TEL: 01623 443 200 FAX: 01623 550 243 WITH THIS ISSUE A sample of our Tie Bolt - visit email: [email protected] www.synseal.com Synseal won the Best Small Budget Campaign (under £25k) category of the prestigious Construction Marketing Awards 2005, presented during a ceremony in London at the end of November. The cost of the winning direct marketing campaign came in somewhat under £25,000 - in fact, the total bill was £480, including postage! Nick Dutton Nick Dutton see page 2
If you would like extra copies of The Synseal Times
for your sales teams, showrooms etc.call Phil Else on 01623 443 200
the the times timesthe timesand finally.....
WITH THIS ISSUEA sample of our Tie Bolt - visit
www.synseal.com/tiebarremovalkit
£22 million investment programme complete
It was a bumpy ride in2005, although somedid a lot better thanothers and kept ongrowing. Theeconomy started toweaken in August2004 as rising debt,higher interest ratesand a larger tax takemeant homeowners
had less to spend on improvements. Consumerconfidence took a knock and many projects wereput on hold. But those who had the rightproducts to tempt homeowners did better thanthose who had yesterday's products. Those whoinvested in appropriate sales and marketing dida lot better than those who sat and twiddledtheir thumbs. It was not a year for the slowmoving or complacent.
For Synseal, and Synseal's customers, 2005 was a
milestone in more ways than one. On the windows
side, a year after launch, 127 companies are
fabricating SynerJy. The acquisition of Permacell
Finesse Ltd and the Legend70 brand at the end of
2005 also puts Synseal into the lead in window
systems, and makes us the largest user of PVC in the
UK. And for conservatories global kit sales were up
20.54% in the fourth quarter of 2005, and up a
massive 60% in January 2006. global600 sales have
already exceeded expectations and we expect this
to increase in 2006.
Keeping up the momentum requires significant
investment and in the past 12 months we've
invested £22 million in Huthwaite. And a new
100,000 square foot factory is being built taking the
total factory space to nearly 600,000 square foot.
We were also delighted to win the Best Small
Budget Campaign (under £25,000) category of the
prestigious Construction Marketing Awards 2005.
The judges described our campaign as an innovative
and outstanding use of direct marketing. The cost of
the direct marketing campaign came in well under
£25,000 - in fact the total bill was £480, including
postage - which shows that direct marketing doesn't
have to be expensive to be effective. Whether we're
launching a new product or brochure, we make sure
its ready before our customers need it. It's all about
seizing opportunities and
acting fast.
Phil Else, Marketing Manager comments: “It was oneof the toughest categories with more finalists thanmost, so we are of course delighted to scoop theprize for what was described as an innovative andoutstanding use of direct marketing. The campaigncame about last April, when we got reliableinformation that a well known multinational buildingmaterials company was about to announce theclosure of its UK subsidiary systems company toimport products from across Europe. We instinctivelyfelt their customers would see the resultinguncertainty as an opportunity for change. We alsoknew we had to act quickly which, with our style ofmanagement, we were able to do.
“We decided on a direct marketing postcardcampaign, sending a series of seven postcards – onea day for seven days – aimed directly at the 150customers affected. Our first postcard reached thetargeted customers’ desks before the multinationalhad informed them of their intentions. Theremaining series of cards went out daily and werefollowed with a phone call to fix appointments withmembers of our sales team.
“The results show that direct marketing doesn’t haveto be expensive to be effective. It’s all about seizingopportunities and acting fast with the right messageto a highly focused target audience.”
With the addition of Legend70 to the Synseal portfolio ofproducts, Synseal has set its sights on the commercial sector. Anda new position has been created for Jerry Brookes as Synseal’sCommercial Sales Development Manager. “I have worked in thecommercial sector for many years,” explains Jerry. “As I wasNational Sales Manager at PFL at the time of acquisition, existingcustomers will get continuity of service. And I also bring with meknowledge of the products and marketplace. My new role is todevelop commercial sales for Synseal through new and existingcustomers. This is a great opportunity for me, working in my areaof expertise for the market leader in windows.”
Nick Dutton adds: “As the largest PVC products manufacturer in the UK – as reported in leadingplastics journal PRW in Autumn 2005 – it makes sense for us to gives our customers in thecommercial sector the same market advantages as those who currently operate in the trade andretail markets. Following the acquisition, we now have the right products and brand heritage inplace to achieve just this. And experienced people like Jerry will help achieve just this.
