This Editor's Comment is from our May 2019 issue.

As you may have seen earlier in the year, the HVP Innovation Showcase is returning for 2019. Now in its second year, the Showcase aims to highlight some of the most innovative products you may have missed last year. 

We appreciate that it’s hard to find the time to keep on top of all the latest advancements, and even harder to pick out those products which are truly going to improve life for both you and the end-user, so we launched the Showcase as means of doing some of that legwork for you. 

Our panel of expert judges (including new judge Steve Bartin, UK Plumber of the Year 2018) have spent hours poring through an array of impressive entries from manufacturers to pick out their top 10 for our shortlist (see p28 of May's issue). 

Our shortlisted entries bested some considerable competition, so I hope you agree that we’ve got some worthy contenders to be in with a shot of being crowned an HVP Innovation Showcase winner.

The five winners will be announced in our June issue, and readers will be able to get hands-on with the products at the new PHEX Tottenham, held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on 12-13 June, giving you all the more reason to attend. For the all the latest updates on PHEX Tottenham, head to p12 of our May issue to learn more about the show.

Other highlights in this issue of HVP include a chance for one lucky reader to win Worcester Bosch’s fantastic new Greenstar 8000 Style boiler (see p17 of May's issue). Style is definitely something Worcester Bosch have prioritised with this new unit, and it appears that aesthetics are becoming an increasingly important element of boiler design, as a feature from Alex Boweren, Product Manager at Ariston, explains (see p36 of May's issue).

We also have a review of the new Van Vault Slim Slider in this issue, a secure storage solution for van owners which is accredited to the Police’s Secured by Design standard. As many readers will know, tool theft is a growing issue in the UK, so it’s important that tradespeople do everything they can to protect their vehicles and reduce the likelihood of being unable to work. Lee Brown of Peak Heating kindly tested out the product for us, and gives us his thoughts on whether it’s a worthwhile investment (see p52 of May's issue).

We hope you continue to enjoy the magazine, and please do email me with your thoughts about the issues raised within at j.dart@hgluk.com.