Win a trip to Bauhausfest with Altro

Altro is celebrating aspirational design and innovative use of its flooring and walling products with a unique photography competition. The prize is an all-inclusive trip to the internationally-renowned Bauhausfest (31 August – 2 September 2018) in Dessau, Germany.

Entrants are invited to submit images featuring current Altro products taken anywhere in the world over the last five years. Images should show how Altro products complement and enrich architecture – a celebration of the possibilities of design. The winning image will be decided by an online public vote.

Altro has long been inspired by The Bauhaus. This connection was strengthened further when leading German flooring company Debolon joined the Altro Group two years ago: Altro Debolon is based in Dessau, the centre of the Bauhaus movement.

“We have a strong sense of what we value and a way of thinking inspired by The Bauhaus – a balance of quality, form and design-led function,” explains Sarah de los Rios Commercial and Marketing Director at Altro. “This approach puts people’s needs at the heart of everything we do. It’s a human-centred approach to designing for the demands of 21st century life.”

Photographs can be submitted from 3 to 24 April 2018. Voting opens on 26 April 2018 and closes 17 May, 2018. Visit www.altro.co.uk/photocompetition2018 to find out more.
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A new captain takes the helm at Evinox Energy

Evinox is thrilled to announce that Terry Mahoney has taken the helm as its new Managing Director. Terry originally joined Evinox in 2010 and through his most recent role as Operations Director has been pivotal to much of the company’s recent success, including the delivery and ongoing support of key projects – such as Battersea Power Station; and the evolution of Evinox’s manufacturing capability.

Terry said of his new position “I’m delighted and flattered to be appointed as Managing Director at Evinox. This is an exciting time for the business, with planning regulations and government policy continuing to support the deployment of district and communal heating, the market continues to thrive and evolve. Evinox has seen a strong growth in sales over the past 12 months, and with product innovation and development at the forefront of the company strategy this is only set to increase”.

He continued “As an established, marketing leading heat interface unit manufacturer, Evinox offers innovative products that are built with quality components and assembled to world class manufacturing standards. This has been confirmed by the Impressive efficiency performance achieved by the Evinox ModuSat heat interface unit, which was tested to the UK standard from BESA.”

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) UK test standard for heat interface units (HIUs) was recently introduced to enable designers and specifiers to evaluate the performance of a HIU on their network. Currently, only a handful of manufacturers have published results for the HIU test regime, with Evinox being one of the first to undertake the testing process. The results achieved provide a clear, independently verified confirmation that the Evinox ModuSat® XR HIU range delivers outstanding heating and hot water efficiency performance for modern heat networks – something the team at Evinox are very proud of.

The strong growth in sales reported, can be clearly demonstrated by the calibre of clients and projects that Evinox are working with. Evinox is already in the process of delivering over 1700 heating and cooling interface units for projects in Canary Wharf and over 1000 units for the same client on a prestigious project on the South Bank in central London. At the same time, the company has also been successful in securing orders for over 700 heat interface units on the latest phase of the London City Island development in Greenwich. In addition to this, Evinox’s metering and billing services continue to grow, with contracts for hundreds of heat network schemes for both private and social housing across the UK, providing bills for over 10,000 customers each year, with many, many more using the Evinox PaySmart pre-payment system.

Mahoney believes that it is a combination of the comprehensive product range and support services that Evinox offers, with the dedication of the Evinox team and keeping ahead of evolving industry standards that has spurred on the company’s recent success. The ability to offer options for heating and cooling, integrated energy display solutions and billing-ready options set Evinox HIU’s apart from others in the market.

Terry summarised by saying, “I’m an advocate of the “Under one roof” business model, which allows Evinox to combine first class product supply, flexible metering and billing solutions, and service and maintenance support – making us stand out from the crowd!”

For further information about our integrated communal & district heating solutions, please contact us by emailing info@evinoxenergy.co.uk or visit www.evinoxenergy.co.uk
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RCM Are Growing!

RCM are happy to announce that we have recently moved offices and warehouse location to a much bigger facility allowing us to accommodate our increase in demand.

The new buildings sit just across from our old offices and warehouse and our address has largely remained the same, except we now occupy units 25 and 26, instead of previously, unit 27.

