Clearview Midlands June 2014 - Issue 151 | Page 90
BUSINESSNEWS
GLAZERITE: WHEN BEING
PARTNERS SHOWS
We all hope that the recession is over but
for some, it never really began, and much
of it can be put down to working together
in difficult times. This is certainly true of
Glazerite Windows Ltd, the VEKA trade
fabricator and loyal customer, Fairweather
Windows Doors & Conservatories.
For Peter Smith, Sales Manager for Glazerite,
and Fairweather’s Paul Greig, contact goes
back 25 years. “It’s all about relationships,”
explained Peter, “along with delivering on
quality and supply, and a long term view
towards your customer.”
Fairweather recently opened a new
showroom in Wyke, near Bradford to develop
the retail side, showing a comprehensive
display with the VEKA range. The business
- 12 years old - is a partnership between Paul
Greig and his son, Patrick.
The relationship with Glazerite has been
a crucial factor for Paul. “They have been
absolutely brilliant - Peter is like that ad
which says it does what it says on the tin
and that’s been true in our relationship
for 25 years. It’s a partnership I can’t value
enough.”
Amy Grundy of Veka, Paul
Greig and Peter Smith.
www.glazeritewindows.co.uk
6 JUNE DEADLINE HERALDS MAJOR
CHANGES IN GLAZING REGS
The window & door industry
in England and Wales is
undergoing major changes in
regulations on standards and
guarantees placing every window
installer – and many other trade
sectors – under a whole new raft
of legal obligations..
The biggest change is that
it will now be mandatory
for every Competent Person
Scheme member to give every
customer financial protection
on every installation. It is no
longer an option simply to offer
an IBG – every homeowner
must be given one for every
installation.
The changes also see new
rules regarding the MTC Card.
These changes mean there
must be at least one cardholder
present at every installation
and, with some exceptions,
every survey must be carried
out by a cardholder. The
Department for Communities
and Local Government requires
that all Competent Person
Schemes must verify the
competence of all surveyors and
installers in this way.
HomePro has revealed that
around 80% of domestic
window installation companies
surveyed were still not up
to speed with the changes.
Compliance Manager Jim
Keane said this was a very
worrying result, especially as
any installation carried out
under any Competent Person
Scheme but not complying
with the new rules would not
qualify for self-assessment.
www.homepro.com
UK MANUFACTURING COMPANIES MISSING
OUT ON JAPANESE ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Surface Generation, an SME composite
manufacturer based in the Midlands,
believes that UK manufacturers are missing
out huge opportunities in Japan resulting
from Abenomics – the plan of Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to shift the
country out of a two decade deflationary
slump. Analysis by Surface Generation
reveals that the value of UK manufactured
exports to Japan in 2013 was around 16.5%
lower than in 2012.
The company, which generates some 90%
of its revenue from overseas, says that around
90
JUN 2014
25% of its annual turnover in 2012 was
generated in Japan, but this year it could rise
to a third.
‘25% of its annual turnover in
2012 was generated in Japan’
Ben Halford, Chief Executive, Surface
Generation said: “Under its restructuring, the
Japanese government has already spent around
£60 billion on public projects and it plans to
spend a further £30 billion in 2014. At the
same time, the Bank of Japan aims to double
the country’s monetary base within two years,
which should also fuel the economy.
“Everyone gets excited about the export
prospects in emerging markets, but they forget
that Japan is still the third largest economy in
the world with a GDP twice the size of the
UK, and its GDP per person is 10 times that
of China. More British manufacturers need to
wake up to the growing opportunities in Japan
which is coming out of its period of stagnation
and in many ways should be seen as a new
emerging market.”
To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com