8
MAY 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
MODO DOOR SHINES OUT
Loughborough-based Wilson
Windows completed an impressive Modo door installation recently for a homeowner
in Queniborough, Leicester.
‘you want that level
of design, insulation
and security for
your home’
Modo, from Apeer, is a design-led collection of composite
doors, designed and manufactured
at Apeer’s production facility in
Ballymena, Northern Ireland.
Dale Wilson, Director of family-run Wilson Windows explains:
“This was the first Modo door we
have installed and while the installation wasn’t the easiest we’ve
ever done, the result is stunning.
The arched frame required a little
more precision than a standard
frame, but we are more than happy how the installation went, and
our homeowner is also thrilled.
His new door is receiving a lot of
admiring glances now.
“The quality of the Modo door
shines out, and although it’s at the
top end of many people’s budget,
once you see and appreciate the
features and benefits it can offer,
you want that level of design,
insulation and security for your
home. We sell Apeer as a premium
product, and have been installing
their range of doors for about five
years now.”
From its 1,200 square foot showroom in Loughborough, Wilson
Windows has a Modo door, Lumi
window and traditional 70ml
door on display for customers to
see, says Dale: “Nowadays people
want to look around and view the
product in the flesh before they
buy them, so our showroom is
designed to showcase the products perfectly.” With more than 30
years’ history behind it, Wilson
Windows is a member of Which?
and Network VEKA.
The company behind the
ground-breaking Lumi frameless
window and door system, Apeer
can offer bespoke arched door
frames, subject to templates supplied, and is not restricted to the
usual sidelight configurations.
For more information, visit
www.apeer.co.uk and to
contact Wilson Windows call
01509 211 660 or visit www.
wilsonwindowsloughborough.co.uk
FDIS Diploma
Gains Momentum
Increasing numbers of people - at
the last count 829 - have signed up
to study the Fire Door Inspection
Scheme (FDIS) Diploma.
The FDIS education
programme is a series of online education modules which
candidates can study
in their own time.
The programme consists of seven modules
which include timber
and metal fire doors, fire
resisting glazing, intumescent seals, ironmongery and signage.
FDIS is a joint venture between the British
Woodwork Federation and
The Guild of Architectural
Ironmongers, who saw the
need for greater education
on this important subject.
Fire resisting doors play an
important part in any fire
strategy in protecting both
lives and property within
the built environment.
To further enhance this,
FDIS has also developed a
means of training FDIS Cer-
Salaries soar among building firms
Salaries for small building firms are soaring as
a result of the growing
skills shortage, according to the Federation of
Master Builders (FMB).
tified Inspectors, who are
able to undertake fire door
and escape door inspections on site on behalf of
clients throughout the UK
and Ireland.
FDIS Certified Inspectors are able to produce
detailed reports on their
findings, which certainly
help building owners and
occupiers with ensuring
they comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety
Order).
Commenting on the results
of the FMB’s State of Trade
Survey for Q1 2016, Brian
Berry, Chief Executive of the
FMB, said: “More than half
of small construction firms
are predicting that wages
and salaries will increase
over the coming six months.
Given that brickies are
already able to command
wages of up to £60,000 per
year in London and around
£45,000 a year in the north
of England, it’s clear that the
skills squeeze is starting to
push up costs for construction SMEs. A whopping 55%
of small building firms are
currently reporting difficulties hiring bricklayers,
which makes these trades
people the most in-demand
of all construction workers.
This particular skills shortage is of course linked to
the steady growth in private
house building.”
He continued: “The results
for the first three months
of this year show consistent growth among small
construction firms in almost
all parts of the UK. What’s
more, despite evidence of
the EU referendum causing
some uncertainty within the
business community, more
than two-thirds of firms
expect their workloads to
increase over the coming
three months. These results
are heartening but skills
shortages, and the knock-on
effect on wages and salaries,
remains a major cause for
concern.”
Brian concluded: “We
need tens of thousands of
new and returning construction workers to pick
up the slack, or this growth
among construction SMEs
could so easily unravel. The
government is hoping to
address the skills shortages
through the new Appren-
ticeship Levy, which is due
to come into force in exactly
one year. However, I have
spoken to many small construction bosses who have
major concerns about the
impact that the new funding
arrangements, which will
come into effect alongside
the levy, will have on their
ability to hire an apprentice.
The government must work
closely with the construction industry to ensure its
new system is as easy to use
as possible, or else we could
see apprenticeship training
by small firms nose dive at
exactly the wrong time.”
www.fmb.org.uk