top 30 news conservatory industries

The magazine for manufacturers, installers and fabricators
TOP 30
NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2013
C O N S E R VAT O R Y I N D U S T R I E S
SEPTEMBER 2013 23
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INFLUENTIAL
Top 30 Most Influential 2013
2013 has still been a tough year for the window industry, but maybe there is some hope on the
horizon! The industry has had to get to grips with CE marking and the Green Deal but the FIT Show
showed the industry in a great light. Roll on 2014!
As always the Top 30 is a list that is completely subjective and I am sure that you have your own
opinions of who should be in it and where they should be. All comments to [email protected]
and enjoy this year’s list!
WINDOW INDUSTRIES
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This year’s Top 30 has a
new number one a
number of new entries.
Remember, it’s only our
opinion, so if you
disagree, let us know!
Matthew Glover
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The Top 30
A
nother year, another Top 30! The 2013 list reflects a year of
consolidation in the window market, as there were not the ‘mega deals’
completed that have dominated the list in recent years.
Our new number one is Matthew Glover
and his team at the FIT Show. There was a
lot of doubt within the industry that a full
national trade show could succeed after the
troubled end of Glassex and subsequent
efforts to get regional events up and
running. However, full credit must be given
to the FIT Show crew who invested heavily,
had an original marketing programme
(though there were some videos made that
even they must have scratched their heads
about!) and filled Telford with exhibitors and
more importantly visitors. It was clearly the
kick up the backside that the industry was
looking for and hopefully they can back this
up next year and continue to promote the
window and door industry in a positive light.
There have been some positive moves up
the rankings with Roger Hartshorn at Liniar
moving up to number 3 showing that it still
possible to innovate and create, even when
the market is shrinking and the economy is
still in the doldrums.
Readers will also notice that the warm
edge spacer bar market is not represented
this year, well unless you count what the
BFRC is doing or not doing. The reason no
company is represented is that this year it has
been difficult to decide between the truths
and untruths that the companies have been
sending to the media and the arguments
have raged across the trade press to such an
extent that it feels that the market needs a
rest until the European Warm Edge Working
Group have published a full set of results.
Hopefully there will be some clarity in the
year ahead, but there would seem to be a lot
more mileage left in this story.
We also reflect that this year’s main news
topic has been the introduction of CE
marking for the window industry. After initial
worries it does seem that the issue is well
understood in the industry and this is in no
small part to organisations such as
Buildcheck.
One of our most intriguing entries is at
number 30 where we have put in White Van
Man. The trade counter market has been
growing rapidly in the past few years and
estimates of the size of non-FENSA
installations is upward of 20 per cent.
Whether these are builders or installers
moonlighting at weekends from their
reputable jobs this sector of the market is
one to look after and not one that is covered
or acknowledged by the press or the market
in general. This cash in hand market is
definitely one to watch but maybe this is a
reflection of the mistrust that the consumer
has with the big installation companies, and
they would rather trust someone they know
rather than a large, professional
organisation.
This year’s list represents all sectors of the
industry, from doors to windows, aluminium
to PVC-U and as usual we have had a lot of
fun compiling the list and hope you have as
much fun reading it. Thanks to the judges
and all those who were nominated and as
usual it is just an opinion and any comments
on who or what should be added to the list
are more than welcome. Bring on 2014!
Matthew Glover,
FIT Show
impactful way. The show did everything he
promised, and everything the industry
needed.
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INFLUENTIAL
Matthew showed truly outstanding vision
and took some risk on something that many
old hands were sceptical would work. His
drive, determination and commitment and
very clever use of social media made it
work. Let’s be honest, did many people out
there think that a window and door industry
trade show in Telford would be a success? A
well-deserved No 1, Matthew saw a need,
backed his vision with his own money,
partnered with Paul Godwin who had
marketed Glassex in its prime, and sold his
vision to the industry in a stylish and
WINDOW INDUSTRIES
Matthew has appeared in this list previously,
but for the outstanding marketing model he
created for Conservatory Outlet’s dealers.
This time, after leaving his daytime job with
Conservatory Outlet to new partners,
putting his many other interests on hold
including charity work and blogs, Matthew
is top of the list for creating the next
generation fenestration event and successor
to Glassex, The FIT Show, along with
business partner Paul Godwin.
