FEBRUARY 2019 | 39
Business News
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
APEER’S SILKA
RANGE BRINGS
A TOUCH OF
SWEDEN INTO
THE NEW YEAR
On hearing the words
‘smooth as silk’ you’d be forgiven
for instantly imagining creamy
Belgian chocolate, intense roast-
ed coffee or a high-end skincare
product, perhaps. After all, such
a charming turn of phrase could
be used to describe each of these
with seemingly exquisite gran-
deur. For Ballymena based manu-
facturer Apeer however, it’s a
play on the Swedish word ‘silke’,
or Silka, as their new range of
smooth skin doors is called.
Silka products join a pres-
tigious range offered by the
Northern Irish firm, who already
have their Traditional, Contempo-
rary and Modo composite doors
firmly established in the indus-
try marketplace alongside their
Lumi and Lumi2 seamless glazing
systems. The offering is a direct
response to a growing popularity
for smooth skin doors, initiat-
ed by trendsetting aluminium
doors.
For utmost convenience,
Apeer have added Silka to the
door builder function on their
website and also to their quoting
and ordering program. Now,
customers can sit in their own
homes and design the perfect
entrance way.
www.apeer.co.uk
NO ESCAPE FOR
COMPANY BOSSES
RESPONSIBLE FOR
NUISANCE CALLS
Company directors
whose firms
plague people
with unsolicited
nuisance calls will
be personally liable
if their company
breaks the law.
New legislation comes into
force which means the UK data
protection watchdog, the Informa-
tion Commissioner’s Office (ICO),
can now hold company bosses
directly responsible. Previously
some had liquidated their firms to
avoid big penalties.
Minister for Digital Margot James
said: “There is now no hiding place
for the small minority of rogue
directors who have previously tried
to escape justice. We are deter-
mined to stamp this menace out
and this new law is the latest in a
series of measures to rid society of
the plague of nuisance calls.
Estimates by Ofcom show Brit-
ish consumers were bombarded
with 3.9 billion nuisance phone
calls and texts last year. Previously
it was only the businesses them-
selves that were liable for fines of
up to £500,000 rather than individ-
uals. Some directors escaped pay-
ing by declaring bankruptcy only
to open up again under a different
name. Now the ICO can hold com-
pany directors directly responsible
with further fines of up to half a
million pounds.”
This new legislation is the latest
in a long line of measures de-
signed to put an end to unwanted
calls and texts. Complaints to the
ICO and Ofcom about nuisance
calls have fallen for the second
year in a row suggesting the ac-
tion taken is working.
PADIHAM GLASS ANNOUNCES HEAVY-WEIGHT APPOINTMENT
Ex-Pilkington AG boss, John
Spiby has assumed a new senior
leadership role with leading trade
IGU manufacturer, Padiham Glass.
Appointed as CEO, in autumn
2018, the former Pilkington AG
General Manager, heads up a new
management team, which has
already committed to a six-figure
investment programme in the first
half of 2019.
“There are always opportunities
to grow; to be better at what we do
- and to deliver a continuously im-
proving service and product offer
to our trade customers”, he said.
Starting his career with Inter-
pane, John moved to a role as
Managing Director at IGU manu-
facturer AG Glass and Glazing in
2000. Acquired by Pilkington in
2007, he continued to head up the
company until 2012, growing the
business to a £16m turnover.
Moving into a new role as
National Sales Manager, with re-
sponsibilities for architectural and
commercial glass within Pilking-
ton parent company NSG between
2012 and 2017, John became Man-
aging Director of national trade
fabricator, Direct Trade in 2017.
Acquired by Emplas in May last
year [2018] Padiham Glass has ca-
pacity to supply more than 15,000
IGU units per week from its 45,000
sq ft Lancashire manufacturing
facility. This includes Saint Gobain’s
highly popular Planitherm range.
The trade IGU specialist has
committed to a six-figure spend
on further software integration, a
new automatic sealing robot, plus
new handling equipment, to drive
increased flexibility and quality
through its’ trade offer in the first
half of this year [2019].
www.padihamglass.co.uk