More than six months after moving its raw glass supply to Pilkington UK, Emplas says the partnership is helping installers benefit from more consistent glazed product quality, improved service support and a more competitive customer offer.
The move brings Emplas together with one of the best-known names in glass at a significant point in the Pilkington brand’s history, as the company celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2026.
Nigel Scott, Senior Operations Manager at Emplas, said: “The partnership has got off to a very strong start. Pilkington UK has delivered the quality and consistency we were looking for, along with improved service and a more competitive offer we can pass on to our customers.
“Pilkington is also a name that installers and homeowners recognise. That gives our customers another positive point of difference when they are presenting their window and door offer.”
Pilkington UK supplies the raw glass used by Emplas, which is then processed through Padiham Glass and built into completed glazed windows and doors under Emplas’s control.
That control gives Emplas greater oversight of specification, production quality and finished product consistency, while giving installers a single, dependable supply route for glazed frames.
Nigel continued: “It is important to make the distinction that we are not simply buying in completed glazed units. Pilkington supplies the raw glass, which is then manufactured by us as part of the complete glazed product.
“Having that capability within the Emplas group means we can oversee the process from the raw glass through to the finished window or door. It supports greater consistency and traceability while allowing us to check the completed product before it reaches the customer.”
The partnership supports Emplas’s wider strategy to increase the number of fully glazed frames it supplies to installers.
Buying frames glazed reduces the need to manage separate frame and glass orders, while giving installers one point of responsibility for the completed product. It also reduces the risk of missing or incorrectly specified glass delaying an installation.
Leo Pyrah, Head of Commercial at Pilkington UK, said: “We are delighted with the progress of our relationship with Emplas. Its established glass processing capability and focus on quality make it a natural fit for Pilkington UK, and we look forward to continuing to work together to deliver a strong offer for installers.”
“We are now more than six months into the partnership and the benefits are clear,” concluded Nigel.
“It has strengthened our glass manufacturing operation and supports our commitment to supplying installers with complete, high-quality products backed by a dependable service.”
