Glass firm to invest £1.5 million in expansion

Clayton Glass has revealed plans for a £1.5 million extension to its factory in Durham, making it one of the largest glass manufacturing sites in the UK (www.claytonglass.co.uk) .

With a lease renewal due on the property next door, 40,000ft² of additional space became available, which will enable the company to install a third fully automated Bystronic IGU (insulating-glass manufacturing) line.

Engineering manager Andrew Janson said: “With the additional space adjacent to our existing building — and with full-height craneage — simply removing the partition wall will provide easy access for all plant, personnel and materials, taking our overall footage to nearly 150,000ft²."

Managing director Ryan Green said: “In our minds, the greatest achievement is not becoming the largest glass manufacturer in the UK for the sake of scale alone, but the way our team has gone about it — turnover has more than tripled from £7 million in 2005, when we acquired the business.

"Such long-term and consistent growth can only be achieved through understanding our customer base and creating real partnerships with tailored business solutions.

“Our mind-set now is not that we’ve ‘made it’ — or anything like it. We will carry on refining our processes, improving our service and upping efficiencies wherever we can.

“We will carry on with our innovative approach and our technical and product development, and we will carry on putting the customer first — that’s never going to change.”