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Archives for June 2021

BEIS UKCA Survey – Your views are needed!

Uncategorized |

As you will be aware from previous communications the recognition of CE marking for goods placed on the UK market is due to end on 31st December this year and we are in a transition period to UKCA marking.

The GGF has been asked by Government to circulate to Members this notification from the Department of Business Energy Industrial Strategy (BEIS) concerning a short survey on conformity marking.

BEIS is gathering information on awareness and implementation of UKCA requirements and to identify any obstacles businesses are facing to implement the requirements by 1st January 2022.

According to BEIS the survey is intended for businesses that manufacture, import, and/or distribute products that require a CE or UKCA marking and should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

It can be accessed via the link below and once submitted it will go direct to BEIS.

BEIS UKCA Survey – Click Here

The survey deadline is 9.00am on 5th July.

We hope as many GGF Members as possible that are affected by conformity marking will submit a response to help the Government with their policy decisions.

Legal Updates – Health Safety and Environment

Health, Safety and Environment, Legislation, News |

GGF Health, Safety and Environment Manager, James MacPherson provides updates on the legal side of Health, Safety and Environment.

As we start to see the relaxing of COVID restrictions we remember that there is much more going on in the world and the GGF will now start to provide members Legal updates to help you be more proactive.  

Progress on Parliamentary Bills

 In other areas, there remains the progress of three key bills to watch: The Fire Safety Bill, the Building Safety Bill and the Environment Bill.

The Fire Safety Bill

The Fire Safety Bill is (hopefully) nearing the end of its passage through Parliament. It is intended to clarify the scope of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) by clarifying that the fire safety obligations of the Responsible Person (usually owners or managers) of multi-occupancy residential buildings extend to the structure and external walls (including balconies and windows) and individual flat entrance doors that open into common parts.

The FSO as it stands applies to all non-domestic buildings, such as workplaces and commercial premises, but also to “the common areas of multi-occupied residential buildings.”

On 22 March, the Bill went back to the House of Commons for Lords amendments to be considered, where MPs rejected a move to give more protection to leaseholders and tenants in England from facing the bill for fire safety work on buildings.

MPs voted by a majority of 69 to remove the amendment that would have made developers, contractors and product manufacturers responsible, with the government paying the costs upfront before reclaiming them. [At time of writing] The Bill has returned to the House of Lords, where it is now in the final stages of its passage through Parliament, with ‘consideration of amendments’ underway.

GGF Health, Safety and Environment Manager comment; – “as fire risk assessor in healthcare and housing in the previous role I can with confidence say that a clarification of the scope and obligations of the responsible person will be welcomed. How this will impact members could be two fold, from a product point of the view the technical team at GGF are keeping a keen eye on this. But from an Operational HSE point of view, this will make clear your duties as a responsible person of the building to manage the fire safety of your building.”

The Building Safety Bill

The Building Safety Bill makes provision for the development of a new Building Safety Regulator (BSR), which will ultimately be responsible for all major regulatory decisions made at key points during a building’s design, construction, occupation and refurbishment.

In February 2021, the Health and Safety Executive announced the appointment of a chief inspector of buildings to establish and lead the new BSR.

In this role Peter Baker, HSE’s current director of building safety and construction, will head up the Building Safety Regulator to deliver the new regime for high-risk buildings, oversee work to increase the competence of professionals working on buildings, and ensure effective oversight of the building safety environment. He will also be the first head of the building control profession, and lead the work to give independent, expert advice on building safety to industry, government, landlords and residents.

The GGF Technical and Health, Safety and Environment departments are monitoring both Building and Fire Safety bill closely.

The Environment Bill

The long-awaited Environment Bill, which was due to return to Parliament on 26 January, for the report stage, has been delayed again. The Government has confirmed that it will be rolled over into the next Parliamentary session.

Green campaigners have said the delay will harm action on air pollution and water quality, as well as other key issues. Ministers said the delay, which means the flagship bill is unlikely to pass before the autumn, was necessary because dealing with the Covid-19 crisis left too little parliamentary time for debate.

The government says it ‘remains fully committed to the environment bill.’ But in the meantime, the new environmental watchdog for England will be launched on an interim basis ahead of its formal establishment as part of the Environment Bill. From July, the new Interim Office for Environmental Protection will be set up in non-statutory form to provide independent oversight of the government’s environmental progress and to accelerate the foundation of the full body.

