Bohle Group - advertisement

---

MBA Associates Limited   Mindset, Market Polarisation and Grit
The most asked question of us at MBA is “how is everyone else doing?” something we can only generali...[more]

---

MBA Associates Limited   Who Do You Serve?
Fundamental to all strategy is a goal, nothing nebulous, none of the “we will be the best window com...[more]

---

SE Controls   Window Automation - Balancing the Budget
A recent report from Glenigan has shown a considerable decrease in construction activity during 2010...[more]

---

" " Glass - advertisement

---

The Fenestration News Bulletin this week will be sent to more than 14,000 recipients in just over 9,000  organisations aligned to the Window Industry. Making it an effective delivery platform to get your Companies message across.

---

From the News

News shorts: -

New role for Matt Buckley at Pilkington Building Products

C.R. Laurence Opens Further Manufacturing Facility - Programme to Increase Range of Own Products Continues

Spectus Window Systems launches Framework-for-the-Future

Pearl Window Systems - Charity bike ride raises £28,000. GM Fundraising - Drive 4 Hope, with an amazing £9,405.20

Locks snapped in 6 out of 7 burglaries in Leeds

K2 gets zesty with its new range of Orangery roof systems.

Swansea’s Plaztec is enjoying the benefits of being a Deceuninck fabricator

Your next job: -

MBA-Associates - are looking for a Regional Sales Manager to join VEKA

Chiltern International Fire Ltd - are looking for a Sales Executive

GAP - need a Depot Manager at Hemel Hempstead

Salisbury Glass Centre – have an opening for a CAD designer

Synseal Extrusions - require a Field Based Conservatory Technician

Stafford Aluminium Windows - Production Manager

MBA-Associates - Area Sales Manager

---

---

Remember, for all the latest news updated daily, check out the Fenestration News website @ www.fenestration-news.com

---

How is everyone doing?

From the ‘industry’ chattering classes it would be easy to suppose there is a lot of angst, if not despair, as to the state of the industry. Yet that’s the point, those of us that get to talk about it also need the headline to capture the reader’s attention, while those that do it, - well - just get on with it.

Most of the contradictions come from those that are trying to sell into the industry. Recently a company that needed to sell its reports to the industry went for the headline the ‘Door Market is flat’. One wonders who they asked Liniar, Door-Stop, Solidor, Phoenix Door Panels etc, I doubt it, they are all reporting as being up on expectations and far from flat. Maybe they were referring to ‘Jim Morrison’ (very left field, very).

Then we have the company that has a USP of using non-selling, selling, technical advisors to visit potential customers so as to encourage them to buy, what’s that all about? To gain attention to themselves from the rest of the world they have to attempt to ‘slag’ off the industry. I find that strange,...[ more ]

---

Wrightstyle Warns Against Further Public Sector Construction Cutbacks

One of the UK’s leading steel glazing companies has warned the government not to make further cuts to infrastructure projects amid signs that the construction sector remains firmly in the grip of a workload gap that the private sector cannot fill.

Wrightstyle, the Devizes-based company that supplies advanced glazing systems worldwide, also called on the government to keep interest rates at their current level until at least the end of the year to protect the sector.

Despite signs that the underlying trend may improve in the second half of the year (1), driven largely by private sector construction, the scale of public sector cutbacks at the end of 2010 remains a cause for real concern, according to the company....[ more ]

Denis Wright, Wrightstyle Chairman

---

Mindset, Market Polarisation and Grit

The most asked question of us at MBA is “how is everyone else doing?” something we can only generalise about of course, client confidentiality is the life blood of any consultancy business (or should be!). My usual response is to wonder “why do you care?” Not because I am un-empathetic but because looking how everyone else is doing is an exercise in comparative performance that profits you little. If the majority of companies are failing and your business is failing slightly less does that make you feel better? What does that tell you about mindset? The same question of ‘benchmarking’ always rears its head when we are involved with performance improvement projects, lean manufacturing in factories. I don’t care how well ‘so and so’s’ factory is doing, it’s unlikely to be a direct comparison (different machinery, different products, different markets) in any case. I do care about what WE (our clients and MBA) are doing. Are we making the graphs, the important measures, go the right way? Are WE making money?

I was recently speaking with a client who tells me he loves this market; they have always been pretty proactive about sales and focussed on what they offer. The big difference now he told me was that when they called and asked to speak to a decision maker they got put through, had a conversation and very often achieved an appointment. People he was calling wanted to talk about what he could do for them. A chance to pitch. What does that tell you about mindset?

In the fabricator world we are seeing a market that is polarising, there are top performers who are growing sales, holding margins and reducing costs, there are far more poor performers who are waiting for a ‘market solution’ to their problems....[ more ]

© Chris Ball June 2011

---

Remember, for all the latest news updated daily, check out the Fenestration News website @ www.fenestration-news.com

Also in the news....

