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Posted on 16/05/2025
European software provider Forterro has been named as Tech Company of the Year, in the prestigious National Technology Awards 2025. Forterro was declared the winner at a central London awards ceremony on 14 May. Other finalists included Featurespace, NetSupport and Nextbase.
Now in its ninth year, the National Technology Awards – organised by National Technology News – are the UK’s most comprehensive celebration of innovation, excellence and impact across the technology sector. Previous winners of Tech Company of the Year include Octopus Energy, OnlineFuels, Sharp UK, and Bamboo Systems Group, placing Forterro in a prestigious lineage of tech pioneers.
“We are proud to see our strategy and people recognised with this award. Forterro continues to go from strength to strength and we couldn’t be happier to see our approach validated with such a high-profile award,” said Dean Forbes, CEO, Forterro. “We are 100% focused on the European industrial midmarket, fully committed to ensuring our customers thrive in their local markets with future-proof software solutions. This achievement is a testament to the dedication, talent, and passion of our people — they are the driving force behind everything we do.”
This award underscores a year of robust growth and exceptional performance for Forterro, marked by strong results across every key area:
The company also recently announced a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to offer its Forterro Cloud Suite on AWS. The Cloud Suite is a major focus for Forterro with the midmarket’s increasing adoption of cloud technologies.
Forterro was also a finalist in another category at the National Technology Awards, Cloud Product of the Year. Its Orderwise Cloud product was shortlisted after a stellar first year, driving digital transformation for hundreds of UK wholesalers, distributors and B2B ecommerce organisations.
Posted on 01/05/2025
At FIT Show 2025, representatives from Forterro, the industrial software specialist that acquired BM Group at the start of the year, joined the BM team to explain more about what the twin acquisition of BM Group and LogiKal owners Orgadata means for customers in the UK - and what they can expect from the newly formed Forterro Windows and Doors Group.
The overall message was that momentum is now building within the new Group, which has no fewer than 700 employees dedicated to windows and doors. The capability already exists within BM and Orgadata to offer software for end-to-end workflow process management, but Forterro’s strength in R&D and tighter integration within the teams means that product development will be quicker and at a scale not seen before.
Martin Nussbaumer, Head of Sales for Forterro Windows and Doors, explained that Forterro has the size, resources and expertise to accelerate the group’s expansion. He said the focus will be on driving digitalisation and automation within the doors and windows market in line with Forterro’s mission of ‘powering the businesses powering the future’.
He emphasised: “We see huge potential to grow revenue in the windows and doors market in the same way we have done in other industrial markets where we have made similar acquisitions. As well as organic growth, there are opportunities for overseas expansion and cross selling of products from two brands that already have a really strong market presence.”
For the BM Group, it is business as usual for now, but with lots happening in the background around the TOUCH platform in particular to speed up the roll out and make it an even more comprehensive offering.
Nick Bailey, BM Group’s Head of Sales, is delighted: “We’re really excited about what lies ahead. With Forterro’s backing, we can invest in developing our team, as well as bringing new products and new features to the market more quickly.”
For BM Aluminium, which is already the exclusive distributor in the UK of Orgadata’s LogiKal software, the acquisition means even closer collaboration with its partners in Germany, and the potential to add even more value to the service it delivers to customers in the UK.
Bernd Hillbrands, CEO of Orgadata said at FIT: “The licensing agreement we had with BM Aluminium has simply become an internal arrangement within Forterro. We were extremely close partners before the acquisition, and now we are effectively colleagues which can only be good news for customers.”
Dean Hodges, Managing Director of BM Aluminium, added: “As you would expect, there’s a huge amount of work currently taking place to determine future product strategy and development right across the new Windows and Doors Group, but customers in the UK can be assured it will enhance what they already have from us, and ultimately support their growth alongside ours.”
The BM Group expects to start making announcements about new products and features later in the year.
More details at: https://www.thebmgroup.co.uk/ and https://www.forterro.com/en
Posted on 18/03/2025
Roseview Windows is the latest big name fabricator to roll out Business Micros’ TOUCH Portal system, with online quoting and ordering for trade customers all fully integrated with its existing Business Micros manufacturing and business management software.
Roseview’s complete range of bespoke sash windows are now available to quote and order in TOUCH, with up-to-date pricing and product specification information supplied directly by Roseview.
Richard Burrells, Managing Director at Roseview commented: “TOUCH is giving us a layer of connectivity with customers and within our own operation that we haven’t had previously, and certainly has the potential to deliver even further improvements in our efficiency and our service offering. Customers get fast, accurate and convenient online quoting via the stylish, user-friendly interface and we get the benefit of an ordering system which is linked directly to our production for the first time.
“It’s another example of Roseview’s determination to be at the forefront of digital technology in the window industry and to maximise the benefits of the investments we make for our customers, as well as for ourselves.”
Roseview has worked closely with the BM team over the past year to build the sash window specific TOUCH Portal. Customers can see all the styles, accessories, colours, finishes and hardware that Roseview offers online and use the in-built visualiser tool to create powerful sales presentations.
They also have the option of choosing TOUCH Portal in branded mode and adding a simplified version of the quoting tool to their own websites to generate warm leads from homeowners.