More on these, along with UK REACH and upcoming dates, below.

GGF Health, Safety and Environment Manager commentary, “This bill is a big statement form the UK government that may have been criticized previously for not driving the environmental agenda. This delay is not great however we must consider the context of the last year and a half, and look forward to this bill moving forward.”

Health and Safety Legal Updates

Fire safety – consultation response. The government response to the public consultation on fire safety, which ran from July to October 2020, gives a summary of the responses received and sets out the next steps the government will take to strengthen fire safety for all regulated buildings.

These include:

Legislating through the Building Safety Bill to strengthen the Fire Safety Order in a number of key areas.

Delivering new regulations through Article 24 of the Fire Safety Order in response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report recommendations.

Implementing changes to improve engagement between building control bodies and fire and rescue services.

On 17 March, the government also announced measures to strengthen fire safety, including unlimited fines for building owners who fire safety regulations under the Fire Safety Order and for anyone caught obstructing or impersonating a fire inspector.

The measures will amend the Fire Safety Order and will include a requirement for fire risk assessments to be recorded for each building and improve how fire safety information is handed over throughout the lifetime of a building.

UK Reach

The UK brought the European Union (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation into law on 1 January 2021, as UK REACH.

UK REACH places equivalent responsibilities and standards on GB companies as they had under EU REACH.

Existing EU authorisation has been carried over into UK REACH – this is referred to as ‘grandfathering’.

Upcoming key dates Notifications to the HSE: 30 April 2021 is the deadline for GB holders of existing EU REACH registrations to provide basic information to HSE:

For UK companies wishing to benefit from the system of recognition of their EU REACH registration, or grandfathering: notification must be made within 120 days of the end of the transition period (30 April 2021).

This allows registrations that have been held by a UK entity between 29 March 2017 and the end of the transition period to be recognised by UK REACH.

For UK companies wishing to register substances that they source from European companies covered by EU REACH, that is, as an importer; and also for European and non-European manufacturers with an EU REACH registration wishing to appoint a UK-based Only Representative (OR): notification must be made within 300 days of the end of the transition period (28 October 2021). Following these notifications, companies have new deadlines to complete their UK REACH registrations according to their tonnage band.

The first stage will only contain basic information on substances.

The full registration must be submitted by these deadlines from 28 October 2021:

2 years to register:

Substances imported or produced at 1000 tonnes or more per year.

CMR substances (carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic to reproduction) at 1 tonne or more.

Substances that are extremely toxic to aquatic organisms at 100 tonnes or more; and substances on the Candidate List for authorisation (as of 31 December 2020). 4 years to register:

Substances of 100 tonnes or more per year.

The substances on the Candidate List (as of 27 October 2023).

4 years to register:

Substances of 100 tonnes or more per year.

The substances on the Candidate List (as of 27 October 2023).

6 years to register

Substances imported or produced at more than 1 tonne per year.

Restrictions under new chemical regime announced for first time On 23 March, the Government laid out plans for restrictions to be initiated under the new chemical regulation system, UK REACH, to tackle risks posed by chemicals.

The launch of the UK REACH programme includes plans to initiate the restriction process on lead ammunition which is used widely in the shooting industry and causes harm to the environment, wildlife and people.

 Certain harmful substances that can be found in tattoo inks and permanent make-up could also be restricted. The ink in tattoos can sometimes contain substances that can cause health effects, most commonly skin reactions, such as irritation or sensitization. The substances this restriction proposal will consider includes, but is not limited to, substances that can cause cancer, are dangerous to reproduction, skin sensitizers and irritants.

A restriction will be introduced if evidence shows an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment, and after a public consultation. The review of the evidence will be conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), with support from the Environment Agency (EA). They will investigate the risk of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and consider how best to manage any identified risks.

PFAS are a group of over 9,000 different chemicals, some of which are already banned or highly restricted. In industry, these substances are used as stain repellents, coatings and fire-fighting foams. The chemicals in PFAS are extremely persistent in the environment; the substances can accumulate in animals and can also be toxic; this means PFAS are of growing concern for both human health and environmental reasons.

GGF Health, Safety and Environment Manager comment; – “REACH is one mainly for the members that work in manufacturing environments that would import chemicals as part of their process, the changes are not hugely impactful but one to be aware of for sure.”

Environment and Energy

Reforms to boost recycling and fight plastic pollution – consultations issued.

