News
16 | MAY 2017
News
Read online at www. proinstaller. co. uk
BANISH SICK BUILDING SYNDROME
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Sick days cost UK businesses up to £ 4.53 billion every year with one quarter of all sick days credited to the common cold. Albion Valves( UK) Ltd, a Barnsley-based valve supplier to the building services and air conditioning industry, is urging businesses to get their housekeeping in place to support a healthy workforce.
In the workplace, air-conditioning units are often blamed for the spread of colds, flu, irritation of the ears, nose and throat, headaches, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. This phenomenon has become known as‘ sick building syndrome’- widely understood to be caused by the temperature of air conditioning being maintained at uncomfortably low temperatures.
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Albion Valves technical specifications manager Paul Wightman commented:
“ It is important for building services engineers to establish a regular maintenance regime to help avoid excess moisture gathering around the unit itself, which can harbour bacteria and fungi. This includes regular checks on the condition and cleanliness of filters especially around intakes and outlets.
“ The most common complaint about air conditioning is that it dries out the air, irritating the eyes and sinuses. It is true that cooling has a drying effect, so it is important to check the humidity in offices. A well-designed air conditioning and ventilation system should maintain appropriate humidity levels.
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“ When units are clean and well maintained, air conditioning has a positive effect on your health, especially in cities and heavily populated areas by increasing comfort levels and filtering out pollutants and dust.” |
Triple Turnover
Albion Valves has reported‘ phenomenal’ business growth over the last ten years, with the company having more than tripled turnover during this period and the workforce at its base in Barnsley growing by over 100 %.
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Albion attributes the secret of success to having a loyal and highly skilled team of people supporting the business and its distributors. One third of Albion staff will have been with the company for ten years or more, with the original core founding team clocking up over 20 years each in the business.
During 2016 Albion invested significantly into expanding its premises in Barnsley, enabling them to increase stock densities and improve stock availability to customers. A new in-house test facility for testing and setting safety valves was also added. This year the company is recruiting again to fulfil another apprenticeship, as well as adding to its sales team.
http:// www. albionvalvesuk. com
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INSTITUTE NAMES STAR PLAYERS
The best industry professionals and most promising newcomers within the international door hardware industry were recognised at the Institute of Architectural Ironmongers( IAI) Awards.
The IAI Fellowship Award is always given to an individual who has shown a longstanding and ongoing commitment to the IAI over at least ten years, and who is still actively involved within the industry and Institute.
This year’ s winner was Peter Haywood, now working with Synergy Hardware. Peter was presented with the Fellowship Award for his“ continuing dedication and passion for the Institute”. He headed the IAI as national chairman from 2006 until 2008, and has continued to support the regional branches since then. He will be taking over as chair of the south east branch later this month.
The Paul Lewis Award for Customer Service is given to an individual, group or company that has made an outstanding commitment to customer services throughout the year. The award is sponsored by Royde & Tucker, and went to Paul Barrows, commercial manager for UK and Ireland for Assa Abloy Security Solutions.
Paul was chosen as the winner for this award for his commitment to giving the best customer service. He was described by the judges as“ always willing to
help and not happy until he’ s resolved every last detail of a customer’ s query,” and a“ modest, but very knowledgeable professional who puts customers at the heart of everything he does”.
The GAI Award for Services to the Institute is always awarded to a current IAI member who has made a recent and visible contribution at branch level. This year’ s winner was Paul Grech, managing director of Glutz UK Ltd.
Paul previously served as vice chair, and then as chair, for the south east branch. He still remains a strong supporter and regular attendee of the branch meetings, getting involved in initiatives and debates. He is currently on the GAI technical committee representing the interests of the IAI.
The Promising Ironmonger of the Year award went to Tom Davis, residential category manager at Carlisle Brass Ltd. This award is given to the brightest ironmongers in the early stages of their careers. They could be involved in scheduling, estimating, sales or a combination of them all, and the award also recognises they have the charisma and personality to inspire others.
www. gai. org. uk
Take the WarmCore Challenge
In advance of the FIT Show, the WarmCore team is asking fabricators and installers to take part in the WarmCore Challenge- by putting their current aluminium window or door system to the test.
WarmCore windows and doors, the thermally efficient aluminium profile systems from the Synseal Group, are designed around a 65mm multi-chambered core which offers unbeatable thermal performance compared to other similar aluminium products.
The WarmCore window system has been tested to achieve U-values as low as U1.3 double glazed and U0.8 triple glazed. In addition, the WarmCore team has announced that the new slim vent SV window can achieve the same U-values as the standard sash and is available triple glazed.
Head of research and development Phil Parry said:“ So this is our challenge: if your current aluminium system doesn’ t achieve double glazed U-values of U1.3 for windows and U1.4 for doors, if you aren’ t able to triple glaze your slim vent sashes, if an aluminium flush sash isn’ t available to you, if you can’ t achieve dual colour easily, if you aren’ t offered PAS24 compliant products as standard, or even if you can’ t find published acoustic data for your current system; then visit us at Stand R15 at the FIT Show and find out what Warm- Core is all about.”