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2 Jim Rawson,
Epwin
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The instigator of the Epwin/Latium deal just
doesn’t stop and is very much the executive
day to day chairman of the enlarged Epwin
Group. The first year of the new group saw
a protracted investigation by and eventual
win with the Competition Commission. The
cellular businesses, run separately, have
gained market share. The merger of Spectus
with the management of P22 and Swish
Windows and Doors has been a great
success in realising financial synergies at the
same time as greatly increasing service levels
to Spectus customers. Jim has recently
moved back into aluminium with a small
bolt on acquisition and is clearly on the
lookout for smaller bolt ons that he can
leverage across the group. In the shadow of
previous big industry mergers, he now has
to make his big merger work. Will 2+2 be
made to equal 5 or 4, not 3?
Jim Rawson
5 Nick Dutton,
Door-Stop
Roger Hartshorn
they respond and will it slow him down? For
now, Roger is shooting for No 1.
Roger Hartsorn, managing director of Liniar
and an industry stalwart since the 1980’s,
has re-stated his clear vision for the
company: “At a time of industry mergers
and consolidation we remain firmly
committed to bringing out new and
innovative products for the exclusive benefit
of our customers, and to continue to invest
in our business. We will do so this year and
every year. Our aim is to ensure that Liniar
fabricators have the best range of products
in the industry, and that we have a business
infrastructure that will enable us to continue
with our growth plan.” Liniar has just
invested in a new state of the art mixing
plant at its premises in Derbyshire following
on from the opening of its new warehouse
and new foiling plant at the end of 2012.
4 Roy Saunders,
Everest
Nick continues to innovate and drive the
residential door market against increasing
competition. Only Gareth Mobley at Solidor
shows any sign of imagination and drive in
comparison. The industry has been
agonisingly slow to sell online, although it
does use the internet for lead generation. It
has also been slow to see the Door-Stop
phenomenon for what it is. It has admired
its marketing, three day deliveries and slick
website, but it has failed to see that virtually
everything is focused on and delivered
through its website. Nick’s vision has
transformed Door-Stop and driven
astonishing results. It promises to transform
the industry too.
Nick Dutton
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Credited with introducing PVC-U windows
to the UK in 1976, Jim Rawson, chairman of
the Epwin Group, still remains one of the
PVC-U window industry’s most esteemed
and principal voices.
Leading the Epwin Group with divisional
managing directors’ David Wrigley, David
Hurst and Shaun Hanrahan, he continues to
be hands on and maintains a direct
influence over all aspects of the Group’s
operations.
Despite the adverse economic
environment, after 37 years the Epwin
Group remains a foundation of stability for
its companies, individual brands and
customers.
expertise in turnaround, profit improvement,
cost reduction, cash generation,
transformational business change, delivering
growth, and re-energising businesses – all in
fiercely competitive sectors. Roy is a CIMA
qualified accountant and started his career
in finance before moving into senior general
management roles in various companies
including; CMB SA, BICC, Going Places, My
Travel, Magnet Group and Nobia SE. He has
spent a number of years working abroad
and in recent years operated a successful
consultancy investing in business start-ups,
turnarounds and transformation
opportunities
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Despite being in the crosshairs of consumer
champion Which? and occasional
unwelcome appearances in the headlines,
Everest is the industry benchmark for selling
to consumers at good prices. It has also
shown us how to diversify into home
improvements and its top class TV
advertising is a pick-me-up for the industry
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Roy Saunders
3 Roger
Hartshorn, Liniar
Another successful year of volume and
profit growth. Liniar has started to take on
some of the medium sized fabricators and is
taking new fabricators on from most
competitors. Roger still shows fleetness of
foot when he sees an opportunity and has
taken a large share of the embryonic bi-fold
market by following his philosophy of a
brand new design rather than an adaption
of an existing product
Obviously the company is still growing
very fast. But Roger has been given a
virtually free run by rivals who have been
distracted by their own challenges. And his
growth has been at their cost. When will
as a whole.
Roy was appointed CEO of Everest in
August 2012. He has extensive strategic and
operational experience, gained across retail,
B2B, leisure and manufacturing sectors;
consistently enhances shareholder value by
improving operational delivery. He has
WINDOW INDUSTRIES
With year-on-year growth in sales and profit,
in just five years Nick Dutton has cemented
Door-Stop’s current no 1 position. Nick has
introduced a hard-to-follow guarantee in
April: if it’s late, it’s free. So far only one
door is being given away for every 3,780
doors sold.
