The comprehensive industry report from Keystone is said to provide valuable insight into homeowner behaviour, buying motivations and decision-making trends across the UK fenestration sector. By supporting the research, Business Pilot is reinforcing its commitment to helping installers better understand their customers and adapt to an evolving marketplace.

“At Business Pilot, we’re passionate about giving installers the tools and knowledge they need to grow”, said Managing Director, Elton Boocock. “Keystone’s report delivers powerful, data-driven insight into what today’s homeowners are thinking and how they’re choosing to invest in their properties.

“Understanding consumer behaviour is essential in a market where response times, communication and professionalism can make all the difference. The more our sector understands its customers, the better positioned businesses will be to convert enquiries into contracts.”

The sponsorship aligns with Business Pilot’s mission to help installers operate more efficiently, respond faster, and create a seamless customer journey from initial enquiry through to installation and aftercare.

Alongside its support of Keystone’s research, Business Pilot has also announced its annual sponsorship of PiGs, continuing its long-standing commitment to supporting networking, collaboration and community within the glazing industry.

Elton added: “PiGs plays a vital role in bringing people together, sharing ideas and strengthening relationships across our sector. We’re delighted to continue our support for another year.”

Through strategic partnerships and continued investment in industry initiatives, Business Pilot remains focused on helping installers build stronger, smarter, and more resilient businesses.

To find out more please visit www.businesspilot.co.uk

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Anna has reportedly gained an extensive knowledge and understanding of building product markets during ten years at a well-known building market reports agency. She also spent three years with MRA in research before working independently.

Mike Rigby, MD of MRA Research, Anna’s partner in MRA Reports, set up and runs the BMBI (Builders Merchant Building Index) which is used widely in and outside the industry as a reliable measure of activity. Insightful explanations of trends and issues are delivered by leading building product brands, the BMBI Experts. It also features in the Government’s Monthly Construction Update.

Big differences

Mike explained: “Before we researched the builders’ merchants’ market we were struck, as others are, by the very big differences in market sizes quoted by different companies and organisations. That directly affects the value you attribute to an investment, acquisition or market share.

“The building materials supply chain is extremely complicated, and we think that’s part of the reason for the differences in market sizes being quoted. It’s fragmented, and the supply chain varies from product to product.

“In addition, the size and value of the market depend on how you define it and at what level you measure. There are big and obvious differences between manufacturers’ selling prices, merchants’ sales to builders, and builders’ sales to their customers.

“It’s further complicated by buying groups, and by how much passes through builders’ merchants in the overall supply chain. That varies by market, and the assumptions you make and how you define and calculate the market are all important.

“If you are planning to invest millions in additional capacity, in entering a market, or acquiring or merging businesses you want to be sure of the factual foundations, and what is coming down the track and likely to change. Too often when they’re implemented, strategies fail to deliver, business models only half-work, and investments and acquisitions come unstuck.

‘The industry needs a better ‘satnav’’

“In rapidly changing, complicated markets the industry needs a better ‘satnav’ for supply chain decision making. Anna and I set out to provide that unique supply chain perspective,” said Mike.

He added: “We believe the industry needs better building market intelligence with a supply chain focus to reduce the risks in strategic planning, commercial due diligence and in steering a business to profitable growth.”

MRA Reports is focused on desk research, market sizing projects, competitor reviews, commercial due diligence for mergers & acquisitions and off-the-shelf market reports as well as in-depth bespoke projects.

All reports are produced by experienced researchers, with an in-depth knowledge of the construction industry and the building products supply chain.

The first full report ‘The General Builders’ Merchants Market – UK 2025-2030’ is available to purchase. To find out more or to subscribe to the MRA Reports newsletter or to quarterly report updates, visit www.mra-reports.co.uk or email Anna Eriksson at anna@mra-reports.co.uk.

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Named COLBi – short for Customer Order Logic & Build interface – the software has been developed entirely in-house by Office Manager Sam Turnock and is already being used to process a significant proportion of customer orders.