More on Synseal’s plans for the commercial sector in the next issue.
synseal scoops first place in construction marketingawards 2005
Synseal won the Best Small Budget Campaign (under £25k)category of the prestigious Construction Marketing Awards2005, presented during a ceremony in London at the end ofNovember. The cost of the winning direct marketing campaigncame in somewhat under £25,000 - in fact, the total bill was£480, including postage!
setting our sights on the commercial sector
Nick Dutton Sales & Marketing Director
A new 100,000 square footfactory is being built taking the
In the past 12 months we’ve invested £22 million in Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire. And there’s more to come.
new areasales manager
Synseal newcomer Simon Walkeris looking forward to his role asArea Sales Manager for EastEngland. “I’ve worked in thewindow industry for 14 years,”explains Simon. “And I’ve seenhow Synseal has grown in adifficult market. That’s why Ibelieve my move to Synseal isexcellent for my long termfuture. My new role is to helpcustomers in the east of England,from Hull down to Brighton withnew products and sales andmarketing support. I’m excitedabout working with a forwardthinking company.”
Phil Else and Nick Dutton receiving the CMA Award
For the third year running Synseal takes poleposition at Glassex, right by the entrance. Thisyear's stand features the latest developmentswith global600, the new concept in low pitchconservatory roofing. Also showcasing isSynerJy blu, the fully sculptured suite thatseamlessly integrates windows, doors, patiosand conservatories, in blue-white. The recentacquisition of Permacell Finesse Ltd has alsoadded to the Synseal range. And for the firsttime ever Legend70 will be at Glassex.
In 2005 part of Synseal's crowd pulling displaywas homed in Synseal's state of the artexhibition vehicle, EVie. This year it's time forEVii, displaying SynerJy and global, to be part ofthe show.
We look forward to welcoming you to Stand B070- you can't miss it - Glassex March 5th-8th
pole position at
glassex 2006
see page 2
Nick Dutton
synseal customersget steel cut for free“Six metre lengths of steel are difficult to manoeuvre and wastage is high for
many customers,” explains Nick Dutton. “We asked how we could make it
easier for our customers. We thought about supplying shorter lengths for
easier handling but that just creates more waste. Our solution is a
complete range of ready to use lengths, boxed for delivery. And
Synseal hasn’t changed the price – pre-cut steel is the same linear
price as a 6m length.”
When Nick told one customer about Synseal’s pre-cut steel
he was amazed to get this additional service for free. “It
really is that simple,” adds Nick. “It’s one of the dirtiest
and time consuming jobs in the factory, making swarf
and sparks and no-one really wants to do it, not to
mention significant Health and Safety issues. This way you
don’t have to. Just order the lengths you require, and we
cut it for FREE. It’s a steel!”
SynerJy gets BBAand Kitemark
Synseal is pleased to announce SynerJy has nowsuccessfully been assessed by the BBA. “In November wewere awarded the Kitemark,” explains Bob Priest,Synseal's Quality Standards Manager, “and now we havethe BBA system assessment, and expect to have the BBAnumber in March. Both these standards are a third partyaccreditation of the strength and suitability for the profileto be made into windows. Having this makes it easier forour fabricators to get BBA approval on the finishedproducts they make as the profile already haspassed the tests.”
bolt in a boxWith this edition of the Synseal Times you'll find a box - and in the box there's a bolt- this is Synseal's tie bolt. Since the tie bolt system was launched in March 2005 wehave eliminated the need for five way tie bars, and reduced the need for three waytie bars by 40%
The tie bolt is a security bolt for conservatory roofs. Launched in the winter of 2004 it wasthe first dedicated tie bar removal system. When it's used in the calculated positions withthe new stainless steel eaves beam cleat, the tie bolt enhances the structural performanceof the conservatory. The13mm M8 bolt incorporates an internal grub screw that simplyscrews up through the head of the bolt and bites into the glazing bar. This simpledevelopment achieves a phenomenal performance.
At our testing facility in Huthwaite we hung almost 1.5 tonnesin a sheer 90 degree drop from one of the security bolts!Alternative systems failed at just over the 1 tonne mark.This simple evolution of just one tie bolt has cut theexcessive cost of five way tie bar systems and it'smuch quicker to install. And with improvedappearance and performance the whole conservatoryis much easier to sell to homeowners. Those conservatory systems suppliers who use manyfive way tie bar systems know how unpopular theycan be.
1.5tonnes
lives on in nottinghamshireThe recent relocation of the manufacturing facilitiesfor Legend70 to Huthwaite was like a militarymanoeuvre, with seven complete extrusion lines, 58extrusion tools as well as all the stock to move in justone day - 87 truck loads in all.
