Clearview National November 2018 - Issue 204 | Page 80

MACHINERY
Gearing up for growth with £200k investment
» » GLASS PROCESSING
specialist TuffX has announced
the purchase of a second Bovone
ELB 12 HS straight line edging
(SLE) machine, a £200,000
investment that marks a key stage
of development for the company
as it plans for significant future
growth.
TuffX already has an identical
Bovone SLE machine at its state-
of-the-art factory in Knowsley,
Merseyside, which was installed
in August last year. A 12-wheel
straight line edger that is designed
to produce flat and arris profile,
Bovone has enhanced the ELB
HS – a ‘high speed’ machine that
can process glass at 4 metres a
minute – so that it can produce
greater volume whilst still
retaining the highest possible
quality of finish.
TuffX operations director, John
Tierney, was so impressed by the
speed and consistent high quality
of the Bovone ELB HS that he
contacted the Glass Machinery
Company, who supplied and
installed the first machine, and
requested a second one to further
improve the company’s product
offering and customer service.
John said: “We were extremely
impressed by the Bovone ELB
HS, specifically the quality of
the polished edge of the finished
glass, and also the speed at which
it operates. In addition to its
other capabilities it enables us
to polish four metres of glass a
minute, which has really allowed
us to dramatically increase our
production volumes.”
Graham Price, Managing
Director of TuffX, commented:
“The main reason for such a large
investment in machinery is simple
– as a company, we’re growing. We
need to have the best equipment
in place in order to satisfy future
demand for our extensive range of
products whilst maintaining the
market leading service that our
customers have come to expect.”
With nearly 20 years’ experience
in specialist glass manufacture,
TuffX produces a comprehensive
range of 6-19mm single toughened
glass as well as toughened
laminated glass, the latter of
which accounts for over 50% of
its Process Glass Division sales.
All products are manufactured
to comply with European safety
standards and are suitable for
commercial and domestic
applications. The company delivers
nationwide with 5-6 day lead time,
or an express service if required.
www.tuffxglass.co.uk
BUILDING PRODUCTS DEMAND
TO RISE WITH £1BN FUND
» » BARCLAYS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Housing England and the Ministry of
Housing, has announced £1bn of funding
to help stimulate the building of new homes
across England.
The funding, which will come in the form
of ‘competitively-priced’ loans between £5m
and £100m, is specifically earmarked to
support SME housebuilders and developers.
As long as they can demonstrate ‘the necessary
experience and track record’ to complete
projects, they can draw from the fund to build
80 » N OV 2018 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
homes for rent or sale as well as social housing,
retirement accommodation and properties for
the private rented sector.
It forms part of the Government’s ‘Housing
Delivery Fund’, set up to better support SMEs
and ultimately deliver greater diversity to the
UK housing market. The new fund is the next
stage in the Government’s pledge to build on
average 300,000 new homes every year by the
mid-2020s.
“With the Ministry of Housing reporting
that two-thirds of all new homes are built
by the 10 major housebuilders, the news
of extra financial support will undoubtedly
be welcomed by smaller developers and
housebuilders,” comments Jade Greenhow,
Operations Director at Insight Data. “This
funding, along with the Land Release Fund –
which provides local councils with funding to
re-purpose dormant, council-owned land for
housing, creates real scope for SME developers
to dent the market share of the big, national
housebuilders.
“This is of course really exciting news for the
building products and fenestration industries
too with the fresh demand this funding will
create. If they haven’t already, now is the
time for installers, fabricators and product
manufacturers to invest in their marketing
to ensure they are the first to be called when
this funding is distributed, and projects begin.
We work with businesses across the industry
providing marketing services and real-time
data, so they can effectively communicate with
and promote their business to housebuilders,
main contractors and even architects
nationwide.”
Through their accurate, industry-specific
data and market intelligence, Insight Data
helps businesses across every sector to
effectively target potential customers. As
part of Insight’s five key databases, the firm
holds up-to-date contact details and business
information for housebuilders and main
contractors – making up their nationwide
‘Construction File’.