September 2010: Innovation puts family firm in frame for award
 |
ATB Systems, one of the UK's fastest-growing manufacturers of aluminium windows, doors and curtain walling, is opening up a lead on its competitors through investment in the development of ground-breaking new products. An impressive record of innovation in 2010 earned the company its nomination for the inaugural Made in the Midlands Achievement Awards.
This year has seen the family-run business, based in Lye, Stourbridge, expand its 
portfolio of products, designed for public and commercial buildings where security is important such as schools, colleges, offices, hospitals, social housing developments and IT centres.
The latest addition to the range is an advanced antivandal security mesh for windows and doors that acts as a visual and physical deterrent without noticably reducing the amount of light entering the building.
Unlike retro-fitted grills and frames that can often appear unsightly, restrict light and prevent easy access or opening, ATB has developed a mesh that is an intergral part od the window or door, resulting in clean lines and excellent light transmission while at the same time offering considerable protection against break-ins as well as vandalism
 |
 view full size |
Externally, the window or door appears to be glazed with an attractive bronzed-tinted glass. Architects can specify the mesh version of ATB's window and door ranges for vulnerable entrances and elevations and the standard products elsewhere, so giving a cohesive and harmonised look to a building as a whole. Since the mesh forms part of the extrusion, customers can also choose from a range of different openings.
Dave Simms, ATB's commercial manager, said: "Our mesh products are an attractive
option for commercial buildings where security is paramount but design is also an issue. Rather than having to mix and match windows for different parts of a building or perhaps having to consider internal or external grilles, customers can opt for the flexibility of meshed or unmeshed windows and doors, without any compromise on light transmission, aesthetics or security in vulnerable areas."
Earlier this year, the company launched its Taurus Max suite of windows, which it still believes is the only commercial aluminium window range to have gained the highest security rating currently possible for products of its type.
Part of the Taurus Max range is a new parallel openering window the provides highly efficient ventilation by increasing air flow by almost double in comparison to a conventional top-hung window, yet less draft is created inside a room as the air flow is more evenly distributed around the frame. Furthermore, the window offers inbuilt safety since the opening is restricted to 100mm, making it ideal for school and hospital buildings.
ATB Developed the product with the help of funding and techincal support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service - West Midlands. Its experts, together with consultants from MTech Consult, helped the company implement a nuber of improvements, including the installation of an in-house testing rig in preparation for the windows exacting security assessment.
 |
In order to achieve the required level of security, examiners were given three minutes over a two-hour peroid to attack the window using a variety of tools including screwdrivers, hammers and crowbars, the objective being to identify its weakest point. Once identified, testers were then given a further 15-minute time frame to exploit that weak point with the aim of opening the window, or breaking the glass and passing a life-size human dummy through it.
The window stood up to the test and was duly awarded the STS202 (BR2 level) commercial security standard. This is endorsed by Securty by Design, a Nationwide police initiative promoting the principle of 'designing out crime', and exceeds the commonly held BS 7950 domestic standard for residencial windows and doors.
Dave Simms added: "We recognised there was an urgent need for aluminium products which met commercial rather than domestic security standards. The enhanced security offered by the Taurus Max Parallel Opening Window, coupled with its safety and ventilation features, makes it totally unique in the marketplace."
ATB Systems, which has 18 employees, was established in 1997 by Colin, Mark and Sheila Freeman. Together with Dave Simms, whose own career spans more than 25 years, the company's managment team boasts a combined total of more than 100 years of experience in the window manufacturing industry.