summer 2012 newsletter

Transcription

1 summer 2012 newsletter Dear Customer, Despite the lack of summer weather, it s not all doom and gloom. In a recent Which report entitled Window Shopping the double glazing industry scored surprisingly high in customer satisfaction. High scores were given by consumers to smaller, locality based independent companies & not the big national brands! So - it s official, you represent better service and better value. There were some interesting findings: Extract from Which May 2012 edition 83% of those surveyed gave local independent companies their highest score 58% of those surveyed gave their lowest score to Safestyle and Zenith Staybrite 73% of those surveyed thought local firms offered lower prices than the nationals 38% of those surveyed used a company recommended by a friend or family member. 27% of those surveyed had no idea how much it would cost to have double glazing windows installed. Only 7% of those surveyed said that they trusted double Glazing Companies! Good News! Good news is always welcome and we are extremely pleased to announce that from 5th July we have removed the small surcharge for A rated products and are now offering A rated frames at B rated prices! This coupled with the news that in the recent Which report on double glazing, some companies are typically charging a premium of 10% for A rated products should give confidence. Therefore our decision to offer you more-for-less should give you a better chance of securing new business. Our A rated products use Pilkington softcoat known as KS. If you specifically require Pilkington K (which is a hardcoat product), then this must be clearly stated on your order form and this will continue to carry a B rating. Acoustic performance of glass We have recently been asked about the acoustic performance on glass. Here are some guidelines regarding the decibel reduction you can expect using the following options: 4mm/20/4mm 4mm/14/4mm/14/4mm 4mm/14/10mm 3dB difference is barely discernible. 5dB difference is clearly discernible. 28mm double glazed unit gives a 29dB reduction 40mm triple glazed unit gives a 32dB reduction 28mm double glazed unit gives a 35dB reduction 10dB difference has the effect of halving the noise. Should you require a reduction greater than 35DB then you will need to consider using Pilkington Optiphon which is a specialist laminated glass. Please note: Although there is a slight increase in performance, triple glazing is not a suitable solution for better sound insulation.

2 Triple Glazing available from August 2012 The next generation of windows and doors has arrived and may even change the name of our industry forever. Double Glazing is the name we use to describe our industry, but could that be about to change? It Is fair to say that triple glazing is nothing new, but so far it has only been offered using 28mm or 32mm units. The need to be more energy efficient is now moving towards the top of everyones agenda and we believe that the next generation of windows will almost certainly be triple-glazed. So how have we achieved this? System 10 & Rustique, whilst keeping its standard design features, now has the facility to accommodate a 40mm Triple Glazed unit using a new single leg bead. Due to the increased width of the unit, the lip of the bead protrudes past the edge of the outer-frame as the photograph indicates. Initially Triple Glazing will only be available in White for both System 10 and Rustique. Glass specification Inner pane Middle pane Outer pane 4mm Pilkington KS softcoat 4mm Pilkington KS softcoat (toughened) 4mm Pilkington Optiwhite The centerpane U-value of the triple glazed unit is 0.7. The A rated Energy index for 56mm standard outer-frame is +20 (1.0 U-Value). The A rated Energy index for 72mm large outer-frame is +15 (1.0 U-Value). Due to the increased weight of the glass we will be using a heavy-duty hinge on all side hung casement sashes. Coloured Foils Coloured foils are now in stock. With effect from Monday 9th July we will be offering the following foil options on a 7 working day lead-time. Please note that all foiled products will now follow the same process flow, therefore Rosewood and Cherry options will also be on a 7 working day lead time. Our stock coloured foil range now includes: Cream (both sides) White (both sides) Irish Oak (both sides) Anthracite Grey on white Beck Brown (black) on white Please note due to supply problems we have discontinued Chartwell Green until further notice.

