Pro Installer July 2018 - Issue 64 | Page 8

8 | JULY 2018 News Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk EUROCELL PROTECTS CUSTOMERS WITH ACCREDITED CYBER SECURITY protect against ‘ unskilled internet- In the wake of recent cyber STATE-OF-THE- ART FACTORY IN JUST 60 DAYS attacks on a well-known manu- facturer in the industry, Eurocell – the UK’s leading manufacturer, dis- tributor and recycler of window, door, conservatory and roofline products – is pleased to reassure its customers and suppliers that it already has measures in place to guard against hackers. These measures are accredited under the Government backed scheme, Cyber Essentials, to protect its cus- tomers, suppliers – and Eurocell – from cyber attacks. In the worst case, he said, a cyber attack could stop a company receiving even phone calls, emails or faxes, or generating barcodes for products, so its whole stock VEKA Group is always proud to go ‘above and beyond’ when it comes to providing excellent customer service. This was particularly evident when the Industry-leading systems supplier helped a long-standing VEKA fabricator get up and run- ning with a completely new, fully functioning factory, supplying a new system, in less than 60 days! Gwent-based Modplan has established a fantastic new business partnership with home improvement specialists Leekes, and agreed to supply the company with VEKA Group’s high-quality Halo System 10 products from a purpose-built facility. VEKA Business Development Manager (West) Ian Smith ex- plains: “Leekes chose Modplan to be the main supplier of all windows, selected doors and con- servatories, after researching com- panies up and down the UK. “Modplan has a fantastic rep- utation for quality and customer service, so it was no surprise that they should secure such a contract, and VEKA was proud to help them hit the ground run- ning. “The Modplan team have been supplying the full range of VEKA products to the trade for more than 22 years.” www.vekauk.com based attackers using commodity capabilities ’ management, manufacturing and delivery system would fail. Cyber Essentials, now a mini- mum requirement for bidding for some government contracts, aids companies in implementing basic levels of cyber security. It enables organisations to assess themselves against five basic security controls, while a qualified assessor verifies the information provided. The five basic controls within Cyber Essentials were chosen because, when properly implemented, they will help to protect against unskilled internet-based attackers using commodity capabilities – which are freely available on the internet. www.eurocell.co.uk David Leng joins expert panel at Glazing Summit David Leng, group chief ex- ecutive at Customade Group, has urged any owners considering sell- ing their firms to think ahead and look at how they can add value to their businesses before they begin the sales process. David, who joined a panel of experts on merg- ers and acquisitions at the recent Glazing Summit conference, also called for them to be ‘straightfor- ward’ with their figures to aid the process of selling their business. Sharing his experiences of buy- ing and selling almost 20 compa- nies in the fenestration industry, David said: “Investors need good reasons to buy a company, so the first step for any vendor is to spend time examining their own business model before they even put their firm up for sale”. In light of the industry experi- encing a 30% drop in fabricators whilst the number of installers rises, David and the rest of the Glazing Summit panel also offered practical advice to potential ven- dors on how to raise their profile in advance of a sale and how to secure the right buyer. www.customade.co.uk CIC calls for an industry-imposed moratorium on the use of combustible materials in high rise cladding systems At the CIC Members’ Conference, held on 17/18 May, members present welcomed the announce- ment by The Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Com- munities and Local Govern- ment, on 17 May, that the government will consult on banning the use of combus- tible materials in cladding systems on high-rise resi- dential buildings. The CIC Members present at the Conference, stressed that it was essen- tial to begin the formal consultation as soon as possible. They also agreed that it would be appropri- ate for the industry itself to impose a moratorium on the use of combustible materials in cladding sys- tems on buildings over 18 metres, until there is a clear decision by the government on the definition, classi- fication, testing and use of combustible cladding & insulation materials for high-rise residential and other higher risk buildings. The use of combustible ma- terials in cladding systems on buildings less than 18m high should be subject to careful review on a case-by- case basis. The industry-imposed moratorium should be in conjunction with the work on fire and structural safety recommended in the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. CIC will make a formal response to the Independ- ent Review of Building Regulations and Fire safety following two Council meetings in June, well before the deadline set by MHCLG and CIC will respond, in due course, to the consultations on desk top studies in lieu of testing and on banning combustible materials in cladding systems on high- rise residential buildings. cic.org.uk