There’s been a lot of negativity in UK fenestration since the start of the year. Mainly due to the fact that so many companies have gone bust in the past couple of months. The year before was undoubtedly a tough one for many of us, and that hangover has spilled into 2020 in the form of companies closing their doors.

I get the sense that this rocky period is just about settling down now. Also, since the start of the year, I have been running a poll on DGB asking you what your own prospects were for 2020. I am happy to report that the general consensus is a positive one! With over 200 votes cast, now seems a good time to report back on the results.

70% positive or very positive

This was the question I posed to readers and the answers they gave back:

I remain convinced that the high level of positivity is thanks in large part to the crystal clear election result at the end of last year. Had it been another hung parliament then I’m certain that these results would look very different.

For 50% alone to say that they expect 2020 to be a positive one is a reassuring sign from the sector. It could be easy to get worked up about the number of companies going bust at the start of the year, or let the persistent problems of lack of skills and quality/service issues get on top of us, but we’re a resiliant bunch, and its great to see that overall 70% said that the coming year was going to be positive or very positive.

Thats not to say that challenges remain this year for UK fenestration. A trade deal with the EU is far from certain. The skills crisis definitely has not gone away. Sustainability is going to be one of the biggest issues we have to tackle this year. Product quality and customer service will again be in focus in 2020. We all have these problems to tackle.

Personally, I do sense a more positive feel to the start of the year. Businesses seem focused on delivering a good 2020, and at our own installations business we’re already seeing a different to business activity compared to the same time last year. Things can change quickly of course, but all being well there are no shocks during the course of the year that will derail things.

Good news stories

Continuing the theme of good news, I am hoping to run a series of articles with your help. As important as it is to cover the more dramatic stuff that goes on in our industry, like companies going bust, mergers, etc, its important as well to recognise that there is plenty of good stuff happening in our industry too.

I want to focus a lot more on the positive news that comes out of our industry. So, I am asking you to get in touch via my email address to tell me about your good news in fenestration business. It could be that you have a new showroom opening, or your business has reached an important milestone. You might have achieved huge growth in the past year or you have bagged yourself a life-changing opportunity. If so, I want to hear about it and I would like to feature it on DGB.

Bad news is easy to spread and quick to embed. But if we can focus more on the good stuff happening in our industry right now then we can all help create a positive and productive atmosphere. My email address is at the top of the screen if you wish to see your good news story featured on DGB.

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