Fensterbau Frontale

Fensterbau Frontale

Bruce and Matt, Technical Officers for the GGF, recently attended Fensterbau Frontale to represent the interests of our members. They shared the following insights:

“As a non-commercial federation, our role is to act as an objective observer of industry developments, ensuring that the GGF remains informed on technical trends that may impact the UK market. Our visit was centred on engaging with members and evaluating how emerging technologies align with the future standard and regulation updates.

“During the event, we caught up with the team at Maco. We observed their sense range, which reflects a broader industry move toward embedded sensors. Unlike external components, these are integrated directly into the hardware, allowing for the monitoring of window positions. For the Federation, this provides insight into how smart-home technology might eventually interface with standard installation practices.

“Our discussions continued at the Deceuninck stand. While thermal performance remains a priority, we were specifically interested in their approach to zero-threshold solutions. With accessibility standards like Part M becoming increasingly central to UK building design, observing how manufacturers are engineering weather-tight, flush thresholds provides essential data for our future technical guidance.

“We also met with Kommerling and they demonstrated new planning software designed to assist with the technical specification process. The tool enables the simulation of structural loads and thermal values during the design phase. From a federation perspective, observing tools that aim to improve accuracy and streamline the sign-off process is valuable for our ongoing work in promoting higher industry standards and reducing technical errors.

“A significant portion of our time was spent observing the activity of UK companies within the European landscape. The presence of UK-based expertise in high performance fenestration products suggests a high degree of technical alignment across borders.

“Despite different national regulations, the shared challenges of carbon reduction and the circular economy are driving a universal technical language. Seeing UK firms active on this stage reinforces the GGF’s commitment to supporting international standards and monitoring the global context in which our members operate.

“The feedback from the members we encountered confirmed that they value the GGF’s presence as an informed, non-commercial body. By observing these shifts firsthand, we can better support the trade with grounded, objective advice. We return with a comprehensive view of the current technical landscape, which will directly inform our upcoming guidance and member resources.

“An incredible experience at Fensterbau Frontale, seeing so many leaders under one roof was a powerful reminder of our industry’s talent. Connecting with members and diving into future innovations has left us feeling more inspired than ever. The outlook is looking very bright indeed, and we are already looking forward to seeing how these ideas have evolved by the next show.”