News
6 | JUNE 2017
News
Read online at www . proinstaller . co . uk
CLADDING MAKES AN IDEAL HOME
Milestone birthday
St Helens-based PVCu window fabricator Qualplas – a long-standing customer of The VEKA UK Group - celebrates three decades of business this year . The milestone will be marked with a wide range of activities and customer giveaways throughout the year .
Since the beginning , Qualplas has been providing top quality products and customer service to all its trade , retail and commercial clients . This commitment was cemented when the young company chose The VEKA UK Group as its number one supplier of PVCu profile just one year into trading , before later also joining Network VEKA , which has quality craftsmanship and customer satisfaction at its core .
In January 2016 , ST Group Ltd – the parent company of Qualplas – was taken over by Huws Gray , the largest independent builders ’ merchants in Wales and the north west of England .
Largely the company has continued as previously , albeit with a slight change in the management team . One major change is the miles the Qualplas delivery vehicles are now covering , particularly within North Wales , resulting in an ever-widening customer base .
Aron McMahon , manager at Qualplas said : “ There have been many highlights for Qualplas since 1987 , mainly growing from small premises in Peasley Cross to a 10,000 sq ft site in Knowsley Road . There have also been some tough times along the way , with recessions in the early 1990s and late 2000s . However , our commitment to quality and service has never changed and we continue to thrive and offer a premium service to new and existing customers alike .”
He thanked past and present staff , customers over the past 30 years and The VEKA UK Group .
www . vekauk . com
DECADE OF MANUFACTURING
Edgetech is celebrating a decade of manufacturing at its UK headquarters in Coventry .
Launched in 2007 after a £ 2.5m investment , the site became the UK ’ s first dedicated warm edge technology manufacturing facility , serving as Edgetech UK ’ s main base during a decade of rapid change . In 2008 , further investment saw the company double its capacity in response to surging sales , and , after
three more years of impressive growth , Edgetech was acquired by billion-dollar building products giant
Every year one of the most popular elements of the Ideal Home Show at Olympia , London , is the fullsize show homes . Visitors to this year ’ s show were treated to two stunning properties , both featuring Freefoam Fortex cladding .
Pale Gold Double Shiplap cladding formed the exterior finish of a three-apartment structure designed to reflect the three stages in life , first time buyer , new family home and downsizing . Visitors were invited to ‘ climb the property ladder ’ apartments to navigate first-hand the design and practical challenges
Chris Alderson , Edgetech UK Managing Director faced by designers and city dwellers alike as they move through these stages .
David Richards , director of David Richard Associates , commissions the homes each year and explained the background to this year ’ s projects : “ We wanted to showcase the flexibility of modern PVCu building materials and to show how they can be used on both contemporary and traditional developments . We have been delighted with the Freefoam cladding range and its performance throughout the project .”
www . freefoam . com
Quanex . Soon after , Quanex merged Edgetech with its existing spacer company Truseal to become the largest warm edge manufacturer in the world , producing 300 million metres of spacer every year .
Chris Alderson , Edgetech UK ’ s managing director said : “ We ’ ll be inviting friends throughout the industry to Coventry , we can ’ t wait to mark everything we ’ ve achieved here in the past ten years , and look forward to sharing our vision of what the next ten will bring .”
www . edgetechig . co . uk
FAREWELL TO BRIAN
The Glass and Glazing Federation ( GGF ) has said a fond farewell to Brian Baker , who has been the GGF ’ s interim chief executive since the start of this year .
Brian ’ s connection to the GGF goes back to 1983 when as an employee of GGF Member Solaglas ( now Glassolutions Saint- Gobain ) he attended the GGF Laminators Group .
In the last ten years , Brian ’ s involvement in the GGF and subsidiary companies has been instrumental and at one point Brian was a regular contributor to over 25 GGF specialist technical groups , committees , technical working parties and regions ( as chairman and vice-chair ) and as a board director . In 2014 , Brian was elected GGF president and after his two-year tenure , then returned as interim president in the latter half of 2016 .
In recent times , Brian has overseen many changes at the Federation including the move in October 2016 to the GGF ’ s present offices in Southwark , the GGF group ’ s restructure and the setting up of the Helix Group as the umbrella company for the GGF ’ s subsidiaries .
www . ggf . org . uk www . MyGlazing . com