Making the most of our set of circumstances

The path we are following in the UK as we tackle the impact of Covid-19 should come as no surprise to any business person who has kept themselves informed of the virus’s progression. The whole of the UK was lulled into a false sense of security as we eased out of lockdown. ‘Getting back to the new normal’ meant many different things to many different people. I had hoped I would be putting to bed all talk of the pandemic, sadly this was wishful thinking. It is important now to move the conversation forward and help protect the future prospects of the glazing sector. The rights and wrongs of a national lockdown versus regional circuit breaks have been well documented but what is clear is that they both have the common principal of helping to reduce the spread of the virus. Tradespeople have also come under the spotlight as stories have circulated highlighting a reluctance to wear face covering when entering customers’ homes. On a personal level, why wouldn’t you wear one when you are entering the enclosed home of a stranger who might have been exposed to Covid-19?

Putting the actual virus aside for one moment, it is intriguing to focus on many of the other issues and situations that are surrounding its existence. Namely: surges in residential demand for windows; doors and glazed extensions; high house-builder demand for windows and doors; increase in factory automation; prevalence of remote selling tools; record low interest rates; spike in house sales; shortage of fitters; supply shortages; ageing workforce; youth unemployment; rise in redundancies; sector business failures; smart technology; growth in aluminium; growth in PVC-U colour and foils; PVC-U flush sash growth; heightened media attention for glazing; ventilation benefits of windows in relation to Covid-19; sustainability and the environment – and can we afford not to add Brexit to the list?

Looking at the aforementioned list, the overriding message is one of a set of circumstances that are all interlinked and are all mutually connected in some way. Do the positives outperform the negatives – that is very much in the eyes of the beholder. It is important to incorporate as many constants in the backdrop to any future strategy that tackles this list of circumstances. Unfortunately the constant is Covid 19 – for the foreseeable future it will be part of our lives. How it impacts our lives and businesses is down to us. By remaining diligent and wearing face-masks, maintaining social distancing and being aware we can limit its impact and spread. This will mean we can then focus on all the positives that exist in our workspace and find solutions to temporary fixable problems. We can then continue to spread our ideas and grow our own businesses by educating consumers as to how glazing products can enrich their lives…. Windows Active will continue to play its part and help manufacturers spread their ideas and products…

John Cowie – Editor