The award, sponsored by Brooksby Melton College, recognises companies that demonstrate a real and continuing commitment to training – something that is very much a core value at Truframe.

Stan Goddard, Truframe’s operations manager, outlines the company’s approach regarding staff training and development: “All employees are encouraged to achieve an NVQ qualification at levels 2, 3 or 4, relevant to their job role. This opportunity is offered to all our staff whether they are involved in fabrication, customer service or any other area of the business. We feel that this was the main reason we were deemed worthy winners by the panel of judges.”

Patrick Firmager, projects manager at Truframe comments on the good news: “There were a lot of exceptional businesses at the award so to be crowned the winner is a fantastic achievement. Staff development is engrained in the Truframe culture and I’m pleased the judges recognised this commitment.”

About 200 guests including Cllr Alison Freer-Jones, Mayor of Melton Mowbray, attended the gala dinner and presentation night at the Pera Conference Centre. “It was a great night and I am delighted Truframe walked away with an award – it will take pride of place at our recently refurbished headquarters!” concludes managing director David Firmager.

Truframe fabricate Liniar and Duraflex uPVC windows and doors from a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Melton Mowbray. The company has grown into one of the UK’s most successful fabricators offering a combination of quality products, competitive pricing and unrivalled customer service.

The six-chambered frame will enable Truframe to manufacture energy rated windows without the need for costly thermal inserts and achieve an ‘A’ rated window using a lower-specification sealed unit – resulting in considerable cost savings for the installer.

National sales director Steve Lane comments: “The move to six chambers is very exciting development and offers numerous benefits to our customers. Not only does it improve the thermal efficiency of our frames, it saves the installer money on their complete window and enables them to price their products more competitively – a big advantage in today’s price sensitive market.”

Truframe’s six -chambered windows are available with an A+8 energy rating as standard and incorporate the world renowned Yale locking system – a set of components that will enable them to meet the stringent Secured By Design security standard. “The Yale lock comes with a £1,000 guarantee, offering total peace of mind for the end user,” Steve adds.

To help installers make the most of the enhanced security and energy efficiency credentials of this product offering, Truframe plans to re-brand their entire product range and launch a host of marketing material to help installers win sales.

Truframe’s Projects Manager Patrick Firmager concludes: “With each passing year Truframe is significantly accelerating quality across all aspects of the business. We’re excited about the re-branding of our product range, which will be unveiled in the summer, and feedback from our customers suggests it’s going to be a massive hit.”

With many installers and contractors still unsure of the impact the Green Deal will have on their business and their role within its implementation, Truframe’s Projects Manager Patrick Firmager is pleased that the initiative is starting to take shape and money is being put forward to boost the scheme’s chance of success.

Patrick discusses the Green Deal in more detail: “The Green Deal is a government initiative that aims to encourage consumers to make their homes more energy efficient and we have been following its development closely at Truframe. Much of the detail is unconfirmed but the premise is that homeowners will be able to get finance of up to £10,000 to help pay for energy saving measures. This will be determined by Green Deal assessors who will examine properties and then recommend the best energy saving measures for homeowners to reduce their bills, potentially providing a huge opportunity for installers.”

With rising energy prices a growing concern for many consumers, having access to finance to invest in energy efficient measures, which could include replacement double glazing, has the potential to spark demand for energy efficient products.

This is something Truframe is more than geared up to meet should replacement double glazing benefit from the scheme. The Midlands based fabricator manufacture the Liniar range of windows of doors, which is one of the newest systems on the market and provides superior ‘green’ credentials.

The six-chambered Liniar profile is one of the most effective on the market at keeping the cold out and warmth in, while the lead free construction further enhances the frames environmental credentials. This superior thermal performance enables Truframe to manufacture an ‘A’ rated window using a lower-specification sealed-unit, offering considerable cost savings for installers and achieving an impressive ‘A+8’ rating.

Also part of Truframe’s high-end range is the ever popular Liniar bi-fold, which has an ultra-low 24mm threshold and slim-sightlines which mean less PVCu and more glass, allowing for more natural light and enhancing environmental credibility.

“If the Green Deal is as successful as it promises to be the process of making home’s more energy efficient will be accelerated. Truframe is ready for any increase in demand for the most energy efficient replacement double glazing thanks to our range of modern, thermally efficient uPVC windows,” Patrick concludes.

The East Sussex based suppliers of PVCu windows, doors and conservatories to the trade buy in Truframe’s whole range of market-leading Liniar products and their enhanced security and energy efficiency credentials has given them a clear edge in the market place.

Karl Hobley, Managing Director of Britannic Glass comments: “Truframe’s advanced Liniar range of PVCu windows and doors is of the upmost quality. In what remains an incredibly competitive market it has allowed us to gain a real edge and report a considerable boost in sales.”

Since teaming up with Truframe Britannic has also entered the lucrative bi-folding door market, winning many new contracts and increasing order values thanks to the high-performing Liniar bi-fold.

“Time and time again our customers are so impressed by the Liniar bi-fold and entering this growth market with Truframe has transformed our business. From an installation point of view it’s an ideal product because the slim stepped outer frame minimises hassle on-site and ensures jobs are completed quickly,” adds Karl.

Truframe also supply Britannic with its flagship ‘A+8’ six-chambered window, which has resulted in significant cost savings for the installer as the high thermal performance of the Liniar profile means Britannic can use a lower specification unit and still achieve an ‘A’ rating.

Patrick Firmager, Operations Manager at Truframe concludes: “Britannic Glass has been a great customer for us and it’s pleasing to see that our high-end thermally efficient range of products has helped to boost their sales. It’s great to work with another forward thinking business and we will continue to help them grow with further initiatives in 2012. They have clearly demonstrated the difference our Liniar range can have on a company’s sales figures.”

It’s the flagship policy from the ‘greenest’ government in history but what does it mean to you?

In the last edition of Truframe Plus we mentioned the ‘Green Deal’ – a government initiative that aims to update the energy efficiency of British properties by potentially giving homeowners access to loans to do this.

The policy is set to become a reality around autumn 2012 but there have been questions raised within the industry in regards to how smaller firms will benefit from the scheme in relation to who will carry out the installations.

The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) recently attended a meeting with representatives from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to discuss just this. Its Chief Executive questioned MPs on whether smaller firms will be able to access the scheme and provide the energy efficient solutions to homeowners.

The response was positive. With Gregg Barker MP stating that local businesses are the obvious choice for consumers wanting home improvements and the Green Deal could provide a bigger opportunity for small businesses than for larger ones.

We are ahead of the game when it comes to energy efficiency, positioning you to take advantage of the Green Deal should it present the opportunities it promises.