Pro Installer February 2016 - Issue 35 | Page 26

26 FEBRUARY 2016 PRO INSTALLER PRO NEWS www.proinstaller.co.uk DEMAND FOR BLINDS WITH WARM EDGE SPACER BARS Sales of Uni-Blinds® sealed units with integral blinds have risen by 32% in the last 12 months. Ian Short, managing director of Uni-Blinds® manufacturer Morley Glass & Glazing says Uni-Blinds include warm edge spacer bars as standard. He said: “Fabricators and installers are recognising how dedicated warm edge spacer bars within Uni-Blinds® help to upsell their windows and doors without compromising on thermal performance. Their customers can enjoy A-rated energy efficient windows with integral blinds that help reduce heat loss and improve a building’s energy performance. “We know that homeowners increasingly understand the massive contribution that highly insulating windows and doors make to reducing energy bills and improving comfort.” Morley Glass & Glazing uses ScreenLine® systems and works closely with the Italian system’s manufacturer Pellini to accommodate warm edge spacer bars into its products. Ian adds: “The warm edge spacer bars we use are similar to those used by most sealed unit manufacturers serving the A and B rated windows and doors market. The added benefits of integral blinds, which are not adequately reflected by the Window Energy Rating (WER) scheme, are the extra layer of insulation along with the powerful solar shading to keep homes cooler during summer.” Morley Glass & Glazing says it is the only UK supplier of integral blinds to have dedicated customer support engineers on the road and also stocks the largest range of ScreenLine® system spare parts in Europe. Visit www.morleyglass.co.uk Paralympian cyclist inspires at Sika conference British paralympian cyclist, paratriathlete, adventurer and author Karen Darke gave an inspirational speech at the Sika Annual National Conference. The Roof Assured by Sarnafil sales executives joined other members of Sika Sarnafil for the event with Karen, who competed at the 2012 London Paralympics and won a silver medal in the women’s road time trial H1-2. Roof Assured is the domestic arm of the Sika Sarnafil brand, which supplies single ply roofing systems for new and refurbishment projects for buildings of all sizes. The National Conference is an opportunity for the brands to get together, delegates to be in the company of peers and to see presentations from each brand. As part of the conference Sika Sarnafil held a four-hour sales meeting in which management and marketing presented their strategy for 2016. Roof Assured by Sarnafil had a very successful 2015, VBH STRENGTHENS MANAGEMENT TEAM Hardware supplier VBH has strengthened its senior management team with three new directorships. with year on year sales growth highlighting the appeal of the Sarnafil single ply membrane to consumers. More home improvement companies and builder installers are reaping the benefits of joining the Roof Assured approved installer network by being able to offer a roofing solution backed by the credentials of the Sarnafil brand. Plans for 2016 include regional installer days, commercial partnerships and exhibiting at the consumer focussed Homebuilding & Renovating Shows. If you are interested in becoming a Roof Assured by Sarnafil installer visit roofassured.co.uk/ installer Simon Monks marks his ninth year at VBH with a promotion to Sales Director and is now responsible for all sales in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. VBH customers in Scotland continue to be served by Allan Price and his team in East Kilbride. Allan starts his 27th year with the company in 2016. Following the retirement at Christmas of Fay Keddie, new appointment Vince Kay takes over the reins as Financial Director. Vince has a solid construction and civil engineering background and has spent the previous six months shadowing Fay and acclimatising to the demands of the w indow and door industry. Finally, Mark Skudder, responsible for all aspects of purchasing and warehousing since joining VBH in 2012, moves into the newly created position of Logistics Director. His initiatives have been largely responsible for the company consistently exceeding its target of delivering 96% of catalogue items on time and in full. One of Mark’s first tasks is overseeing the storage capacity expansion at VBH Gillingham over the first few months of 2016. Managing Director Peter Rowlands congratulated each of the new directors and said the appointments were a milestone in reshaping VBH (GB) into a company capable of being ‘the best in class.’ http://vbhgb.com/