Door Industry Journal - Winter 2012

winter 2012 THE door industry journal The march of legislation, and the desire to derive commercial benefit by belonging to a leading trade association, are both factors increasingly occupying the minds of UK based d oor and hardware companies. Th ey are turning to the DHF in greater numbers than ever before to help them keep to the right side of the law and to give them that business edge that distinguishes them from their competitors. In the last 12 months, 30 new members successfully applied to join the DHF. We now have 230 members and I confidently expect many more companies to join our ranks in the coming months. Legislation - and the advent in July next year of compulsory CE marking in particular - is one driver of membership growth. From that date it will be a criminal offence to place a non fire door or shutter on the market without a CE mark if it is covered by a harmonised standard. Door companies need help to comply with the complicated procedures involved in applying the CE mark. Those companies realise they need the support and backing of the DHF to carry out the necessary product testing, implementation of factory production control standards and the issue of Declarations of Performance. Since April, DHF members have had to comply with minimum technical standards as a condition of membership. Now, those minimum standards have been transformed into the DHF Quality Assured standards programme. This is going to be a valuable marketing tool that members will be able to use to differentiate themselves from their non member competitors who cannot offer this customer benefit. The DHF’s stringent Quality Assured standards means a member company can give their customers a commitment to their capability, professionalism, customer service and quality. All DHF members can offer the benefits of the Quality Assured scheme to their customers, whatever their offering. The DHF Quality Assured programme follows the introduction last year of a strengthened Code of Conduct governing our members’ standards of workmanship, quality assurance, training, safety and business integrity. Specifiers, contractors and end users need to be aware that the Quality Assured scheme comes with teeth for their added reassurance. For some considerable time now, the DHF has been helping members achieve the Quality Assured standards, by ensuring third party audited factory production control schemes are in place and helping members comply with various repair, service and installation standards, fire door certification and demonstrating a commitment to training. Finally, as many of you will already know, it has been decided to amalgamate the two DHF Garage Door Groups so we now have just one Group representing Manufacturers, Installers and Distributors. I believe that this is a very important development, enabling the Installers to discuss matters and initiatives directly with their suppliers. Further details will be included in the next issue of the Door Industry Journal. Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk welcome USEFUL CONTACTS DHF Secretariat The Door and Hardware Federation T: 01827 52337 F: 01827 310827 E: info@dhfonline.org.uk DHF PR Agency Ainsworth Public Relations Guy Ainsworth T: 0161 427 3861 E: guy@ainsworth-pr.co.uk Garage Door Group Jointly chaired by Julie Chester & Simon Hipgrave Chairman of the Industrial Door Group Andrew Lloyd Chairman of the Metal Doorset Forum Bill Duncombe Chairman of the Hardware Group David Whitworth Chairman of the Timber Doorset Group Ian Hopkinson Chairman of the Powered Gate Group Andy Holz Advertising and Editorial Door Industry Journal PO Box 508 Warninglid Haywards Heath West Sussex RH17 5GY T: 01444 464147 F: 01444 464148 E: mail@doorindustryjournal.co.uk Design Agency Freelance Design & Graphics Warninglid Lane Warninglid West Sussex RH17 5TQ T: 01444 461796 F: 01444 461596 E: info@freelance-design.co.uk The Door Industry Journal is a trade publication edited and produced by Avalon Marketing on behalf of The Door and Hardware Federation (DHF). Content is collated from articles and press releases supplied by the DHF and their various industry group members, in addition to non-member companies and other external contributors. The content covers these sectors of the door and hardware industry: industrial doors, garage doors, doorsets, fire and security, building hardware, ironmongery, locks and powered gates. Companies selling to the any of the above industry sectors wishing to find out more about advertising or publishing articles in the Door Industry Journal should visit our website at www.doorindustryjournal.co.uk to download our advertising rate card. This document provides full details of the advertising rates and the associated technical data required to place advertising or editorial in The Door Industry Journal. Alternatively, to obtain further information, discuss your advertising requirements or to enquire about special features and advertorials, please contact the editor, Derek Hibbart at the Door Industry Journal on 01444 464147 or by email at editor@doorindustryjournal.co.uk . Door Industry Journal and Avalon Marketing are trading styles of Avalon Innovations LLP. Company No. OC364751 Bob Perry, Executive Chairman, Door and Hardware Federation 3 Follow us on Twitter @DoorIndustryJnl Front cover image: © Ian Hughes/Hörmann (UK) Ltd