46 | DECEMBER 2021
Business
Read online at www . proinstaller . co . uk
INDUSTRY ELITE GATHERS AT “ PIVOTAL ” GLAZING SUMMIT 2021
The leadership of Britain ’ s thriving fenestration sector has gathered for the first time in nearly two years following the most tumultuous period in its history .
Over four hundred business leaders , representing companies collectively worth billions of pounds , met at Edgbaston Cricket Ground for the 2021 Glazing Summit , organised by market-leading sector specialists Insight Data and Purplex Marketing .
Across a day of debates , discussions and insightful presentations , fenestration ’ s best and brightest pondered the huge challenges glass and glazing currently faces – and how to make the most of its enormous opportunities .
Addressing attendees in the first of the day ’ s keynotes , Glazing Summit founder and CEO Andrew Scott charted the dramatic changes the sector has been through over the last ten years .
Drawing on the unparalleled expertise of industry experts Insight Data , Andrew revealed that the number of UK fabricators and installers has fallen below 14,000 for the first time , with a staggering 709 companies lost since 2011 .
Later in the day , Greg Perdon , Bloomberg correspondent
THE KEYS TO QUICKER QUOTING
With demand in the window and door industry reaching record levels in recent months , managing the quoting backlog has been a significant challenge , with many installers working evenings and weekends just to keep up .
and Chief Investment Officer for Arbuthnot Latham , gave a fascinating overview of the UK ’ s performance relative to other major economies , and pointed to promising signs for Britain ’ s home improvement market in 2022 .
Then , after lunch , attendees were treated to a humorous and
irreverent insight into organisational culture and sales strategy from international business consultant Geoff Burch .
Throughout the day , panel debates featuring sector VIPs tackled the industry ’ s biggest issues .
With COP26 looming , attendees addressed climate change – questioning whether end-users really care about the environment , and whether the industry ’ s much talked-about commitment to sustainability is actually just a box-ticking exercise .
Leading installers debated the soaring cost of materials , and whether the drastic price rises they ’ ve received are really justified given the poor quality and service many continue to experience .
Industry VIPs contemplated the supply chain crisis , the changing dynamic between customers and suppliers , and when the industry will return to pre-pandemic levels .
And a panel of experts discussed the growing number of mergers and acquisitions in fenestration , predicting further consolidation in the months and years ahead as a result of Brexit , changes to consumer demand , and the continuing fallout of COVID-19 .
“ This year ’ s Glazing Summit comes at a pivotal moment in the history of our industry ,” comments Andrew Scott .
“ After the enormous upheavals of the pandemic , the sector now faces an unprecedented supply chain crisis , a worsening skills shortage , and the huge challenges posed by climate change .
“ Navigating these issues will require leadership , vision , and collaboration between every aspect of fenestration .
“ That ’ s exactly the sort of open and honest dialogue the Glazing Summit is designed to facilitate . After an amazing day in Edgbaston , I ’ m more optimistic about the future of our sector than ever .”
www . glazingsummit . co . uk
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In the process of developing the Framepoint ® app , founder Chris Brunsdon and the team at Tommy Trinder have had conversations with hundreds of windows installers about the trials and tribulations of getting quotes out of the door quickly . The learning , says Chris , is clear ;
“ Being efficient is not just about banging out the quote . It ’ s the total time it takes to generate every document you need to complete the sale and pass the products into manufacture that matters . That ’ s the time that you need to measure and speed up if you ’ re looking to unlock real time savings .”
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“ First and foremost , installers need a super quick and easy way to enter product information . Next up , it needs to be really fast to send jobs off for pricing if needs be . The ensuing paperwork flow needs to happen without the need for re-keying information and should include the quote itself , a contract for the homeowner to sign , paperwork for surveyors , and finally clean purchase orders ready to send off for manufacture .”
So , up against the clock , how long did it take Chris to generate this end-to-end document suite using Framepoint ®? The Answer : 18 minutes – 2 seconds .
“ Call it 20 minutes ,” says Chris . “ That ’ s to generate every document required to
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complete a typical sale , including sending off pricing requests , doing the quote plus an accompanying makeover , printing off a contract ready for the homeowner to sign , generating a full set of documents for surveyors , and finally processing the order and sending to manufacturer .”
An added complication when it comes to getting quotes out quickly , says Chris , is that Installers are frequently faced with having to juggle multiple suppliers on one project ;
“ An aluminium bi-fold , some sash windows and a handful of casements ,
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for instance . All sourced from different manufacturers , each with a unique pricing regime . The process of splitting orders and sending some or all parts off for pricing is very time hungry . Framepoint ® helps with this ; allowing installers to easily combine products in multiple materials , from multiple suppliers in one professionally presented document .”
The document suite created by Chris Brunsdon as part of this time challenge , which includes both PVC and aluminium products , can be downloaded from : www . tommytrinder . com / lp-timechallenge
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