A newly launched 24/7 amends system
means customers can change their order at
any time of day or night, as many times as
they like, with an immediate email
confirmation for every tweak. Meanwhile
Door-Stop’s new online customer service
centre allows customers to answer an FAQ
or raise and track an issue in a couple of
clicks: as easy as ordering the door. New
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colours, sales tools, eBook and mobile apps
and a 10 year guarantee on looks and
security (with £500 to the homeowner if
broken into) are just a few of the other
innovations – many of them industry firsts –
introduced in 2013.
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6 Giles Willson,
BFRC
It is worth reminding readers that the Top
30 is about those with the greatest
influence on the market during the past 12
months, good or bad. Giles has featured
here previously due to his organisation's
inept mishandling of the introduction of
Window Energy Ratings. The BFRC has
ducked out of the firing line on warm edge
spacer bar thermal conductivity values. It has
passed responsibility for establishing and
providing test data to simulators for all
warm edge spacer bars to the European
Warm Edge Working Group under the
auspices of the Bundesverband-Flachglass
(BF). Once again confusion reigns, as they
fail to grasp the nettle and vacillate
according to whoever shouts at them the
loudest. Well played again!
Giles Willson
7 Dan Gill,
Eclectic Systems
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Giles has been on the BFRC board for eight
years and has provided technical support for
the company over the last seven years. Giles
is optimistic about the next few years and
the role the BFRC will play in ensuring that
changes to Building Regulations, European
Entergy Rating Schemes and other
upcoming legislation will allow the
fenestration industry to continue running
smoothly.
Dan’s bold launch of the first really new
window system for years in the shape of is
Residence 9 suite – described as ‘19th
century timber window designs with
modern features and benefits’ was an
incredibly bold move. For whilst the
eminently likeable Dan was obviously doing
well with his Window Widgets business the
leap into systems was incredibly bold, if not
foolhardy some may maintain. Residence 9
is widely liked although a product that is
squarely aimed at period properties and
manufactured in PVC-U will have its
adversaries amongst planners still stuck in
the dark ages. He is of the new generation
of innovators who are concentrating on
niches, rather than mass market. His
technical knowledge and ‘can do’ attitude,
with a low overhead, has enabled him to
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move quickly when he has seen an
opportunity. He has an unrivalled network of
contacts and information amongst the 1500
fabricators that are still left and uses that
info to understand trends. Dan is not scared
of upsetting the big boys or the bureaucrats
who try and play conservatively and likes to
stretch the boundaries.
South Cheshire, having been awarded
Young Businessman of the Year in the same
awards in 2012. Solidor appeared front of
house at the FIT Show this year and will be
doing the same in 2014 as the company
continues to enhance its reputation as a
pioneer under Gareth’s leadership.
9 Pierre LucienBrun, SGG for
Planitherm
Dan Gill
In recent years, Dan Gill and his team have
grown the Window Widgets brand, acquired
Nicholls and Cooke and launched the
Residence 9 window system through Eclectic
Systems. The Residence 9 system has set
new boundaries in terms of window style,
frame design, colour, performance and
thermal performance. The Flush Casement
style was a first in modern materials and the
brand is now in over 200 retail showrooms
and over 20 fabricators throughout UK.
Thirty-five colours ex-stock and a slick
branding and marketing retail campaign are
creating leads to help feed the supply chain.
Dan has booked a stand larger than
‘Platinum’ at FIT 2014 – so it looks like there
are more exciting developments on the way.
8 Gareth Mobley,
Solidor
Super fit Gareth's boundless enthusiasm and
drive are taking Solidor to the top of the
residential-door market and setting the lap
times against the majority of competitors
that are generally mediocre. Nonetheless
Gareth is seizing every opportunity to
innovate in terms of product and service
and is making the most of the opportunities
this popular niche currently presents.
Gareth Mobley
Gareth Mobley is the managing director of
Solidor, the fastest growing composite door
manufacturer in the UK. The company
continues to innovate with ongoing product
developments, the sector’s first
Recommended Installer scheme and a new
consumer-facing website.
Gareth has also been recognised as
‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ in the Sentinel
Business Awards for North Staffordshire and
WINDOW INDUSTRIES
new
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Pierre, a pleasant, thoughtful and modest
man need not be embarrassed by his
mention here as it recognises the team
effort made at SGGUK. The powerful TV,
press and online campaign designed to
persuade homeowners to upgrade their
windows using Planitherm glass continues
unabated and in doing so public
recognition of WERs is being extended and
the impact on sales of replacement windows
overall continues to be stimulated by this
imaginative and well thought-through
marketing effort.
