Art 1(1)
02 September 2015

Illbruck - often imitated, never equalled

Pictured left is Alistair Inglis and right the TP600 product

Alistair Inglis, UK Sales Manager for illbruck, writes about the way the company has invested to meet changing market needs.

As a long-established manufacturer with an international reputation and a comprehensive product range, illbruck has now reached the point where it has produced enough impregnated tape to circle the planet three times over; an achievement that is in sharp contrast to some products and the companies producing them.

It is a fact that, in order to combat increasing extremes of weather caused by climate change, the glazing and facades sector has moved on from its reliance on ‘silicone only' fixing systems and now employs more advanced impregnated tapes and compatible technologies to provide good weather resistance and control air permeability.

illbruck not only offers premium product and service performance; the company has achieved strong growth despite the tough times experienced by many parts of the construction industry.

Contractors realised that they could not afford to make mistakes in sealing and bonding, and so opted for a proven solution. In addition, they turned to us because we had invested in the UK market by training our staff, and gained the certification they were seeking for peace of mind.

A fit-and-forget solution was ideal for the recession and is even more relevant now that contractors are so busy. No one wants to go back to jobs to do remedial work.

Unfortunately, some manufacturers have entered the market with products which lack the depth of research and development or third party testing which underpins our offering.

In a bid to raise awareness and standards, we are represented on various technical committees of major trade associations thereby influencing where sealing guidelines could be improved to raise some of the standards in building construction, especially in terms of weather and air tightness.

We are totally committed to the UK market and have accelerated our investment in testing and certification. For example, we have a range of BBA certifications which we feel are crucial to giving customers confidence when using the products. It is in areas like this that we lead the way and show we are prepared to invest in supporting our products and systems.

In addition to developing advanced product technologies, we are also keen to explore and support their integration into new sectors: for instance offering housebuilders the opportunity to benefit from systems previously confined to commercial contracts.

As an example, our A-Rated Windows campaign which was launched last year and showcased at The Fit Show, helped bring home the message to the domestic contractor and OEM producer. In essence, the communication centred on existing, common ‘silicone-only' fixing practices proving inappropriate for the high-technology, A-Rate windows being specified to meet Part L Building Regulation requirements. As a result, we are now starting to make real inroads into the domestic windows market.

One of the major differences between illbruck and its competitors is the level of service and technical support on offer. Our people are our main asset and are on site every day. Quite often, they have worked with the architect to specify a solution and they are then on site to talk through the solution with the sub-contractor; they give ‘tool box talks' to the operatives on how to apply the product.

In addition to unrivalled laboratory research and third party testing, product quality is constantly scrutinised at the main production plant in Germany.

Overall, we feel it is crucial that contractors and consultants should not believe that all impregnated foam products are essentially the same. Significantly, we can reference real life testing of products in a variety of climates and situations going back more than 20 years for our top-selling TP600 (formerly Compriband 600) product.

This testing is rigorous; third party accredition has shown TP600 maintains its 600 Pa weather-tightness two decades after being first installed. We also test materials against the competition and have identified big differences in installed performance, even over a much shorter time period.

As the business continues to grow, we are also expanding our product lines with the introduction of a Building Protection range, aimed at solving the problems faced trying to find compatible products to seal the building envelope.

Sourcing products that work together to provide airtightness and moisture management solutions can be a headache. We have, therefore, done the work on bonding and compatibility on a range of breather membranes, vapour barriers, tapes and sealants so that they can be relied upon to perform where it matters - on-site. It represents a logical extension to our windows and façades range given that the question we are most often asked about is product compatibility.

The future is bright for us in the UK market: with a raft of BBA certificates in place and widespread recognition of the need to provide the best possible sealing and bonding of windows and façades across the construction market, illbruck's heritage and experience is serving it well.

For further information on tremco illbruck, please visitwww.tremco-illbruck.co.uk

-ends-

With compliments:
Alison Relf
Taylor Alden Ltd
Unit 2, Temple Place
247 The Broadway
London
SW19 1SD
Tel: 020 8543 3866
Email: alison@tayloralden.co.uk

Editors' note

tremco illbruck encompasses four brands in the UK after a worldwide brand reorganisation - more details can be found atwww.tremco-illbruck.co.uk. The brands are TREMCO, illbruck and Nullifire for the construction business and PACTAN for the manufacturing business.

PICTURE CAPTION

Issued with media release Art 1 (1) by Taylor Alden.

Tel: 020 8543 3866 Fax: 020 8543 2841 email:alison@tayloralden.co.uk.