COLBi is designed to upload, read and interpret customer orders submitted in a wide range of formats, including emails, PDFs and scanned documents. Unlike traditional optical character recognition systems, the software uses artificial intelligence to understand intent, learning customer preferences and recognising variations in terminology over time.

“This isn’t just about reading text,” explained Sam. “It’s reading orders like a human would and trying to understand what the customer actually wants.”

The system is trained customer by customer, learning default specifications and preferences and retaining that knowledge permanently. This helps ensure a consistent experience for customers, while supporting the office team with shared knowledge across the business.

After two months of live use, COLBi is already processing orders for the company’s four largest customers, accounting for around 40 percent of weekly line items. The business is targeting 80 percent of orders to be processed through the system by the end of the year, with more complex orders continuing to receive manual oversight.

“For customers, the biggest benefit is accuracy,” said Sam. “Computers don’t mis-key numbers. But just as importantly, it frees our office team up to spend more time on service, advice and relationships.”

Future development plans include automated email integration, overnight order processing, and potential links to quoting and production planning systems.

Sam added: “This isn’t about replacing people. It’s about giving customers the best service we can by letting technology handle the repetitive tasks and leaving the rest to experienced staff.”

For more information about Topline Glass, visit: Home – Topline Glass

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Understanding decision-making

This edition is said to place particular emphasis on understanding how decision-making changes at point of purchase, comparing overall homeowner attitudes with those currently planning projects. The findings provide valuable guidance on where demand is most resilient, how budgets are shifting and which products are best positioned to convert in 2026, despite ongoing economic uncertainty.

The report has once again been made possible through the continued support of last year’s sponsors – Endurance Doors, Epwin Window Systems, the GGF, Liniar, and VEKA – and Keystone was delighted to welcome Business Pilot as an additional sponsor for this year’s research programme.

The collective backing reportedly enables Keystone to make this research freely available to sponsor customers, ensuring actionable consumer insight reaches businesses across the fenestration supply chain.

Another tough year for fenestration

Charlotte Hawkes, Director of Keystone Market Research, commented: “We’re forecasting that the year ahead is likely to be another tough one for fenestration, but with definite areas of opportunity. This latest report gives the industry a clear picture of what really matters to homeowners who are ready to buy now – not just those browsing or planning for the future.

“We’re extremely grateful to our returning sponsors and to Business Pilot for joining us this year, as their support allows us to continue delivering independent, consumer-focused insight at a time when clarity and confidence for the market are crucial.”

Webinar series

Alongside the report launch, Keystone has announced a new webinar update series, exclusive to sponsors, sponsor’s customers and annual subscribers.

Each webinar will walk attendees through the key findings from the latest report, explore what they mean for the market and provide an opportunity for live questions and feedback to help shape the future development of the research. The webinar for this latest report will take place at 10am on 11 March.

Keystone explained that if you aren’t a customer of one of the report sponsors, annual subscriptions are now open for purchase, providing access to all consumer reports released throughout the year.

For more information on the latest Consumer Fenestration Trends Report, webinar access, sponsorship opportunities, or annual subscriptions, visit www.keystonemr.co.uk.

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The initiative, which has already diverted over 85 tonnes of domestic PVC-U from landfill, will be extended to additional regions and locations throughout 2026.

Joy Naylor, Manufacturing & Recycling Director, said: “Our partnership with Biffa has had a tremendous impact on our sustainability efforts, allowing us to divert large volumes of post-consumer PVC-U from landfill. This collaboration aligns perfectly with our commitment to a closed-loop recycling process, reducing waste and supporting a more sustainable future for both our customers and the environment.”

A significant volume of PVC-U from window and door replacements still ends up in landfill, despite the material being highly recyclable. Smaller installers and sole traders, who undertake much of this work, have historically had limited access to practical recycling options, with PVC-U often being bulky, awkward to store, and ultimately treated as general waste.

To address this, Eurocell set out to make products more sustainable by reducing virgin plastic content, while offering customers a simple, accessible recycling route for post-consumer material.

