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!
Fix Radio: A UK Construction Industry In Crisis
Two Tradespeople Lose Their Lives to Suicide Every Day as Mental Health Crisis Deepens in Construction Key Stats: 2 tradespeople take their own lives every day in the UK (Office for National Statistics, 2024). Construction workers are 4x more likely to die by suicide than the national average (ONS, 2024). 84% of tradespeople have experienced work-related stress, anxiety, or depression (IronmongeryDirect, 2024). 58% have never spoken to anyone about their mental health (Chartered Institute of Building, 2024). Fix Radio’s Clive Holland, host of The Clive Holland Show, is calling for urgent action as new figures expose a worsening mental health [...]
Future Proof By Design
Energy efficiency has become one of the most important considerations in today’s housing market. Rising energy costs and evolving regulations mean homeowners are increasingly focused on balancing comfort with running costs and sustainability. For installers, this creates opportunities. Offering quality products can set your business apart and help you meet demand. At Origin, energy performance is not an afterthought – it is engineered into everything we design. Every product in the Origin range is built to not only meet current and future building regulations, but to exceed them too. That means installers can specify our systems with confidence, knowing [...]
Saint-Gobain Unveils New Strategic Plan
After the success of its previous plan (“Grow & Impact”), Saint-Gobain, the worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, launches its new strategic plan, “Lead & Grow”. With #1 positions in every region and its country-based operating model, well-adapted to its local markets and a deglobalised world, the Group is raising its profitable growth trajectory, targeting: • Outperformance thanks to an unrivalled suite of solutions, delivering performance and sustainability for buildings and enabling the Group to increase its exposure to nonresidential and infrastructure. • A strategy focused on growth and value creation with: o Around €12bn in growth capex [...]
Mutares Group Acquired Kawneer EU
Major M&A news once again, this time in the aluminium part of our market, as it is announced that the European arm of Kawneer has been acquired by Munich-based Mutares Group. This continues a string of acquisitions in the aluminium space as both the UK and European markets see further consolidation in the face of stagnant economic conditions. A statement on the Kawneer website announced the following: Mutares SE & Co. KGaA has successfully completed the acquisition of Kawneer EU. The transaction strengthens the Mutares Engineering & Technology segment as a new platform acquisition. As of the 1st of October, [...]
First Glass Successfully Rolled From Experimental Furnace
Glass Futures is proud to announce a significant breakthrough in the commissioning of its world-first experimental glass furnace. At the start of this week, the team successfully rolled the first glass from the furnace, marking a pivotal moment in the journey to deliver a transformative R&D asset for the global glass industry. Glass Futures is a global innovation platform that brings together industry, academia, and government to turn ambition into action. At the heart of its pilot facility is an innovative 30-tonne-per-day oxy-fired pilot furnace, designed to showcase sustainable technologies and approaches. From pioneering the world's first multi-fuel hybrid [...]
Thermoseal Acquires Solutions UK
Thermoseal, a leading manufacturer and distributor of insulating glass components and part of the Fenzi Group, is proud to announce the acquisition of Solutions UK, a respected British sales agency serving the glass and glazing sector. This strategic move strengthens Thermoseal’s commercial network across the UK and Northern Ireland, reinforcing the Fenzi Group’s commitment to customer proximity and market responsiveness. Solutions UK has long been recognised for its deep industry expertise and strong relationships with glass processors. By joining Thermoseal, the agency will gain access to a broader portfolio of high-performance products and benefit from the resources and global [...]
Why External Condensation Occurs On Energy-Efficient Windows In Spring and Autumn
Modern energy-efficient windows are designed to reduce thermal transfer between indoors and outdoors. While this improves comfort and lowers heating and cooling demand, it also creates a counterintuitive effect: external condensation. This phenomenon, most noticeable during spring and autumn mornings, can be explained through the interplay of surface temperature, ambient humidity, and thermodynamics. The Thermodynamics of Condensation Condensation occurs when air temperature drops to its dew point—the temperature at which air becomes saturated and can no longer hold all its water vapor. At this point, vapor condenses onto nearby cooler surfaces. The dew point TdT_dTd can be approximated by [...]
