Saint-Gobain Glass has commenced a £30m investment in its glass manufacturing factory in Eggborough, East Yorkshire.
The company is carrying out a major construction programme to completely re-build and install a new state-of the-art float glass furnace, as well as upgrade other areas of the factory, which will secure the long-term supply of consistently high-quality, high-performance glass used in the UK construction sector.
The project represents the largest industrial investment in the UK by the Saint-Gobain Group since the Eggborough plant was built in 2000.
Due to be completed by late summer, the installation of the enlarged capacity furnace will replace the existing furnace that has reached the end of its design life. The new furnace will use less energy and will help the company to optimise manufacturing efficiency, increase production capacity, and further enhance Saint-Gobain’s already market-leading environmental and sustainability credentials.
Steve Severs, Managing Director at Saint-Gobain Glass said: “This is a major milestone in the history of our business. It demonstrates our commitment to the long-term future of glass manufacturing in the UK and our confidence in the wider construction industry. The new facility is designed to manufacture high-performance products developed in the UK to meet the specific needs of the UK window industry.
“The project has been several years in development and planning to ensure continuity of supply for our customers throughout the construction process. This has involved a high level of stock build-up in advance and imports of glass from our Saint-Gobain sister plants in Europe which will help to fulfil orders throughout the process. I am grateful for everyone’s support and commitment and look forward to the official opening later in the year.”
Site preparation works have been underway at Eggborough for several months, creating a contractor village and making the site ready to receive the components and specialist equipment. The project requires 250 contractor personnel from 30 companies from the UK and across Europe who are working to dismantle the existing furnace and build and commission the new one.
The components for the new furnace are already on site and include more than 7000 tonnes of specialist ‘refractories’: the building blocks used in the construction of the furnace. Many of these refractories are manufactured by Saint-Gobain’s own manufacturing business, illustrating the expertise that exists within the group.
Saint-Gobain has a long history of glass making, stretching back over 350 years. It is very experienced in delivering these complex high-value engineering projects, supported by highly skilled in-house technical and engineering teams, all of whom will be operating in a COVID-19 compliant way.
