , here ’ s everything we found out …
VEKA ’ s family values
VEKA will be ‘ family owned forever ’, so says Neil Evans , MD . VEKA Group employs 5,000 people in 30 plants worldwide and has a turnover of approximately € 1 Billion . VEKA Group began in Germany in 1969 and is still owned by the same family to this day . VEKA UK started life in 1986 in Burnley , Lancashire ; a county that was at the heart of the industrial revolution and a mainstay for UK manufacturing .
In recent years , throughout industry challenges , difficult decisions and any circumstances , choices are made for the business based on making it a strong , stable outfit and operation for the longterm . That family ethos extends to the community too ; the internal culture at VEKA , the local community of Burnley and its surrounding areas , business partnerships and the industry as a whole .
Neil explained that the VEKA promise means they will never compete with their customers but they will compete on behalf of their customers . VEKA strives to be reliable , accountable , ethical and responsible , to foster long-term supply agreements ; that all parties can be confident in .
These sentiments were echoed by both Tim Taylor , Commerical Director and Paul Kennington , Technical Director who each explained how all the different parts of the company come together – internally and externally , local to global – and feed into VEKA ’ s DNA .
An important part of the day focused on recycling . With VEKA and VEKA Recycling now hand in hand , VEKA and recycling are literally hand in hand ; and the approach to sustainability had become synonymous with the brand , business and its customers .
All eyes on OMNIA
By now , everyone in the industry should ’ ve heard of OMNIA but it was a real pleasure to meet the man behind it – Phil Gregory , VEKA ’ s Design & Development Manager . Touted as ‘ the window and door system you ’ ve been waiting for ’, this part of the presentation was definitely worth the wait too .
The story of OMNIA began as far back as 2019 . Phil said they started to look at VEKA ’ s offering and exploring what would be the next product . Using Halo as a starting point , which has seen exponential growth in popularity in growth , the team started to put together a ‘ wish list ’ from people in every department . It had to be something that would appeal to the homeowner , a profile that partners would want to fabricate with , and react to changing regulations ; both current and in the future . It was a big , challenging brief , Phil remembers .
So , what are the features that make the double flush OMNIA so unique for
54 SEPTEMBER 2024 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM