Standards in the industry have certainly changed over the past 35 years and the benefits of having doors and windows which have achieved an appropriate security standard has been shown to be both vitally important and a worthwhile investment . It ’ s why we now have the Police Preferred Specification , so people can quickly and easily identify products which are of an appropriate security standard through this . Knowing that a product is fit for purpose is critical . The accreditation scheme SBD operates on behalf of the UK Police Service provides a recognised standard for all security products , ensuring that they are sufficiently robust to resist physical attack by casual and opportunistic burglars . It is the only way for companies to obtain police recognition for security-related products in the UK . The SBD focus is on the critical factors that combine to deliver a product ’ s performance - design , use , quality control and the ability to deter or prevent crime .

In addition , the Police Preferred Specification requires regular re-testing and annual inspection of the manufacturing facility ( Factory Production Control ) to ensure quality and performance are maintained . This provides assurance that products have been produced under a controlled manufacturing environment in accordance with the specifier ’ s aims and minimises misrepresentation of the products by unscrupulous manufacturers / suppliers and leads to the delivery , on site , of a more secure product .

Over 700 companies with more than 7000 individual products , the majority from the door and window marketplace , have achieved SBD accreditation and use the SBD logo for sales and marketing purposes to demonstrate their security credentials .

This work to improve the physical security of buildings using SBD accredited products is the reason so many door and window companies are seeing huge benefits in SBD membership . There has been a significant growth in demand for advice

and requests for details of companies that have membership with SBD , which has been evidenced in the increased traffic to the SBD website and the reported increased sales of SBD member ’ s products .

The police service signpost customers looking for security products to www . securedbydesign . com , where a comprehensive list of the 700 companies that produce the products that meet SBD Police Preferred Specification can be found . Each company has its own page on the SBD website giving full details of the company , contact information and a detailed list of all their SBD accredited products .

It is these products that the Police Designing Out Crime Officers are recommending to developers on a daily basis in the drive to keep communities safe , as SBD member products have been highlighted many times over the past 35 years for the significant role they play in crime prevention and keeping people safe .

www . securedbydesign . com

The popular greenteQ furniture range has now been split into two separate groups . The stainless steel architeQ range covers furniture for residential doors and patio doors , with the mainstream greenteQ Suite covering the same but with the addition of window furniture .

The surface finish on greenteQ Suite products has been increased to 20 years , with a 25 year guarantee available on architeQ furniture .

In addition to these extended guarantee periods , where the guarantees really stand out is that , for what they term ‘ qualifying customers ’, VBH will deal with any claims directly with the consumer , leaving the fabricator and installer free to do what they

do best ; make and sell windows and doors .

VBH advises that they are able to offer these guarantees based on what they describe as greenteQ furniture ’ s “ excellent performance in test lab conditions , and real-installation experience .”

Head of Brand at VBH , Dan Powell , says , “ Two big headaches reported by manufacturers and installers are firstly , having to send an engineer to site to

investigate and rectify a problem and , secondly , being unsure as to what the guarantee on a particular product or finish actually is .

“ We have made our guarantee as transparent as possible and we will take care of the whole claim .

“ As well as taking the hassle out of dealing with any claims , the 20 and 25 year terms give everyone in the supply chain absolute assurance that greenteQ furniture is built to last , and that

VBH , as the furniture manufacturer , will stand by the product . Our aim is to help installers turn enquiries into sales .”

VBH advises that many qualifying companies are already taking advantage of the ‘ fully serviced ’ guarantee , with many more in the pipeline . They urge interested companies to get in touch to discuss the details directly .

www . vbhgb . com