Nick Dutton comments: “The move means all profilemanufacturing will be in one place with obviousbenefits to our customers. We have fine tuned themanufacturing process over many years, and constantly
look for ways to improve it. Moving Legend toHuthwaite means it too will benefit from themassive facilities, technical support andmarketing that drive Synseal’s growth.Legend customers are already seeing thebenefits of product development with ahigher gloss finish to the profile, and furthermanufacturing improvements are in thepipeline. Additional marketing support with anew brochure for homeowners is availablenow.
“In the past 12 months we’ve invested £22million in Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire. Andthere’s more to come. A new 100,000 squarefoot factory is being built taking the total
factory space to nearly 600,000 square feet.Completion is planned for June. And, we’vecommissioned 17 new Legend mainframeextrusion tools – anadditional investment of £1.4million.
“Cellular foam too will get aboost. The additional spacefreed up by moving Legendfrom Silver End releases amuch needed increase inproduction capacity of cellularfoam, enabling the Permacellrange to grow in line withSynseal’s expectations.”
product updateproduct update
KM30983
For those of you who missed Nick's most recent article in Glass Age's Nick's in theChair series, The Synseal Times has re-printed his article.
NICK’S IN THE CHAIR
glass age/2005
Reacting to Chancellor GordonBrown's pre-Budget Report inmid-December, 2005, Sir DigbyJones, CBI Director-General said,“If we don't invest more ininnovation and skills, as well asstimulate the success of smallbusiness, frankly we will get leftbehind by economies that havemuch lower costs.”
Despite the gloom and doom-mongering, British manufacturedgoods can compete. They arefrequently superior, and oftenless expensive if you take intoaccount all the hidden costs.
Few would argue the benefits ofbuying global products such asTee-shirts from the Far East orApple's iPOD designed in theWest and made at low cost in China. But the rationale for some outsourcing is hard to fathom.
Paying for your poison Recently it emerged that supermarkets areimporting apples from New Zealand, re-exporting them to South Africa for coating with astay-fresh chemical, then re-importing them backto the UK. If the apples weren't travelling so farand spending so long en route - up to a yearbefore we eat them - they might not need thestay-fresh coating and we wouldn't be paying toeat another unnecessary chemical.
If you buy imported or multi-national windowsystems you could be paying a lot more. Toinnovate, you need to be hands on. You need tosee how your product appears in the market; andto have a deep understanding of how and whereit is used. To get that you need to listen to yourcustomers, be they fabricators, installers orcommercial specifiers. You need their feedback.
But it's not enough to rely on second handexperience. You ought to make, install and useyour own product in the market you aretargeting, so you really feel what it can or can'tdo. I suppose what I'm saying is, you need to eat,sleep and breathe your product. With a passion.So you are aware before anybody else ofimprovements that would make it more attractiveto British eyes, alterations that would make itmore user-friendly, innovations that might take itonto a different plane altogether.
It was only by assembling and installing Synseal'soriginal Shield conservatory system - completewith sides and gutters - that we realised theoverlap in roof and gutter components. Bylooking hard at the complete building we wereable to replace several components with oneitem, which saved effort, time and money, andlooked significantly better.
Innovation that is easy on the eye Again, it was only by assembling many lowpitch conservatories, looking at installationsand talking to installers that we were able tocome up with the innovatory Global 600system. British homes are built in imperialmeasures, yet other low pitch conservatoryroofs are based on 500 mm centres, which justdon't look right when matching up to 600 mmcentres. Why weren't other roofs designed forthe British housing stock? Designing productsin a closed off laboratory, far from the action,or at arms length, far from the country theproducts end up in, is bound to limit yourvision and stunt your growth.
It helps to be in the same country! British manufacturers stand a better chance ofunderstanding what British customers wantbecause they live in the same climate, sufferthe same problems, survive the samegovernment, live the same lifestyle, andbreathe the same air. When it comes to breathing the same air, don'tforget delivery costs. Importing, whether byair, land or sea, costs more than money: airtravel is particularly heavy in terms ofenvironmental pollution. To quote just oneexample from the air travel calculatorwww.chooseclimate.org featured in theIndependent newspaper recently, flying with80% occupancy in a DC 747 jumbo jet fromHeathrow to Athens, the distance is 1,485miles, the fuel used is 250kg and theenvironmental cost in greenhouse gases is2,336kg CO2 per passenger. After a one-wayflight, a visitor would have to go withoutheating, cooking, lighting and transport for
two years and ninemonths to make upfor their impact on theenvironment. Thefigures for an entireaircraft are scary.Whatever else it is,importing ain't green.Outsourcing should bea last resort becauseyou risk losing control.JIT (just in time)frequently becomesJTL (just too late). Toprotect yourself, youneed huge stocks atthe ready, but stockand storage spacecosts you money.
