Pro Installer April 2019 - Issue 73 | Page 2

2 | APRIL 2019 News Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk WE’LL BE WORKING OUR GREY BACK TO YOU! Story continued from the front page 2019 has got off to a good Visitors who attend FIT Show on its opening day, Tuesday 21st May, can benefit from longer opening times. Late Night Tuesday will see the show stay open until 8.00pm, leaving more time for networking and viewing the latest products. Many exhibitors have also planned parties on their stands. On Wednesday 22nd May, FIT Show will throw its much loved Gala Dinner at The VOX, NEC Resorts World from 7pm until late. Taking on board feedback from its audience, organisers have announced a restructure and have taken the event back to its roots as a networking platform for the industry. The evening will include en- tertainment from a swing band, alongside several opportunities to network and celebrate. This year’s Gala Dinner event will also be held in support of GM Fundraising and Hope House Children’s Hos- pices, with a silent auction on the night. Tickets can be bought from [email protected]. FIT Show Skills Thursday will provide a one-stop-shop for em- ployers or employees looking to upskills, retrain, recruit and retain staff. Visitors can attend a range of seminars with advice from the likes of Fit For Trade and the indus- try’s key training bodies, or visit Building Our Skills or Chase Taylor for business clinics and practical support on upskilling and training or recruitment respectively. For installers looking to grow their businesses and drive those all important leads, Insight Data and Purplex Marketing will be hosting the Marketing Village with drop-in sessions and business clin- ics on offer across the three days of FIT Show. Speaking about the record breaking FIT Show 2019 show- case, Event Director Nickie West said: “We have worked hard to broaden the show’s appeal to wid- er audiences by placing greater emphasis on materials such as timber and aluminium - we know that the installer market wants to see more of these. “We’ve also introduced new show features which will directly appeal and benefit the install- er. Whether it’s practical advice and support, or tangible benefits such as money off products, FIT Show 2019 will offer more for the installer than any previous year. We’re urging installers to get their biggest business days of the year locked into their calendars now by pre registering to visit FIT Show this May.” start for Freefoam customers, with the addition of Square and Ogee gutter in the popular Anthracite Grey colour option, to help them gain market share in a growing sector. Designed to complement the existing Round and Deep gut- ter systems and manufactured to Ral No. 2016 the ranges offer an exact match to door and window systems. The choice of colour for win- dows, doors and roofline is now on average nearly 30% of sales, with some window companies seeing sales of over 50% in col- our - and growing. Homeowners buying high end grey windows and doors do not want the stand- ard white roofline - they want everything to match. Which is why Freefoam made a strategic move into manufacturing the complete roofline range in Anthracite Grey. Freefoam’s approach is to help every company in the supply chain sell more and grow faster than the competition. And our approach is working. Discerning homeowners want the complete solution, so Free- foam also manufacture a wide range of PVC fascia and soffit in Anthracite Grey providing a suite of colour roofline products. VEKA Supports Manufacturing Made Smarter VEKA Group’s Head of Tech- nical Paul Kennington has spoken at an event for North West SME manufacturers, promoting the benefits of embracing more digital technologies. Made Smarter, the govern- ment-backed £20m business support programme co-hosted the event with Lancashire’s Boost business support service, at Pres- ton’s County Hall. As a manufacturer known for innovation, and a major employ- er for the region, VEKA Group was proud to be involved in supporting and educating other local businesses. The introducto- ry morning gave the Lancashire’s business community a chance to find out about the Made Smarter programme and more than 100 delegates attended the half-day session from across the manufac- turing, technology, engineering, skills, professional services and business support sectors. Following an introduction to the event and overview of the Made Smarter initiative and its aims, the floor was then given over to man- ufacturers who have already seen the benefits of introducing more digital technologies into their pro- duction processes. VEKA Group’s Paul Kennington described how the need for clients to be able to offer something to differentiate themselves from competitors had encouraged VEKA Group to adopt a more digital approach, embracing advanced 3D-printing systems and innova- tive manufacturing methods. www.vekauk.com Issue 73 | April 2019 www.proinstaller.co.uk If you would like to find out more about the Pro Installer: Write to: Unit 2-3 Burleigh Court, Burleigh Street, Barnsley, S70 1XY Tel: 01226 321 450 Fax: 01226 730 825 Email: [email protected] All rights reserved. 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