Clearview North August 2013 - Issue 141 | Page 46

GLASS&SEALEDUNITS CLEARVIEW EXCLUSIVE Investing and Innovating Glass Express Midlands Ltd has experienced growth year-on-year, seeing substantial investment in its manufacturing processes along the way to accommodate an everincreasing volume of work. The most recent of these significant purchases was a new glass furnace from Lambert GT Services, the sole agent for Northglass in the UK. Birmingham-based glass processor and sealed unit manufacturer, Glass Express Midlands Ltd specialises in a wide range of glazing options of clear float glass of 4 to 19mm thickness including pattern glass, tinted glass, safety/fire glass, mirror glass, laminated glass, coloured glass, toughened glass, soft coats and roof coats, supplying to window companies, joiners, architects and specifiers as well as the end user. The new furnace has given the company a greater capacity to manufacture architectural units for large-scale projects. It has been installed for almost a month now and has already made a positive impact on order intake and the company’s ability to deal with more demanding jobs as well as speeding up production output, making the company more responsive and improving lead times. So how has Glass Express Midlands Ltd managed to grow consistently every year where others have found their market shrinking? Marketing director Tony Milan attributes the company’s success to its good name and customer service, “Our reputation for delivering innovative products supported by good customer services has earned us a name we can be proud of among our customers and competitors. This in turn has generated more orders for our business and fuelled the expansion that we continue to pursue at full pace. “The strength of our success is in some part owing to our decision to diversify into the manufacture of integral blinds, of which we are the only company to do so in the UK and as a result, sales continue to increase. “Having spent considerable time and effort developing the Gem Blinds offering, as part of Glass Express Midlands Ltd, which has included the purchase of specialist machinery to enable manufacture, we have been able to produce an advanced integral lifting and tilting magnetic system, designed for both domestic and commercial applications, suitable for all household windows, including bathrooms, kitchens and conservatories. “The blinds offer control over factors such as polar gain and glare. Incorporated within a double glazed, sealed unit, the blinds’ slats are protected from dirt and damage. “As a pioneer of the integral blind system in the UK, our ability to constantly innovate our products has been key. We already stock solar control and self clean options on our integral blinds and we recently added remote control operation to the range, further adding to benefits that more and more people are realising.” In recent months, Gem Blinds has increased production to between 300-500 units per week. This has led to the company taking on 12 new heavily experienced production operatives in order to meet the increased demand for the product from the architectural aluminium sector, uPVC companies and joiners. Gem Blinds also works closely with architects on new projects. Given the sizeable investment of the new furnace you might assume that would be the biggest development for Glass Express Midlands Group this year. But you’d be wrong… In the latter half of this year, Gem Blinds will be launching a pleated, blackout, integral blind system. This is another big investment for the company and shows commitment to the development of the UK integral blind market and of the drive to continuously deliver something new and interesting to its existing and expanding customer-base. For further information contact 0121 552 7616 or visit www.glass-express.co.uk 46 AUG 2013 To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com