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Pierre Lucien-Brun
Pierre has worked within Saint-Gobain for
24 years and joined SGGUK as managing
director in January 2010. He started in Brazil
in Construction Products, before moving
back to France in various roles in glass
processing downstream. He spent eight
years in charge of a DGU business in France
for Saint-Gobain that manufactured five
million units per year spread over five
factories.
10 Martin
Randall, Zoom
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What to make of this enigmatic and, some
might say, egocentric man...? It remains
difficult to see through the smoke and
determine the real performance of Zoom
roofs in the market place. His extraordinary
'Banksy' style stand at The FIT Show still has
people talking although the positive impact
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claimed by Martin is questioned by all.
Nonetheless Martin is a driver, he has
passion for the subject of windows, doors
and conservatories and his campaigning for
a better understanding of PVC-U gives
occasional voice to the benefits of the
product in an increasingly eco world. He has
certainly changed the way conservatories are
marketed. Pre-Zoom, the industry had
virtually stopped marketing.
Martin Randall
Last year, Martin Randall was credited with
reviving interest in the conservatory market.
His high profile marketing of Zoom and its
‘20 Brilliant Ideas’ that made selling
conservatories trouble-free and profitable for
installers hit a nerve. After years of inactivity
leading brands responded with new
products and marketing campaigns.
Never one to shy away from controversy,
Martin caused a stir at the FIT Show with a
stand without products. Instead the stand
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showed a series of Banksy-inspired pictures,
encouraging visitors to think about the state
of the industry.
11 Mark Bristow,
Guardian Glass
Mark Bristow’s Guardian trucks are now
common sights on the motorways. He has
steered the company’s growth as its very
large investment in glass capacity in Hull
gives it the leverage to win new customers.
Glass is a zero sum game. Investment in
glass lines is huge so lines have to be kept
filled. Guardian’s growth is at other glass
makers’ expense. An increasingly
comprehensive and sophisticated product
offer now appears to be supported with a
tilt at marketing, suggesting that the gloves
are coming off to mount a full and
unyielding attack on the market. Watch this
space…
Mark Bristow
WINDOW INDUSTRIES
Mark joined Guardian in 1991 and has been
managing all of the commercial activity for
Guardian in the UK and Ireland since. Over
the past year, Mark has seen Guardian Glass
UK rise to the challenges of a difficult
economy and succeed. Having led
Guardian’s most recent investment of £35
million in a magnetron glass coater, Mark
has led his team to secure significant market
share for their low-e glass ClimaGuard A+
whilst also increasing sales of their other
products – float, laminated and SunGuard –
with overall growth this year of nearly 20%.
Mark has also overseen the Guardian Plus
business support programme, which now
has over 1,000 members benefiting not only
Guardian customers, but businesses
throughout the glass and glazing industry.
12 Adrian
Barraclough,
Quickslide
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Adrian has sustained Quickslide’s position as
the market leader in the VS sector while also
diversifying the company's product range
into all types of doors and windows and
target markets that now include a range of
specifiers including builders and self
builders, homeowners and of course, still
the company’s main thrust, installers.
Quickslide is very good at making complex
VS windows, but also efficiently and
therefore profitably and Adrian and his team
handle it all with humour to boot.
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innovations, such as the company’s Colormax
technology that allows Freefoam to sell
colour in whatever quantity is needed and at
a reasonable price, as well as recently
developing the first external cladding system
that eliminates the need for unsightly
junction joiners. The development of an
advanced formulation has enabled Freefoam
to extend its guarantees. It is the first roofline
manufacturer to offer an extended,
transferable 50-year guarantee on all white
products while its unique guarantee on
coloured and foiled products is 10 years.
This year Tony has overseen major
commitment by Freefoam directors to
support the continued growth of the UK site
including new extrusion lines, product
development and warehousing along with
the purchase of further additional storage
areas.
Adrian Barraclough
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After an interesting start to his career, which
includes cabinetmaker apprenticeship; setting
up a company manufacturing sunbeds and
saunas; running a German manufacturer’s UK
start-up; and business consultant, Adrian
became involved with the window and
conservatory industry. This led to his
acquisition of Quickslide, through which he
continues to set the standards in the growth
area of the VS market.