Working with Biffa, Eurocell launched a domestic and small-load PVC-U collection trial in February 2023. Operating within a 30-mile radius of NE28 (North Tyneside), the service allowed installers to request collections via branches or phone, with Biffa’s reactive fleet picking up material directly from homes, depots, and small trade sites.

Biffa consolidated the material at three regional transfer stations, soon to increase to 10 under the expanded partnership, before sending it to Eurocell’s specialist recycling facilities. The system was designed to handle everything from small domestic loads to bulk skips, opening up recycling access to traders of all sizes for the first time.

The pilot delivered exceptional outcomes and proved fully scalable:

• 300 domestic collections completed with a 100% success rate

• Over 85 tonnes of PVC-U recovered and circularised in the UK

• Virtually all collected PVC-U recycled, re-ground and re-melted by Eurocell for use in new window and door products

• A fully circular, closed-loop model, with Eurocell funding collection and processing before using the recovered material to manufacture more sustainable, lower-carbon products.

For more information about Eurocell, visit: https://www.eurocell.co.uk/eurocell-recycle

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Independent laboratory testing has proved The Joinery Network’s (TJN) Lignum timber Side and Top Swing Casement Window delivers exceptional weather and security performance, placing it among the top-performing casement systems in the UK across all materials.

Led by Owen Dare, TJN’s Technical Director, Lignum, the timber window and door system goes through a continuous development and testing programme including new products, updates and enhancements. For all Secured by Design (SBD) audits and test processes, TJN works with ERC Testing and CenSolutions.

First Lignum timber Side and Top Swing Casement Window were put through the full BS 6375-1 weather performance testing alongside PAS24:2022 (2024) security assessment. The programme also introduced a new fixed sash option for glazed panels, further enhancing the Lignum range.

Proven Performance Under Extreme Conditions

The Lignum casement recorded major gains across every key performance category:

• Watertightness (EN BS 12207): Increased from 250Pa to 600Pa hitting 9A, the highest classification, with zero water ingress.
  This represents resistance to wind-driven rain equivalent to 70mph, up from 45mph, without leakage.
• Wind Resistance (EN BS 12208): Achieved Class C5, the highest-pressure classification.

• Air Permeability (EN BS 12210): Achieved Class C4, the highest level possible

Alongside weather performance, the system passed PAS24:2022 (2024) security testing, meeting the latest enhanced security requirements without sacrificing performance or design.

Lignum Conservation casement

The new Lignum Conservation casement window with traditional butt hinges, has also been in the test lab achieving PAS24:2022 (2024) with both top and side hung sashes. Impressively, there was no need for hinge bolts.

Lignum Double doors open out

The Lignum double doors open out also achieved PAS24:2022. And again, showed improved results on weather testing.

• Air Permeability (BS EN 12207) now 600pa Class 4 which is the highest rating.
• Watertightness (BS EN 12208) also went all the way up to 600pa with no leakage for a 9A performance which again is the highest possible.
• Wind Resistance (BS EN 12210) improved to the ut we improved to the highest level of 1200pa Class A3.

A Standout Timber System

“These test results aren’t incremental improvements, they’re a step change for members,” said Owen. “The Lignum casement sets a new benchmark and now sits at the very top of the market, not just for timber, but when measured against the high-performance PVC-U and aluminium systems as well.

“The new Lignum Conservation Casement extends the options for property owners looking for traditional design with the latest high security. It’s excellent news for The Joinery Network manufacturers.

“The re-testing on the Lignum doors was very impressive, and I am very proud of the results.”

Further testing is already underway to extend certification across the wider Lignum window and door range, supporting the continued growth of The Joinery Network of Lignum manufacturers.

For more information, visit: Timber Windows and Doors | The Joinery Network

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SBD is the official police security initiative of Police CPI. Its aim is to improve the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings by providing a recognised standard, the Police Preferred Specification, for all security products that can deter and reduce crime.

VBH has a wide portfolio of hardware for windows, residential doors and sliding patio doors on its list of approved hardware products. In addition to a wide selection of hardware from VBH’s own greenteQ brand, the list also includes products from selected supply partners including AGB, Avantis, Roto, Securistyle and Yale.

