52 | APRIL 2017
Business
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
NEW VICE CHAIR WILL
ENCOURAGE TALENT
Codelocks business devel-
(L to R) Mario Del-Signore – IAI Chairman,
Jacky Sinclair - the first female chair of the IAI, Jo Milne-Rowe
opment manager Jo Milne-Rowe
has been announced as new vice
chair for the Institute of Architec-
tural Ironmongers (IAI).
The appointment was confirmed
at the IAI’s annual general meet-
ing, at the Casa Hotel in Chester-
field.
With experience in architectur-
al hardware, mechanical security
and electronic access control, Jo
joined Codelocks last year to help
the company expand into new
markets.
Prior to joining Codelocks, Jo
held various management roles in
the architectural hardware indus-
try. For the past 12 months, she
served as chairman for the south
east region of the IAI. During her
tenure, she was recognised for her
commitment to improving commu-
nication and increasing engage-
ment amongst members.
This is a wonderful
‘ opportunity
’
Jo will now step down from her
position of regional chairman and
will focus on supporting the chair
across national activities. Her new
responsibilities will include plan-
ning CPD programmes, organising
AGMs, working to promote the
institute and supporting all the IAI
regional branches.
“This is a wonderful opportu-
nity,” Jo commented. “I hope that
as vice chair, I can play a role
in changing certain perceptions
about the industry and encourage
the next generation of talent to
seek a career in our ever-changing
sector.”
Colin Campbell, sales director
of Codelocks commented: “Jo’s
appointment is fantastic news for
both the IAI and for Codelocks.
Her commitment to furthering our
industry through education and
development is highly commend-
able and everyone here is thrilled
for her.”
ADDED LINE MEETS
LAMINATED DEMAND
Guardian Glass is adding a new
laminated glass production line
at its Oroshaza, Hungary plant,
to support increasing demand
for laminated glass in Europe.
The new line will pro-
duce both standard and
coated laminated glass as
well as specialty products
such as acoustic, colour-
ed and thick laminated
glass.
The rising demand for
laminated glass is being
driven by three long-term
trends:
• Country-level regula-
tions in Europe require
the use of safety glass
in an increasing number
of fenestration and
interior applications, for
which laminated glass
is the most effective
solution.
• The desire for buildings
to have more natural
light is driving the trend
towards larger, ener-
gy-efficient windows,
which requires the use
of laminated glass for
higher mechanical re-
sistance and security.
• A general rise in de-
mand for noise reduc-
tion for both residential
and commercial build-
ings has increased the
use of acoustic laminat-
ed glass.
“The Oroshaza plant
already has a coated glass
production line and so the
opening of a laminated
glass line will also enable us
Star performer in focus
Selco Builders’ Ware-
to offer an optimal product
mix to our customers, for
residential and commercial
segments, including low
emissivity, solar control and
other specialty laminated
coated glass products such
as anti-reflective Guard-
ian Clarity™,” said Guus
Boekhoudt, vice president
Guardian Glass Europe, and
managing director Guardian
Europe.
The new line is also a
logical continuation of a
change initiated at the plant
by Guardian Glass in 2016,
which saw a switch from
standard float glass produc-
tion to Guardian’s higher
light transmission alterna-
tive, Guardian ExtraClear®,
to meet the increased need
for more natural daylight in
buildings. Laminated glass
production is expected to
begin in Q1, 2018.
www.guardianglass.com
house has topped revenue
of £400m for the first time
– making it the focus of
investment and new store
openings this year, says
parent business Grafton
Group.
In its final results for the
year ended 31st December
2016, Grafton Group plc,
the international build-
ers’ merchanting and DIY
group, revealed that Selco
was once again the star
performer.
Gavin Slark, chief exec-
utive officer commented:
“2016 represented an overall
strong financial performance
despite challenging trading
conditions in the traditional
UK merchanting market.
These results demonstrate
the resilience of the group’s
spread of businesses, with
strong market positions and
exposure to multiple geog-
raphies. While uncertainties
remain about the UK econo-
my, the recovery in the Irish
and Netherlands markets
is forecast to continue. The
group’s very cash genera-
tive operations and strong
balance sheet leave it well
positioned to invest in areas
where we see good oppor-
tunities for growth.”
http://www.graftonplc.com