13 Tony Walsh,
Freefoam
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With Tony as chairman Freefoam continues
to grow strongly in the UK and Europe. Big
investment in manufacturing and distribution
in Northampton, in colour and cladding as
well as roofline and rainwater and in
marketing long life guarantees and products
that earn more for installers have driven
impressive growth. 2012 sales and market
share were up strongly on 2011; and sales
are up significantly this year compared to last
year and to budget.
Tony Walsh
14 Peter
Mottershead,
Anglian Home
Improvements
Anything Anglian does affects the industry.
One of the founders of the industry, Anglian
is now on an upswing after a particularly
difficult patch. Anglian has the scale and
control through its large sales force, network
of showrooms, large customer database and
installation teams to do things others cannot.
After stints in various industries, including oil
and gas, Peter took over the reins of Anglian
in 2008, and under his leadership, the
company has grown to be a name
synonymous with home improvements across
the UK. Implementing a major restructuring
across the company resulted in a boost to
profits, which were ploughed back into the
business. Recent years have seen the launch
of a number of new products and an
increased focus on marketing, the
introduction of new machinery and the
opening of a new call centre. Peter is keenly
interested in government policies that affect
the industry, including pushing the reduction
of VAT on energy efficient home
improvements. Earlier this year, Anglian
became a Green Deal and ECO installer.
15 Andy Wallace,
CCS
As chairman of Freefoam, Tony plays a key
role in the strategic, technical and product
development aspects of the business to
ensure its position in the UK, Ireland and
mainland Europe is maintained. Tony,
together with managing director Aidan
Harte, has pioneered several industry
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INFLUENTIAL
Andy Wallace
and Will Evans in 1998. Thanks to its
emphasis on low-interest and interest-free
credit, along with ongoing training and
support for its retailer customers, CCS is now
the UK’s largest independent provider of
point-of-sale finance to the home
improvement industry.
CCS approved over a quarter of a billion
(£256m+) in loans in 2012, and with monthon-month growth this year, is on target to
approve over £300m in 2013. Andy’s insight
‘if homeowners can’t buy, then you can’t sell’
helps retailers make it easier for consumers
to buy what they want, when they want it,
so installers can sell more at better margins.
With the backing of major blue-chip lenders,
CCS counts hundreds of leading industry
names as clients.
new
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16 Martin
Buckley, Polyframe
One of two co-founders of Polyframe. Martin
started life as a fitter and now with plants in
Halifax, Norwich Didcot and Northern Ireland,
is one of the biggest fabricators of PVC-U
windows in the UK. Highly driven he still
loves to do the deal. Clever use of IT has
brought a close relationship with many
customers. Service levels and product quality
have been consistently good since he
strengthened his management team with exZenith boss Chris Watson, allowing Martyn to
concentrate on sales and corporate
development.
The industry was used to market growth
fuelled by mortgage equity withdrawal, bank
loans and other easy money. It came as a
shock when credit dried up and the market
dropped by 40%. Andy Wallace’s messages:
that you can’t sell if homeowners can’t buy,
and low rate ‘soft sell’ finance makes it easy
for homeowners to buy is transforming sales
for a growing number of retailers.
Andy Wallace has spearheaded the use of
soft-sell finance in the home improvement
industry since he founded Consumer Credit
Solutions (CCS) with partners Pete Nicholson
WINDOW INDUSTRIES
Polyframe chairman, Martyn Buckley’s first
foray into the window industry began in
1992 when he formed Hi Spec windows to
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company operates from a 90,000ft² site in
Sudbury, Suffolk with a 65,000ft² site in
Huddersfield, where John Fredericks is based.
18 David Leng,
Synseal
David Leng's Synseal continues to hold a high
profile in the marketplace but his demotion
comes from discussing the weaknesses of his
competitors and openly declaring an as yet
unfulfilled ambition for acquiring some of
them. Synseal continues to innovate and
grow but the expected growth through
acquisition has not materialised although the
market teems with rumours. Does something
need to happen to keep private equity, who
are not known for their patience, on board?
David Leng
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17 Dave Barrett,
A&B
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supply and install windows to the retail
market. Two years later the decision was
made to move into fabrication and Polyframe
was born. With hard work and dedication,
Polyframe grew significantly though the 90’s
and by 1999 had an order book for 1,200
frames per week. In 2002 Polyframe moved
into it’s current 200 000sq ft premises in
Halifax and made significant investment in
new machinery to increase output to 8,000
fpw.
Martyn has identified new opportunities
over the past four years with the opening of
factories in Norwich, Belfast and a composite
door factory in Mansfield.