Reforms that are aimed at boosting recycling, tackling plastic pollution and reducing litter were unveiled by the government in March, with proposals to overhaul the waste and resources sector.

Powers in the government’s Environment Bill could be used to make manufacturers more responsible for the packaging they produce and incentivise consumers to recycle more.

This includes:

A Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers Applies to Wales, England, and Northern Ireland

Consumers will be incentivised to take their empty drinks containers to return points hosted by retailers. Every year across the UK, consumers go through an estimated 14 billion plastic drinks bottles, nine billion drinks cans and five billion glass bottles.

The scheme would cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a separate scheme already under development in Scotland.

Views are being sought on:

How a deposit return scheme will operate

Scheme scope and design  

Implementation timelines

Scheme enforcement

Comments should be sent by 4 June 2021.

Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging UK wide basis

Manufacturers will pay the full costs of managing and recycling their packaging waste, with higher fees being levied if packaging is harder to reuse or recycle.

In 2019, approximately 11.7 million tonnes of packaging was placed on the UK market. It is essential that more of this is recyclable or reusable.

The scheme is being developed on a UK-wide basis.

Views are sought on how the scheme will operate, including:

Scheme design

Scheme governance

Implementation timelines

How the scheme will be enforced

The consultation period ends on 4 June 2021.

A third major reform will see the introduction of consistent recycling collections for all households and businesses in England. This will also be going out to consultation shortly.

Introduction of Plastic Packaging Tax from April 2022

This new tax will apply to plastic packaging manufactured in, or imported into the UK, that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. Plastic packaging is packaging that is predominantly plastic by weight.

It will not apply to any plastic packaging which contains at least 30% recycled plastic, or any packaging which is not predominantly plastic by weight. Imported plastic packaging will be liable to the tax, whether the packaging is unfilled or filled.

Who is likely to be affected?

UK manufacturers of plastic packaging, importers of plastic packaging, business customers of manufacturers and importers of plastic packaging, and consumers who buy plastic packaging or goods in plastic packaging in the UK.

The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020

This came into force 1 April 2021

Wales

These Regulations set the standard rate, lower rate and unauthorized disposals rate for landfill disposals tax chargeable on taxable disposals (within the meaning of Part 2 of the Landfill Disposals Tax (Wales) Act 2017) made on or after 1 April 2021.

The standard rate is £96.70 per tonne, the lower rate is £3.10 per tonne and the unauthorized disposals rate is £145.05 per tonne

Taxable disposals made on or after 1 April 2020 but before 1 April 2021 will remain subject to rates set by the Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/95 (W. 16)) as a result of the amendment made by regulation 4 of these Regulations.

Stay Safe Consumer Campaign an “Outstanding Success”

News |

The GGF’s consumer campaign “Stay Safe with MyGlazing.com” has ended an outstanding success with results showing record figures both in PR coverage and in online traffic.  

The campaign, run via MyGlazing.com – the GGF’s independent award winning consumer website – was launched in July 2020 and designed to build consumer confidence in glazing home improvement companies through the lockdowns and uncertainty of the pandemic.

The GGF Marketing team with the support of two external agencies, SLX Marketing and Refresh PR, implemented an integrated marketing communications strategy that included PR, search engine optimisation, regular advice articles and information on the MyGlazing.com blog and social media activity all underpinned with a bespoke campaign branding and the GGF COVID Safe Guide for Homeowners.

The PR coverage of the campaign highlight its success with 148 articles in the consumer regional and lifestyle press creating over 112 million opportunities to see the GGF and/or MyGlazing.com brands.

The campaign’s online statistics are equally impressive with;

  • Over 15 million page impressions
  • Over 215 thousand visitors via the campaign’s search engine marketing.
  • Over five thousand visitors used the installer search directory to find GGF Members near them and three thousand clicking through directly to GGF Members’ websites from MyGlazing.com
  • Over 330 thousand pages of content were viewed during the campaign

On the campaign’s success, James Lee, GGF Director of External Affairs commented,

“Our campaign research indicated that consumers, at the height of the campaign, wanted clear guidance and reassurance that they could make glazing home improvements so long as they and the company they were employing, were adhering to the safe guidelines. The GGF Safe Guides have proved invaluable in helping provide consumers with the confidence to not only plan home improvement but also to allow tradespeople to work safely in their homes.”

