PRODUCT INNOVATIONS Meeting the needs of the disabled
A report commissioned by the Office for Disability Issues and Department for Business Innovation and Skills highlights that for the average business, disabled customers may already account for up to 20 percent of their customer base. This already significant market is set to grow as the British population continues to age and the majority of disabled people primarily buy in-store and choose businesses where they have received good service. Total Hygiene, one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of disabled toileting solutions, maintains one of the easiest ways to access the market, especially in the food sector, is to install appropriate toilet facilities. “A survey of disabled consumers’ buying patterns revealed that over 80 percent had taken their custom elsewhere to a more accessible competitor,” says Robin Tuffley, Total Hygiene marketing manager. “There are several Standards and Codes of Practice for accessible toilet provision, but for a toilet to be fully accessible, it should include the features detailed in Approved Document M, and other elements including more space, a hoist, a changing bench and a ‘wash and dry’ toilet. Then, anyone with a disability, with or without a carer, can be accommodated and, as a result, footfall and spend will increase.” For more information visit
www.clos-o-mat.com
Stanton Cast Stone
Stressline Ltd has long focused on providing the construction industry with a unique and comprehensive range of structural building products - prestressed concrete flooring and lintels, precast concrete staircases and balconies, and a complete range of steel lintels. On the 18th of January 2012 Stressline Ltd acquired a range of assets and intellectual property from JP Naylor and Co Ltd, a cast stone manufacturer. This acquisition has enabled Stressline Ltd to expand its product range, and to offer customers a comprehensive range of standard and bespoke cast stone and concrete products, alongside its existing range of structural building products. For the first time, customers are now able to specify and to have scheduled structural building products, together with architectural products from the same manufacturer. These items can be delivered on the same vehicle, with plot details if required, simplifying the supply chain for both buyers and site managers. This range of architectural cast stone and concrete is called Stanton Cast Stone. For more information telephone 01455 272 457 or email
sales@stressline.net
Comedy carpet rolled out
Self-compacting concrete containing Sika admixtures played an important role in the production of Comedy Carpet - a £2.6million attraction at the foot of Blackpool Tower. The 2,200sqm concrete artwork features gags, catchphrases and names of more than 1,000 comedians. Comprising 235 cast concrete panels, the piece by Gordon Young, a visual artist, with typography by Why Not Associates, includes over 160,000 letters cut from red and black granite and cobalt blue concrete. The letters were cast into high quality concrete panels. The letters were laid out in a mould and cast in a hardwearing grout. A reinforced concrete base layer was then added. To avoid disturbing the mosaic of letters, this base layer had to be cast without added vibration to consolidate the concrete. To achieve this, self compacting concrete supplied by Robin Concrete was chosen. This concrete mix, containing specially adapted Sika ViscoCrete superplasticisers, produces unique fluidity and inherent compactibility. For more information telephone 0800 292 2572, email
concreteinnovation@uk.sika.com or visit
www.sikaconcreteadmixtures.co.uk
Hidden benefits of concealment
Samuel Heath’s Perko Powermatic controlled, concealed door closer is enjoying increasing popularity with specifiers thanks to the fact that it is totally invisible when the door is closed. In addition to enabling designers to retain a clean, unhindered appearance to the door, without intrusion from unsightly boxes and mechanical devices, the benefits of concealment go far beyond aesthetic
considerations: A reduced opportunity for the door closer to be vandalised improves reliability of the door to close when needed, particularly
important in times of emergency; its ability to be mounted at low levels and the fact that it is hidden from view make Perko Powermatic eminently suitable for anti-ligature applications and, finally, the absence of significant horizontal surfaces minimises exposure to germs and detritus, enhancing hygiene and simplifying cleaning. Perko Powermatic also boasts a plethora of technical performance credentials, which make the closer ideal for a wide variety of fire door applications in critical areas of buildings and in buildings where user safety and reliability of the door are of paramount importance. These include CE marking, Certifire approval and compliance with Approved Document M of the Building Regulations. For more information telephone 0121 766 4200 or email
julie.harvey@samuel-heath.com
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