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NOVEMBER 2013 PRO INSTALLER
PRO BUSINESS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
A wealth of
opportunities
Trade fabricator Emplas, has showcased the very
latest in product innovation, industry leading
service and the commercial returns that they
deliver, at the Emplas Opportunities Conference.
Attended by almost 200 installers
and industry representatives, the
bi-annual was held on October 17th
at Sywell Aerodrome, Wellingborough, a new venue from previous
years, selected to accommodate
exceptional demand.
The event was opened by Ryan Johnson,
Emplas’ Deputy Managing Director, who
introduced proceedings, which began with
a presentation from Epwin Group Systems
Division’s and former British Plastics Federation Windows Group chair, Jon Skinner.
He started with a somewhat sobering
analysis of market contraction, quoting
D&G Consulting’s 2013 report, which
suggested that the PVC-U window industry
had contracted in manufactured volumes
from 335,000 tonnes in 2003 to 204,000 this
year.
‘The number of fabricators
had dropped from
6,000 to 1,700’
He reported that during the same ten
year period the number of fabricators had
dropped from 6,000 to 1,700. This contrasted with an increase in the number of
installers in business, now estimated to have
grown to more than 15,000, highlighting the
fierce competition in the retail sector.
NICHE APPEAL
Skinner, however, argued that despite this,
opportunities remained significant pointing
to the consumer appeal of coloured and
niche products including flush casements,
vertical sliding and fully reversible windows. He also pointed out that the industry
is going to enjoy a period of growth in both
2014 and 2015.
He warned, though, that the window
industry needed to get better at pricing
products, particularly coloured products,
if it was to reap meaningful return. “I’m
not here to lecture you but price it [colour]
right. Colour costs to manufacture and people understand that”, he said.
Alongside growth in composite door sales,
he suggested inline sliding doors were
enjoying a renaissance thanks to increased
reliability over and above bi-folding doors,
giving them renewed popularity in the new
build sector.
BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO THE
CONSERVATORY SECTOR
Ultraframe’s Joe Martoccia was next to
take the stage. He painted the same picture
of market contraction with conservatory
sales falling from 240,000 in 2006 to 80,000
this year. Putting figures to one side, his
tone, however, remained upbeat.
He said: “We haven’t been providing the
right product, we have been pushing the
same old white boxes. Consumer research
shows that householders want thermal efficiency, they want the right colour, the right
aesthetic.
‘A world of opportunities’
“There are a world of opportunities to
drive growth and drive demand. If we do
there is an opportunity to triple the market
and get it back to where it should be.”
To help achieve this growth he pointed to
opportunities in the replacement market,
which he suggested could climb as sky high
as the Spitfire and the Tiger Moth, which
put on an aerial display outside. He said
that there are 3 million conservatories to
be replaced in the UK and that the industry should be attacking the 100,000 single
storey extensions being built every year in
the UK.
UNPARALLELED PRODUCT
OFFER AND SUPPORT
Jody Vincent, Area Sales Manager for
Emplas, highlighted innovations from what
has to be one of the industry’s largest product ranges at Emplas, covering everything
from composite doors, to new and exclusive window handle ranges and of course,
the Northamptonshire-based fabricator’s
conservatory offer. Jody also launc ?VBF?P?V??VR?B????fF?fRV??27W7F??W ???f?&?F?????V????????RsvP?F?7V?V?Bv?F?vV?F??bFV6???6??@?&7F?6???f?&?F?????V??>( ?6?W2?B?&?WF??rF?&V7F?"????R7&WvG6???&?f??VBF?R6????( ?0?W?FV?6?fR?Bv&Bv?????r7W7F??W"7W?'B?B7W7F??W"?&?WF??r&?w&??R????6?VF??rWfW'?F???rg&??FVF?6FVBv??F?rFRF??fW"?&??F&?R'&?6?W&W2?@??VBvV?W&F?????RF?V??V?6?VB?Wp?vV'6?FR6W'f?6Rf?"V??27W7F??W'2v??6??&?f?FW2'&?B?Wr?WF?FFRvV'6?FP??Vf??7V'6?F?6VB'?V??2?$?ET5B????dD????gFW"F?R'&V?7FW?V????r?b????wF??rF???GFV?FVW2F?&?Vv?F?R?FW7@?????fF???2??v?72?BG&??Rv????r??@????V?6VBg&VR&WF???FW&GW&R6?W'FW7??`?V??2?F??2v2f????vVB'??&?2?GF?Ww0??bf?'7BFVw&VR7?7FV?2?v??F???wVW7G0?F?&?Vv?F?R&V?Vf?G2FV?fW&VB'?V??>( ??*3???fW7F?V?BV&?W"F??2?V"????Wr????R?&FW&??r???7F?BV?FF???2?@??&FW"G&6???r6?gGv&R?B7?7FV?2??F?Rf???7V?W"?bF?RF?v2F??6?V??WGB?'W6??W72FWfV???V?B??vW"??F?7F??7F?????RvfR??fW'f?Wr?bF?P?'V???B6???6?FRF??"?&?WB???v??v?F??rF?R?ffW"?B&WF??7W?'Bf??&?RF???G27W7F??W'2F?&?Vv?V??2?F?vWF?W"v?F??F?R?WrV??2c??vR6???6?FRF?? ?'&?6?W&R??wwr?V??2?6??V??V?????f?V??2??6??V??"6???32csC?? ??