Rob Norman, Technical Director at VBH, said: “Our continued membership of SBD re-affirms VBH’s commitment to develop and supply top quality window and door hardware that is designed to meet and exceed current security standards.

“Our schedule of SBD approved products is a ‘must-read’ for door, window and patio door manufacturers who put their products through PAS24 testing and third-party certification. There is a wide selection of locking/operating systems, cylinders, hinges and more to choose from, all of which has been tested to PAS24.”

For more information, contact info@vbhgb.com or search for VBH on the Secured by Design website at www.securedbydesign.com.

Or for more information about VBH, visit: VBH Great Britain

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The Warm Homes Plan has been described by the government as “the largest home upgrade programme in British history”, providing significant investment in insulation, low-carbon heating and renewables – including universal zero, or low-interest, loan-style support for measures such as batteries, heat pumps and solar panels.

While the GGF supports actions that help households cut energy bills and carbon emissions, it is seeking greater clarity on where fabric-first improvements sit within the overall framework.

At present, references to windows and doors within the policy document are limited to local authority-led and social housing funding routes. What remains unclear is whether funding will support meaningful retrofit upgrades to existing homes, including the replacement of ageing and inefficient double glazing with modern high-performance double or triple glazing.

The GGF has contacted the Director at Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Jessica Skillback, within the last 24 hours to request urgent clarification on how fabric improvements will be treated under the Warm Homes Plan, and whether future guidance will enable homeowners and social housing providers alike to upgrade existing glazing as part of a whole-house retrofit approach.

Chris Beedel, Head of Government Advocacy & Stakeholder Relations at GGF, said: “While we recognise the Government’s focus on electrification and renewables, we believe that energy efficiency must start with the building fabric.

“Windows and doors play a critical role in reducing heat loss and ensuring that low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps can operate effectively. We are seeking clarity from Government on how these essential measures will be supported.”

The GGF says it is cautiously optimistic that opportunities will be presented for the glass and glazing sector, particularly within the social housing and local authority-led retrofit programmes. However, the Federation stresses that further detail is needed to understand the scale and scope of these opportunities.

The GGF explained that it looks forward to further engagement with DESNZ and to the additional detail promised in forthcoming policy updates. The Federation remains committed to working constructively with Government to ensure the Warm Homes Plan delivers practical, effective and inclusive energy efficiency solutions that fully recognise the value of fabric-first improvements.

For more information about the GGF and how it can support your business’ growth, please visit: www.ggf.org.uk

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As we move through 2026, glazing businesses are operating in a more connected, data-driven environment than ever before. ERP systems, accounting platforms, supplier portals, Microsoft 365, and now AI tools all play a critical role in day-to-day operations.

That connectivity creates opportunity – but it also introduces risk.

The businesses that will thrive in 2026 will be the ones that treat cybersecurity, technology planning, and productivity tools as growth enablers, not just IT overhead.

Here are some practical, proven tips to help glazing fabricators stay secure while also improving efficiency and profitability.

1. There’s No Better Time for a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment

If you do one thing this year, make it this.

A cybersecurity risk assessment gives you a clear, independent view of:

• Where your biggest risks actually are
• Which systems would cause the most damage if they went down
• How exposed your Microsoft 365 and financial data really is
• Whether your backups, access controls, and security settings are fit for purpose

For glazing businesses, this often highlights risks around:

• ERP and order management systems
• Accounts and invoicing data
• Email compromise and supplier fraud
• Unsupported or poorly secured devices

Crucially, the findings from a risk assessment shouldn’t just sit in a report. They should form the basis of a technology and cybersecurity roadmap – prioritised, costed, and aligned to business goals.

Instead of reacting to incidents, you move forward with intent.

2. Use AI to Increase Output, Not Just Experiment

AI is no longer “coming” – it’s already embedded in tools most businesses pay for today.