The new, much needed space will allow RCM to expand its cutting facilities and therefore provide additional support to its customers, new and old alike.

As our staff numbers also look set to increase over time, especially with RCM’s ever expanding portfolio, these larger offices are set to provide additional room for everyone.

It is an exciting time for RCM and this move will mark another chapter in its history.

Through our continued growth, we have become a major leader in our field.

Originally established in 2004, RCM is a major supplier of complete through wall solutions to the UK construction industry. Supplying specialist building boards, façades, breather membranes and airtightness solutions, We offer a fully integrated approach to the building envelope whilst delivering on time and budget.

We are a market leader in providing innovative products and solutions; finding the latest technology is an ethos which lies at the very heart of our business and one which separates us from the competition.

At our core, we supply a varied range of cement based building boards, offering a solution for all structural applications. From timber to steel frame, high to low rise, internal to external wall linings and buildings with high weather exposure, we offer a solution.

At the forefront of industry research and development, we constantly strive to innovate and develop our range of solutions. By providing a complete solution, from a single supplier, we can help reduce costs, time and hassle.

We work openly in collaboration with clients and supply-chain partners to mutual benefit to ensure that the most efficient and appropriate solutions can be found for every project. We take great care to ensure that we offer a complete service, from initial advice through to delivery. Our experienced and complimentary technical support team can provide advice at all stages of your project to help you achieve your vision. In addition, a fully integrated fabrication service allows customers to order both boards and façades to exact size in order to reduce construction time, minimise wastage and improve environmental impact.

Our extensive product range has been installed on many of the largest construction projects throughout the UK. RCM has experience across all market sectors including timber frame, lightweight steel frame, modular, offsite, healthcare, education, residential, leisure and transport.

For more information please visit www.buildingboards.co.uk.
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Rinnai hot water – instant, continuous, limitless and sensibly economic

Rinnai’s Infinity range of ErP A-rated continuous flow gas fired water heaters now includes many models specifically designed for all light commercial and larger domestic sites. The Rinnai units guarantee the highest efficiencies and lowest running costs at consistent temperatures 24/7 compared to any method of hot water delivery in lighter commercial sites.

The Rinnai Infinity range of continuous flow – sometimes referred to as ‘tankless’ – water heating units are being specified and installed in domestic properties, cafes, pubs, restaurants, offices, shops, hairdressers, commercial units, caravan parks and leisure facilities as installers and end users become aware of their energy & cost saving benefits.

The reason for the increase in uptake is that continuous flow heater systems are proven to be more energy efficient than conventional storage systems and are now experts’ preferred method of hot water provision. Rinnai units easily cater for any size projects that need high volumes of water at intermittent times of day delivered at accurate Rinnai’s Infinity multipoint 16i water heater, for example, eliminates the problem of sudden changes in water temperature, resulting in cold showers or scalding hot baths – the water temperature you set is the water temperature you get. So, if somebody is happily showering at 42°C and a tap is turned on to draw a bath elsewhere in the property, the temperature does not vary, and there is no chance of either user running out of hot water.

The Rinnai Infinity 16i interior model measures 675 x 370 x 139mm and weighs in at 18kg – a one-man lift. The room sealed unit has a temperature range of 35°C to 60°C with direct electronic ignition. Gas consumption ranges between 4.7kW-6.5kW for Natural Gas and 4.9kW-36.8kW when using propane. Hot water delivery flow is an impressive 16ltr max flow. Nominal operation pressure is 1-7 bar and it uses a 230V AC 50Hz 1ph power supply with an electrical consumption of 68W.

Meanwhile, where an external installation is required, the Rinnai Infinity 17e external multipoint water heater offers greater flexibility at the design stage and offers a viable solution where flue runs are problematic or internal space is not available. Capable of flow rates of up to 510 litres per hour at a 50°C rise, the 17e is suitable for multiple applications and can be specified for use with Natural Gas or propane.

The 17e has full frost protection and is available with a range of external ancillary items, including pipe cover box – and security cage where necessary.

The Infinity 11i interior unit differs from the 16i as it weighs 2kg less at 16kg and consumes 6.10kW-21.60kW of Natural Gas and has an 11-metre maximum flow.

