Clearview North February 2014 - Issue 147 | Page 14

INDUSTRYNEWS SEVERE WEATHER & RISING ENERGY COSTS BOOSTS ENQUIRIES TrustMark, the Government endorsed quality mark for tradesmen, has recorded its greatest year to date for tradesmen details displayed on the website (www.trustmark. org.uk). Window installers and glaziers saw the largest rise in 2013, primarily due to homeowners wanting to cut their rising energy costs. In 2013 more than five million search results were provided to homeowners who used the website and telephone helpline to find local tradesmen. Severe weather conditions across the UK contributed significantly to the December growth in demand for flood recovery specialists, fence installers and underground waterproofing specialists. Stuart Carter, Head of PR & Marketing at TrustMark, said: “Soaring energy prices coupled with extreme weather have been key contributors for homeowners seeking out our tradesmen last year. We are delighted to see such high figures as it shows that consumers are searching for qualified and reputable tradesman to do their work rather than looking on any ‘find a trader’ websites, which carry out little or no checks on the firms they are listing. “TrustMark tradesmen’s details have been increasing year on year and this has been a result of a number of increased marketing initiatives carried out during 2013, improved website activity and working closely in partnership with Government departments, our member firms, scheme operators and key consumer organisations such as Citizens Advice, Age UK and the Trading Standards Institute who are all signposting people to TrustMark.” BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2013 Window and Door manufacturer, Polyframe, is proud to announce that it has received the prestigious Halifax Courier Business of the Year Award. The Awards, now in their seventh year, were established to celebrate business success in the Calderdale Region. Chris Watson, Group Managing Director commented, “It was a great honour to win this award at the first time of asking and it is a testament to all our dedicated staff that the business has been recognized in this way.” The Business Award is judged on year on year growth, innovation, community and social responsibility and community support – all of which Polyframe were able to demonstrate to good effect for the Judging Panel. Polyframe has four factories within the UK, 3 window and door manufacturing plants located in Halifax, Norwich and Portadown, and a dedicated Door factory in Mansfield. As the business continues to grow The Polyframe Group will benefit with investment in new plant/ machinery, along with further investment in internal software to help with the increased workload in all factories. Chris continued, “This investment ensures that we are in a very strong position to continue the phenominal growth that we have experienced into 2014 and beyond.” £1 million extrusion investment closes the loop VEKA Recycling Ltd is closing the recycling loop in the UK with its investment of almost £1 million in its UK facility to produce high-quality recyclate suitable for a wide range of new PVC-U extruded products. A new compounding line installed at its Kent site enables VEKA Recycling, an accredited Recovinyl recycler, to supply UK and European markets with PVC-U pellet derived from post-industrial or post-consumer window frame material. This is in addition to the existing supplies of both pellet and 14 FEB 2014 micronised PVC-U (pulver) from its German and French factories. Tony Cattini, Managing Director of VEKA Recycling, said this investment in UK capacity will help to meet continuing demand for recycled content in new products with all the associated economic and environmental benefits for manufacturers and consumers. “It also underlines our commitment to progressive growth and development in this sector as well as continuing to offer a sustainable and reliable outlet for PVC window waste,” he continued. Observing ‘encouraging trends’ going into 2014, Tony added: “We have a new string to our bow now we can supply directly from our UK factory, offering a quality and consistent supply to manufacturers.” To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com