Roseview is one of the first fabricators to benefit from BM Group’s new TOUCH training tools. Sales and admin staff at Roseview have been trained on how to manage customer accounts in TOUCH, how to create and populate the resource centre and how to tailor and navigate the KPI dashboard so that it meets their specific business needs.
The two businesses have delivered a joint webinar to trade customers to introduce TOUCH, help them make the most of the tools available and answer any questions and queries and Roseview has produced its own document to guide customers through the simple set up.
Richard Burrells added: “We already had a really good partnership with the BM Group based on our Evolution and EvoNet software, but it’s been strengthened even further on this TOUCH project. Our teams have collaborated really successfully and, from the initial feedback we’re getting from customers, that is definitely paying off.”
Nick Bailey, Head of Sales at BM Group, added: “Roseview’s traditionally styled products belie a business which is at the very cutting edge of technology in the fenestration market, and we’re delighted to have them in the TOUCH family.”
More at: https://store.bm-touch.co.uk/ and at: https://www.roseview.co.uk/
Posted on 27/02/2025
All four brands within the BM Group – Business Micros, BM TOUCH, BM Aluminium and The Consultancy will be offering free drop-in surgeries at the FIT Show, answering questions and providing training and advice to fabricators and installers on any of their software and digital products.
If you are an installer, whose fabricator is now offering online quoting and ordering via BM TOUCH for instance, you can stop by the stand and the team will give you a demo and show you all the tips and tricks which make TOUCH such a powerful tool for generating and winning new business.
Similarly, if you are a fabricator, you can ask the team for anything from best practice for onboarding new customers to TOUCH, to general advice on the existing Evolution/EvoNET suite of products.
There will be separate surgeries for LogiKal software users from the BM Aluminium specialists answering questions on processing, optional modules and available plug-ins.
And, even if you are not a Business Micros customer, you can ask The Consultancy team for free advice on your website, window and door designer or overall digital presence and get some tips on how it could all potentially be working harder for you.
Nick Bailey, Head of Sales, said: “These surgeries are not a sales pitch – they’re focused on support. We want every user of a BM Group product to get the most from their software, and get the very best return on their investment.”
The BM Group software surgeries will be running throughout the show – visitors just need to head to Stand F50 and ask for advice.
FIT Show 2025 is Business Micros’ first outing as part of Forterro, and there will be representatives from both Forterro and Orgadata on the stand to meet customers and emphasise the backing available to help the Group grow.
Posted on 08/01/2025
The deal builds on the acquisition of Orgadata AG in 2024 to further grow the new Forterro Windows and Doors line of business
London, UK, 8 January 2025 - European software provider Forterro has continued its expansion into the window, door and façade industry, with the acquisition of BM Group (TOUCH, BM Aluminium, Business Micros, The Consultancy, Glazing Vault, Tranquility Ordering).
Founded in 1979 and operating from offices in Scotland and England, BM Group is the leading IT solutions provider in the UK and Ireland fenestration software sector. Its products include Evolution, the widely used uPVC order processing and fabrication solution, and Touch, its web-based management platform, which covers all sectors within the windows and doors market: uPVC, aluminium and timber.
The BM Group acquisition is Forterro’s second in the fenestration sector. In November 2024 it announced the acquisition of Orgadata AG, a German company known for its innovative Logikal software for designing, calculating and producing windows, doors and curtain walls. The Orgadata deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, pending regulatory approvals. Both companies will operate in the newly formed Forterro Windows and Doors business line.
“Adding BM Group to Forterro Windows and Doors means we have an immediate and powerful presence in this market, and it is a perfect fit with our other acquisition in the sector,” said Marcus Pannier, Regional President, Forterro. “BM Group is hugely innovative, and bringing it into Forterro means it can benefit from our experience in scaling and growing companies, taking that innovation to a bigger and broader market than would have otherwise been challenging.”
In addition to its own products, BM Group is the sole reseller of Orgadata’s Logikal product in the UK. Logikal digitalises and simplifies processes around aluminium window, door and curtain wall designs so that companies can work more efficiently, and BM Group has implemented Logikal for nearly 20 years.
BM Group’s Managing Director Graeme Bailey will remain with the company, focusing on integrating the BM Group teams into Forterro Windows and Doors, and Chief Technical Officer Jim Cronie will continue to drive product innovation. Bernd Hillbrands, the founder of Orgadata, will head up Forterro Windows and Doors following completion of the Orgadata transaction.
“Forterro is the ideal partner for us, with shared values and culture and a focus on innovation and collaboration,” said Graeme Bailey, Managing Director, BM Group. “Being part of Forterro Windows and Doors means we are better placed to help our customers meet market challenges and realise their growth ambitions, with access to broader expertise, technology and support. Our understanding of Orgadata’s Logikal and implementation with customers was also pivotal to our successful alignment within Forterro.”
“Forterro is an industrial software specialist – it’s a sector we know incredibly well, and the BM Group acquisition is timely, giving us further access to the growing window, door, and façade industry,” continued Marcus Pannier, Forterro. "Our mid-market expertise is second to none, and bringing BM Group to Forterro means that we start 2025 as we mean to continue supporting customers and achieving growth."
Advisors to BM Group on the deal were Eversheds-Sutherland, Spencer Gardner Dickens and Thomas Nock Martin Accountants. Advisors to Forterro were Alvarez & Marsal, EY and Foot Anstey.
