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Keylite’s roof window has been crowned ‘Construction Product of the Year’ at the Irish Construction Industry Awards 2017, which took place at a glittering ceremony at the Radisson Blu Golden Lane, Dublin on Tuesday 9th May.

The Keylite window is becoming the product of choice among many leading Irish house builders and its popularity grows as users discover the benefits first hand. The impact on demand has been dramatic with annual growth in excess of 20% as sales continue to outperform the market in Ireland.

The window achieves a major step forward in thermal efficiency by being equipped with a unique expanding collar as standard, addressing the critical thermal bridging issue that is now central in the drive for energy efficient homes. Keylite also simplified the fitting process for the installer with unique flick-fit brackets making the window easier to fit from inside the roof, enhancing the health and safety of construction staff.

Keylite Managing Director John Duffin commented; ‘Our objective was to design a product which would address major issues that had been left unresolved by other products on the market. A combination of industry research and hands-on experience lies at the heart of this product’s innovations, so we are naturally delighted to be recognised for our contribution by winning Construction Product of the Year.’

Launched in 2014, the Irish Construction Industry Awards is the premier event for benchmarking excellence within Ireland’s construction industry. Find out more at https://www.constructionawards.ie/

We are delighted to announce The Keystone Group has won ‘Materials Supplier of the Year’ at the Construction News Awards ceremony held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane on 22nd March.

The judges were extremely complimentary about the achievements of the company. In their press release, Construction News commented:

‘The judges were blown away with The Keystone Group, describing the firm as a worthy winner of this year’s award for Materials Supplier of the Year – a brilliant business which ticked all of the boxes. We were impressed with Keystone’s real innovation across a wide range of products. These all led to improvements and cost savings in the businesses that used them. It is clear that Keystone is a company always looking to better itself and the welfare and skills of its workers and those it supplies.’

The Construction News Awards are the only national awards for specialist contractors and the winners represent the best of the best in the UK construction industry. The Keystone Group were praised for their innovation across the group companies, with Hi-therm lintels and the Keylite insulated collar singled out for particular praise. The judges also described IG Masonry Support’s brick slip system as a ‘particularly ingenious solution to a common problem.’ The commitment to health & safety and efficiency was also commended through the use of Smartroof’s pre-insulated roof panel systems and the GRP components provided by IG Elements.

Speaking of the win, The Keystone Group’s CEO Eithne Kelly commented, ‘we are thrilled to accept this award for Materials Supplier of the Year from Construction News. To have been recognised in this way at such a prestigious event has been an honour for us and we are delighted that each of the companies within our group has been singled out for individual praise by the judges. At The Keystone Group we are constantly seeking to innovate, enhance and improve our procedures, manufacturing processes, customer focus and ultimately our products, and this award provides important recognition of each of these.’

Keylite has stepped up its advance into ecommerce with the launch of a next day delivery service in the UK on April 1st.

Keylite’s ecommerce site was the first in the market by a manufacturer, setup solely to drive online sales directly to its merchant partners. The site was designed to provide further impetus to ensure that Keylite merchants are well represented in front of the growing number of consumers who look to purchase roof windows online.

John Duffin, Keylite Roof Windows Managing Director, said: “Customers can continue to shop with Keylite in the traditional way directly via our merchants if they choose to. But we believe 24 hour delivery is the next big innovation for us and brings shopping into the digital age for customers, allowing them to get our products in their hands faster than ever before.”

Customers must order by 12pm to ensure delivery within 24 hours and 48 hour delivery is offered on orders placed before 4pm. Available Mon-Fri and excludes bank holidays. Saturday deliveries are available at extra cost.  We offer next day delivery everywhere in the UK although extended delivery times exist for some outlying areas. Bulk orders over 350Kg are available on our 3 day delivery service.

Call our dedicated delivery team on 01283 200 158 to see how we can expedite your orders.

Keylite have been recognised again for their outstanding customer service, winning Buildbase Supplier of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Buildbase are one of the UK’s largest group of Builders Merchants in the UK, and part of Grafton Group PLC, with just under 200 Branches.  Commenting on awarding Keylite Supplier of the Year once again, Kate Tinsley, Chief Executive Officer Buildbase UK, remarks that ‘Keylite winning Buildbase Supplier of the Year for the second consecutive year demonstrates their outstanding service in the sector.  The entire team at Keylite work closely with our business, in a highly proactive and personable way.  Typical of the feedback from our branches, who all have a free vote in this award, is that Keylite’s  approach is refreshing, they always deliver on what they say they will and  their customer service, product innovation and communications are excellent.  For me personally, with Keylite nothing is ever a problem’.

The award comes shortly after Keylite were crowned BMN UK supplier of the Year 2016, the highest accolade a supplier can receive in the industry, and a year of record growth for the Keylite brand both in the UK and across Europe.  John Duffin, Keylite Managing Director, is delighted at the recognition that Keylite continues to get for leading the industry and setting the standard in customer service: ‘Customer Service is the cornerstone of our business strategy, and genuinely every person in the entire Keylite business, will personally do whatever it takes to deliver for our customers, and it is that personal care and attention we know that sets us apart.  To be held up by our esteemed customers Buildbase for a second year in a row is quite something and gives myself and the entire team at Keylite even more incentive to repay that recognition by renewed focus and commitment to exceed Buildbase and all of our customers’ expectations. 2017 is an exciting year for Keylite with very ambitious plans for growth, so this award is an extremely positive way to start the year’.

