SEPTEMBER 2019 | 17
News
Installer News is
sponsored by FENSA
Glazing Summit
Virtuoso gears up
‘important for industry’ for further growth
The business manager of one of
Birmingham’s leading window
and door manufacturers has
spoken of the importance of the
Glazing Summit to the industry.
The one-day confer-
ence takes place on
Thursday, September 12
at Edgbaston Stadium and
Conference Centre, Birming-
ham – and Howard Trotter
of Shelforce has given it his
backing.
“The Glazing Summit is
an important event for our
industry because it gives
all of us the chance to get
together and talk about
what’s happening within
it and discuss the subjects
that matter,” commented
Howard.
“I’m looking forward to
discussing the labour issues
that we face and the skills
shortage; there are answers
out there, but we all need
to know collectively what
those answers are.”
Shelforce specialises
in providing high quality
products to local authority
building projects and has
been employing an inclusive
workforce since 1839.
The company is partner-
ing with the event again this
year, and Howard added:
“The Glazing Summit was
well supported last year,
not only from a potential
customer and manufacturer
point of view but also from
the supply chain.
“So, we wanted to support
the event again because,
with all the challenges that
we all face, particularly
Brexit, it’s important that we
get together as an indus-
try.”
For more information
on the agenda and to
book your place at the
Glazing Summit call 01934
808293 or visit www.
glazingsummit.co.uk
Virtuoso doors, the
Birtley-based manufac-
turer of composite and
PVCu panel doors is on
target to achieve growth
of 40% by the end of the
year. Despite its impressive
growth, Virtuoso Doors has
consistently maintained its
industry-leading service and
quality levels. Every single
door manufactured goes
through a rigorous 48-point
QC inspection process
which covers every step of
the manufacturing process
before leaving the factory.
Virtuoso has invested
£1 million into specialist
machinery, equipment and
IT systems over the last two
years and its factory is now
equipped with the most
up-to-date beam saws, CNC
machines and edgebanders.
The firm recently installed
a Stuga Autocut sawing
centre to provide additional
production capacity.
Driving demand through
innovation, the company’s
sales of the ultra-modern
aluminium textured com-
from VEKA UK Group’s mainte-
nance department have been as-
sisting with the Thomas Whitham
Sixth Form STEM project which
saw students recycle bicycles into
a range of creative new items.
‘Renovate-Innovate-Create’
were the aims of the four-day
programme where students were
tasked with dismantling a bicycle
and documenting the process
an aluminium alternative
composite door and the
first to offer an aluminium
frame for all of its compos-
ite doors.
www.virtuoso-doors.co.uk
24-HOUR COUNSELLING AND NEW HR
SYSTEM FOR ‘PEOPLE BUSINESS’
As part of an ongoing
commitment to ensure
the physical and mental
well-being of its employees,
Brighouse-based fabricator,
Quickslide, has announced
a new BUPA Employee
Assistance programme, as
well as a new online HR
and H&S system that will
directly notify staff when
they have been booked on
to training courses and also
allow them to manage their
annual leave at a click of a
button.
The BUPA Employee As-
sistance Programme (EAP) is
a confidential mental health
and wellbeing service that
offers 24-hour counselling to
all of Quickslide’s employ-
ees and any other individu-
als living in the same house-
hold, should they need it.
Mental health awareness,
and the ability to address
personal or work-related
issues, is a key priority for
Quickslide as the company
recognises that its staff are
Creative upcycling with VEKA UK Group
Mark Jones and Ben Kenny
posite door, Virtu-AL has
increased rapidly, particu-
larly as the door is now
available in an aluminium
outer frame. Virtuoso was
the UK’s first composite
door manufacturer to create
before re-building it back to
working order. They were then
able to dismantle it once again
and work with the VEKA UK
Group team for a day to design
and build some imaginative new
products.
VEKA UK Group Maintenance
Manager Mark Jones explains:
“STEM stands for Science, Tech-
nology, Engineering and Maths
and we’re proud to work with
a number of local schools and
colleges to encourage students
to explore these subjects in an
exciting and creative way.”
VEKA UK Group is no stranger
to projects such as this. The com-
pany has been based in Burnley
since 1986 and is proud to part-
ner with schools and colleges
across the region.
www.vekauk.com
the most important element
of the business.
Quickslide’s Commer-
cial Director Clare Lumb
commented: “We’re a people
business and the well-being
of everyone that works at
Quickslide is of the utmost
importance. By increasing
awareness of mental health
issues and putting measures
in place to address them,
we are not only living up to
our responsibility to ensure
that our staff are happy,
but we also make the most
of their potential, which in
turn results in an increase in
productivity.
“Our new online HR and
H&S system has also been
introduced to make life easi-
er. As well as simplifying the
process of requesting leave
and recording sick days, it
allows us to properly man-
age absence and implement
careful holiday planning to
ensure that the business is
rarely undermanned.”
www.quickslide.co.uk