Jessica Simm, Senior Account Manager for Refresh PR commented:

“In the last quarter of 2020, the PR coverage gained was exceptional with practically every regional newspaper carrying advice articles from the campaign. We are delighted with the results and pleased our hard work has come to fruition.”

Graham Hansell, Managing Director of SLX Marketing added;

“At a time when homeowners were restricted and going online for solutions, it was imperative that they received the best advice and guidance. The GGF certainly provided that and we were delighted to play our part in the campaign’s success by implementing the search engine marketing and website development.”

James Lee summarised;

“The campaign results are superb and 2020 and 2021 will go down as record years for the GGF’s PR coverage and online audience figures. However we are not resting on our laurels and are already looking forward to launching another consumer campaign in the next few weeks. These are exciting times for the GGF with so much activity on all fronts for Members and the entire industry’s benefit.”

You can view the Stay Safe with MyGlazing.com articles here.

Coping with the Supply Chain Issues

News, Technical News |

GGF Senior Technical Officer, Ben Wallace provides an update on the challenges facing companies in the glass and glazing supply chain and puts forward some recommendations for GGF Members in order to cope with the current issues.

As the toll on human health from the spread of Covid-19 is evaluated, the economic effects of the crisis and the livelihoods at stake are also coming to light. At the GGF we are hearing of extensive delays within the supply-chain of the glass and glazing industry, and throughout the construction industry as a whole. GGF Members must respond on multiple fronts at once, at the same time that they work to protect their workers safety, they must also safeguard their operational viability now increasingly under strain from a supply-chain shock.

As well as Covid-19, other factors have led to disruptions causing the slowing of the construction supply-chain, including; container shortages, factory fires and the recent blocking of the Suez Canal. This has already led to the current global shortage of many materials used within our industry, and more recently the supply disruption of another critical category of materials is occurring – plastics. Constraints on the supplies of their raw materials, especially polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and monoethylene (MEG) are leading to factory shutdowns, sharp price increases and production delays across the construction sector. It is not un-realistic to believe that this will have a knock on effect for both Un-plasticised Poly Vinyl Chloride (UPVC) and Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC). 

With two float lines down at major glass manufacturers and interlayer shortages, especially with Polyvinyl Butyral (PvB), laminated glass supply is being allocated. We are also receiving reports of extensive delays throughout IGU production. It is important to understand that there are underlying uncertainties in the forecast for both the short and medium term.

We recommend that GGF members should:

  • Create a clear plan throughout supply chains, establishing a list of critical components, determining the origin of supply and identifying alternative sources. As we open up a global UK we have an opportunity to identify new supply chains from alternate global regions.
  • Estimate available inventory along the chain for use as a bridge to keep production running and enable delivery to customers. It’s now more important to test the resilience of material supply chain through business continuity scenario planning.  
  • Assess realistic customer demand for both the short and medium term and ensure you manage your customers’ expectations.
  • Optimise production and distribution capacity to ensure employee safety and engaging with teams to share infection risk levels and work from home options. These steps will enable managers to understand current and projected capacity levels in both workforce and materials.
  • Understanding where supply-chain issues will start to cause a financial impact and protecting your company against future supply-chain price increases.

With the positive news that the glass and glazing sector has bounced back relatively quickly under difficult circumstances, and homeowners are continuing to invest into their properties, it is important that members formulate a strategy to balance demand against a slower supply chain. Members should note that lead time extensions and price fluctuations may be factor throughout the second half of 2021 and into 2022.

With this is mind, management of demand and lead times is essential and consumer facing members need to make their customers aware of potential delays. Dates and prices agreed with homeowners must be achievable.

On a positive note, with the heightened supply chain awareness and knowledge Covid-19 has brought, it will better our position to continue managing our industry through any future challenges that may emerge.

Masterframe has their 12 Year Membership of Secured by Design renewed and continue the principle of top-class security for their customers.

Members News |

Masterframe Windows have recently renewed their membership with the official police security initiative Secured by Design.

 

Masterframe, a family business, specialises in providing traditional style PVC-U sash windows that are the perfect, low maintenance alternative to original box sash windows. Having been fully focussed on the design and engineering of sash windows since opening its doors in 1988, the company has built up a solid reputation for being a true specialist sash window manufacturer.

Masterframe turns 33 this year and are a multi-award winning manufacturer, having recently won the National Fenestration Covid Hero Award in 2020 for service to their customers during the pandemic.

