Jan/Feb 2022

News Roundup
FURTHER BOOST FOR
#UNITEDFRONT
Suppliers to the home improvement market
are said to have given their ‘resounding
approval’ to a recent campaign designed to
raise some of the challenges faced by the
fenestration industry.
Nine new companies have joined the
founding 19 members of #unitedfront, taking
the total number of firms adding their support
to 28 and creating a collective voice that
accounts for more than £600m of sales and
over 5000 staff.
Bosses from Central Window Systems,
Donwood Group, Double R Glass & Roofing
Systems, Garnalex, Modplan, Oakland Glass,
Roseview Windows, Saveheat Group and
Thermoseal Group are the latest signatories
to highlight issues that the sector is facing as
it attempts to meet the national appetite for
doors, windows, roofing systems and glazing
products.
The businesses, which are based across the
UK and span all the different specialisms
of the supply chain, clearly lay out three of
the main challenges currently facing them,
including disruption with materials, rising
prices/energy costs and significant labour
shortages due to the pandemic and Brexit.
They call for industry to show a #unitedfront
of solidarity in that every supplier is
weathering the same storm and that, by
giving customers an understanding, they can
quickly work together to provide solutions and
get back to delivering continuity of supply.
Ryan Green, Managing Director of Clayton
Glass, said: “We have had such a fantastic
response since we launched the campaign in
October and the overwhelming reaction has
been positive with suppliers in our sector.
“As soon as the letter landed, we received
calls from colleagues, social media support
and debate about how we could all work
more collaboratively to help ease the supply
chain issues as soon as possible.”
IS OMICRON A ‘DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD’?
Following the emergence of the Omicron
variant of Covid-19, Ryan Johnson, Managing
Director at fabricator, Emplas, has written an
open letter to the industry, discussing some of
the opportunities and potential challenges that
may lie ahead in 2022.
He said: “Omicron. It’s the latest addition to our
vocabulary.
“We came out of the high of G-Awards at the end
of November, into a return of face masks and
growing concern as to how the new Covid-19
variant, will impact on the UK.
“For the window industry, it has the potential to be
a double-edged sword.
“It makes disruption of some form more likely
in the new year. Staff having to isolate because
they’ve picked up a positive lateral flow is
something we’ve now lived with for two-years and
I suspect, we’re going to have to deal with for a
little while longer.
“But it also makes it more likely that people are
going to continue to work from home, and that
demand in home improvement will remain high.
“If it becomes more difficult to travel, to use
services – it makes it more likely that we’re
going to spend our money on ‘stuff’, including
The government has confirmed interim changes
to Part L of the Building Regs for England, ready
for the implementation of the Future Homes and
Buildings Standard in 2025.
Discussing the changes, Nick Cooper, Technical
Director at AluK, explained the new Part L means
a reduction in notional U-Values for windows and
doors with more than 60% glazing in new dwellings
to 1.2, with limiting U-Values of 1.4 for all new
windows (WER Band B minimum) and >60%
glazed doors (DER Band C minimum) installed in
existing dwellings.
He explained the aim is to deliver a 30% reduction
in carbon emissions from new homes and a 27%
reduction from other types of building, whilst
home improvements.
“Retail leads have slowed a little at the end of
2021. We need to remember, that that’s from a
record high and the inflation of the market from
the Stamp Duty holiday.
“I believe the bigger challenge will be how we
manage that demand, resilience in the supply
chain and how we manage price increases.
Upstream from us, it’s a seller’s market. PVC-U
resin supply remains particularly challenging.
Throw in energy surcharges and we need to be
prepared for more price increases in the year
ahead.
“This is the balancing act that we’re going to have
to get used to managing. Demand will continue
but labour, shortages and energy surcharges
mean that our costs will increase as will those of
our customers.”
INTERIM PART L CHANGES CONFIRMED
there are also changes to Approved Document F which
apply to trickle vents, and an entirely new Approved
Document O which applies to glazing and overheating.
The new Regulations come into force on 15 June
2022, but there’s a six-month transition period for
planning applications submitted before that date,
providing the build work starts before 15 June
2023.
Nick Cooper, Technical
Director at AluK
6 TF JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 CONNECTING THE WINDOW, DOOR & ROOF FABRICATION SUPPLY CHAIN