58
FEBRUARY 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO BUSINESS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
GLAZERITE WINDOWS
ARE TOP OF THE CLASS
Bellerive FCJ Catholic College in Sefton, Liverpool, has
a new lease of life thanks to
the addition of 94 bespoke
PVCu vertical sliders, manufactured by Glazerite’s dedicated specials production
facility in Wellingborough
and installed by Network
VEKA member, K2 Aluminium,
in Birkenhead.
The substantial project, managed
by Cunliffes Construction Consultants, posed a number of demanding challenges not least of which
was the fact that the 170-year-old
school is in a conservation area.
As such, a key part of the extensive renovation was to convince
local planning authorities that it
would be possible to produce a
modern, energy efficient PVCu
window that could successfully
mimic the appearance and style of
the school’s existing timber items
– many of which had become so
dilapidated, that they could no
longer be opened.
After an initial technical consultation to provide feasibility, specification and wind load calculations
for the proposed frames with
system supplier, VEKA, Glazerite
Window’s North West Division,
based in Bolton, submitted a sample window featuring knifed corner joints, a deep bottom rail and
run through horns that was duly
approved by the planning department overseeing the scheme.
The installation at Bellerive was
made all the more complicated
‘they had to
reproduce the
period features’
due to the sheer size of some of
the windows, which also included a variety of twin sash, triple
sash and arch designs, as well as
the time constraints put in place
in order to minimise disruption
for staff and pupils at the school
itself.
K2 Aluminium’s Liam Bird said:
“The planning officer not only
wanted the replacement windows
to replicate the original timber
appearance but they had to reproduce the period features as well.
“It was a difficult project for a
number of reasons, such as ensuring that we protected all the
original internal timber works,
but the end result has not only
helped to improve the appear-
ance of such an established
school, but provided a much
better environment for its pupils
to learn in as well.”
www.glazeritewindows.co.uk
Swish customer scoops awards Lumi g rows with £200,000
machinery boost
Swish fabricator Building Product Solutions (BPS)
has won two major awards – one regional and
one national. Both awards were presented to
recognise the 50% growth in turnover that the
company enjoyed over the previous 12 months.
At the end of October, 2015, BPS
won the Business Growth Award at
the Barnsley and Rotherham Business Awards organised by the local
chamber of commerce. The company, presented with the award in
front of 500 guests, was also highly
commended in Apprentice of the
Year and Manufacturing Excellence
categories.
BPS sales director Lynne Darwin, also
shortlisted for the Business Person of the
Year in the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, said: “The judges
recognised our increased turnover and
our increase in staff from 24 to 65 over 12
months.”
Lynne was also named in The Manufacturer’s Top 100, and singled out as an exemplar. She said: “We offer a one stop shop
and control manufacture of everything. Our
software helps us track projects from initial
drawings right through to completion, and
our customers return to us because we have
this specialist knowledge.”
BPS specialises in the new-build sector
and has a client base that includes the top
ten house builders. The company currently
supplies 1,000 windows a week using the
Swish 24/7 system to 164 sites within a twohour drive of its base in Rotherham.
www.buildingproductsolutions.co.uk
Apeer, creator of the
Lumi seamless window
system, has invested
a further £200,000 in
specialised machinery to keep pace with
growing demand for its
radical innovation.
Lumi was an instant
show-stopper when it was
launched in May at Grand
Designs Live, London, after
two years in development
and an investment of
£500,000. Now, with orders
flowing in and a UK-wide
installer network almost
complete, Apeer is adding
a further major investment
to strengthen and speed up
production.
The Lumi manufacturing
process is carried out in a
separate production plant
at the Ballymena location with a new factory
already in the pipeline.
The company says the new
equipment will enhance
the main manufacturing
processes and increase
efficiency and quality
control as well as ensuring
the capacity to meet future
demand.
Linda Tomb, Marketing
Manager for Apeer, said:
“We put a great deal of
money into developing
Lumi based on our initial
market research and we
have been delighted with
the reaction since the
launch. Now that it has
earned such acclaim from
trade and homeowners
alike, we are more than
happy to invest in it even
further.
“Lumi is our first venture
into window manufacture
but it is already shaping
up to be a significant part
of our output. With this
additional investment we
‘delighted
with the
reaction
since the
launch’
are confident we are fully
ready to meet the demand
that we expect from this
exciting project.”
The Lumi system is the
latest range from Apeer,
which also includes its
traditional, contemporary
and the ultra-contemporary modo composite door
collections.
www.apeer.co.uk