This has been further augmented with the
opening of eight trade centres throughout
the UK, and more to follow over the next
few years. The continued growth of
Polyframe is a testament to Martyn's
determination and the dedication and loyalty
of all Polyframe staff.
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Dave Barrett, MD of A&B Glass is quietly
continuing the path set by founder Ray
Byford. It is one of the most successful
business models in the industry: acquiring
and bolting on good fabricators brands with
quality customer bases. Britannia Frames was
the first, but it has been followed by Asset,
Fineline, Coastal and John Fredericks. More
are planned. A trade and public sector
business is not the easiest to manage but
Dave does a lot of hours and covers a lot of
miles.
Key to the success of A&B, has been
managing director Dave’s keen eye for
acquisitions. Having joined the company in
1989 with a turnover of £1.5 million, the
company now enjoys a turnover of £38.5m.
Dave, along with partner Steve Stone,
bought the company in April 2012.
With a focus on innovation, A&B Glass
Group has created several brands and
entered a number of markets over the years
– trade, new build and commercial. The
field and delivering new innovations. The
four member director team headed by Mark
have brought a skillset that has helped the
company to continue to grow and diversify
into new areas of the glazing business,
despite the economic climate.
As president of the Glass and Glazing
Federation (GGF), Mark has also been at the
centre of new legislation such as Green Deal,
CE marking and the new CPS Schemes that
are beginning to impact our industry. He is
also the Champion for SME’s on the GGF
board ensuring that small and medium sized
businesses have their voices heard.
20 Justin Hunter,
Reynaers
David Leng’s career spans almost 30 years,
during which he moved the new build
market from copper piping to flexible
plumbing materials and products. At Eurocell,
David took the company into the new build
housing sector and revitalised product
development, and as CEO at Acertec
Construction Products he saved the company.
At Synseal, David took the business
through an MBO and the company is now
busy revitalising its product range, entering
into new markets and has the ability to
acquire businesses as opportunities arise.
19 Mark Warren,
Lister
Dave Barrett
Mark Warren
new
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MD Justin Hunter and Reynaers look
increasingly confident as they go their own
way in the market. The company has
launched a host of new products and is also
targeting the retail market.
Justin Hunter
new
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Mark is everywhere, all the time. His social
media presence is legendary, and has become
the source of useful information via twitter
making him a real shaper of knowledge.
President of the GGF and MD of Listers he is
very rarely out of the trade news. How does
he find the time? He gets a thumbs-up from
everyone who knows him.
Mark has worked with Lister Trade Frames
since 1987, turning the small family firm into
a nationally recognised manufacturer. Mark
promotes a culture of inclusion and
cooperation for the good of both customers
and staff and works by the motto: ‘Change is
Good!’ Lister is known as a multi-award
winning company that is always leading the
WINDOW INDUSTRIES
A well known and respected business leader,
consistently delivering growth and
profitability to shareholders within the
window industry for over 30 years, Justin’s
career has seen him play a pivotal role in the
success of the sector with board positions at
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product as the benchmark and service levels
and support are consistently better than days
of old.
Wolfgang
Gorner
24 Neil Ginger,
Origin Frames
Neil and Origin have been bi-fold pioneers in
a fast growing sector, and it will be
interesting to see how this sector develops
now there are so many ‘me-too’ products
out there.
new
21 Lennart
entry
Johnson, Senior
Aluminium Systems
Lennart Johnson has steered Senior to
prominence as a quality innovative standard
bearer for commercial aluminium timber
composite systems. This sector has been
quiet for a while though, so it will be
interesting to see where the next big push
will come from.
Neil Ginger
Wolfgang Gorner joined REHAU in 2000 and
was appointed business unit director in 2006.
During that time, he has helped to transform
REHAU and the way that it is perceived in the
market. Just when the industry thought that
Wolfgang had finished the job, he has this
year delivered some of the biggest changes
yet. A new brand, new profiles, a new
customer reward programme and an award
winning marketing campaign have all helped
to push REHAU right back to the top of the
systems house league.
Successfully retaining and winning new
business throughout the year, Wolfgang has
helped REHAU become ‘the one to watch’.
23 Richard Bate,
Build Check
Lennart Johnson
Senior Architectural Systems, now the largest
privately owned UK based systems
manufacturer, was founded by a unique pair
of visionaries – Lennart Jonsson and his
father-in-law David Senior. The company
name pays tribute to David Senior, and was
originally entrenched in the aluminium
sector; however, as sustainability, legislation
and market tastes change, so too does the
chameleon they created by diversifying the
products and materials used.