3 Coloured & Foiled Panels Coolskin heat reflective moulded panels are now available in the Hallmark range. These foil grained panels further compliment our decision to increase our stock holding of foils and facilitate the growing demand for these products. Please note that we do not supply full height door panels that are Kolorbonded (painted) and do not recommend any half panels being sprayed in dark colours that are south facing, you must understand that there is a responsibility from you to asses this before ordering. WINDOWS Run-through Sash Horns on Casement Windows We will be fitting Maco Shootbolt locks to run through sash horns on all future orders. The reason for this is due to the shootbolt guide at either end of the sash having a bracket that strengthens the mechanical joint on the bottom rail of the sash. Run-through sash horns will now carry an A or B rating like any other casement window. Conservatory Roofs - 280mm Box Gutter Adaptors We can now offer a 280mm box gutter adaptor, which negates the need to weld in a reducer to the box gutter. This simple solution makes the overall job cheaper and better so therefore it s a no-brainer! WINDOWS Maco Secure Maco have re-launched their Maco Secure installer scheme that provides customers with additional reassurance over concerns around security. Providing all conditions have been met, Maco will pay up to 1, of the home-owners excess should it be proved that any break-in was due to the failure of the Maco Lock in the casement window. Headline points Maco Secure is a free scheme to join & comes with a free start up kit (any additional marketing material beyond this will be chargeable). You must become a registered installer with Maco via an application form supplied by SWC. Your end customer must also register their installation with Maco. Only high security casement windows are covered by the scheme and must be ordered using the high security casement window order form (BS7412 & BS7950) (Doors, French Doors, Composite Doors, Bifolds, Patios, Aluminium Products, and Tilt & Turns are not covered by this scheme) All application forms should be sent to: MACO SECURE, PO BOX 348, SITTINGBOURNE, ME10 3DG If you have any further queries please contact Mark Catchpole on

4 Yale YS170 Residential & French Door Locking mechanism As from the 5th July we will be fitting the Yale YS170 to all Residential and French Doors. The new lock also has a one-piece keep which was requested by many of our customers. The composite door which also has the YS170 fitted will continue to have 3 separate keeps. Yale high security Cylinders Bi-fold Doors Please note where you have a 2, 4 or 6 pane Bi-fold door and you want all of the doors to open and fold to one side then you cannot have an external access / traffic door. Where you have any pair of doors, although you can pull the doors shut you cannot lock the pivot / hinge point from outside this must be done inside. We appreciate this is difficuit to understand but it is your responsibility to make this clear with your customer as this expensive mistake cannot be rectified without making new doors. This potential problem is clearly highlighted on our order forms. As per our previous newsletter we are changing the standard specification of all doors (with the exception of Patios) to include the new Yale high security cylinder. You can download a pdf of a leaflet that explains the key features of the new cylinder from Please note we have been fitting the Magnum high security cylinder while waiting for the stock from Yale this cylinder will be discontinued once our stocks are stable. Due to the stock implications there are currently no options for thumb-turn cylinders or jobs requiring several cylinders keyed alike. Leaded/Bevelled Toplight Designs You can now download the Rega Bevel Toplight brochure on the SWC website another solution which saves time and money using modern media. Bi-fold Doors in Conservatories Please be aware that if a Bi-fold door is being fitted to a conservatory it will need some sort of portal support truss across the top to stop the roof bowing down when the doors are open. This brings its own design problems as the portal truss options are all taller than the eaves-beam and the roof has to be designed to the bolt slot height. The height difference will be mm depending on which beam is used, this means that the head of frame height for the remaining frames will be lifted to the appropriate height, though in some cases it is more aesthetically pleasing to run the truss on all facets. In some cases where a box gutter is being fitted to the house soffit you may need to reduce the height of the Bi-fold Doors. Please note the existing option for Bi-fold supports are extremely costly and therefore it may be better to provide your own and sit the eaves-beam on top of that.

