Secured by Design will be at the FIT Show

The FIT Show is the showcase arena for the UK’s window, door, conservatory and glazing industry, and SBD will be at Stand C28.

SBD will be providing updates to existing member companies and talking to other businesses about the benefits of joining SBD and have products achieve the Police Preferred Specification, which include:

• police forces recommending SBD accredited products
• opportunities to tender where SBD is specified at the planning stage
• use of the SBD logo for product and packaging and sales and marketing purposes
• company listing on the SBD website
• achieving standards that exceed the Building Regulations.

As most of the many regular exhibitors amongst the hundreds attending will know, SBD has been involved in pioneering work with national and local government and a wide range of organisations to improve the physical security of buildings, particularly in the residential marketplace, over the last 30 years.

This work has involved tackling the wide variations in the quality of products installed during the housing boom of the 1960s, 70s and 80s when security was barely considered and windows could be lifted out almost as easily as they were installed.

To combat the rise in burglary that resulted, SBD set about looking at the quality of the products being sold against those originally tested. Indeed SBD instigated the formation of the UK Test House Studies Group and Certification Bodies Group for doorsets, windows and lock products and have chaired these groups for almost 20 years with the sole aim being to ensure there is parity between test and certification bodies. Better quality means these products last longer too, making them more cost effective and leading to greater sustainability in crime prevention.

Today, door and window manufacturers must be certified by a United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) certification body before becoming an SBD member company and being considered for SBD’s coveted Police Preferred Specification.

There are currently hundreds of companies who have many thousand products which have achieved SBD accreditation. SBD is the only way for companies to obtain police recognition for security-related products in the UK.

Glass Times magazine are providing visitors to the show with a passport which gives them the opportunity to win £10,000.  All visitors must do is visit 20 chosen stands – of which SBD’s stand C28 is one – and have their passport stamped. Those who get all 20 stamps are entered in the prize draw.

The FIT Show will take place at the NEC, Birmingham, over three days:

• Tuesday 10 May, 10:00 - 17:00
• Wednesday 11 May, 10:00 - 20:00
• Thursday 12 May, 10:00 - 16:00