Restaurants and domestic properties are prime examples of sites that can truly benefit from continuous water as they require high volumes at intermittent times of the day delivered at accurate temperatures to ensure user comfort and safety, making Rinnai Multipoint Tankless 11i the ideal solution to your hot water requirements.

Key Features of the 24kW Rinnai 11i are: Compact & lightweight unit for easy installation; Robust, durable heat exchanger; User friendly digital controls; In-built frost protection; Ideal replacement for large obtrusive and bulky cylinder; Compact design to fit a limited space.

Continuous flow water heaters are also favoured under the guidance of ACOP L8 (Legionella guidelines) as the units are usually cited close to the outlets in such installations as restaurants, where the system turnover is frequent and store volumes are small meaning legionella risk is minimal.

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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P C Henderson wins export award at this year’s North East Business Awards

Sliding and folding door hardware manufacturer, P C Henderson, has been crowned the winner in the Export category at this years’ North East Business Awards – Durham, Sunderland and South Tyneside region.

Shortlisted against two other leading companies from the region, P C Henderson went through two rounds of judging before being announced as the winner at a prestigious awards dinner held at Ramside Hall in Durham.

The awards, held in association with the North East England Chamber of Commerce, is the biggest of its kind in the UK and aims to celebrate successful and innovative businesses achieving fantastic things in the North East of England. Attended by over 400 people, a total of 12 awards were given out on the evening across a variety of categories. P C Henderson will now go on to compete against the winners of the Northumberland and Teesside heats in order to win the overall Export Award for the North East of England.

Commenting on the good news, Trevor Cossins, Managing Director at P C Henderson, said “We are delighted to be once again recognised for our exporting achievements. Taking a tailored and localised approach to each specific market has allowed us to significantly grow and sustain the exporting side of the business. This has resulted in us now exporting to over 70 countries worldwide and our export sales accounting for over 65% of our total business sales”.

Sponsored by the Port of Sunderland, the Export Award aims to encourage and recognise companies that have generated substantial and sustained increases in export activity. Judging criteria for the award took into account the level of exports in relation to the size of the company, barriers that the company has had to overcome as well as the complexity of markets entered.

Paul Olvhoj, Sales Manager at Port of Sunderland and a member of the judging panel for the award commented “In a very strong category we believe P C Henderson showed a real strategy for growth into new markets, they really impressed with a clear global vision backed up by strong marketing work”.

This is now the second time that P C Henderson has been commended for its exporting successes and achievements, the company was awarded SME Exporter of the Year at last year’s North East Export Awards.

P C Henderson has been driving its expansion into new geographic markets with recent focus on USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and UAE. The company’s outstanding export strategy has seen its sliding and folding door hardware specified across the globe in hotels, restaurants, offices, shops, homes, warehouses as well as agricultural, industrial and educational buildings.

For more information please visit www.pchenderson.com.
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Altro retains its place in the prestigious Sunday Times Top 100

Altro has been ranked 83 in the coveted Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For 2018 list. This is the 11th time the family-founded, Letchworth-based company has featured in this prestigious list.

The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For list is the annual ranking of ‘the cream of Britain’s happy and motivated workforces’. With more than 1,000 companies registered to take part, it is considered the most extensive research into employee engagement carried out in the UK.

Altro’s 350 UK employees were invited to take part in the survey, which asked questions about how the support they receive from the company, their training and development and opportunities for career growth, amongst others. The company again scored well, showing a continued commitment to employees.

Altro’s CEO, Richard Kahn, said “We are delighted to be selected for the eleventh time as one of the top 100 companies to work for in the UK. Since 1919 we have kept an ethos of family in the workplace, as we value our employees and the contributions they make. We are happy to see that our employees agree, which means we are continuing to provide a supportive and family-orientated environment that we have always committed ourselves to for nearly 100 years.

 

For more information please visit www.altro.co.uk.
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Vortice launches new website

Vortice has launched its new website for the UK market at www.vortice.ltd.uk. The site is mobile-friendly and in keeping with the group’s corporate websites around the world. Customers can order online, view technical details for each product and compare different products by specification.

Finance and Marketing Manager Hayley Powell said “We hope our customers find our new UK website easy to access, navigate and to purchase from. It contains a mine of information about all of our products as well as details about our CPD programme and BPEC installers training course.”

