Deceuninck customers discussed the implications of regulation changes (parts L and F), at a dedicated event held in Birmingham. The headline session at Deceuninck’s customer day saw Kevin Jones, a representative of the Glass and Glazing Federation, explaining the changes to parts L and F of the building regulations, before fielding questions from the floor. The discussion suggested a consensus that the regulatory changes – introduced in December and coming into force from 15 June – are contradictory and ill-considered.
Rob McGlennon, Deceuninck’s managing director, said: “The turnout was really good. We had 40+ customers there, and will follow up with further events around the UK in the spring and early summer.
“It’s very clear that there is a level of frustration with changes to Part F. We will continue to work with our partners to communicate this to the industry’s representative bodies, while supporting our customers and theirs’ in turn, in turn, in staying on the right side of the changes.”
Kicking off the customer day’s agenda, Rob welcomed the group, before reviewing the past year, and highlighting the fall in manufacturing capacity that the industry has seen since 2007. He said that processed product was 300,000+ tonnes in 2007, manufactured by 2,840 fabricators. By 2020, this number had fallen to 1,190. Yet, despite this, processed output was still approaching 300,000 tonnes. “It goes some way to explaining why everyone feels that they have been working so hard in the last couple of years,” he said.
Rob also gave an overview of product development, including Deceuninck’s launch of a new chamfered flush casement window sash, and the sculptured sash option on its popular Slider24+ patio. He added that Deceuninck was also making Agate-grey-on-white available from stock, flagging that the systems leader had supplied more than 160 different colourways last year.
John Warren, director of Lasco PR and Marketing, then presented the findings of independent research commissioned by Deceuninck and conducted by YouGov. This included the importance that end users placed on sustainability, and the willingness of some homeowners to pay a premium for products using recycled content. The findings also reveal low levels of end user awareness of PVC-U’s recyclability.
Darren Woodcock, Deceuninck’s operations director, explained how Deceuninck was bringing recycled material back into use, in a new generation of products. The process saves tens of thousands of tonnes of PVC-U from landfill.
Chris Tahmasaby, director of ICAAL, picked up the first of the afternoon slots by providing attendees with a walk through of Deceuninck’s new fabricator lead generation tools, including the creation of dedicated and SEO optimised subsites. He also placed emphasis on the importance of marketing, against the backdrop of toughening conditions and inflation.
