Clearview National February 2015 - Issue 159 | Page 26

INDUSTRYNEWS

Finding new ways
to add value
Up-selling will be a key path to growth for the
fenestration industry in 2015, according to Andrew Swift,
technical advisor for foam sealants supplier ISO-Chemie.
»»He believes that while
confidence remains high within the
construction market, margins have not been
as high as hoped and in some quarters. He
advises:
“Increasing margins would appear to be a
big challenge for the fenestration industry, as
well as finding new ways to up-selling as we
go forward in the coming years.
“Looking ahead, the new minimum
technical competency (MTC) standards
should separate the professionals from the
cowboys. But there’s also a strong onus for
installers to look to add even more value.
“One way to do this is to deal with the
gap around the window to wall joint, which

is currently un-regulated. I fully expect this
to become a focus for 2015 as more and
more start to look at seriously tackling the
issue.
“A recent study of new buildings, done by
the Zero Carbon Hub, shows there is a big
difference between the designed performance
and the final build performance.
“Most of this appears to be down to site
installation and lack of attention to detail
through poor education and training of
installers. The report indicates four main
areas of advice/guidance on how to improve
the situation. One of these is “providing
‘assured’ as built energy performance for
common fabric junctions and systems”.

ISO-Chemie is one of Europe’s main
producers of impregnated foam sealants, for
more information visit www.iso-chemie.co.uk

Composite Door Gets Tough
»»Proof of the
strength of a foam-cored GRP
composite door supplied by
Phoenix Doors, came when a fire
crew needed to enter a smokefilled Derbyshire home in a
hurry.
Having been called to this
property following a 999 call
and getting no response from
the occupants, they had to cut
through the door using a saw to
gain access. Haydon Statham,
Sale Director of Phoenix Doors
commented: “Thankfully no one
was hurt in this incident, but
it certainly demonstrated the

‘Thankfully no one was hurt in this
incident, but it certainly demonstrated
the strength and quality of our door’

26 » F EB 2015 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

strength and quality of our door.
“We use up-to-date materials
in the construction of our doors,
such as a 3mm thick throughcolour Ԕ