Glassex goes green

Tuesday 22nd March 2005

Green was the colour, footfall was the game at Glassex this year as Ultraframe exhibited at the event in dramatic style. It was an especially successful and high profile show for the market leader which unveiled its innovative new roofing system, Sunroom, to huge interest and enthusiasm. Ultraframe, which sponsored the Conservatory Design Competition and the Silver Bar, also seized the opportunity to unveil improvements to its Classic system and announce a number of important new service initiatives designed to give its customers the competitive edge in a challenging market.

Linda Doughty, Marketing Director at Ultraframe, said: “We had so many new products and ideas to showcase at Glassex we had to take two adjacent stands, one dedicated to our quality products and the other to our complete service offering. There was a great atmosphere at the show and a real buzz around our stands. Our new roof, Sunroom, got an incredibly positive response from visitors. Sunroom is designed to give installers the flexibility to create eye catching conservatory shapes on almost any site while offering homeowners the best possible thermal performance and guaranteed structural integrity.”

Steve Nahid, General Manager of Crofton Conservatory Centre was particularly impressed with Ultraframe’s latest roof. “Demand for complex, larger roofs is increasing all the time so installers are definitely going to appreciate Sunroom which speeds up the installation of larger, awkward roofs with the use of Clicklock technology. Features such as box gutters, valleys and drop-down hips will also make it easier to create different conservatory shapes so that we can provide conservatories to suit more homes and customers.”

Ultraframe also displayed its hugely successful interpretation of the lean-to, Elevation, which was launched last October and unveiled the re-branding and improvement of its popular Victorian range as Classic. Additions to the new Classic system include thermally efficient top caps that lower the roof’s overall U value, making the system 40% more thermally efficient than competitor roofs and ensuring it meets expected building regulations.

On its service stand Ultraframe announced improvements to the Ultraframe Registered Installers’ Scheme which included the involvement of the BBA to strengthen the inspection and assessment process. A Certificate of Authenticity was also launched. This is to act as a mark of quality, giving homeowners increased peace of mind by clearly demonstrating that they have invested in a top quality Ultraframe roof.

Ultraframe was also the proud sponsor of the prestigious Conservatory Design Competition set up to promote innovative design and quality within the industry. The competition received a record number of entrants and judges were highly impressed with the exceptional level of projects submitted. Winners were chosen in four categories, Innovative Design, Conventional Commercial, Conventional Domestic and Portals. In addition Ultraframe awarded a Merit Award in each category for their chosen best in show.

Ultraframe’s representative judge was Technical Director, Chris Richardson. He commented: “The number of entries trebled this year, but there was still an exceptionally high standard across all groups and the projects really surpassed the quality we were expecting. Personally, I was particularly impressed with the domestic and innovation categories. These entries reflected a high regard by the designers for the comfort and environment of their customers. The competition is an excellent measure of talent within the industry and the winning designs are truly inspiring.”

Ultraframe also sponsored the Silver Bar in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Glassex and provided a fascinating timeline of how the industry has developed over the past 25 years. The bar was a great success and the timeline provided a major talking point.

Linda concluded: “It has been a very successful Glassex for us. The positive response we received to all our new developments, especially Sunroom, has been overwhelming. Glassex is one of the few times when so much of the industry is in the same place and therefore it provides a perfect opportunity to launch new products to the market. We benefited from receiving immediate feedback from existing and potential customers and could talk them through our services and products one on one. We also leapt at the chance to give something back to the industry through some important sponsorship deals at the event.”