Lennart’s captaincy of the company has
provided its customers with an ingrained
ethos of quality products and superb
customer service, ensuring his plan to keep
Senior’s at the cutting edge of fenestration
innovation in the UK.
➠
22 Wolfgang
Gorner, REHAU
Still making the moves and making a splash,
but it is hard not to feel that windows and
doors have taken a back seat in REHAU. Last
year’s launch was a bit of a catch up on
product rather than anything really
innovative. Fitters still regard the Rehau
the new regulations.
Richard’s been in the industry since 1998,
and his success has been down to his
straight-talking style. Build Check works with
influential companies including Pilkington,
Saint Gobain, Synseal, Linear and Distinction
Doors.
➠
SAPA, Reynaers, Homesafe and
Architectonics. As sales and marketing
director at Monarch Aluminium (SAPA), he
was recruited by Reynaers to managing
director in 1994, when the company first
entered the UK market. Justin proceeded to
build a strong and successful team that went
on to firmly establish the Reynaers brand.
Most recently, during the current recession,
Justin’s leadership has seen Reynaers double
market share and increase turnover and
profits by over 100%.
U
new
entry
Building Regulations, WERs and now CE
marking have been good for simulators and
advisors. Richard Bate of Build Check has
been the leading voice. If the trade
recognised one organisation and one name
in this field they surely recognise Build Check
and Richard Bate.
Neil Ginger moved from swimming pool
installations to founding Origin Frames with
business partner Victoria Brocklesby in 2002
after spotting an opportunity in the market
for UK manufactured aluminium bi-folding
doors. The company designs, develops and
manufactures the Easifold door system from
its High Wycombe facility and is based upon
Neil’s philosophy of ‘Your lead time not ours’,
which has revolutionised the business and
given it a strong competitive edge. With an
annual turnover of £10m, substantial growth
targets and exports to Dubai and the US,
Origin is certainly a ‘Best of British’ story.
25 Roy Wakeman,
Performance
Window Group
new
entry
One of the grand old men of timber, Roy is
among the great and the good having served
on a number of occasions, as president of
the BWF. He is a passionate advocate of
timber and a prominent basher of PVC-U,
whose influence goes well beyond his own
Performance Window Group. The group
includes Mumford & Wood, and
TimberWindows.com.
Roy
Wakeman
Richard Bate
Richard Bate is the CE marking expert for
fenestration. As technical director for Build
Check, Richard is the key source of accurate
information and has brought many issues
surrounding CE marking to the attention of
the industry. He also presented a series of CE
marking seminars to help businesses meet
WINDOW INDUSTRIES
40 SEPTEMBER 2013
INFLUENTIAL
F
E
A T
Roy Wakeman, OBE, chair and CEO of The
Performance Timber Products Group (PTP)
has been widely recognised as the leading
figure in the joinery and woodworking
manufacturing business for the past 25 years.
He is the name behind many successful
business initiatives and has transformed ailing
businesses into innovative and profitable
companies, championing product innovation
and providing security to hundreds of
employees.
During exceptionally challenging markets,
Roy has continued the growth of PTP since its
inception in 2006 with the acquisition of the
premier timber window brand Mumford &
Wood. The Group has made several more
acquisitions since. He has taken the
unprecedented honour of serving three terms
as president of the British Woodworking
Federation and has been involved in the BWF
for over 30 years.
➠
26 Tony Pickup,
DGCOS
Tony and the DGCOS (Double Glazing and
Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme) made a
lot of noise at its launch in 2010 and until
recently he and it were rarely out of the
news. Many of the improvements it espoused
have been adopted by others and are
virtually taken as read, even if
implementation lags a long way behind.
Perhaps the greatest sign of its influence was
the GGF’s creation of The Glazing
Ombudsman (TGO) in 2011. So, is that job
done? What happens now, or is that it?
Tony
Pickup
U
R
E
£61,603 double storey conservatory and
paying £38,502, Mr Young found himself
with only partially completed base work
when the installer ceased to trade, with the
prospect of paying double this to finish the
job. But thanks to DGCOS, the installation
was redesigned and completed with no
further expense. Meanwhile, the recent
publication of the third edition of the
controversial Consumer Protection Report
aims to educate the public and the industry
on what protection is really on offer from
trade bodies and IBG providers. Since
launching the Home Insulation & Energy
Systems Contractors Scheme (HIES) with Nick
Ross, it has grown steadily, attracting both
regional and national installers, and
underwrites all renewable products and all of
the 45 Green Deal and Eco Measures.
