12
JULY 2014 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
DHF’s appoints training officer
In its continuing drive to
raise industry standards, the
Door & Hardware Federation
(DHF) has appointed a training officer to further develop
training schemes in the door
and powered gate sectors.
Nick Perkins (pictured) is a
respected advisor and trainer in
access control and automation. He
has also held senior training, audit
and inspection roles in the telecoms and electrical sectors.
He joins the DHF from BFT
Automation (UK) Ltd where he
trained installers both on the fitting
and servicing of products, and on
the legal obligations involved in
powered gate installation.
Said Michael Skelding, general
manager and secretary of the DHF:
“This is a key appointment for us.
Raising standards of competence
in the industry continues to be
the driving force of the federation.
Comprehensive training will underpin the established DHF Quality
Assured Standards of manufacture,
installation and service.
EXPANSION OF TRAINING
PROGRAMME
“Nick will spearhead our expanding training programme which will
embrace not only DHF members
but also potential members, archi-
Build Show
Responds
To Pickles’
PreFabricated
Housing
Plans
Plans unveiled by
Communities Secretary
Eric Pickles to create
hundreds of thousands
of new homes in inner
London have been cautiously welcomed by the
Build Show – with the
caveat that the economic benefits must be
ploughed back into the
construction industry,
to continue driving the
recovery forwards.
But the announcement met
with a mixed response from
the industry, with some commentators questioning the
wisdom of using pre-fabricated housing solutions, as well
as pointing to concerns about
creating a potential ‘bubble’
in the property market.
Paul Godwin, Build Show
MD comments: “While
we welcome any initiative
designed to get Britain
building. The announcement that the government is
planning to build thousands
of new homes in the capital
is certainly welcome news,
but more could be done
to support growth in the
refurbishment market too.
Cutting VAT on residential
refurbishments, for example,
could boost the economy
by a further £15 billion and
provide job security for tens
of thousands of construction
industry workers.”
The Build Show will take
place at the Birmingham NEC
from Tuesday 28 to Thursday
30 April 2015.
www.buildshow.co.uk
tects, specifiers and other building
professionals.”
Nick was instrumental in the
setting up of successful DHF
Powered Gate Safety Diploma
which has seen more than 100
candidates successfully gain their
qualifications. He will also take
responsibility for the expansion
of the DHF’s long-standing door
systems National Vocational Qualification which takes delegates up
to a level 2 NVQ. This is designed
for engineers who install, service
and repair a range of door types,
including domestic garage doors,
rolling shutters and pedestrian
doors.
In addition, Nick will direct the
Fire Door Education Programme
for professionals involved in the
inspection, installation and repair
of fire doors which the DHF runs
jointly with BRE.
Added Michael Skelding: “We are
keen to provide high quality training in all the industry sectors in
which we are involved. To that end
we have plans to migrate elements
of our existing training courses
to the industrial door and shutter
sector over the next few months. In
addition, a DHF installer training
scheme encompassing garage
doors and garage door fittings will
be developed in due course.
www.dhfonline.org.uk
IronmongeryDirect Named Best
Brand With Outstanding Customer
Service At Direct Commerce Awards
IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s biggest online and mail order
supplier of ironmongery products to the trade, is celebrating after
scooping two awards at the ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards.
The prestigious awards for multi-channel retailers
and direct b2b marketers recognised IronmongeryDirect in the ‘best brand’ and ‘outstanding customer service’ categories.
IronmongeryDirect was awarded the ‘best brand’ accolade
after the company highlighted how it had grown its turnover by over 300% in the past five years, despite the economic problems that the construction industry has been facing.
The direct commerce company was also recognised for
how it had successfully grown the IronmongeryDirect
brand over 40 years, from a traditional hardware shop in
Leigh-on-Sea in Essex to a business that now has a range of
over 14,500 ironmongery products in stock.
‘the company highlights how it
had grown its turnover by over
300% in the past five years
despite the economic problems’
IronmongeryDirect beat off stiff competition for the customer service award, thanks to its policy to ‘treat every customer like our mum’. The company’s strong policy means
that they hold weekly reviews of all customer metrics,
feedback and complaints to identify any areas for improvement.
Following feedback from customers, IronmongeryDirect
has also recently enhanced its delivery service to include
text and email notifications, specific delivery spots and
tracking orders. Orders can be placed quickly and easily via
the IronmongeryDirect website or by calling the customer
contact centre, which is now open from 7am to 8pm, seven
days a week.
Wayne Lysaght-Mason, managing director at IronmongeryDirect, said: “We’re really pleased to be recognised for best
brand and outstanding customer service.
“We are seeing a noticeable difference following the recent improvements to our delivery service. It’s essential that
the delivery of ironmongery products is on time for tradespeople as any delay can mean that they lose money. The
ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards were a great platform to
showcase our skills and we’re proud about how far we’ve
come in 40 years.”
‘we’re proud about how far we’ve come’
http://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/