Archives for June 2017

Launched in 2007 after a £2.5m investment, the site became the UK’s first dedicated warm edge technology manufacturing facility, serving as Edgetech UK’s main base during a decade of rapid change.
In 2008, further investment saw the company double its capacity in response to surging sales, and, after three more years of impressive growth, Edgetech was acquired by billion-dollar building products giant Quanex. Soon after, Quanex merged Edgetech with their existing spacer company Truseal to become the largest warm edge manufacturer in the world, producing 300 million metres of spacer every year.

Now, established as the global experts in flexible spacer bar technology, Edgetech is marking both its factory’s tenth anniversary and a decade of phenomenal innovation and growth.

“We’re absolutely delighted to be celebrating ten years of manufacturing in Coventry,” commented Chris Alderson, Edgetech UK’s Managing Director. “In that time we’ve come a long way – launching some fantastic new products, and continuing to be the driving force for energy efficient glazing. Now though, we want to focus on what we do best – warm edge spacer bars.

“Thirty years on from when we launched Super Spacer, the world’s first flexible foam warm edge spacer bar, we still offer the best choice, the most versatility and the most outstanding performance of any manufacturer in the industry. From heritage to high rise, flexible to rigid, we manufacture best-in-class products to suit every context and application – and in the decade ahead, it’s our aim to make the world’s leading spacers even better.”

“We’ll be inviting friends throughout the industry to Coventry for an official 10-year anniversary event later in the year,” Chris concluded. “We can’t wait to mark everything we’ve achieved here in the past ten years, and look forward to sharing our vision of what the next ten will bring.”

For more information call 02476 639931 or visit www.edgetechig.co.uk

One day about 5 years ago Midwife Sascha Koutrouza came home to her home in Welwyn Garden City with a throat infection that sadly changed everything in her life forever. Doctors believe the throat infection caused her immune system to over-respond, leaving her with permanent kidney disease. She was reassured that it would be decades before she needed treatment, but unfortunately Sascha’s symptoms grew rapidly. In just six months, Sascha had final stage kidney disease requiring hospital dialysis at least 4 days a week. Family weekends for Sascha were spent feeling sick and exhausted. She kept on going for the sake of her family – never complaining; but they were reaching all at the point of breaking and were naturally concerned for her future. The main hope was home dialysis – but this hope was dashed when she was told there wasn’t the space at home for this to happen. Mr Andrew Koutrouza and the extended family simply could not afford the extension, which is when DIY SOS got involved: A single-storey extension would create the space needed for the NHS to provide an ‘at-home’ (specific to Sascha’s type of kidney treatment) dialysis system for daily home treatment. The build would turn everything around for this family and mark a vital step in Sascha regaining her life.
The BBC put out an appeal on Facebook for tradesmen and materials, and given GGF Members Hazlemere Window Company Ltd have a showroom in Welwyn Garden City, they decided they would supply and fit all the new and replacement windows and doors needed on the project. So for one whole week last year four of Hazlemere’s most experienced craftsmen gave up a week of their time to install new windows and doors. The Hazlemere team consisted of Senior Installer John Layton, Installation Manager Alan Layton, Operations Director Jason Bradshaw and Fitter Michal Kowalczyk. The team from Hazlemere Window Company worked their socks off throughout the entire Big Build week, fitting new windows and doors, whether as replacement windows and doors or new windows and doors into new builders openings.

Thanks to the generosity of aluminium and PVCu window and door manufacturers, GGF Members Conservatory Outlet of Wakefield in Yorkshire, and double glazed sealed unit manufacturers Nicholls and Clarke of Fareham in Hampshire, FENSA Registered Installers (No. 10589) Hazlemere Window Company were able to procure the glass, window and door frames from these suppliers at cost, which meant they were able to donate all the products and their labour free of charge to the Welwyn Garden City family in need, being helped out by DIY SOS to give them a brighter future. Consequently, Hazlemere sincerely thank both the Conservatory Outlet and Nicholls and Clarke for playing no small part in enabling the lives of this needy family to be transformed.

As part of the transformation project, Hazlemere Windows were asked to survey, supply and install white A+ energy rated PVCu double glazed windows throughout the house and also in the new extension that was built by the DIY SOS team and all the other tradesmen, and suppliers who had also given their time and resources to the cause. In addition Hazlemere supplied and fitted a double glazed aluminium bi-folding door to the extension built by the DIY SOS team, enabling Sascha’s family to open up her new living space, as and when the weather allows! The DIY SOS programme, showing how this Hertfordshire home in the Knightsfield area of Wewlyn Garden City was totally transformed was first broadcast live by the BBC 1 at 9pm on Thursday 15th June 2017.