The company supplies their Classic Collection to trade clients including new and retro-fit property developers, builders, housing associations and hundreds of local window installation companies, with projects including Peabody Trust Estates, Barking Town Hall, the Clubhouse at Royal Troon Golf Club, Amhurst Park Estate, and many prestigious schools. 

The premium Bygone Collection is available to consumers through a network of approved Bygone Master Installers, handpicked for their customer service ethic and professional installation experience. Both the Classic and Bygone Collection are Secured by Design as standard.

Lyn Poole, Development Officer for Secured by Design, comments: “Masterframe Windows Ltd has been a valued SBD member since 2009. I am so pleased that even in these challenging times they have renewed their SBD licensed membership, it’s good to know that they feel and understand the benefits for a company such as theirs and reap rewards from the SBD brand”.

Carol Slade, Managing Director for Masterframe Windows, said: “We are committed to supplying the best quality sash windows possible, and so it is very important for us to include this accreditation with our products because the principles of Secured by Design have been proven to reduce crime.

We care about the safety of customers and their possessions and added security  is achieved by fully reinforcing our sashes with steel, using robust furniture and reinforced finger latches and then having them independently tested by SBD, ensuring that our windows are as secure as we claim them to be.  SBD is the only way for companies to obtain police recognition for security-related products in the UK.”

Carol continues “If you or your customer is investing in sash windows from Masterframe Windows, you can rest assured that as specialists, we will have looked at every minute detail that can improve not only the security of our windows but also the longevity and performance. Our windows are secure, built to stand the test of time and come with generous guarantees”.


You can find out more about all the accreditations that come standard with Masterframe sash windows here:  https://www.masterframetrade.co.uk/about-us/accreditations/

Secured by Design (SBD) is owned by the UK Police Service with the specific aim of reducing crime and helping people to live with more safety.

SBD seek to improve the physical security of buildings and the surrounding area using products, such as doors, windows, locks and walling systems along with fencing systems that meet the SBD Police Preferred Specification security requirements.

For more details on Masterframe products, visit the dedicated trade website at:  https://www.masterframetrade.co.uk/ or call 01376 510410 to speak to a Masterframe representative.

TriSeal™ Premium Plus spearheads Paris sustainability revolution

Members News |

For hundreds of years, the town of Saint-Denis played an integral part in French history – both as the historic resting place of generations of the country’s Royals, and the birthplace of Gothic architecture. 

 

But today, it’s home to pioneering buildings of a very different kind. A suburb of Paris since the 1960s, it’s now at the forefront of the French capital’s sustainability revolution. 

 

In 2024, Saint-Denis will be the site of the athlete’s village at the Paris Olympics, which is being built to stringent sustainability standards (all buildings under eight storeys must be made of wood). And nearby, you’ll find the 30-hectare ZAC de la Montjoie eco-district – which is home to a spectacular new building only made possible with Edgetech innovation. 

 

The Curve is a 24,400 square-metre, seven-storey office complex that accommodates over a thousand businesses, restaurants, fitness centres and more. 

 

The building’s sustainably-sourced wooden structure consists of 5,000 cubic metres of laminated timber, while its 10,000 square-metre glass façade has been designed to flood the interior with natural light, and therefore reduce the need for electric lighting. 

 

Especially innovative and challenging to execute were the building’s rounded glass corners, which were made of concavely and convexly-curved units, consisting of Saint-Gobain solar control glass, and, crucially, Edgetech’s Super Spacer® TriSeal™ Premium Plus. 

 

TriSeal is a triple-seal system designed to meet the most stringent commercial requirements. 

 

With a thermal conductivity of just 0.15 W/mk, excellent condensation resistance, shape retention and colour stability, and outstanding longevity, TriSeal was the perfect choice for this state-of-the-art sustainable architecture. 

 

“Architects around the world are at the forefront of efforts to make our built environments as sustainable as they can possibly be,” comments Edgetech Managing Director Chris Alderson. 

 

“We’re delighted to be playing a part in bringing so many boundary-breaking green buildings to life – and are confident that Super Spacer® TriSeal™ Premium Plus will ensure the Curve’s thousands of glass units will continue performing to the highest standards for many years to come.” 

 

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

Edgetech and Quanex mark ten years of partnership

Members News |

It’s been ten years since world-renowned spacer manufacturer Edgetech became part of billion-dollar building products group Quanex.  

