First Minister opens Superglass factory following £37m upgrade


Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, officially opened Superglass’ newly upgraded glass wool insulation factory in Stirling. The opening follows the completion of a £37 million project to redevelop Superglass’s production facility, protecting 180 jobs at the site and cementing the company’s place as a leader in Scotland’s manufacturing sector. On the visit, the First Minister toured the new facility, seeing how the newly installed 187-tonne furnace and curing oven, cooling, cutting and milling equipment


has facilitated a doubling of the site’s production capacity. She also addressed the staff and declared the new factory open. The multi-million-pound investment is one of the largest in Scottish engineering and manufacturing in recent years and was supported with £477,000 of Scottish Enterprise grant funding. Redevelopment of the Superglass factory is a commitment from the company to maintaining its Scottish base, from which it will now produce around 60,000 tonnes of environmentally sustainable glass


M&J Builders Merchants’ buys South Lanarkshire Building Supplies Ltd


M&J Builders Merchants’ parent company, Rodger Group Limited, has acquired Larkhall based South Lanarkshire Building Supplies Limited, adding a 4th location to the Group.


SLB which was part of the NBG Buying Group has ceased its membership and has joined


M&J’s buying group, The H&B Buying Group. It is a mixed heavyside and lightside merchant, holding a substantial range of products within its 4 acre site. “SLB is already a very successful business, with a great reputation for service. Being part of the enlarged Group will bring opportunities for growth


wool insulation annually.


The significant engineering and building work within Superglass’ existing site was carried out while the original production area continued to operate. Superglass reported its return to trade profit a year ahead of the forecast with revenue growing from £23.6m in 2017 to £32.9m in 2018, a 39% increase. Glass wool insulation produced by Superglass is made from up to 84% recycled glass and is estimated to save around 300 times the amount of energy used to manufacture it.


and new avenues for development. It is an exciting prospect both for M&J and for all at SLB” says SLB director, Stephen Queen.


M&J is located in Greenock (2 locations) and Largs is a leading supplier of high quality timber, building, insulation and landscaping materials. Being part of The h&b Buying Group allows us to have access to better buying across all our products and our buying group’s collective turnover is fast approaching £1 billion from its 90+ members, enabling us to negotiate the best deals with the manufacturers. Being a


family run independent business, however, we can still offer that personal service that can get lost with the national merchants.


The existing SLB branch management team as well as all staff are staying in place in their current roles and we are excited about combining operational expertise and knowledge.


Bradstone launches 2020 training academy Bradstone has opened the doors


to its 2020 Training Academy and is encouraging merchants to secure a place now to avoid disappointment. The Bradstone Training Academy, which will run from 21st January to 5th February 2020, is open to all merchants


looking to expand and improve their knowledge and skills within the ever-evolving hard landscaping industry.


The training is running on selected dates throughout January and February at five Bradstone sites across the UK – Hulland Ward, North End, Motherwell, Brentford and Ashington. The training will cover a wealth of useful information, from understanding Bradstone’s business and products, through to the customer journey. There will be product training, top tips on upselling and support tools to take away. What’s more, those


January 2020 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net


Keyline opens


Cornish branch Keyline opens brand new two-acre branch is now open in Bodmin, Cornwall. Keyline is a trusted distributor with a nationwide network of 60 branches. Having opened its doors in December 2019, this brand- new branch is ready to support the newly expanded Exeter branch, bringing both products and customer services closer to customers in the South West region.


The brand-new team includes branch manager, Luke Bromley, who has a great deal of experience within the company, having had an internal promotion and relocating from his previous branch in Bedford. Accompanying Bromley is assistant manager, Josh Saxton, who graduated after two years in management training at Keyline and was offered the role at Bodmin as his first posting.


NMBS backs BMF launch of ETIM product


that book onto training days at Hulland Ward or North End will finish the day with an exclusive behind-the scenes site tour. Heather Foo, regional sales manager for Bradstone, comments: “The Bradstone Training Academy is a key event in the merchant calendar and we’d encourage anyone interested in these events.


Each training session will run from 10am – 3pm, with lunch and refreshments provided throughout the day. To secure a place ocontact your local Bradstone account manager.


data model The NMBS has declared its support for ETIM as the most appropriate data model for the standardisation and classification of technical product data for its members. The ETIM model, which simplifies the transfer of information between manufacturer and merchant, was first introduced to the UK’s electro-technical sector by the EDA, now the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) is to begin work on its expansion into two further sectors, Building Materials and HVAC & Sanitary.


ETIM not only ensures that all users of the product data employ the same terms to describe the same attributes and values, but it also streamlines the transfer of information, removes inefficiency in the supply chain and facilitates the transition to online trading.


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