Clearview National November 2019 - Issue 216 | Page 50

ALUMINIUMEXTRA
FASTER FABRICATION SKY ROCKETS SYSTEM BY 20%
» » STELLAR, THE NEW
aluminium window and door
system from Epwin Window
Systems, is packed with
innovative developments that set
new standards for the aluminium
industry. For fabricators, one of
the most important developments
is that it’s 20% faster to
fabricate.
Paul Booth, Design Director,
Aluminium Products, Epwin
Group Plc, who led the team that
developed Stellar, said: “There are
all kinds of operation efficiencies
fabricators can look at to speed
up fabrication times and help
reduce material costs. But Stellar
has been designed to be faster
to fabricate in the first place. It
gives fabricators an extraordinary
competitive advantage.”
Stellar delivers such impressive
efficiency gains thanks to several
innovative features. The biggest
gain is from the fact it’s a pre-
gasketed system. Stellar also
uses a patent-pending knock-
in bead system that results in
faster, easier glazing too. Other
innovations include fast-fit espags,
chevrons and corner ties are only
required on the flush sash and all
products have direct fix hardware.
Furthermore, stock levels are
easier to manage as many parts are
consistent across the entire suite.
As well as delivering faster
fabrication, Stellar brings further
benefits to fabricators as it’s a
truly adaptable system. For
example, the system allows for
mechanical joint fabrication and
is a perfect fit with PVC-U cills
too.
Paul said: “The joy of Stellar was
that our brief was to go back to
the drawing board and develop a
system that delivered state-of-the-
art design without compromise.
We involved fabricators in the
development process to ensure we
designed a system that gave them
what they needed. The feedback
we’ve had since the launch shows
that we have more than succeeded
in our aim.”
Stellar has attracted a great
deal of interest thanks to its
market-first Fully Flush Casement
Window, which has flush lines
inside and out, and the Flush
Casement Window that offers up
to 12% more glass area. But as
the faster fabrication reveals, this
is just the start of the Stellar story.
It truly is the future of aluminium
windows and doors.
www.epwinwindowsystems.co.uk
‘Ambassador’ Workshops new
generation of aluminium
Garnalex has announced a December start date for its
first fabricator and installer ‘Ambassador’ Workshops.
» » THE NEW GARNALEX ALUMINIUM
window and door systems are significantly
different from previous and current
generations of aluminium systems in the
way they are fabricated, installed and sold.
The innovative systems, launching in early
2020, will be easier and faster to fabricate and
install than other aluminium systems on the
market.
Attendance at one of the workshops is an
opportunity for fabricators and installers to
hear about the Garnalex Way, have a tour of
the new state-of-the-art Garnalex factory, and
be one of the first fabricators and installers in
their area to sell Garnalex.
Attendees will learn more about the £9m
(to date) investment in the factory and
learn how Garnalex’ advanced window and
door systems will transform the market for
50 » N OV 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
aluminium residential windows and doors.
Further investment is planned. Garnalex
will be one of only two or three UK-owned
systems companies that extrudes its own
aluminium, and the only one that makes its
own complementary plastic components.
Garnalex Marketing and Sales Manager
Eilidh Hudson, who will be hosting the
Ambassador Workshops, says: “We’ve been
working on the state-of-the-art factory and the
new window and door systems in parallel, so
everything comes together for the launch at
the end of Q1 2020. The windows and doors
are designed to be easier, faster and all-round
better than any aluminium systems they’ve seen
before, but fabricators will need to use different
tools to fabricate them, and fabricators and
installers will need to be trained in them and in
our bespoke Garnalex software.
“There will be technical information and
prototypes to see and presentations and
discussions with the technical team. Attendees
will also hear about the thinking behind the
factory, which has been designed to be many
times more efficient than extrusion factories
they’ll have seen. Tool or die changes, for
example, are six-times faster than world-class
best-practice manufacturing ‘SMED’ (Single
Minute Exchange of Dies) aspires to. Because
less factory downtime, means more extruded
profile in stock and shorter lead times.
Garnalex aims to set new standards in service
and support, delivering aluminium profiles in
PVC service times.”