14th March 2002
AG GLASS EXPANDS IN BARNSLEY WITH 5-STAR SEAL OF APPROVAL

Leading sealed window manufacturer AG Glass is celebrating over 17 successful years of operation in Barnsley and continues to go from strength to strength with further expansion and development of its Tankersley manufacturing plant just off the M1.

Seventeen years ago AG Glass was formed on an industrial estate in Wombwell, Barnsley, under the name of Window World. At that time, the company occupied 2,000sq feet and produced a modest 500 units per month. Due to successive investments and expansions and a burgeoning demand for its products, AG Glass now commands a 65,000sq ft purpose built factory that will produce some 25,000 units per week.

Managing Directors Glen and Anita Day set the company up originally and still run the business as business partners. Glen commented: "By far our biggest and best asset is our people, and we're proud to say that many of our staff stay with us for many years. We have several employees with over 15 years continuous service, and many more with over 10 years continuous service."

The company is not just doing something right, it appears to do everything to the highest standards possible. A fine example of this is the company's recent award of the British Safety Council's 5 star Safety certificate. AG Glass quite literally can't do any more than it is doing to prevent accidents in the workplace; the award isn't given away lightly, AG being the only company in the industry to be awarded the accolade.

The scale of the business takes some believing, with over 30 tonnes of glass a day - 600 tonnes a month in busy months - finding its way from Pilkington's factory in St Helens to AG Glass, and then on to customers. AG currently has a £10.5M turnover of glass, and ranks as the number 3 or 4 manufacturer in the UK, although it has its sights set on becoming the UK's number 2 by the end of this year.

European legislation requiring energy efficient coated glass in all new dwellings and the replacement window market will ensure that AG's sales book will continue to grow for the foreseeable future - probably by around £2M - £3M purely on the increased price of the higher specification windows. The increased sales don't come cheap however; AG has invested a mammoth £6.2M on the new machinery required to make the new sealed units, which is thought to be the largest single investment ever in sealed units manufacture in UK. AG has also invested around £1M in a new fleet of six Mercedes trucks to get its products to market.

Throughout the development and subsequent expansion of AG Glass, the company has received support, advice, and guidance from Barnsley Development Agency (BDA) and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (BMBC). Barnsley Met Training (BMBC) provided the initial training to get young people to train in the glass industry, many of whom are still with the company today.

Through a Barnsley business training grant, BDA also supported training courses on-site at an Austrian manufacturer in the operation and maintenance maintenance of Computer Numerical Control machines, funded by the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB 4). BDA supported the recent relocation of AG to its new premises, providing advice and guidance on commercial premises available.

Derrick Beedham of BDA, said: "AG Glass is one of Barnsley's greatest business success stories, and we hope the company will continue to expand and provide jobs for local people for many generations to come. BDA will continue to offer what ever support and guidance is at our disposal to ensure that companies like AG Glass can start-up, grow, and flourish in the borough."

With over 150 staff, an increasing orders book and truly state-of-the-art equipment, the future is incredibly bright for AG. Glen and Anita conclude: "We are about to embark on the biggest couple of months in our history as the new machinery is commissioned to meet the exacting manufacturing standards of European legislation. We're delighted that our major success story has been able to happen in Barnsley, and we're grateful to BDA for all their help and support over the years."

For further information on BDA, contact Barnsley Development Agency on
(01226) 784444

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