To a hammer, everything looks like a nail.Remember all those clunky tilt and turnwindows European systems companies wantedyou to use instead of traditional Britishcasements designed for British housing? Manyhouses now struggle to sell at the full pricebecause they just don't look right withinappropriate Germanic tilt and turns.
Will it make your heart beat faster?Foreign manufacturers don't know _ can't know_ what the British customer likes or wants orneeds, unless they make the effort to find out.But adapting a European or World windowsystem to suit UK tastes adds significantly tocosts and operational complexity, and - theypersuade themselves - it must be easier andcheaper to persuade the UK to accept whatthey are offering. But, window systemsdesigned, like cars, on a European platform forseventeen different countries do not make theUK homeowner's heart beat faster.
So many small British window systemscompanies have been bought out; there are fewindependents left. Remarkably, they seem to bethe ones that are doing well. Why? Perhaps ithas something to do with proximity. Innovationgrows out of need and opportunities forimprovement. Proximity to market, closeness tocustomers and real understanding of problemsand needs are the roots of innovation.
We have ways of making you buy!You can't force the market to accept innovationsthat don't meet real UK needs. 'We have ways ofmaking you buy', might sound good in HeadOffice, wherever that is, but it doesn't quite cutit in the market.
NICK MAKES THE CASE FOR MANUFACTURING CLOSE TO THE MARKET
WHERE INNOVATION COMES FROM
stories “DESIGNING PRODUCTS IN ACLOSED OFF LABORATORY,FAR FROM THE ACTION, FARFROM THE COUNTRY THEPRODUCTS END UP IN, ISBOUND TO LIMIT YOUR VISIONAND STUNT YOUR GROWTH.”Nick Dutton, Synseal’s Sales and Marketing Director
conservatory and window villages opennew pilot franchise operation with globalOver 150 visitors attended the opening day at
Doncaster's Conservatory & Window Village,
the newly launched pilot franchise operation
from Conservatory and Window Villages
Limited. Seven conservatories are featured in
the new showroom all sporting Synseal's
global roofs. Four are standard sizes and three
are bespoke including the showroom's
impressive stand alone centrepiece.
Tony Warren and Mark Green, the Franchise
Partners of the new venture, located close to the
new Robin Hood Airport, were amazed at how
well the opening went. Another delighted party
was Richard Craig, Managing Director at
Conservatory and Window Villages: “Sixteen new
conservatory appointments were secured in two
days, which is a very exciting start,” he
comments. “This is a new concept for us. The
franchise works to a very open and honest
formula. There are no salesmen employed. It's
owner-managed with one partner being the
Installation Manager, the other the Builder,
allowing the same contacts to be with the
customers from start to finish. Our transparent
pricing policy ensures that customers can go
onto our website, get a quote, walk into a
showroom and have that same price honoured,
without any discrepancy. There are no hidden
catches and the customer saves money by paying
for their materials, installation and builder
separately.
“global is the only roof system we offer and the
new showroom is just the beginning. We are
looking to expand franchises nationwide and
would be very interested in hearing from any
keen parties,” he adds.
For further information
contact Richard Craig on 0870 7744 775
Seven conservatories are featured in
the new showroom all sporting
Synseal's Global roofs
Nick Dutton, Sales and Marketing Director,Synseal, congratulates Consort Ltd on tenyears of trading: “The market has moved on inthe last decade and I’m pleased to see ConsortLtd has made a great success of a formerSynseal business.”
When Synseal moved up the supply chain fromfabricator to systems company, it sold its windowand roof fabrication business to Consort Ltd,which now supplies predominantly to the tradeand new build.
“We have made a lot of changes since we boughtthe business from Synseal,” explains StuartBuchanan, Sales and Marketing Director, ConsortLtd. “It was a good move for us; it allowed us toget into the market. Conservatories are reallyimportant for us.”
Consort Ltd hasn’t severed all its linkswith Synseal, combining its own profileproducts with global roofs. Says NickDutton: “I’m very pleased to maintain arelationship with Consort on global”.
The company has grown since it’s launch, nowoccupying its own building of 45,000sq m inNottinghamshire and employing over 200 staff.“Overall we’ve since invested £3 million inmachinery and last year bought ten newvehicles,” explains Stuart Buchanan, who’slooking forward to another ten years of positivetrading. “The company’s success is partly due toits policy of continuous investment and risktaking. We’ll continue to focus on re-investment,making good product, on time and looking afterour customers’ best interests”.