 

Back in 2011, Edgetech was already a leading spacer supplier, and one of fenestration’s most forward-thinking companies.  

 

It was that legacy of innovation and product excellence that caught the attention of Quanex, which had grown from humble beginnings in South Lyon, Michigan to become a New York Stock Exchange-listed building products powerhouse.  

 

“This is a fantastic milestone, and has given us all cause to reflect on everything Edgetech and Quanex have achieved together over the last decade,” comments Edgetech Managing Director Chris Alderson.  

 

“From the very beginning, the two businesses were an excellent fit – both committed to health and safety, employee wellbeing, product innovation, sustainability, and much more.  

 

“Since 2011, those synergies have enabled us to continue pushing boundaries, developing new products, and cementing Edgetech’s reputation as a global leader in spacer technology.  

 

“Fittingly, as we enter our second decade as part of Quanex, we’re currently in the process of implementing a new, group-wide four tier strategy designed to guide our development in the coming years.  

 

“Each of the four tiers represents a crucial stakeholder that we serve – customers, employees, shareholders, and the community.  

 

“By doing everything we can to delight and exceed the expectations of each of these sectors, we know we can build a business that’s even stronger, more innovative, and that provides an even better service to customers all around the world.  

 

“I want to take this opportunity to thank George, our CEO, and the rest of the Quanex executive leadership for all their support and encouragement over the last decade, and we’re extremely excited to see what we can achieve together in the years ahead.”  

 

Quanex President and CEO George Wilson comments: “I’ve worked very closely with Chris and the Edgetech team over the last ten years, and we’re delighted they’re a part of the Quanex family. 

 

“Their dedication to product excellence, innovation and providing the highest quality customer service is an asset to the Quanex Group, and I look forward to working with them further in the decade to come.” 

 

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

Two new starters and one milestone anniversary

Members News |

Chris Alderson, Edgetech’s respected Managing Director, is marking his five year anniversary at the company. 
 
Chris joined the world-renowned warm-edge spacer manufacturer back in 2016, after more than twenty years spent in a series of senior roles at adhesive and sealant experts Bostik. 

The sales, operations and management expertise he gained there made him the perfect choice to take the helm at Edgetech. 

 

Under Chris’ leadership, Edgetech has embarked on an intensive period of new product development, which has already yielded results with many exciting new product innovations in the pipeline. 
 

Initially, in addition to running Edgetech’s British operations from the company’s Coventry base, he also oversaw its business in the Asia Pacific region. 
 

More recently, he’s assumed leadership of Edgetech’s European arm, based in Heinsberg, Germany. 

 

“I’m very proud of what we’ve managed to achieve over the last five years,” Chris comments.  

 

“I was fortunate to have an excellent foundation to build on, and assisted by dozens of dedicated and passionate employees, we’ve been able to continue Edgetech’s long legacy at the forefront of IGU innovation. 

 

“The last year in particular has demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of the Edgetech workforce, and thanks both to them and incredibly supportive Edgetech customers around the country, we’ve managed to come through a very challenging year with an excellent performance. 

 

“Going forward, we’ll be continuing to push the boundaries of warm-edge spacer technology, help our customers improve their efficiency and productivity, and raise the profile of the fantastic (and sometimes sadly undervalued) work of the British IG sector.” 

 

One of Chris’s top priorities as Managing Director has been continual investment not just in products, but also people and customer support. 

 

So, in addition to celebrating his five-year milestone, Edgetech have also kicked off 2021 by welcoming two new recruits. 

 

Hamzah Sheikh has strengthened the company’s finance team as a Trainee Accountant, bringing with him a broad experience gained in accounts roles in a number of private and public organisations. 

 

Meanwhile, Tracey Powell has joined as Customer Services Administrator in Edgetech’s fast-growing Customer Fulfilment Team. Tracey’s wealth of customer service experience will prove invaluable as the company continues to improve upon its successful ‘customers at the centre’ initiative. 

 

“We’re delighted to be welcoming Hamzah and Tracey, and we look forward to benefitting from their skills and experience in the years ahead”, Chris comments. “If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that a resilient business is built on the back of talented, dedicated and adaptable people.” 

 

For more information please call + 44 (0) 2476 639931 or visit www.edgetechig.co.uk 

GGF

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+44 (0)207 939 9100

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