Fitrite hits the West Country

The West of England now has exclusive access to the revolutionary Fitrite decking and fencing portfolio from Sash UK through West Country Caravans, which has been appointed sole distributor of the range for the area.

Owner of West Country Caravans, Gary Rix, made the shrewd business decision to stock and distribute the Fitrite range with a view to longer-term plans for his company. “The current climate is encouraging businesses to diversify and expand into other areas, and this is exactly what we are doing,” he explains. The company is the leading supplier and distributor of ABI and BK Bluebird holiday homes throughout the South West of England and has been established in the caravan holiday homes business for over 40 years. In addition to this core business, Gary also saw a niche market for the supply of decking and fencing to other businesses in the area, in particular, farms, schools and pubs.

“The Fitrite concept has been extremely well received by our customers so far,” Gary continues. “The key factor is that it is extremely low maintenance. This is perfect for the farming community who can erect the fencing without worrying about damage or deterioration from the elements, as well as for schools whose specification requirements call for products that will stand firm over long periods of time, reducing expensive maintenance programmes.”

The Fitrite range offers resilience and versatility and being completely wood free, it will not rot. Environmentally, it boasts exemplary credentials – it is 100% recyclable and contains no toxic chemicals. It is also extremely strong, with the fencing posts and rails using galvanised high-strength steel internal supports, providing the ability to withstand not only impact but the West Country coastal environment.

The Fitrite range is now available from the company’s base in Exeter and Gary is confident that the Fitrite concept will be a welcome addition to his product range, offering the highest quality, lowest maintenance and most environmentally friendly fencing and decking currently available on the market.

Sash paving the way for sustainability in Scotland

After holding its first successful Window Energy Rating seminar, in conjunction with Pilkington energiKare™ at its headquarters based in Grimethorpe, Sash UK recently crossed the Scottish boarder to further spread awareness about how it works with its customers to increase energy efficiency and sustainability, providing them with the perfect partnership scheme.

The initial seminar was directed to bettering existing portfolios, being eligible for the Energy Saving Trust recommended scheme and reducing the cost of going through the WER process as a sole trader. Although the second seminar featured this, it also looked heavily into how Sash customers can attain green credentials and improve their current recycling systems. Over 42 installers came to the event, including customers from the New Build and Timberkit sectors to hear what Sash and Pilkington had to say.

Commenting on the event, joint managing director of Sash UK, Dave Ruzicka said: “Consumers of today are searching for window based home improvement products that have the green stamp of approval…they want to know that the products they buy will first and foremost save them money by retaining heat in their homes and better protecting them against the elements. Those companies that can prove this are one step ahead of the game when it comes to increasing sales, and we are working with our customers to ensure they have the best possible footing in the market to do this successfully. Working alongside Pilkington, our existing and new customers can tap into our extensive resources allowing them to take their businesses to the next level of operation. Of course you can’t just talk about the subject of sustainability and ignore other areas of benefit. This seminar looked into how are customers, by working with us, can help decrease their environmental impact on our industry.”

Keen supporters of the recently launched PVC aware campaign, Sash took time to introduce its customers to the scheme and to get them very much involved. Specifically looking at how sustainable its PVCu products are, the significant energy saving properties they possess and options on how to recycle their waste.

“We believe it is important to educate our customers about the environmental credentials PVCu holds and how it can be easily recycled to create brand new windows that share the same energy saving properties as their virgin counterparts. Those companies joining us will be aiding us to really raise the profile of our industry, and show how we are working together to maximize sustainable operations for the future. This will also help us to educate consumers as to why PVC should remain the material of choice,” concludes Dave.

More and more PVC window fabricators are registered as supplying C or above rated energy efficient windows and while glass remains the most important single factor in window energy efficiency, PVC remains far more thermally efficient than alternative materials.

Sash is planning to conduct more seminars in the near future so watch this space.