5 Door Knockers (Composite Doors only) We have introduced a replacement for the Victorian Scroll knocker and a new Contemporary knocker both manufactured by Fab & Fix to match our suited range of hardware. The Victorian Scroll knocker is 7 inches in length, and is through fix. The Contemporary knocker is 6 inches in length and is face fix. Both knockers are available in all colours except antique black. These knockers are available for Composite Doors only and the Georgian Scroll knocker has been discontinued. You can view the images of these knockers at The necessary changes to our order forms have been made. New Order Forms Out with the old, in with the new... As promised in the last newsletter, all of the new order forms are now available to download from our SWC website Alternatively, if you would like us to send you a CD containing the most up to date forms, or you need some hard copies, we would be happy to organise this for you. In addition to this, should you require any assistance in using the new forms, then please do not hesitate to contact your salesperson (Mark or Walter) or our customer services on We are all happy to assist. The old order/quotation forms will not be accepted from 1st September This is to ensure that you receive the most up-to-date products. If you do not immediately change over to the new order forms, you will not receive the new products we have been informing you of for example; A-Rated at no extra cost and high security door cylinders. You can identify the new order forms by looking at the revision number in the bottom right hand corner All forms with a revision number of at least 10 will be accepted. Orders & Quotations Order Acknowledgements If for some reason you have not received an order acknowledgement please do not re-order without phoning first to see if we do have it. If you do need to resend could you also clearly mark your order with the words RE-FAX Thank you. We are constantly receiving orders and quotations that are poorly written with missing information. In order for us to maintain a good standard of service we must urge you to use the correct forms and provide the detail required in order to complete your request. Due to the lack of information processing is often taking too much time due to unnecessary phone calls. We understand the necessity to offer a speedy service on quotations but we need you to help us achieve that.

6 NEWS Annual Charity Shield Event Thank you for your support! We recently hosted a football event to raise money for two local charities, St Catherine s Hospice and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance both of which were nominated by SWC staff. Our main event was a Charity Shield football match between Team SWC and Scarborough Athletic Supporters Club. Despite a hard fought match and brilliant team effort, the final score was 2-3 to the opposition, well done to them! A raffle was held with a vast array of superb prizes donated by SWC s key partner organisations, staff and customers. MD Susan Richings said The final score on the football match was 2 3 to our opposition, Scarborough Athletic Supporters Club, but the exceptional team effort, the brilliant sunny weather, excellent BBQ food and ice creams more than made up for their disappointment! At the end of the day, we all agreed that it was our nominated charities who were the most deserving winners! I can t thank our partner organisations, staff & customers enough for their generous unconditional support. The pieces available in the sealed bid auction include: Certified Limited Edition print signed by England cricketer Michael Vaughan generously donated by Sally Fielding of K2. A Springbok rugby shirt signed by the 1995 winning World Cup South African National Team also generously donated by Sally Fielding of K2. A 2011/12 season football signed by the Newcastle United team generously donated by Barclays. If you would like to make a bid on these items and would like more information, visit susan.richings@swctradeframes.co.uk or call Susan Richings on The amount raised on the day was an impressive 1,250 which is being match- funded by Barclays. There are also three very special sealed bid items for which the bidding closes on Friday 6th July.

7 NEWS Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls visits Team SWC Mr Balls listened intently to staff working within every department on a visit to SWC recently & even did some hands on work within specialist production to help make a shaped frame! As the visit drew to a close, Mr Balls said for the last few years, lots of companies have been under pressure. Some markets have been contracting and that is why unemployment levels have risen. To come to a company that is expanding is very encouraging and I can see why it is succeeding. We ve got some great talent we ve got to do more to back it. He also called for a reduction in VAT for home improvements & repairs which he felt would make a difference for everyone involved in our industry. Susan Richings MD said anything meaningful Government can do to encourage growth & stimulate confidence within our industry gets my vote! I know we are all operating within a tough, highly competitive marketplace but it is important to keep perspective, to be positive, to actively seek new opportunities & to continue to invest for the future. All too often I hear people talk up the doom & gloom, which, if we are not careful will become a self-fulfilling prophesy! Final word... Window Brochures We are very low on stock and likely to run out of window brochures over the coming weeks. A new updated brochure is currently being designed, but may take several weeks. As an interim measure, you can download and your customer a PDF version from If you would like to contact me direct on any of the articles listed please feel free to ring me on or me at markc@swctradeframes.co.uk and I will do my very best to assist you. Kindest regards, Mark Catchpole, Sales Director