The new website includes details of distributors around the UK as well as downloadable product catalogues and details of how best to obtain technical and design advice.

For more information please visit www.vortice.ltd.uk.
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New CIBSE Accredited Seminar Explores Heat Interface Unit Test Standard from BESA

Evinox Energy has launched a new CIBSE accredited CPD seminar following the introduction of the first UK test standard for Heat Interface Units from BESA (British Engineering Services Association).

This new standard is regarded as an important step towards improving the overall performance of British district heating schemes and its key objective is to enable the performance of different HIUs to be evaluated within the context of typical UK operating conditions. Thereby enabling heat network developers to consider the performance of specific HIUs against design requirements.

Until now, it has been a common misconception that heat interface units are “one size fits all”; results from the BESA tests show that this certainly isn’t the case for today’s modern systems – the network design and HIU specification must be closely matched to ensure optimum performance and the HIU must deliver the widest delta T and lowest return temperatures possible in all operational modes.

The Evinox seminar explores all aspects of the test regime and discusses how for the first time, designers and specifiers will be able to see the impact of a specific HIU on their network. Entitled “Understanding the BESA Test Standard for HIUs (VWARTS and All)”, the seminar is accredited by The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and provides credits towards consulting engineers’ Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

This 60-minute seminar is ideal for M&E consultants or housing providers interested in finding out more about the latest standard for communal & district heating systems and can be held at client’s premises or at the Evinox Energy offices in Chessington.

Contact Evinox today to arrange a seminar on 01372 722277 or complete the contact form on the website.
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Rinnai hot water – instant, continuous, limitless and sensibly economic

Installers, specifiers and end users’ installers have the most practical and economically viable solution for all domestic and commercial hot water heating and delivery needs in Rinnai’s comprehensive range of energy efficient A rated, electronically controlled continuous flow gas fired units and systems.

The natural gas or LPG water heaters guarantee a limitless supply of accurately temperature controlled safe and useable hot water, time after time after time to any type or size of site or application. The Rinnai range delivers energy saving performance and low greenhouse emissions through new low NOx burner technology.

All units and systems can be installed as stand-alone or manifolded to provide unlimited hot water for the largest of all commercial sites such as big hotels, busy gyms, high rise offices etc.

Water temperature is and can be pre-set through easy-to-use built in digital controls, eliminating the risk of scalding and potentially eradicating the need for thermostatic mixing valves. Water can be used simultaneously at several points of delivery with no fluctuation of temperature. The newly updated Rinnai Infinity range is designed for use directly off the mains, with no need for large, ungainly and energy inefficient storage vessels.

For example, Rinnai’s Infinity 16i continuous flow water heater is designed to meet the hot water needs of domestic and light commercial applications. The Infinity 16i, weighing just 18kg and measuring less than 675mm (H) x 139mm (W), has a delivery capacity of 15.2 litres per minute, at a temperature rise of 25°.

Rinnai Heavy Duty water heaters are high efficiency gas continuous flow water heaters with outputs up to 69kW. The Rinnai Heavy Duty HD50i Internal water heater is a wall hung, gas fired, continuous flow water heater capable of producing hot water at 770 litres per hour at a 50°C rise. The HD50i has a 125mm concentric flue which can be extended up to 15m, less 1m per 45° bend.

Compact and reliable, the HD50i operates between 1-10 bar pressure, which is suitable for mains and systems with boost pumps. Incoming water temperatures in excess of 60°C are accepted, making the HD50i suitable for secondary return systems. Water can be delivered at high volume with minimum gas consumption. All models have full electronic ignition with no pilot light and operate on demand only, consuming no gas when not in use.

All Rinnai internal HDC condensing continuous flow water heaters, are room-sealed, power flue appliances while the external weatherproof models have forced exhaust which enables them to be compact, saving both floor and wall space.

Rinnai’s unique condensing technology incorporates two heat exchangers to achieve optimum water heating generated from every cubic metre of Natural Gas or LPG. The condensing process delivers up to 95% thermal efficiency, which translates to significant energy savings when compared to standard on-demand water heaters or conventional stored systems.

For applications where the use of stored hot water cannot be avoided, i.e. in refurbishments where there may be a constraint on the amount of gas available, usually through the gas main size, Rinnai’s ‘pack’ system covers this shortfall by fitting a small amount of storage capacity.

