Clearview National May 2016 - Issue 174 | Page 40

FIT SHOW 2016 FINDING FAVOUR AT FIT SHOW »»As a company with a very niche product range exhibiting is always a calculated risk, but the expectations of attending the FIT Show were massively exceeded and AS Spilka is very much looking forward to returning again next year. Scandinavian designed products are very much in vogue and come with a consumer expectation that they will provide something different – something more - than windows fitted with ‘standard’ hardware. Having offered window hardware solutions to the UK since the 1980’s the future is brighter than ever. The product is not only suitable for high-rise living but is very much suited to standard housing offering the potential for large sashes, maximum areas of natural light, and ease of cleaning among many other benefits. These are some the features which were so well received by visitors to the company’s stand at the FIT Show and which have given more confidence to AS Spilka that entering a new and exciting future in the UK. www.spilka.com A GREAT BAROMETER FOR THE INDUSTRY »»“If I had to use one phrase to summarise our experience of the FIT Show, it would be ‘real industry optimism’,” commented Mat Gibson, managing director of Chase Taylor Recruitment. “There was a genuinely positive feeling around the place for the whole of the three days and the visitor numbers, and visitor interest in our products and services, certainly exceeded our expectations. “I have spoken before about recruitment being a barometer of the industry and on that basis the signs are very good; there is clearly a growth pattern in the industry and a desire for skilled personnel to support and promote that growth. “We also saw a real interest in our installer recruitment arm, something we have developed recently, and which is enabling us to source and place installers looking for opportunity across the full range of trading sectors. “Having the installer recruitment arm is a real win for us and something which will hel p us to continue to drive growth in our business. As skills and labour shortages in the sector continue to bite, being able to recruit installers will be a major asset for us and for our clients.” Mat added. www.chasetaylor.co.uk or www.chasetaylorinstallers.co.uk INNOVATION - A REALLY BIG DRAW »»We had spent a lot of time in the build up to the FIT Show talking about the importance of introducing new and innovative products to the trade sector, and how the three days the industry was about to spend in Telford would be the perfect place to do so. We couldn’t have had a better platform – visitor numbers were great, but more importantly so was visitor interest. At the FIT Show we demonstrated a number of new products – the MonoRoof which proved extremely popular – a lean to style roof with all the benefits of a solid tiled roof – ThermaBlind – an electronic opening 40 M AY 2 01 6 blind system designed to work with our roofs - and our new range of ExtraLight tiles with their colours designed very much with the UK market in mind. What we saw at FIT Show was a desire amongst fabricators and installers to embrace these new products and a desire to drive the industry forward. New products will always be the lifeblood of any industry and in one such as ours which is growing so rapidly it is even more important to keep developing our range. www.supaliteroof.co.uk