Door Industry Journal - Summer 2019

THE door industry journal summer 2019 Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk Secured by Design Following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in West London on 14 June 2017, you may recall that the Metropolitan Police carried out a test on a glazed fire door to a flat entrance as part of its criminal investigations. It was discovered that the door, which should have provided 30 minutes fire resistance as required by the Building Regulations, had failed in just half that time. The government called for further investigations and, as part of this, I represented Secured by Design (SBD) on the Grenfell Technical Group, which was set up in March 2018 to provide technical advice on entrance doorsets to individual flats at Grenfell, which includes the door and its surrounding frame and all component parts, such as the glazing and door hardware. The Group met frequently throughout the rest of that year and included other not-for-profit organisations like the Fire Industry Association (FIA) and the Door and Hardware Federation ( dhf ). Our comprehensive technical findings were duly reported to government via the Grenfell Independent Expert Panel. It was as a direct result of SBD, FIA and dhf coming together in this way that led to us taking the unprecedented step of collaborating on a document entitled ‘Guide For Selecting Flat Entrance Doorsets’ which was published in March 2019. Aimed at housing associations, landlords, building owners and local authorities in England, it provides guidance about what to look for in flat entrance doorsets, how this relates to the latest advice supplied by government and why third-party certification of fire doorset manufacture, installation and maintenance is a critical part of fire protection. I believe this is the first time organisations with expertise in security and fire safety have come together to provide door manufacturers and the building sector generally with such a detailed document on flat entrance doorsets. It was highlighted in some of the national publicity regarding the 2nd anniversary of the tragedy that there is a lot of frustration about the lack of progress in providing reassurance around safer living in high rise developments. We believe this document is an important step forward in the wake of Grenfell. Visit: www.securedbydesign.com Jon Cole, Chief Operating Officer Secured by Design A new regular column brought to you by Jon Cole, Chief Operating Officer, Secured by Design, the national police crime prevention initiative, which seeks to design out crime by improving the physical security of buildings and implementing crime prevention principles into the layout and landscaping of the surrounding area. Jon Cole JD (UK) Announces New Northern Area Sales Manager Nichola Wardman has been appointed as the new Northern Area Sales Manager at JD (UK), the UK’s sole distributor of Alutech insulated sectional garage doors and roller shutter components. Customers of JD (UK) may already know her as Nikki, who joined the company in 2018 as Internal Sales & New Business Development. National Sales Manager & Southern Area Sales Manager, Jason Wade, explains: “Nikki came with a wealth of sales and customer care experience. Having spent her career at JD (UK) so far, building her product knowledge, including spending time at Alutech HQ in Belarus, the progression to fields sales was a natural step.” Nikki said: “When the opportunity arose for me to progress with JD (UK), I immediately knew it was the perfect opportunity for me to carry on developing with a fantastic company whilst also being able to continue building relationships I’d already made and be part of the continuing success of the Alutech brand.” Bailey Doran will be filling part of Nichola’s old position and will be office-based at JD (UK) in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, providing new business sales support. Bailey joined JD (UK) as an apprentice in 2018, working towards his level 2 NVQ in business administration within the order processing department. Since then, he has grown his product knowledge and showed a natural aptitude for a more customer service-based role. He was keen to progress his career with the company. Nikki will be covering the North of England and Scotland and can be contacted on 07834 437274 or at nichola@jdukltd.co.uk . For more information, call: 01924 472 924, email: sales@jdukltd.co.uk or visit Systems at: alutechsystems.co.uk Garage Doors at: jdukltd.co.uk Group at: alutech-group.com/en