For many glazing companies, the fastest wins are inside Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Used properly, Copilot can:

• Summarise long email threads and highlight decisions
• Generate meeting notes and action points in Teams
• Help draft policies, procedures, proposals, and customer communications
• Surface information buried across SharePoint, OneDrive, and Outlook

This isn’t about replacing people. It’s about removing friction – giving teams back time to focus on customers, production, and growth.

The key is purposeful adoption, not random usage.

3. Why You Need an AI Policy (and What One Is)

As soon as AI tools are used in a business, governance matters.

An AI policy sets clear boundaries on:

• What AI tools are approved for use
• What data can and cannot be shared with AI systems
• How outputs should be reviewed and validated
• Who is responsible for oversight and misuse

Without a policy, businesses risk:

• Staff uploading sensitive customer or financial data into unapproved tools
• Inconsistent outputs being sent to customers
• Compliance issues around data protection and confidentiality

An AI policy isn’t about slowing innovation – it’s about enabling safe, confident use of AI at scale.

4. Training Is the Difference Between Value and Waste

Buying Microsoft 365 Copilot doesn’t automatically deliver ROI.

The businesses seeing real results are the ones investing in:

• Practical Copilot training (how it fits real workflows)
• Microsoft 365 adoption support (SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive structure)
• Clear examples of “this is how we use it here”

Without training, Copilot becomes an unused licence.
With training, it becomes a productivity multiplier.

5. Secure Microsoft 365 Before It Secures You

Microsoft 365 is powerful – but out of the box, it is not fully locked down.

Common issues we see include:

• MFA not enforced for all users
• Weak conditional access policies
• Over-permissive SharePoint access
• Poor monitoring of suspicious logins

Email compromise remains one of the biggest threats to glazing businesses, particularly in accounts and supplier communications.

Ongoing Microsoft 365 security management – not a one-off setup – is essential to reduce breach risk.

6. The “Usual” Still Matters (More Than Ever)

While AI gets the headlines, the fundamentals still do most of the heavy lifting:

• Patch management and device updates
• Endpoint protection and monitoring
• Secure, tested backups
• User awareness training and phishing simulation
• Incident response and business continuity planning

These controls are what stop small issues turning into business-stopping incidents.

Final Thought

The most successful glazing businesses in 2026 won’t be the ones chasing every new tool.

They’ll be the ones who:

• Understand their risks
• Have a clear technology roadmap
• Use AI deliberately and safely
• Invest in training and security foundations

Security and growth are no longer separate conversations – they’re two sides of the same strategy.

For more insights, follow Dufeu IT on LinkedIn, connect with me directly, or visit https://www.dufeu-it.co.uk/contact/ to continue the conversation. Or look back at Greg’s previous columns on the PiGs website: News – PiGs

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As environmental performance becomes a greater focus for construction and home improvement businesses, installers are under growing pressure to demonstrate how materials are handled at the end of their life cycle.

However, recycling has often been associated with additional cost, particularly through skip hire and waste disposal, limiting engagement across the industry.

Available exclusively to FENSA installers, the new recycling scheme removes that barrier by providing free access to its services.

The initiative enables FENSA installers to divert materials from landfill, reduce reliance on skips and lower disposal costs, improving environmental performance without increasing overheads.

The scheme introduces a structured, postcode-based referral system to support efficient allocation of collections, alongside confirmation and reporting processes that provide clearer visibility of recycling activity.

Sam Davies, Technical Manager at FENSA, said: “Sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’. Installers are under pressure to demonstrate responsible practice, but that shouldn’t come at a financial penalty.

“This scheme gives FENSA installers a straightforward way to minimise waste, reduce skip costs and improve their carbon footprint – at no additional cost to their business.”

Specialist partners VEKA and REHAU bring established experience in PVC-U recycling, while May Glass Recycling supports the responsible processing of glass materials.

Together, they address the main waste streams generated by replacement window and door projects.

FENSA has also confirmed that additional tools are planned to help installers communicate their sustainability efforts more effectively, supporting transparency and customer confidence as environmental performance becomes an increasingly important role in helping installers stand out in the market.

For more information about FENSA and how it can support your business’ growth, please visit www.fensa.org.uk

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