Consort celebrates ten years ofindependence from Synseal
customer
Super fabricator Speedframe has added global roof and the SynerJy suite from
Synseal. “We fabricate between 7,000 and 10,000 frames a week,” explains Ian
Harrison, Speedframe’s Executive Chairman. “But that’s just part of our business.
Recently we have seen an increase in the number of orders for conservatory roofs. We
knew we wanted to switch suppliers for roofs and looked at global. And while we were
looking at global we saw the benefits of having the windows in the same colour
profile. So we’ve added the SynerJy suite
too. Adding a new profile supplier is a big
decision for us. We wanted to deal with a
British company who understands the
market. And we wanted to benefit from the
increase in conservatory sales. With global
and SynerJy we can provide a full service –
and the global roof and the new top
specification EnerJy window from
Speedframe is available now.”
switch tosynseal
We have seen massive changes in the
industry over the last 12 months, with
some well known industry names reacting
quickly to market trends and making
decisive changes to get fitter for the
future. One of these is Planet.
Planet has emerged from a high profile
management buy out with a renewed
focus in the North West and Midlands.
“Over 70% of Planet’s sales came from
the seven showrooms in these areas so it
made sense to refine our focus for the
long term future,” explains Dean St John,
Planet’s Chairman, “We’re projecting £30
million of sales in 2006 with a leaner and
fitter organisation. And to kick off the
New Year we’re pleased to announce a
new supplier for profile and roofs,
Synseal. We’ll be using SynerJy blu and
global blu, giving us a complete
conservatory system all in one colour.”
super fabricatorspeedframe
adds synerJy
Corby Windows grows withSynseal conservatory roofs“Synseal is the most pro-active supplier we have,” says Jason Wilder, Managing
Director of super-fabricator Corby Windows in Northamptonshire. “We went to
Synseal in 1993 because we were looking to offer our customers more choice
and better options, both in windows and conservatories. It obviously worked -
we were soon selling 3,000 frames a week
“Up to half of them were Synseal's Shield andmore recently we added SynerJy,” said Jason.“Synseal's profiles are Corby Windows'biggest selling frames in terms of volume.”
The year 2001 was a major turning point forCorby Windows. Building on the success ofthe Shield window, Synseal introduced theShield roof and created the concept of acomplete conservatory. “If we weren't thefirst manufacturer to offer the Shieldcomplete conservatory,” continues Jason,“we were certainly one of the first. Theinnovation of a matching roof literally tooksales through the roof! It was one colour, oneprofile and no mismatches. The profiles werecompatible and complemented each otherthroughout.
“Probably one of the reasons it worked sowell for us,” says Jason, “is because we do the
glass as well. So 'complete conservatory' inour case really did mean the whole works. Wewere ahead of the market and we took it bystorm. And all our roofs have British Board ofAgrément (BBA) approval.
“When I started this business with Philip DeClermont in 1993, we had a goal to makefifty frames a week,” continues Jason. “Thatseems like a joke now. At peak capacity, it issixty times that. I think a major part of thatgrowth is due to Synseal's foresight.Producing a compatible roof for its ownShield conservatories, and then listening tocustomer feedback and going on to producethe Global roof, which fitted any profile, wasthe masterstroke. The company doesn't reston its laurels and nor does Corby. Like us,they are always striving to improve theirproduct and their service. Corby and Synsealshare the same attitude.”
Gary Dutton, Chairman of Synseal with Ian Harrison, Executive Chairman of Speedframe.
Jason Wilder, Managing Director at Corby
SynerJy in production at Corby
GAP in the marketLeading roofline stockist GAP has announced global600 is now available in GAP's eleven
PVC-U Warehouses. “It's an exciting time for GAP,” explains Jon Randles, GAP's Group
Purchasing Manager. “Taking on global600, Synseal's innovative low pitch roof, is great
for our customers. We constantly look for new products for our customers and
after extensive investigation, global600 came out top. Synseal's
support is great too. EVii, Synseal's state of the art exhibition
vehicle, has already visited all our branches so all our staff could
see the new roof. GAP is committed to training and product
knowledge. When there is a new product customers can be
assured they are not on their own when they try it.
“From our network of eleven branches we support
thousands of customers. GAP stocks over 3,000 products
to make it easy for them. They place one order and they
get one delivery. We expect our suppliers to have the same
customer focus, in Synseal we believe we've found a
