DHF Chairman's Message Summer 2011 Issue

Last August, in our Summer 2010 issue, we informed our readers that we were changing the name of our publication from The Journal to The Door Industry Journal. At the same time a decision was taken to widen the coverage of the publication to eventually expand our content and coverage into all of the other product areas represented by the various groups within the Door & Hardware Federation.

Well, a year later in August 2011, as you will have seen, we have been slowly adding new content from the different sectors of the door industry that are represented by the various focus groups which exist within the Door & Hardware Federation.

Now, our latest move in the development of The Door Industry Journal has been to completely redesign the layout and indexing of the publication not only to make navigation much easier but to categorise the content into relevant and clearly defined colour coded sections.

Also, following many requests, we have for the first time included both a contents page with snapshots of the articles available, in addition to a colour coded section index that leads readers straight to their chosen section and topic. In making all these changes, we are looking to benefit from more advertising revenue which will enable us to further grow the amount of articles and the page count.

In closing, I would  like to mention that The Door Industry Journal will now become the principal external communication medium of the Door & Hardware Federation and their members only publication, Inside Track will remain as the internal means of reaching the membership.

We hope you like all of the changes that have been made and find them a benefit, if you have any comments to make, please email them to us for consideration in future editions.

Return to The Door Industry Journal Website

Laidlaw Solutions acquires SIG Interiors Manufacturing

Willenhall based Laidlaw Solutions Ltd, backed by leading private equity group Rutland Partners, has acquired SIG PLC’s Interiors Manufacturing Division (SIGIM) in a deal which gives the combined companies a turnover of around £130 million. The new company will be called ‘Laidlaw Interiors Group’ and brings together Laidlaw’s market leading brands with those of door manufacturer Leaderflush Shapland and office and glazed partition manufacturer Komfort Workspace. Other SIGIM companies included in the acquisition include Cubicle Systems washrooms and Tufwell Glass and Blinds (formerly SIG Glazing Services). John Jefferies, the owner of Laidlaw, will be the new Group CEO.

Laidlaw Interiors Group will become the UK’s leading supplier to the commercial interiors sector with a market leading position in doorsets, ironmongery and partition systems. Rutland and Laidlaw intend to restructure and invest in the acquired businesses to turn around their performance and to build on the strength of the combined brands. Opportunities for product supply between group companies have already been identified.

Commenting on the deal, John Jefferies said:

I am delighted to have Rutland as an investment partner to work with my team in developing the Laidlaw Interiors Group to become a major force in the UK commercial interiors market. Our combined strengths, supported by our network of sales centres, will greatly increase our value to specifiers.

John Jefferies

Find our more about Laidlaw Solutions at www.laidlaw.net

Return to The Door Industry Journal Website