Dessian Products Ltd -
'New A rated window achieves u-value of 0.8'
Installers looking for a cost effective way of meeting demand for energy efficient windows can now choose WER A rated windows with a U-Value of just 0.8 from Clydebank based Enviro ..[ more ]

---

Spectus Windows Systems -
'Spectus Window Systems launches Framework-for-the-Future'
Leading PVC-U systems house, Spectus Window Systems, has introduced an exclusive new marketing programme for its customers. ‘Framework’, a first for the industry, will help Spectu ..[ more ]

---

C.R. Laurence of Europe Ltd -
'C.R. Laurence Opens Further Manufacturing Facility - Programme to'
C. R. Laurence, the leading supplier of products and consumables for the glass and glazing industries, has opened a new 330,000 feet² manufacturing facility as part of the co ..[ more ]

---

Freefoam Plastics -
'Freefoam makes it easy to say ‘yes’ to colour'
Freefoam, the leading manufacturer of environmentally friendly and innovative roofline and rainwater products, is helping property owners and specifiers say ‘yes’ to colour. - Over ..[ more ]

---

CENSolutions Ltd -
'CENSolutions Helps The Sash Window Workshop Stay Ahead'
The Sash Window Workshop, manufacturer of timber windows and doors in Bracknell, Berkshire, has built up an excellent reputation in London and the South East as a result of which c ..[ more ]

---

Avocet Hardware -
'Locks snapped in 6 out of 7 burglaries in Leeds'
Information from West Yorkshire Police shows that lock snapping is now one of the most popular methods of forced entry. In an area of Leeds, in one week in May there were seven bur ..[ more ]

---

Pilkington Building Products - UK -
'New role for Matt Buckley at Pilkington Building Products'
Matt Buckley has been appointed Managing Director of the Downstream operations of Pilkington Building Products UK. In this position, Matt is looking to the future to ensure that th ..[ more ]

---

Build Check Ltd -
'Happy Birthday Oracle.'
It’s been a year now since the Oracle, Build Check’s U-value calculation tool for the fenestration industry, was launched. During this time it has helped many fabricators, install ..[ more ]

---

K2 Conservatories Ltd -
'K2 gets zesty'
K2 is putting the zing back into its product offering with its new range of Orangery roof systems. - Orangeries have become the new up and coming product to have, a house extension ..[ more ]

---

Ultimate 70 Ltd -
'Window Wizard cease fabrication and buy-in from Ultimate 70'
Astute business tactics have seen fabricator and installer Window Wizard take the decision to stop manufacturing frames in house and buy them in from leading Essex based fabricator ..[ ]

---

Pearl Window Systems -
'Charity bike ride raises £28,000'
15 riders, many from the glass and glazing industry, put pedal power to fantastic use in a coast to coast charity bike ride to raise money for St Mary’s Hospice in Ulverston. - The ..[ ]

---

Applied Market Information ( AMI ) -
'Waterproof Membranes'
With climate change causing increasingly severe weather conditions worldwide, the demands on the construction industry are growing. Roofing membranes have to be able to withstand h ..[ ]

---

Winkhaus UK -
'Winkhaus UK supports Wildlife Conservation Group, giving them a h'
The Wildlife Conservation Group, run by unpaid volunteers aims to keep local wildlife safe by protecting and conserving wildlife and the natural habitat for the public benefit. - ..[ ]

---

Wrightstyle Ltd -
'Wrightstyle Warns Against Further Public Sector Construction Cutb'
One of the UK’s leading steel glazing companies has warned the government not to make further cuts to infrastructure projects amid signs that the construction sector remains firmly ..[ ]

---

Edgetech IG UK -
'Quanex shows Dedication to Driving Your Business Forward at Glass'
Following its acquisition of Edgetech earlier this year, Quanex Building Products Corporation (NYSE:NX), a global supplier of insulating glass components, extrusions and fenestrati ..[ ]

---

Regalead -
'More choice for composite glazing as RegaLead expands Signature r'
RegaLead, the market leader in decorative products for the flat glass industry, has recently added three new triple glazed decorative designs to its range of Signature glazing opti ..[ ]

---

GM Fundraising -
'Drive 4 Hope'
This year’s GM Fundraising Golf Day at the Telford Hotel and Golf Resort, was arguably the best yet, with an amazing £9,405.20 raised during the event. As the industry’s preferred ..[ ]

---

Windowmaker Software -
'Windowmaker partners with AIS (ASAHI India) to provide leading-ed'
Windowmaker has joined forces with three of the world’s largest manufacturers of machinery to equip AIS Glass Solutions Limited (ASAHI India), for setting up five state–of–the-art ..[ ]

---

Insight Data Ltd -
'Relentless improvement at Insight Data'
Insight Data has completed the next stage of a relentless investment plan that sees the company widen the gap even further from other data providers, as well as spearhead the launc ..[ ]

---

Fenestration News -
'How is everyone doing?'
From the ‘industry’ chattering classes it would be easy to suppose there is a lot of angst, if not despair, as to the state of the industry. Yet that’s the point, those of us tha ..[ ]

---

Deceuninck -
'Swansea’s Plaztec is enjoying the benefits of being a Deceuninck '
Trade and domestic fabricator Plaztec Windows recently switched suppliers to become a Deceuninck fabricator. The company has been manufacturing the 2500 chamfered system since Febr ..[ ]

---

Universal Arches -
'Setting the standard'
Universal Arches has now achieved zero non-conformity for its last four ISO 9001:2008 inspections and is the only company in the bending sector to carry this international quality ..[ ]

---

HL Plastics -
'Liniar Bi-Fold Plus loved at Wimbledon'
Bi-Fold Plus, the innovative bi-fold door from Liniar, is creating a buzz at Wimbledon. Six of the folding sliding doors are being used in the hospitality area at the famous lawn t ..[ ]

---

July - issue: 0711.01

Emailed
News Bulletin
Subscribe