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MARCH 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO BUSINESS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
New President for GGF
The Glass and Glazing Federation
welcomed its new President, Andrew
Glover, managing director of West
Yorkshire Windows at the President’s
Reception in Southwark, London on
18th February.
Energy
certificate
hits 25,000
landmark
At the biennial event, in front of 100 guests
made up of GGF Members, industry dignitaries and GGF Group employees, Giles
Willson, GGF Managing Director presented
an overview of the GGF infrastructure and
some history of the GGF Presidency before
introducing Brian Baker, GGF Immediate
Past President, who then welcomed Andrew
as the new President of the GGF.
On becoming GGF President, Andrew commented: “I am pleased to accept the role of
President of the GGF. It’s been an organisation that I have always fully supported since
I joined as a Member over six years ago. It’s
both an honour and privilege and I will be
doing my best to help our Members over the
next two years.”
Nigel Rees, GGF Group Chief Executive
added: “We are delighted Andrew is now
President and he follows in a long line of
very committed and exemplary GGF Presidents.”
Giles Willson, GGF Managing Director
commented: “I am looking forward to working with Andrew over the next few years.
There are some testing times ahead with
our political campaigning and forthcoming
legislation.”
Immediate Past President, Brian Baker of
Glassolutions said: “I wish Andrew all the
very best in his new role. I have no doubt
his industry knowledge and passion for the
GGF will drive the Federation through the
challenges facing companies in our industry.”
Andrew summarised: “As the GGF Group
grows, I’ll be looking for opportunities to increase and improve the benefits and services
for our Members. I am looking forward to
helping the GGF, its Members and the industry during my tenure as President.”
www.ggf.org.uk
The British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC) has issued its 25,000th
homeowner energy efficiency certificate. It is the only such certificate
available in the UK glazing sector.
VEKA UK Group scoops
national business award
Each certificate is specific to the property
and the products installed and features the installers’ name and date of installation as well
as the well-known ‘rainbow’ colour label.
If an installer uses BFRC energy ratings
as the route to compliance (rather than
U-values) then this Homeowner Certificate
can be issued for the client. At the point of
notification on the FENSA website installers
are asked if they would like to issue one for
their customer and it is dispatched with the
FENSA certificate.
The certificate gives homeowners proof of
the level of energy efficiency of the windows and doors they have ordered as verified by the premier, independent authority
on window and door energy ratings. It can
be kept by the homeowner and presented
to an Energy Performance Certificate surveyor and any prospective purchasers when
it comes to selling the property.
“The message that homeowners need to
use BFRC registered installers and manufacturers is hitting home,” commented BFRC
managing director Chris Mayne. “More and
more installers are issuing certificates – and
increasing numbers of consumers are demanding them.”
This BFRC Homeowner Energy Rating
Certificate costs the installer £1.50 (ex VAT).
As it is not mandatory homeowners are also
able to purchase this certificate direct in the
event that the installer does not provide it costing £10 (ex VAT). Replacement certificates can be purchased in the event of loss.
A similar certificate will be available under
the new, free for installers FENSA window
and doorset energy ratings.
The Burnley-based firm, which employs 400
staff, saw its success recognised by judges
at the EEF/Aldermore Future Manufacturing
Awards held in London.
The company took gold in the Business
Efficiency Award, awarded to the manufacturer that has most successfully brought in new
operating practices to boost productivity and
business performance.
It was given in recognition of the company’s achievement in constructing the on-site
mixing plant to have better control over
materials and improve service for customers.
The facility is described as the most technically-advanced mixing plant in the UK and has
been designed with future expansion in mind.
It has a potential capacity of 72,000 tonnes.
For further information, please contact BFRC
on 020 7403 9200 or at [email protected]
PVCu systems supplier The VEKA UK
Group has been named a British manufacturing champion after scooping
a national business award.
The VEKA UK Group was selected by a
panel of judges drawn from business leaders,
industry experts and academics and was up
against tough competition from a range of dynamic businesses, small and large, from across
the UK. The judges said that the company
had an excellent story to tell abo ut business
efficiency and showed obvious passion about
the improvements it had made.
Dave Jones, MD of The VEKA UK Group,
says: “Business efficiency is something all
manufacturers work for and aspire to, so to
win this award is a great accomplishment and
compliment to our team.”
For more information about the awards
visit: www.eef.org.uk/awards/
Fall in workloads for small builders
Workloads for small builders across
the country took a downward turn
towards the end of last year, the
Federation of Master Builders’ (FMB)
latest State of Trade Survey has
revealed, amid worries over wider
economic uncertainty.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB,
said: “The building industry remains confident of continued growth but the slowdown
we saw in the last quarter is a cause for
concern. Undoubtedly, the adverse weather
experienced in large parts of the country
has played its part, by causing projects to
overrun and costs to spiral. However, the fact
that both current and expected construction
workloads are down in every region is worrying given some of the gloomy predictions
being made about the wider economy.”
He continued: “Most concerning is that
the last three months of 2015 represent
the first quarter in nearly three years in
which private sector SME house building
showed a negative balance. Even if this is
a temporary blip, it comes at a time when
merely managing to tread water would be
inadequate in tackling the housing crisis.
We need firms of all sizes firing on all cylinders if we’re going to address the chronic
under-supply of housing but, unfortunately, a complex set of problems continue to
constrain smaller developers. A concerted
effort to tackle ongoing issues around
access to finance, availability of suitable
small sites and shortages of skilled labour
is vital. The survey findings underline the
latter point, showing 52% of our members
reporting difficulty in finding carpenters
and joiners, and 50% continue to have trouble hiring quality bricklayers.”
He concluded: “We still expect to see
growth in our sector continue throughout
2016 and we are optimistic that businesses can bounce back from what appears to
have been a disappointing end to the year.
However, the coming 12 months still hold
in store considerable headwinds, not least
the fears over the wider economy slowing
down. If 2016 starts in anything less than a
positive fashion, we could see growing fears
that the hard-earned gains made by the construction industry over the past two or three
years are indeed under threat.”
www.fmb.org.uk/about-the-fmb/
newsroom/fall-in-workloads-for-smallbuilders/