Dave Rayner, Polypipe’s product development manager for UFCH, enthuses over a system that can be installed quickly without major disruption 

When I went to the Vaillant launch of its domestic air conditioning units, conversation after the meeting turned to marketing. 

Budget Van Insurance head of communications, Emma Maziak believes it is heartening "that so many women get a lift from being wolf whistled. It is always nice to receive compliments and I for one would be more than happy to smile and wave". 

New software advances have much in store for the building services engineer, says Pete Baxter (below), sales director, Autodesk Building Solutions Division 

IT must feel good to be part of a consortium which turns a sink council estate in Manchester, rife with crime, drugs and prostitution, into a place where people want to live. Paul Braithwaite talks to John Wilcox, north west regional manager for Powerminster, who has been responsible for the m&e contracting work on the site, and Paul Grogan, the site manager for Powerminster Propertycare, who will be responsible for maintenance. 

Boilers are not always visible but according to Adrian Harvey (below), commercial director of British Gas Business, out of sight should not mean out of mind 

Neil Afram (below), Mr Space Airconditioning, cares passionately about his staff, his business and the industry of which he is a part. Paul Braithwaite visits his Guildford office to meet him 

Fast changing technology offers contractors considerable opportunities to improve performance but ‘keeping up’ can also be a drain on resources. David Bell, right, of Estimation Group argues it is the job of the software developer to make access to these technologies as easy as possible 

Unvented hot water storage is becoming increasingly popular for domestic, commercial and public sector properties in the UK. This means a large number of unvented products have entered the market and there’s more choice than ever before. However, according to Heatrae Sadia the manufacturer of Megaflo HE, installers and specifiers should exercise caution when selecting cylinder brands. Here marketing manager David Webster explains why decisions should be based on factors other than cost – for example the material the cylinder is made from, the hot water performance, the length, terms and conditions of the guarantee and the quality of the support package offered by the manufacturer 

Graham Williamson, business director of commercial heating at Ideal Boilers, talks to HVR to discuss the implications of system design and the issues surrounding the installation of condensing boilers in existing systems 

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of taking advantage of heat pump technology in homes and offices is to install an integrated air-to-water hot water service heat pump. Manufacturers can supply packaged units where the heat pump components are mounted above a highly insulated large capacity storage calorifier, all housed in a smart jacket. Stephen Laws, technical director at Clyde Combustions, explains how such units can be applied. 

WHEN I said in my comment in the December 2005 issue that "BAA has not done itself any favours with the rest of the industry and even government procurers should now look to their laurels", I seem to have upset Ross Maynard, operations manager for Lorne Stewart on Project SLAM, the Defence Estate's development to build single unit accommodation for the armed forces (see Contractor Profile this issue). 

Close Invoice Finance’s David Butler looks at the lessons owner managers should have learned 

A month or so ago, Ross Maynard, operations manager for Lorne Stewart plc on Project SLAM, unhappy with the comment in HVR about BAA leading the charge to partnering, invited Paul Braithwaite to meet him at his Southampton office to talk about Project SLAM , how partnering had been working there for about four years and how he hopes it will change construction. 

John Davison, managing director of Airtech Environmental Systems, cannot understand why single room heat recovery systems continue to be recommended as energy efficient products when the prevailing wind speed in the British Isles renders them totally ineffective 

Suzanne Millward, Vent-Axia’s residential marketing manager, gives an update on the progress of the government’s Decent Homes Standard 

Free running wheels continue their advance in climate boxes. With the high-performance C-series impellers, Ziehl-Abegg is providing a powerful, extremely economical and quiet backward-curved impeller. Les Fish, managing director of Ziehl-Abegg UK, discusses the advance 

Trox believes its new blade server cooling system will take the mission critical market by storm. Indeed, so sure is Trox of its system and its ability to deliver the business that it has launched a new company to market the product. Paul Braithwaite talks to Guy Hutchins, sales and marketing director of Trox Advanced IT Cooling Systems. 

THE original Nobu restaurant in London has proved so popular with the rich and famous that the city has now become the first in the world to become home to three of these high-class, innovative restaurants. 

Axair Climate has recently added Fujitsu to its distributor portfolio in the UK. Here Paul Kingswell, sales director (below), sets out the reasons