Annual Review
ISO-CHEMIE ’ s Andy Swift looks forward to a buoyant market for sealants in 2017
THE SKY ’ S THE LIMIT
Positive Outlook
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ANDY SWIFT , national sales manager of ISO- CHEMIE , is optimistic that the UK foam sealants market in 2017 will see growth despite cost pressures and uncertainty in the wake of Brexit .
While trading conditions are always challenging , the outlook for the next 12 months is ‘ very promising ’, says Andy Swift , whose company supplies foam sealants for public and private sector projects alongside window and door installers . The market place will continue to recover from the turbulence of the last few years , with growth being driven by product innovation and increasing applications for foam tape sealants , he says .
The desperate need for housing both in the private and public sector to high standards of airtightness and energy efficiency will also boost growth .
“ We are definitely buoyant about the outlook for sector growth in 2017 and there is a considerable amount of confidence among specifiers and customers based on several key factors ,” says Andy Swift .
“ New products such as our thermal insulating and load bearing bracket system WINFRAMER and the advanced foils to replace EPDM type seals are seen to be at the forefront of simple yet effective solutions for sealing windows and doors against the elements .
“ They are gaining increasing traction among architects and specifiers , who see the benefits as intuitive solutions to air loss and poor energy efficient current methods .
“ This is also backed up by the introduction of expanding foam tapes included for the first time in the British Standard BS8213- 4:2016 . This is an upward move to ensure that a window is energy rated around the frame as well as the frame itself .”
He adds that greater awareness and understanding of these and other products is also leading to installers increasingly using foam sealant technology to close more sales and develop new business opportunities .
“ With more focused sales and technical teams and an aggressive marketing strategy in place , 2017 will be a fruitful year ,” he says .
ISO-CHEMIE is one of Europe ’ s main producers of impregnated foam sealants , specialising in the manufacturer of foam products from polyethylene ( EPE ), polypropylene ( EPP ) and polyurethane ( PUR ) using the latest production techniques .
email a . swift @ iso-chemie . co . uk
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ROOFLIGHT SOLUTIONS is an established UK company in the West Midlands , manufacturing and supplying contemporary rooflights and skylights , both nationwide and internationally . The company specialises in the manufacturing of advanced glazing and rooflight systems , installed in a large number of commercial and domestic buildings throughout the country .
Managing Director , Luis Evitt , says it is the company ’ s ability to respond to customer requests , regardless of size and specification of the order , and keeping costs low , which has led to success during 2016 . “ We were very fortunate to go into profit within the first few months of this financial year ,” he explains , “ As we manufacture everything ourselves , we can make our manufacturing process as efficient as possible and pass the resulting cost savings on to our customers .
“ However , our products are still considered a luxury item so we would like to make them more accessible by introducing a cost effective line . To do this , our extensive R & D department is working on reducing the sizes we offer by trialling different methods of glass cutting other than a blade , such as laser cutting and water jet cutting , to ensure glass wastage is kept to a minimum and to improve efficiency and lead times .
Particularly key for the company this year , has been the development of a showroom in the centre of Wolverhampton .
“ The showroom allows contractors , architects , developers and home owners to see our products first hand . We are in the process of finalising a couple of displays and the showroom will be fully open by February / March next year . In the meantime , customers can still visit the showroom by appointment , as well as our manufacturing facilities in Cambridge .”
Luis concludes , “ Business has been good for us this year . The trend for maximising the amount of natural light entering a property has meant our products have been in demand , with architects writing them into almost every new build project . Our range of rooflights , skylights and atriums are all double or triple glazed , with U-values as low as 0.6 . We also offer various glazing options from clear glass as standard to opaque or privacy glass and even bullet proof glass and gold leafing .”
www . rooflightsolutions . co . uk
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM » DEC 2016 » 27