27 Chris Cooke,
Prefix Systems
Continues to impress with an assured and
steady performance in a market that has
been declining.
Chris Cooke
Chris Cooke and co-director Chris Baron run
Prefix Systems, which is the UK’s largest
independent conservatory specialist,
operating across three sites. The company
has always been quick to identify trends in
the market and was the first to offer an
extended range of coloured roofs.
The company is now leading the way in
the Garden Room and extended living sector
and are recognised as the driving force
behind re-defining the conservatory market.
Their new Garden Room roof is experiencing
considerable growth following the successful
launch in 2012 and their dedicated R&D
function is already working on further
products for the extended living market.
➠
28 Dave Jones,
VEKA
Tony Pickup continually strives to improve
consumer protection in the industry and in
2013 he has been busy. DGCOS has gone
from strength to strength, with its own
exclusive insurance brokerage, Consumer
Protection Insurance, the sole insurance
backed guarantee provider in the UK for
Enterprise Insurance. One of its biggest
success stories has been in helping
homeowner Mr Young. After ordering a
new
entry
The market is still waiting to see the logic
behind VEKA’s merger, or acquisition of WHS
Halo, and what potential synergies emerge.
Synergies usually involve cuts to people and
profile, so they are easy to demonstrate to
investors and owners. They are harder to
implement or communicate to staff,
customers and the market. VEKA has yet to
explain convincingly, what is VEKA?
The last 12 months have seen Dave Jones
lead The VEKA UK Group through one of the
most exciting times in the company’s 27-year
UK history. Following the Bowater/Halo
WINDOW INDUSTRIES
Dave Jones
acquisition in 2011, he has continued to
build on the strength of the new group,
leading it to its current position as the
industry’s most powerful force and the No. 1
manufacturer of window profile in the UK. A
multi-million pound investment programme is
well under way across both the Burnley and
Minworth sites, which includes the
construction of the UK’s most technically
advanced mixing plant.
With 20 years’ experience at VEKA, Dave
has played a major part in many of the
company's and the industry’s key milestones.
A qualified polymer chemist, Dave is
extremely hands-on with every aspect of the
manufacturing process at VEKA.
29 Mark
Richmond,
Selecta Systems
new
entry
Mark is a passionate and committed
ambassador for Selecta. He has continuously
found ways to get Selecta in the news and
find new customers on small budgets that
would defeat most industry marketers. His
boot-strap marketing includes driving the
Selecta Showroom around the country to
bring his product to the market. Mark has
consistently focused on one segment and as
a result has a relatively high market share of
those fabricators doing less than 100 frames
a week. His commitment and mileage is very
high.
Mark Richmond continues to be the driving
force behind the success of Selecta Systems.
This year, Selecta has seen sales grown
significantly at a time where the market is
shrinking. Selecta’s success is based on
looking after small and medium sized
fabricators that aren’t getting the support
they need from suppliers. Most other systems
companies are focused on a two-tier level of
service where larger companies get the lion’s
share and other companies are left to fend
for themselves.
42 SEPTEMBER 2013
INFLUENTIAL
F
E
A T
U
R
E
Mark
Richmond
A white van!
Mark’s energy and enthusiasm means he
has a ‘hands-on-role’ and spends at least
three days a week with customers and
prospects.
30 White Van
Man
new
entry
One of the real winners in the last two years.
White Van Man’s share of the installation
market is somewhere north of 20%.
Beloved of home improvement TV shows
and the GGF, White Van Man is a convenient
scapegoat for the industry’s poor practices
and poor reputation. But White Van Man is a
growing and profitable sector.
The trade counter market has developed to
service it profitably, and few trade fabricators
can say they don’t sell to them at all. They
are untouchable by legislation, because they
avoid the light and many ignore petty
regulations and red tape. If we really want to
banish them the industry has to raise its own
game so the public can see the difference
and make an informed choice.
With low overheads and opportunities to
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WINDOW INDUSTRIES
buy value trade fabricators from a fabricator
or trade outlet White Van Man is poised to
do even better. That’s something worth
thinking about!
Agree or disagree? Think you
could do better? Send your
comments or
version of The Top 30 Most
Influential to the editor
SEPTEMBER 2013
A Westbury Garden
Rooms orangery for a
listed town house in
Oxfordshire
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