Pilkington United Kingdom Limited, part of the NSG Group, is manufacturing two more of its solar control products in the UK to shorten lead times for customers, as demand for specialist glazing grows.
The company has started producing Pilkington Suncool™ 60/31 from its St Helens manufacturing base to serve UK demand for solar control glazing. The product allows 60 per cent light transmittance but only 31 per cent of the sun’s energy in, so windows deliver a bright clear view but reduce excessive heat build-up.
Pilkington Suncool™ Silver 50/30 is also set to be manufactured in the UK from September, predominantly for export. The high external reflection gives the product a distinctive silver appearance, which is increasingly popular with US architects. The move aims to satisfy this increased demand with few alternatives currently available on the market.
Production of both products in the UK comes after a sustained period of growth for solar control products. Pilkington UK has seen sales of its Pilkington Suncool™ range increase by 47 per cent since 2016.
Leo Pyrah, product manager for solar control products at Pilkington UK, said: “Manufacturing these products in St Helens reaffirms our commitment to supporting our customers, and is a result of significant investment in our state-of-the-art off-line coater over the last few years.
“Architects and specifiers are increasingly looking for products that combine functionality with aesthetics. We want to provide building design professionals with a wide choice of solar control solutions, particularly while this type of glazing becomes better understood in the industry and more commonplace in the built environment.”
