FROMTHEEDITOR
PROUD SPONSOR OF INDUSTRY NEWS
Fire safety still the hot topic
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IF YOU DIDN ’ T ALREADY know , the annual ‘ Fire Door Safety Week ’ takes place at the end of this month . Held across the week of 24-30 September , the campaign was born back in 2012 and saw steady growth until 2017 when a record number of 273 organisations took part ( over 50 % more than the previous year ), more than 350 pieces of media covered the event , and there were over 19,300 visits to the official website and a reach of almost 485,000 on its Facebook and Twitter pages .*
Why am I telling you this ? Well , it isn ’ t because I ’ ve suddenly switched to the Fire Door Safety Week marketing team , but the media pack for the campaign certainly makes for a compelling read .
The Grenfell Tower tragedy was undoubtedly the cause of the huge surge of interest in last year ’ s figures , but the aftermath of the incident , its ongoing enquiry , and a massive call to action across the industry means that the matter of fire safety has remained at the forefront of our minds – and hearts – for a lot longer . For so many people to have lost their lives in something that could ’ ve ( and should ’ ve ) been prevented is the worst tragedy of all , but if it means changes are made throughout the sector , and buildings are designed , constructed , and maintained to a safer standard in the future , we can maybe be appeased that there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon .
As for the campaign at the end of the month , in the organisers ’ own words , Fire Door Safety Week focuses on :
• “ Raising awareness of the critical role of fire doors , drawing attention to a legacy of neglect and specific concerns related to product selection , installation and maintenance .
• Encourage building owners and users to check the operation and condition of their fire doors and to report those that aren ’ t satisfactory .
• Link together the initiatives of many organisations with common interests in the fire door and passive fire protection industries .
• Engage and educate people , helping the whole building industry and every property owner to understand the correct specification , supply , installation , operation , inspection and maintenance of fire doors .”
For our part , this month we have a Fire Safety Extra section that covers fire doors , fire windows , specialist hardware and access controls , and as always , I invite contributions from all levels to keep this conversation going as much as possible . For as we know , staying silent on fire safety will not make a difference .
Gemma , Editor
* Figures taken from the FDSW Media Pack , which can be found at www . firedoorsafetyweek . co . uk
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
No guts in glazing ?
Following a period of consolidation and unrest in the industry , smaller firms need to show guts and embrace innovation if they are going to survive .
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THE NUMBER OF companies trading in the glass and glazing sector is falling but the average number of frames being produced each week is on the rise – as more and more small and medium sized manufacturers and installers are acquired by larger companies .
In the current trading conditions , several industry heavyweights are also seeing their profits squeezed .
Compared to many of our European neighbours , we don ’ t invest as heavily in innovation and research and development in the UK . Part of the reason for this is that we sometimes aren ’ t brave enough to charge a premium – or create a culture of high value - for our products , which in turn then allows companies to achieve the margins required to invest more heavily in innovation .
It ’ s something we ’ re trying to change at TWR and over the last few years we ’ ve invested consistently in machinery , new products and innovation . This has allowed us to achieve year on year growth over the last five years , and become one of the biggest employers in the region operating over three factories .
I believe that there is a lack of guts in the UK amongst many business owners . Not all of course , but whether it ’ s investing in new initiatives or looking at options like exporting – we need to be braver , to survive not just in our industry but within the UK economy .
Terry Richardson , TWR Bifolds Managing Director
4 » SEP 2018 » CLEARVIEW-UK . COM