Sapphire Curtains & Load Restraint Based in the heart of England, Sapphire (Curtains & Cargo Control) have manufactured for the likes of Royal Mail, DHL, Kuehne + Nagel, Marstons and Wincanton.Located just 20 minutes from J15 on the M6, DON-BUR is situated in the heart of England and we would be delighted to arrange a factory visit at your convenience. Alternatively, we can visit your offices at a time to suit you. Sapphire's qualified team of graphic designers use cutting edge Mac platform operating systems to perfectly recreate your designs or generate new concepts to any brief.PVC94 Shines On Don Bur's Curtain Sided Trucks and Trailers The Don-Bur Group of Staffordshire is a market leader in the design, development and manufacture of truck trailers and rigid vehicle bodies, producing fleet-volume quantities for major hauliers, logistics companies, multiple retailers and brewers. Its patented buckle-less curtain system helped gain the accolade of Commercial Motor's Trailer of the Year and has revolutionised the way curtain-sided lorries look today.

Don-Bur's in-house design company, Sapphire Graphics, specialises in the production of all types of commercial vehicle fleet livery, from computer-cut vinyls to printed advertising banners, and is a significant user of a unique flexible coating produced by HMG Paints, Plastikote PVC94. It has been specified for signwriting a fleet of more than 500 curtain siders for giant DIY and garden centre retailer B&Q, as well as countless other livery applications. PVC94 was developed by Manchester paintmaker HMG for application to PVC materials, selected plastics and other difficult-to-coat substrates. Formulated to adhere strongly to rigid and flexible plasticised surfaces, it is ideal for such applications as Plastisol architectural cladding, automotive interior trim, ABS plastics, PVC roofing and lorry side curtains. Available in virtually limitless colours and all gloss levels, it can be applied by brush or spray, drying rapidly to a highly durable film and offering outstanding light fastness and colour retention.

HMG Paints is one of few British manufacturers supplying high performance paint products to the UK truck and bus industry and Don-Bur has been a valued customer for many years. Operating from an 18 acre site in Stoke-on-Trent and employing a 420-strong flexible workforce, it styles itself 'the industry champion' and generates annual sales in excess of £40 million. Its extensive range of trailers and rigid bodies offers outstanding quality, exceptional vehicle lifespan and maximum value for money. Don-Bur is the only CV body manufacturer to retain curtain production, printing and GRP moulding in-house, affording it greater control over quality and costs. Located in separate premises nearby, its subsidiary Sapphire Graphics designs and applies vehicle liveries to cabs, bodies and curtain sides, counting such notable brands as John Lewis, Scottish Courage, Hayes Logistics, Argos and B&Q among its customers. It employs a mix of traditional signwriting skills and state-of-the-art technology, including 5m wide inkjet machines and the latest 1440 dpi high resolution printers.

Lettering on the curtain sides is signwritten by hand, using PVC 94, which is applied directly onto the PVC-coated tarpaulins. HMG's flexible finish adheres strongly to the material and effectively forms part of the side curtain, withstanding abrasions from road grit and weathering, and retaining bright whites and colours for many years.curtains 195cm drop "Fleet owners like to project a good corporate image, employing their vehicles as mobile billboards," says Sapphire Graphics' Production Manager, Lee Leighton. jazz eyelet curtains black"We've been using HMG's PVC 94 for many years with superb results, particularly regarding durability. curtains paul zazaThe finish is excellent and it applies easily, so it's just perfect for this demanding graphics application."made to measure curtains truro

Sapphire Graphics specifies PVC 94 in almost every colour, HMG matching paint shades to specific Pantone references. The distinctive B&Q application uses PVC94 pure white on bright orange trailer curtains and, to date, Sapphire has refurbished 310 existing vehicles and liveried over 200 new units. Thankfully, the B&Q graphics are fairly straightforward in signwriting terms, although even complex designs like Worthington's Bitter and the previous Kronenbourg logo are workable, thanks to the excellent flow properties and adhesion of HMG Paints' unique flexible coating. Telephone 0161 205 7631 Find out more about Sapphire Learn more about Retirement Living If you have any questions then please ask! Sapphire is a consortium made up of Your Housing Group, Eric Wright Group and Kajima Partnerships Limited.  We have been selected as Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s partner to build and manage 390 retirement living apartments across three sites in the city. The three developments – Willow Barns in Blurton, Oak Priory in Abbey Hulton and Maple West in Chell, are all designed for people aged 55 and over and offer airy, spacious open plan apartments within a community setting, with a range of communal facilities on site – including catering facilities, hairdressers and beauty salon.

The developments offer people over 55 the opportunity to live an active life independently for longer, in a safe and secure development with the flexibility of tailoring your care and support packages to your need, as and when required. Two of our three Retirement Living developments have now opened to customers. Willow Barns in Blurton and Oak Priory in Abbey Hulton opened their doors earlier this year. Maple West is due to open its doors in 2017.Take a look at the photo gallery opposite to see both inside and outside of both developments. What is retirement living? Call now 0800 5610015 © 2016 Sapphire Consortium      |      Design by Lawrence DavisView the Christmas 360° Newsletter How would you design an office? July 2016 Feature Installation May 2016 Feature Installation View the Latest 360° Newsletters FIT Show Round Up EE Windows Part Five Passivhaus Open Day Review April 2016 Feature InstallationA father has spoken of his shock after he pulled back his curtains to find a mountain of rubbish piled in a skip outside his home - including fridges, microwaves and dirty nappies.

Darren Monk, 44, says he was stunned to be greeted with the unappealing view when he looked through the window of his house in Hull, East Yorkshire, on Saturday morning. Unbeknown to him, the junk-filled skip had reportedly been placed just outside his driveway on Foxholme Road as part of Hull City Council's 'Free Skip Day'. And his neighbours and other locals had spent the morning filling it up with 'all sorts' of rubbish. Today, Mr Monk said he had received no personal warning about the skip's location from council employees, adding that left-over rubbish continues to pollute his road. The father of two said the skip contained everything from fridges, microwaves, tumble dryers, unwanted toys, mattresses, furniture to dirty nappies. "I woke up Saturday morning and received a text from a friend asking what time the skip turned up," Mr Monk said. "I didn't know anything about that and she said the council was putting a skip outside my house so everybody could put their rubbish in. "The skip has blocked my driveway all day and had rubbish placed right next to my car.

Read more: 'Family from hell' made homeless after making neighbours' lives misery demand new house from council Mr Monk claimed that up to seven skips had been delivered to the house and filled throughout the day. "People were just turning up with all sorts of rubbish and dumping it right outside all day," he said. "I was shocked by the amount of rubbish people thought they could just leave right by my house. He said the councillors present had told him the information about the skip had been published in an area newsletter, but was bemused the council placed the tip outside without properly notifying him first. "I just still can't believe they did it like that," he said. Read more: Bedroom Tax victory: Ex-footballer left brain damaged in 60ft fall beats hated Tory policy "They did it last year as well and I didn't know anything about it then either, but asked them to let me know in the future. "I would have at least liked to have had an addressed letter to myself instead one of those newsletters that nobody reads slung over my fence."