Latest News

After 13 years, Howard Trotter is stepping down as Business Manager at Shelforce, leaving behind a thriving business, an award-winning culture and a legacy built on inclusion, opportunity and teamwork.
Howard has played a central role in transforming Shelforce, the Birmingham City Council-owned manufacturer and supplier of windows, doors and fire doors for local authority building projects and social housing, into an £8m-plus turnover business, with turnover expected to exceed £10m this year. Today, the company’s order book is full for the next two years.

Housing 21’s Holm Court Extra Care scheme in Suffolk has been rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following an inspection in April.
The rating is the highest awarded by the regulator and marks a continued improvement for the Extra Care service, which provides 32 flats with support, following a previous Good judgement in its last review in 2017.

Spirotech has reached an important milestone in its continued development. With the signing of the construction contract for its new headquarters in Helmond, the preparatory phase has been completed, and the realisation phase can officially begin. Construction work is expected to start in August 2026, with completion scheduled for October 2027.

Construction product manufacturer ROCKWOOL has announced the first products to launch from its new global centre of excellence for fire-stopping at Hams Hall, Birmingham.

Renowned for its Euroclass A1 non-combustible stone wool insulation, the company has used its deep fire expertise and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to develop a new in-house fire-stopping range including coated batt, sealants, collars and wraps.

Public sector procurement specialist LHC Procurement Group has appointed Dame Maria Miller DBE as its new chair from 14 October 2025.

A highly experienced professional in the fields of communications, government, and diversity advocacy, Dame Maria brings over 20 years of experience in advertising, marketing, and public relations, coupled with an additional 19 years as a MP, government minister and select committee chair.

Howard Trotter, Business Manager at Birmingham-based window and door manufacturer Shelforce, took to the stage at this year’s Glazing Summit 2025 to speak on one of the industry’s most pressing challenges – skills and recruitment.
Held at the Coventry Building Society Arena, the Glazing Summit brought together leaders from across the fenestration sector, with Howard joining the ‘Skills: Apprentices in Action’ panel alongside Ultraframe’s Andrew Thompson and GGF’s John Mannell. The discussion focused on apprenticeships, attracting new talent, and increasing diversity across the industry.

Vericon Systems, a leading manufacturer of remote technologies to manage and control essential building services, rounded off a successful ASCP Conference 2025 by winning the ASCP Product of the Year Award for its intelligent, in-property HomeHub device.