Keylite Roof Windows has had its best year of growth since it was set up in 2001. Keylite, with headquarters in Cookstown, said export sales had grown by 30% in 2016 and that it also had plans to invest to grow sales in Europe even further this year.

Managing director, John Duffin, said the roof windows manufacturer had appointed four new sales staff in Germany and France in a bid to increase sales.

The company has reported that sales in 2016 had reached around £22m, of which just under £2m relates to export sales. And it said it is aiming for export sales of £2.5m during 2017.

The firm, which employs 450 people, has a 20% share of the UK market. Overall, it sells its products in 19 countries, including Australia and New Zealand and has premises in Cookstown, Derbyshire and Zambrow, Poland.

It was recently named UK Supplier of the Year at the Builder’s Merchants Awards for Excellence in London. Mr Duffin said: “Our growth is based on a range of factors, including our relationship with merchants, our incredible customer service, and the culture of relentless innovation and continuous product improvement, which sits at the very heart of the business.

“The level of innovation across the Keystone Group is especially apparent here at Keylite, where we entered the market in 2001 and now hold just under 20% share of the UK market alone.”

As well as recruiting sales staff for France and Germany, he said the firm would also be recruiting at boardroom level this year to fill roles, including that of international sales director.

Keylite Roof Windows has recently established a new German division, Keylite Dachfenster GmbH to support the increasing demand for Keylite Roof Windows in Germany and across Europe.

Keylite will officially launch their German division at BAU Munich, taking place from January 16-21 2017. BAU is the World’s leading trade fair for architecture, materials and systems in the construction industry. This is where future-oriented manufacturers come together with an audience of interested professionals. Their primary interests include the latest techniques, materials and applications that can be put to practical use.

Since establishing in 2001, Keylite has grown exponentially to its position as the fastest growing roof window manufacturer across Europe and is now available in 19 countries around the world.  Commenting on the launch into Germany, Keylite Managing Director John Duffin says:

‘We are excited to invest in Germany and build our operation in the market with a new and growing sales force in place. At Keylite, we believe that every product should deliver the very best in innovation, quality, service and value. We have a relentless focus on research, development and design and have successfully introduced many new and innovative product enhancements over the past two decades. The growth of Keylite in Europe along with the setup of our team in Germany makes us more driven than ever to continue innovating and bringing improvements to the roof window industry’.

To find out more about BAU please visit: https://bau-muenchen.com/

Let’s be honest, choosing a loft ladder can be far from exciting. However, it is an important feature for your loft hatch and there are a number of things that you really should look out for when buying

Here are our 4 things to look out for when choosing a loft ladder.

Choosing the right size for your loft

The first thing you need to do is to measure your loft space to see what ladder size is required. You will find that there are lots of different loft ladder dimensions to choose from, so it is vital to get the right size ladder to fit your loft.

You’ll also need to find out if you will need a 3 segment or 4 segment ladder – again, depending on the size of your space.

Ease of installation

Another thing to consider here is how well designed the loft ladder is in terms of how easy it is to install. The better the design, the easier and quicker it will be to install.

Easier installation means time saving for the installer, resulting in cost savings for the home owner. Simple.

Safety

Again, this is seemingly obvious but it is something that is often overlooked. When it comes to safety, just remember that different products are not all equal. When it comes to safety, here are some of the things you should be looking out for:

• Slip resistant treads. Essentially these are grips positioned within the steps for added stability and security.
• Recessed locking system. This will ensure that the ladder won’t fall down on top of you once the trap door is opened – it will stay locked in place until released.
• Pre-fitted handrail. Look for a loft ladder that has one of these – it provides essential grip when ascending and descending the ladder. In other words, less chance of stumbles and subsequent injury.

Energy Efficiency

Probably not the first thing you would consider as a significant factor when choosing a product like this.

However, according to the National Insulation Association, 25% of all the heat lost in an average home is through the loft space (NIA). As a result, always look for a loft ladder that will offer the best energy efficiency to save you energy costs.

Look for a product that has a fully insulated trap door with a low u-value and a continuous seal around the trapdoor for extra insulation.

View the range here.

Keylite has rounded off an exceptional year for the company by winning ‘Supplier of the Year’ at this year’s Builders’ Merchants Awards for Excellence.

The prestigious event took place in London with over 700 key industry figures in attendance. The Awards are an important event in the Builders’ Merchants’ calendar and the only ones to officially recognise and reward the significant contribution builders’ merchants and their suppliers make to the construction industry.

Jennie Craig, Group Editor of the BMN and Chair of the judging panel commented: ‘Keylite Roof Windows is a great business that has received impressive feedback from their merchant partners, working closely with them to support the merchants’ own initiatives as well as helping them attain impressive sales growth.’

John Duffin, Keylite Managing Director, has also expressed his delight at winning this highly sought after award:  

To win Supplier of the Year 2016 is an amazing honour for Keylite, and is the icing on the cake for a landmark year of growth for the company. The Keylite team are 100% focused on delivering outstanding customer service, it truly is the cornerstone of our company ethos. To be recognised by the BMN as the UK’s top supplier makes us incredibly proud and reinforces our commitment to innovation, service, product and partnership initiatives to ensure we continue to be known as the merchant’s favourite supplier.