Clearview National July 2019 - Issue 212 | Page 12

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Back in the summer of ‘69
» » VEKA UK GROUP
celebrated the global Group’s 50th
birthday in typically German
style at this year’s FIT Show, with
plenty of beer and bratwurst.
Customers, Independent Network
members, and members of the
industry press were welcomed
to the VEKA UK Group Show
stand on the Tuesday evening
for a beer and bratwurst event
officially celebrating five decades
of VEKA.
VEKA UK Group’s MD Dave
Jones left the FIT Show on
Wednesday and flew straight to
Germany to represent the UK
team at VEKA AG’s celebrations,
which were an impressive feat of
organisation and party planning.
Dave explains: “VEKA held an
‘open house’ where visitors were
welcomed on tours around the
Sendenhorst plant throughout
the day and were introduced to
new products and innovations, as
well as celebrating past successes.
The evening saw 1200 guests -
including German customers
and the General Managers of all
VEKA’s European subsidiaries
- treated to a three-course Gala
Dinner and Show in an enormous
marquee, followed by celebrations
that went on well into the early
hours.
“And then two days later, they
did the whole thing again. This
time, 2000 guests were wined and
dined in style, including all the
staff from VEKA AG and their
partners.
“I think it says a lot about a
company, when its hard-working
staff are given the same ‘special’
treatment as customers, and I
noticed CEO Andreas Hartleif
and his wife Elke shaking hands
with guests as they arrived and
welcoming people individually.
“Despite its global reach,
VEKA has always been a family-
run organisation with family
values and I think that has
played a large part in its success.
The company was founded in
Germany in 1969 with just
eight staff, and is still run by the
same family today. The Group
has now grown to be the largest
manufacturer of extruded PVCu
products in the world, with a
turnover of 1.2billion Euros, and
provides secure employment for
5500 people across 40 worldwide
subsidiaries.
“VEKA, Halo and Imagine
customers know that being part of
the VEKA ‘family’ means they’re
in safe hands, with our unrivalled
scale, strength and stability and I
think 2019 is a great time to take
stock. We’re celebrating our past,
enjoying the present and investing
in our future. I can’t wait to see
what the next 50 years of VEKA
brings.”
www.vekauk.com
BOLD NEW REBRAND
» » THE BODY RESPONSIBLE
for establishing the UK’s
most trusted and widely used
independent ratings system for
verifying the energy performance
of windows and doors, British
Fenestration Ratings Council
(BFRC), has recently announced
the launch of a responsive new
website as part of a comprehensive
review of the BFRC brand.
BFRC Operations Director, Lis
Clarke, remarks, “We’re delighted
with the new look and feel of
the brand and the new website
epitomises what we’re looking to
achieve, thanks to the work of
CMDI and Borough IT. It also
gives us the foundation for future
growth in the sector, we have big
plans for BFRC over the next
12 months, and this is just the
start.”
Among the key features of
the new site is a members’ area
where companies can upload their
own logo onto the energy labels
designed to provide homeowners
with the evidence that window
and door products will perform
as promised. Installers will also
be able to upload a company
profile to the BFRC site, enabling
potential and existing customers
to find and contact them
directly.
In addition, system houses and
manufacturers can now approve
registered installers to use their
product licences and they will
soon be able to download training
packs via the website to help
explain the benefits of BFRC
energy ratings and how to use
them to win more work.
Alongside the website updates,
the BFRC has undertaken a wider
brand review to help further
enhance the vital role it plays in
the fenestration supply chain,
12 » JUL 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
and has since been unveiling their
enhanced strategy to support
manufacturers and installers
to build advantage through
performance ratings.
The BFRC has launched
its powerful, refreshed brand
aesthetics, incorporating the new
‘Proven Performance’ slogan,
providing the fenestration supply
chain with a strong image to help
promote the benefits for using
BFRC ratings when advising
homeowners on the best-
performing products for their
needs.
Borough IT Head of
Operations, Simon Charkham,
notes, “The new BFRC website
has been a great project to work
on. The challenge has been to
integrate the technical elements
required with ensuring the look
and feel align with the new
brand and the user experience is
enhanced. The outcome is a result
of collaboration, hard work and
creativity and we’re thrilled with
the final product.”
www.bfrc.org