4 | JANUARY 2019
Installer News
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
GGF Responds to
Safeglaze Closure
Following the an-
nouncement of Safeglaze
going into administration,
Kevin Buckley, Group Chief
Executive of the Glass and
Glazing Federation, has
issued a statement to clarify
that Safeglaze was not in
any way connected to the
GGF and/or its group of
commercial companies and
to underline the importance
of consumer protection
when administration or
liquidation occurs.
It is always unfortunate
to witness the failure of any
business within the glass
and glazing industry – and
doubly so when it is the clo-
sure of a large, high-profile
business such as Safeglaze.
Even though Safeglaze
was neither a GGF Mem-
ber nor a FENSA registered
company, the GGF Group
still sympathize with the
individuals who may have
been affected including; em-
ployees who have lost their
jobs, suppliers who may
have suffered financially
and homeowners who have
possibly been left without
any deposit protection or
insurance backed guaran-
tees.
Recent media coverage
would indicate that a num-
ber of current and future
Safeglaze customers are in
a state of confusion and are
concerned as to where they
stand with regards to their
guarantees, paid deposits
and incomplete installa-
tions.
We understand that
Safeglaze was part of other
trade organisations and we
hope their customers will
be protected and supported
through this catastrophic
period.
As the leading trade
association to the glazing in-
dustry, the GGF appreciates
that economic uncertainty
can affect businesses both
large and small. The GGF
and its commercial compa-
nies, often meet with Mem-
bers and clients to listen to
their concerns and to offer
help where possible, to
ensure they continue to run
their businesses effectively.
We advise all homeown-
ers looking to have glazing
work carried out at their
home, to thoroughly check
the credentials of any firm
they are looking to em-
ploy and to check what (if
any) trade bodies they are
registered with. We also rec-
ommend that homeowners
make sure they are using a
recognised Competent Per-
son Scheme such as FENSA
and to obtain protection for
both guarantees and any
deposits paid, to ensure
they are protected, should
the worst happen.
In the meantime, in order
to determine the best ave-
nue for recourse and raise
any concerns regarding the
closure, we advise Safeglaze
customers to contact the rel-
evant associations/schemes
to whom Safeglaze were
affiliated with and used to
offer their customers pro-
tection.
Kevin Buckley
GGF Group Chief Executive
www.ggf.org.uk
www.MyGlazing.com
HYBRID SEALANTS FOR
A NEW GENERATION
Charles Hodgson,
managing director of
Hodgson Sealants, outlines
the features of their latest
range of HY-SPEC hybrid
sealants and with silicone
prices at near record highs,
it’s a product development
from a UK manufacturer
for the future.
We’ve just celebrated
our 50th business anni-
versary as a business that
was started by my Father
back in 1968 and today
is the UK’s largest inde-
pendent manufacturer of
sealants. With a research
and development facility
at our head office in Hull,
we are blessed with the
resources to develop new
products specifically for
the demands of the UK
market. Indeed, we’re also
an active part of the Made
In Britain campaign.
Silicone generally works
well across a number of
different applications, but
for a number of years now
we’ve been developing
something that would out-
perform it and at a compet-
itive price point. HY-SPEC
is a new generation range
of sealants that are strong
and flexible, solvent free,
UV resistant and paintable
among other features.
HY-SPEC hybrid sealants
benefit from unique organ-
ic polymers that combine
the typical qualities of
silicones, such as high elas-
ticity and of polyurethanes
which offer paintability
and enhanced mechanical
strength properties. The
development of this new
range has enabled us to ex-
tract the precise properties
for the intended task from
maximum flexibility to the
highest bond strengths.
There are also other spe-
cialist properties such as
crystal-clear finishes and
antimicrobial protection for
specific applications.
Seal & Bond
This product is a gener-
al-purpose sealant and ad-
hesive with HY-SPEC hybrid
technology and cures to a
permanently highly elastic
and durable compound
for almost all sealing and
bonding applications. Ex-
cellent adhesion is achieved
to most substrates includ-
ing PVCu, timber, metals,
brockwork, GRP, glass,
ceramics, concrete and most
plastics and will adhere to
damp surfaces even in wet
conditions.
It’s a product that can
be applied for internal and
external applications in
industrial, building and con-
struction applications.
Powerbond
One of the key benefits of
HY-SPEC is the fact that we
have been able to develop
a range for specific appli-
cations. Powerbond is one
such hybrid development
boasting high adhesive
properties and an initial
tack that quickly cures into
a permanently flexible and
durable compound.
It offers great adhesive
properties, hence the name,
and sticks to just about any
material and can be used to
bond skirting boards, PVCu
trims, insulation panels,
cable ducting, plasterboard,
floor boards etc even in
damp conditions.
CrystalSeal
Crystal Seal by definition
cures to a permanently
highly elastic and durable
compound, suitable for
nearly all sealing and adhe-
sive applications where an
invisible joint is required. It
can be applied to damp sur-
faces, is paintable and offer
no shrinkage and is particu-
larly useful with glass.
Hygiene Seal
This has been a specif-
ic development using our
Charles Hodgson
HY-SPEC hybrid know-how
and is protected by BioCote
Silver Antimicrobial tech-
nology, to create a product
upon which bacteria and
microbes cannot survive. It
helps create the perfect hy-
gienic surface for all joints
and is superior to tradition-
al antibacterial materials
that degrade over time.
BioCote protected
HygieneSeal has been
proven to reduce bacteria
and microbes by up to
99.99% verses MOD ISO
22196:2011 and can also be
applied on damp surfaces.
It’s perfect in communal
areas such as those found
in schools, hospitals, care
homes, waiting rooms and
prisons.
LiquidSeal
This product differs in
that it is more fluid in na-
ture yet based on our prov-
en HY-SPEC hybrid technol-
ogy for waterproof sealing
in construction applications.
It can be applied by brush,
roller or spray application
and has been essentially de-
signed for the protection of
building from water ingress
and air leakage.
It’s weather and UV resist-
ant and can be applied to
a wider range of substrates
including brick, stone, con-
crete, tiles, coated metals,
GRP, some plastics and can
be used over bitumen based
products. A wide range of
applications include flat
roofing, guttering and can
be even used as an air
barrier coating for walls and
floors, to help meet the re-
quirements of Part L of the
Building Regulations.
The develop of HY-SPEC
has come from the adoption
of next generation organic
polymers, which we can
carefully develop for spe-
cific applications. Already
we’ve seen a strong uptake
from builders merchants,
trade counters and con-
tractors and with the price
pressures of silicone as a
material, we believe we’ve
developed a new range of
hybrid sealants that far out-
perform traditional silicones
and at a strong price point.
As a company that’s firmly
founded in the UK and
part of the Made In Britain
initiative, we’re well placed
for the future and we
will be able to showcase
what these and our other
product developments can
do for installers at the FIT
Show in May. Please visit
us on stand F35, or for
further information visit
www.hodgsonsealants.com