A twenty year partnership between Senior Architectural Systems and Rapierstar demonstrates how a continued focus on fastening systems is a key factor in achieving long term success for window, door and curtain walling systems.
Senior Architectural Systems is approaching 30 years in the market and is renowned for the continuous innovation which has delivered a technically superior range of UK designed and made aluminium systems. Amongst these is its SF52 system, which launched in 2015 and today is one of the most widely used systems of its kind for applications where the design seeks to minimise sightlines and maximise glazing.
Northern Irish Kömmerling fabricator Malplas UPVC has successfully risen to the challenge of unprecedented demand for its PVCu windows and doors during 2020 by increasing production to its highest ever levels with the support of specialist fastener supplier Rapierstar.
Based near Dungannon and celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021, Malplas UPVC has seen record demand for products since late Spring 2020 when severe initial pandemic restrictions were relaxed.
Leading UK hardware distributor IFI is celebrating a decade as a supply partner for Rapierstar fasteners, which are used for window and door manufacturing and installation, as well as in timber and general construction.
The Cambridgeshire based company, which is the longest established trading division of Rapidrop Global, has been supplying products to window professionals for over 25 years. From its 30,000 sq. ft national distribution centre in Peterborough, IFI delivers UK-wide on a next day delivery service, utilising its own delivery fleet and a network of national freight carriers, and supplies the complete range of Rapierstar products.
Despite reports of shortages of some raw materials in the window and door industry, Rapierstar’s deep UK stocks of specialist fasteners and 30 years of sourcing and supply chain experience has enabled it to guarantee supplies of fasteners to its fabricator customers and support the industry as it recovers from lockdown.
The company continues to hold £4m of window screw and fixings stock and more than one billion items at its 100,000 sq. ft. warehouse and distribution centre in Cheshire, from where it serves window and door manufacturers across Great Britain and Ireland, as well as growing exports across mainland Europe.
A comprehensive audit of fastener usage by Rapierstar has delivered production, quality, stockholding and installation benefits for leading Hull-based window, door and conservatory manufacturer and installer Vulcan Windows.
These benefits have been realised following a Fastener Health Check conducted by Rapierstar earlier this year, which looks at a window and door manufacturer’s fastener use, how they are being applied, what the intended applications typically are and the stockholding approach.
High-performance fasteners from Rapierstar are helping leading Scottish window and door manufacturer the Saveheat Group, to deliver consistently high quality finished products across its PVCu trade window and door portfolio, with its Blairs PVCu business now joining sister company Merlin Network in using StarPVCU fixings.
Based at Greenock near Glasgow, Blairs PVCu is a rapidly growing force in the trade window, door and conservatory market in the West of Scotland. The business was launched by long-established Blairs Timber in 2019, enabling over 100 years of experience in windowmaking to be applied to the manufacture of KÖMMERLING O70 Gold system windows and doors.
Fastener specialist Rapierstar is providing extensive support to window and door manufacturer Shelforce to streamline fastener usage and ensure its workforce is fully supported to achieve the highest quality finished products.
The Birmingham-based manufacturer, which specialises in the supply of windows and doors to the social housing, new build and schools sectors, is already benefiting from a 25% reduction in the number of different types of fasteners it uses following a Rapierstar fastener ‘Health Check’.
High levels of invisible atmospheric pollution across the UK could be undermining the long term quality of even the best manufactured windows and doors due to the wrong types of fasteners being used in their assembly, according to Rapierstar.
As Simon Monks, MD of hardware distributor VBH (GB) highlighted recently in an article, air pollution is a global problem, so no part of the UK can be immune to its effects. While the focus is usually on the serious dangers it poses to human health, wildlife and the environment, airborne pollution can have a catastrophic effect on certain grades of steel hardware used in windows and doors.
