Pro Installer September 2018 - Issue 66 | Page 11

SEPTEMBER 2018 | 11 News Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk Mace’s mixed-use development plans for Sheffield approved Wood experts West Port gain their 50th trade customer in 2018 Top-drawer timber manufacturer West Port is celebrating signing up its 50th new trade custom- er in a year of incredible growth. Over twenty years, the Cumbria business has estab- lished itself at the forefront of Britain’s timber fenestra- tion sector, providing some of the country’s finest wood windows and doors, and working with some of the biggest names in UK con- struction. Until recently, however, the firm’s footprint in the trade sector has been rela- tively small. Classically, West Port has been a commercial- ly-focused company – but last year, that all changed. Given the continuing rise of high-end glazing, fuelled by aspirational end-us- ers looking for products that boast both stunning aesthetics and outstanding Mace’s plans for a mixed- use residential and student development on Hoyle Street in the centre of Sheffield have been approved by Sheffield City Council. performance, West Port saw a huge opportunity to make headway in the trade sector, as Managing Director Sean Parnaby explains: “Consumer tastes have changed drastically over the last ten to fifteen years. Where once homeowners were happy with white uPVC, many are now inter- ested in anything but.” www.west-port.co.uk JWC WINDOWS BECOMES A PROFILE 22 FABRICATOR from its 15,000 square foot factory in Rotherham. It supplies customers in York- shire and the Midlands and prides itself on providing quality products at compet- itive prices. Alongside its PVC-U production facilities it also has an in-house glass shop where it manufactures units including Planitherm Total+ units with warm edge spacer and argon gas. It has an in-house spray shop too so it is able to offer a complete service to its customers. South Yorkshire trade windows and doors suppli- er JWC Windows has just announced it has become a Profile 22 fabricator. JWC Windows will be fabricating the Optima chamfered and sculptured windows, patio doors and the Flush Casement Window. The products will be market- ed as The Welcome Range by JWC Windows. They will join the comprehensive range of products that JWC Windows offers and enable the business to add further value to its customers. JWC Windows currently manufactures window and door products for the com- mercial and trade sectors www.profile22.co.uk Rippin Limited go in to administration Blair Nimmo and Alistair McAlinden of KPMG LLP were appoint- ed as Joint Administrators of Rippin Limited on 13 August 2018. The Cowden- beath-based company, established in 1974, is a leading structural steel fabricator operating across Scotland and the north of England provid- ing services to the UK construction industry. At the time of the ap- pointment, the business employed 25 people, all of whom are based at the company’s site in Cowdenbeath. In recent months, Rippin Limited had experienced cash flow difficulties due to a significant downturn in orders, as well as custom- ers withholding payment as a result of contractual disputes. Following the Joint Ad- ministrators’ appointment, all the company’s 25 em- ployees have been made redundant. The Joint Administrators are now working through a wind down of the company’s operations as they seek offers for the principal assets comprising stock and plant equipment. Blair Nimmo, Joint Administrator and KPMG’s Head of Restructuring, said: “In light of challenging trading conditions and significant cash flow diffi- culties, Rippin was unable to continue trading.” The plans were ap- proved by the Planning Committee on the afternoon of Tuesday 14 August. The proposed develop- ment will bring a neglected part of Sheffield’s industrial heritage to the fore, making the iconic Grade II listed cementation furnace on the site the focal point of the development. The residential element of the project includes 247 new homes, made up of studios, one bed and two bed flats all set around a landscaped courtyard. The student scheme will consist of 658 student beds, comprising studios, cluster flats and townhouses, which also benefit from dedicated, private open space. It has been designed by Jefferson Sheard Architects, working out of their Shef- field office, and CBRE has advised Mace on planning. The site is close to the University of Sheffield main campus, in walking distance to the City Centre and has the amenities of Kelham Island on its doorstep.