Pilkington UK has launched a glass production line at its Greengate Works site in St Helens.
The construction of the production line involved a ‘feat of engineering' said Neil Syder, Managing Director of Pilkington UK.
“To build the new line, our team needed to break into the side of a live glass furnace, constructing a canal that takes glass away our current float line to the new rolled glass line in a separate building.
“This work now enables us to manufacture all our glass from one furnace, which saves us 15,000 tonnes of CO2e per year: the equivalent of taking over 8,800 cars off the road for a year.”
The new rolled glass production line manufactures Pilkington UK’s Texture by Pilkington glass range, featuring 21 original designs and textures used for privacy and style in interior design.
Production of the range was moved to Greengate Works from nearby Watson Street Works, which stopped production last year after 200 years of glassmaking.
Pilkington UK now manufactures all glass from one furnace in the town, instead of the two between Greengate Works and Watson Street Works.
Investing in the line supports Pilkington UK’s wider sustainability goals, which include a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2018 levels and achieving net zero by 2050.
The upgrade received £3.7 million in funding through the UK government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF), which supports industrial decarbonisation efforts.
