In a week which saw the global oil price crash, David Cameron set out his plan to curb immigration and absolutely ridiculous scenes from stores taking part in Black Friday sales events, it’s time to take a look back at the weeks posts on DGB.
Now, as you can immediately see, I am having a play around with the format of weekly reviews. Whilst I believe the old format worked, it was very text heavy and took a while to put together on a Friday evening. However, whilst I was putting in a ton of effort to put together these reviews, I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. I actually have a feature in this site which will compile a lot of the content for me in a couple of clicks! The layout of the reviews are going to be a little different, but with added images breaking up the text. I think it actually looks better! Please give me your feedback on the new look.
This week the most talked about posts were the two which discussed the six things our industry was doing wrong and the five things our industry was doing right. I wanted to highlight areas that I thought the industry was still struggling on. If we could eradicate those things we were doing wrong, I think we could go a long way to repairing a lot of the damage we have done to ourselves as an industry. But I also wanted to highlight some of the areas which I thought our industry was doing well in. I think the two posts complimented each other quite nicely. And if you’re wondering why I stopped at five things for the positive post, I simply ran out of ideas when I was writing it!
There was a couple of sponsored posts in the mix this week, a black composite doors post for Door Supermarket, which was apt given it was Black Friday when it went out, and a post from the guys at Purplex on behalf of TWR Bifolds.
I wrote about the internet on Friday and how it has changed our working lives. This was a post I had planned in the works for quite a while, and I finally got round to writing it up to post this week. Also, a post about concrete and ceramic doors I was desperate to publish on DGB. Anyway, enjoy the new weekly review. As always, all comments welcome!
CR Smith Creates 150 New Jobs As Business Expands To Deliver Social Housing Projects Across Scotland
Fife-based home improvements firm expands into Scotland's social housing sector following sustained growth in demand Investment creates 150 new jobs as CR Smith delivers major programmes for councils and housing associations Company positions itself as a long-term partner in modernising Scotland's social housing stock One of Scotland’s most established and recognised home improvement brands, CR Smith, has reinforced its commitment to Scotland’s social housing sector following a sustained growth in orders from local authorities and housing associations over the past four years. The Fife-based company, widely recognised for its long-standing reputation for supplying high-quality windows and doors to private [...]
Saint-Gobain Glass UK & Ireland Manufactures Lower-Carbon Flat Glass As Standard
Saint-Gobain Glass UK & Ireland has taken a significant step forward in lower-carbon flat glass production. At its Eggborough plant, near Goole, PLANICLEAR® now achieves 7.22 kgCO₂e/m² for 4 mm glass. Standard production, not a limited campaign The new Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) reflects Saint-Gobain Glass UK & Ireland’s regular day-to-day production. It is not based on a trial or short-term campaign. PLANICLEAR® is manufactured and delivered this way as standard, every day. The new declaration shows a reduction of more than 34% compared with the previous EPD. This strengthens PLANICLEAR® as a practical choice for lowering embodied carbon [...]
UK Construction PMI: What The Latest Figures Mean For Construction And The Fenestration Sector
The latest S&P Global UK Construction PMI data for June shows that the construction sector remains under significant pressure, despite a slight improvement from the previous month. The headline Construction PMI increased to 38.4 from 38.2 in May, remaining well below the 50.0 threshold that separates expansion from contraction. While the pace of decline eased marginally, the data indicates that construction activity continues to contract across all major sectors. Housebuilding remains the weakest area For the fenestration industry, the most notable aspect of the latest release is the continued deterioration in residential construction. House building registered an activity index [...]
AI-Proof Jobs? Millions Eye Up The Trades As AI Jobs Cull Sparks Career Panic
Brand New Survey Finds 3.9 Million Workers Say AI Has Already Cost Them Their Job, Or Will Soon Fix Radio Launches Corporate To Carpentry 2026 Data As Britain’s Workforce Reassesses Survival In The AI Jobs Market 4.5 million people would consider moving into construction and the trades because they see the sector as less exposed to AI job losses 3.9 million workers say they have already lost or expect to lose a job because of AI 4.5 million people would consider moving into construction and the trades because they believe the sector is less exposed to AI job losses [...]
April Merchant Sales Drift Down As Volumes Fall -3.5% Year-On-Year
The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report, published in June, shows April’s total like-for-like value sales (adjusted to remove the effect of trading days) were -0.6% lower than the same month in 2025. Like-for-like volume sales were down -3.5% with prices up +3.0%. With no difference in trading days, total unadjusted value sales were also -0.6% lower, with volumes down -3.5%. By value, just three of the twelve categories sold more: Services (+7.0%), Timber & Joinery (+1.6%), and Miscellaneous (+0.2%). Renewables & Water Saving (-6.6%), Workwear & Safetywear (-4.6%), and Heavy Building Materials (-1.9%) saw the largest declines. [...]
Endurance® Opens The Door To Greater Partner Engagement
Endurance® Doors has unveiled its new Installer Hub, an interactive online platform designed to provide installer partners with easier access to the bespoke tools, resources and support they need to grow their businesses. Representing a significant investment in the installer experience, the Endurance® Installer Hub moves beyond a traditional information portal to create a single destination where partners can access bespoke content and a wide range of business support and sales tools relevant to their individual requirements. Through secure user logins, each installer will benefit from a personalised experience based on their status and product ranges, ensuring they receive [...]
Working Through A 40°C Heatwave: A Practical Guide For Fenestration Installers
The UK is preparing for what could be one of the hottest June periods on record, with some forecasts suggesting temperatures could approach 40°C in parts of the country. For fenestration installers, it presents more than just an uncomfortable day on site. It creates genuine health and safety risks that can affect concentration, decision-making, productivity and, in extreme cases, become life-threatening. Whether you're fitting windows on a south-facing elevation, carrying sealed units, working from access equipment or spending hours in direct sunlight, the combination of heat, physical exertion and UV exposure can quickly take its toll. Here's what installers [...]
