16 | MAY 2020
News
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
THE ONLY WAY IS UP AT
ROOFING SOLUTIONS
SPECIALIST ONDULINE
Nine months in and Paul Duffy is a
Managing Director who is looking up. And
that’s not just because the business he’s in
charge of is one selling roofing solutions.
His plan to re-energise
the long-established On-
duline Building Products is
shaping up well with the
company on a trajectory for
future growth.
Founded in France in
1944, Onduline is the
undisputed leader in
manufacturing bituminous
corrugated roofing materi-
als, claiming 95% of global
production in bitumen
sheets. Its lightweight
eco-friendly roofing system
is used worldwide for agri-
cultural, industrial, leisure
and DIY applications.
A key selling point of the
Onduline roofing system is
that it is made from 50% to
60% of recycled materials.
Onduline is the light-
weight roofing segment
leader in the UK for the tim-
ber frame buildings market,
from the equestrian and
agricultural sectors, to log
cabins and orangeries, to
sheds, summer houses and
pergolas, but Paul believes
they could do even better.
While maintaining a
profitable position, sales
in the UK in recent years
have been solid rather than
where they could be.
“The good news was
that while the business had
been losing market share,
it wasn’t to direct competi-
tors,” said Paul.
“It happened because we
had not been in touch with
customers enough. They
were beginning to forget us
as no-one was consistently
calling on them.”
Paul has addressed this
by reshaping the UK team,
making a series of new ap-
pointments and, in March,
establishing a revised
structure. All this alongside
introducing a fresh, sales-
led strategy.
One other area with
‘huge opportunities’ is
under-roofing for very low
pitch applications. The
underlay system is installed
below tile, slate or shingle
roof coverings, creating
an independent secondary
weatherproof roof.
“It means the pitch can
be as low as 12.5°,” said
Paul.
“It has BBA (British
Board of Agrément) cer-
tification and is starting
to attract questions from
architects and specifiers
who are recognising the
benefits, as well as the
green credentials.
“It has big advantages
in major cities like London
Manchester, Birmingham
and Liverpool for example,
where there are height re-
strictions for buildings. By
putting on a low pitch roof,
it means they can potential-
ly get another storey on.”
When Paul took up the
Managing Director position,
he brought with him over
20 years’ sales experience
in the construction materi-
als sector. Now, with a new
direction established, Paul
has laid the foundations
for a resurgent Onduline in
the UK.
He said: “The objective
is to achieve sustained and
profitable growth, and stay
ahead of our competitors.
We’ll do that by reaching
the right customers, that
means reinforcing our core
markets and developing
new ones.”
www.onduline.co.uk
EURAMAX MAKES STEPS
INTO MODULAR MARKET
Leading UK window and door manufacturer
to supply to modular homes.
The housing crisis, skills shortage
and lack of affordable homes are is-
sues that continue to plague the UK’s
housing market. Modular construction,
which involves constructing elements
of a building offsite in a factory-con-
trolled setting, before transporting
them to site for assembly, offers a
quicker and often less expensive solu-
tion to construction.
The builds can be constructed 30-
50 per cent quicker than traditional
constructions, with quality-controlled
assembly sites and less material
waste helping to provide more sus-
tainable results.
Based in Barnsley, South York-
shire, Euramax has collaborated with
modular expert Ilke Homes to sup-
ply windows and doors for 2,000 of
its homes. Ilke Homes, also based in
Yorkshire, manufactures and supplies
customisable modular homes, with
a completion time of seven days, as
well as offering turnkey development
contracts and strategic partnerships
with housing associations, private
developers and local authorities.
“Euramax is delighted to work with
Ilke Homes and partake in the devel-
opment of its homes”, said Richard
Banks, commercial director at Eura-
max. “Previously, Ilke Homes had been
receiving separate deliveries for glass
and window frames, which would
then be sorted into specific module
requirements. This meant that there
was double the handling of products,
increasing the risk of damage”, ex-
plained Banks.
“In addition, transportation of prod-
ucts was also increased as there were
multiple stillages of glass and frames
that were sent to the production line.
Instead, Euramax has provided Ilke
Homes with the glass and window
frames in one stillage, ensuring they
have everything they need for each
module.
Speed is not the only key advan-
tage of modular construction. With
skilled workers producing modules at
dedicated assembly sites, the con-
struction method reduces the amount
of noise and dust onsite to create a
more environmentally friendly building
process. “Not only did Euramax pro-
vide Ilke Homes with quality products,
but it also provided us with a solution
that streamlines our processes”, said
Racheal Kaye, procurement manager
at Ilke Homes.
“Receiving the glass and frames
for each module in specific stillages
means that we can save time and
costs as handling, transport and
damage is reduced. This not only opti-
mises our own process, but greatly re-
duces our impact on the environment,
helping us to maintain modular’s
greener construction status. Euramax
even provided module identification
numbers to help us to identify the
correct stillage for the required mod-
ule, making the process even simpler”,
added Kaye.
“We understand how important
modular construction has become
to help deliver the thousands more
houses needed to alleviate the UK
housing crisis — and we’re dedicated
to supporting this in any way we can”,
continued Banks.
www.euramaxuk.com