Rinnai Gas Hot Water Storage Pack represents the best value-for-money solution on the market today with everything delivered direct to site in one complete package

The pack consists of up to five heavy duty water heaters with an equal number of flue kits (for internal heaters) or an equal number of pipe cover boxes (for external models) and sufficient valve packs. Also included is one hot water storage vessel (stainless steel 300L, 500L or 800L glass lined steel) along with necessary valves and one primary pump with valves and one unvented kit. Add to this an expansion vessel of either 50L or 80L capacity, and all relevant valves. Common header flue systems are also available to further stream line the installation.

Typical applications for the commercial ranges include cafés, nurseries, factories and offices, laundries, hotels and restaurants, sports clubs, shower blocks in caravan parks – and many more.

Rinnai has also embraced renewables in the form of the Rinnai Booster, which, it claims, is the most energy efficient boosting solution on the market today. The water heater maximises solar gain, as it only functions and consumes energy when more hot water is needed to boost the solar gain, meaning that the true impact of solar is being achieved. The rest of the time the unit is inactive.

Rinnai continuous flow hot water systems deliver on all levels in a cost effective and practical manner. Easy to install and operate the units provide a flexible and energy efficient solution for domestic applications and for all sectors of business and industry.

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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Richard Reeve to take Axim to new heights

TPG, The Parkside Group Limited is pleased to announce that Richard Reeve, Sales Director will be exclusively looking after one of its major divisions, Axim Architectural Hardware.

Richard has been with TPG for 15 years and is excited to take the leading hardware brand to even greater heights. Richard said, “Axim is one of the most trusted brands in the industry for reliability and quality. Axim celebrated 30 years of business last year and having worked throughout the industry I know that the Axim TC-8800 series of Concealed Transom Closers is well known for its superb long-term performance and as part of TPG, Axim, is backed up by market leading delivery to its European wide distributor and partner network.”

Over the last 30 years Axim has extensively developed its product range to include all the hardware that top quality commercial doors require. Richard commented that “Everyone knows the top performer the Axim TC Series of Concealed Closers, however, I am not sure that everyone is aware of how extensive the Axim product range is. The Axim PR Series Panic Exit range is comprehensive, and the Axim Panic Exit Locking Handle is one of the most high-quality products I have seen which fits across the entire range.”

The Axim branded product range includes Emergency and Panic Exit Devices that are certified to BS EN 179 and BS EN 1125, a range of handles including D-handles, Lever Handles, Pad Handles, Pull Handles and Tube Handles, Floor Springs which can take a door weight of up to 150Kg, Locks including Mortice, Dead Latch, Extension Flush Bolts for security slave doors.

The Axim TC-8800 Series of Concealed Transom Closer will fit most major manufacture’s doors and has 3 different strengths. The TC 9900 is a universal closer which is ideal for repair and maintenance and where closers have failed, the TC9900 offers a fast solution without the need for costly repairs.

Richard continues “Axim is known very well in the aluminium door industry, however the Surface Mounted Door Closer, the Axim FC Series, offers a solution for both aluminium and timber doors, in fact it even comes as standard with fixings to suit both materials. This means that installers and distributors can minimise the closers they carry, and the Axim FC-1000 Series has been tested for Fire Rating to BS 476-22 1987.”

Offering innovative solutions has been at the fore of Axim and launching new products such as the Axim ES-2100 Electric Strike a remote access product that offers installers a reduction in installation and maintenance time. The Axim LK-2100 Reversible Deadlatch offers a non-handed solution which means that installers and distributors can reduce their stock-holding by only stocking one Deadlatch instead of two.

Last year Axim had a face-lift with a new revamped logo, which joined the new website and Technical Literature which offers extensive technical, specification and installation information with speedy navigation to get you to the place you need to be.

Axim designs and supplies a comprehensive in-stock range of transom closers, panic exit devices, electric strikes, deadlatches, surface mounted door closers, floor-springs, flush-bolts, letter-plates, locks and handles through a pan-European distributor supply chain.

For more information please contact Axim on 0208 685 9685, email axim@parksidegroup.co.uk or visit www.axim.co.uk

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