Clearview National August 2019 - Issue 213 | Page 59

ALUMINIUMEXTRA
Working together to deliver the best
» » VBH HAS ENJOYED A SUCCESSFUL
partnership with aluminium fabricator Fentrade
Limited since it started in 2018. Founding
Director Chris Reeks set up Fentrade to supply
customers with superb products, excellent service
and reliable deliveries. An industry expert with
over 30 years’ experience, Chris chose VBH
as their main hardware supplier from day one.
Fentrade now uses the VBH’s Clearspan system,
Alpha standard and slim handles, Q-Star 1*
profile cylinders, all from the greenteQ range.
Chris explains: “I’ve worked with VBH for
many years and I went straight to them when I
set up Fentrade. Our two companies share the
same ethos and focus on quality and service.
VBH offers us excellent support, service and
products and their experience and knowledge
are invaluable – they know what partnership
means.
“We use greenteQ’s Clearspan system on
our bifolds – it’s very reliable, robust and
easy to work with. All greenteQ products are
consistently high quality, well made and the
colour range complements nicely with all
our aluminium products, from commercial
shop front systems to domestic windows and
doors.”
Simon Monks, Managing Director at VBH
says: “Fentrade has grown fast in a short space
of time and it’s great to be working with a
like-minded company. VBH is committed to
supplying products for the growing aluminium
market; in fact, aluminium has always been an
important part of our business since we started
supplying the UK in 1975. The market has
developed from mostly supplying hardware for
commercial aluminium tilt-and-turn windows
to offering products for all types of residential
and commercial aluminium installations.
Aluminium is definitely a growth area,
accounting for 25% of total VBH sales, and
like Fentrade themselves we’ve recently joined
the Council for Aluminium in Building (CAB)
to confirm our commitment to this sector.”
VBH’s ‘aluminium champion’, Systems
Sales Manager Rob Norman, works closely
with fabricators like Fentrade and aluminium
systems houses to develop new products and
finishes. Rob is closely involved with the
research and development and technical teams
and oversees the exhaustive testing program
at BSI, so customers can be confident that
products meet current PAS24 requirements
and will perform well for years. All greenteQ
products come with a 10-year performance
and corrosion guarantee, and the upgraded
Coastline range has an industry leading 25-
year guarantee.
www.fentradealuminium.co.uk
www.vbhgb.com
ALUMINIUM SECTOR TAKES A GIANT LEAP FORWARD
» » EPWIN WINDOW
Systems’ brand-new aluminium
system, designed for the retail
and light commercial markets,
addresses the need for cutting-edge
windows and doors as witnessed
in the advances being made in
the PVC-U sector. Not only does
Stellar take aluminium aesthetics
to the next level, it has also been
designed to be straightforward to
fabricate and install.
Gerald Allen, Marketing
Manager of Epwin Window
Systems explains: “The PVC-U
sector has witnessed some
incredible design and technical
advances in recent years. The same
cannot be said for the aluminium
sector. Rather than designing new
systems from scratch, existing
product suites have been adapted
to fit and often lacked the design
flair that was needed. It’s an
approach that has held the sector
back. But Stellar has changed this.
It’s a system that has been designed
from the ground up by a team of
aluminium experts and delivers
on every aspect of modern-day
design giving our customers a real
competitive advantage”.
The initial design brief was
to produce the best aluminium
system for the UK’s homeowners.
The results are an extraordinary
example of what a refusal to
compromise on excellence can
deliver.
For example, there are two
casement window options. The
first has no stepped frame inside or
out, making it the only fully flush
aluminium casement window on
the market today. The standard
flush casement window has at
least 30% slimmer sightlines than
competitor windows and delivers a
glass area that’s around 12% larger.
And the bifold door has the option
of using PVC-U beading, so it has
the strength a bifold needs but
aesthetics that sit more comfortably
in the typical UK home.
The unique pre-gasketed system
saves up to 20% on fabrication
time and reduces overall waste.
The patent-pending Reverse Butt
Joint means no dummy sashes
or reverse adaptor profiles are
needed, so the system uses up to
30% less aluminium. It takes fast-
fit espagnolettes so no shootbolts
are required too.
Patent-pending knock-in beads
make glazing quicker and easier.
They also leave a clean gasket
line on the inside, enhancing the
aesthetics. The frames are flat
backed to make it easy to position
them while flat rebates make
fitting glazing packers simple.
www.stellaraluminium.co.uk
C L E A RV I E W-U K . C O M » AU G 2019 » 59