53Glass-Technology International 1/2016

I G M A N U F A C T U R E R S

logy InteGlass-Technology Int

Thermoseal

Group: FROM IG GLASS

MACHINERY

TO AWARD-

WINNING

COMPONENTS

Starting with the

construction of machinery

for the production of IG

glass, Thetmoseal has, over

its more than 35 years of

acitivities, become not only

a prime brand and leading

supplier of IG systems with

its own warm edge spacers,

but an award-winner as

judged by the UK’s Glass

and Glazing Industry.

I G M A N U F A C T U R E R S

54 Glass-Technology International 1/2016

An award-winning premium UK IG component manu-

facturer and supplierThermoseal Group, the UK’s leading manufactu-rer of warm edge spacer systems and supplier to the insulated glass (IG) industry for over 35 ye-ars, has been announced winner in two categories at the UK Glass and Glazing Industry’s prestigious G15 Awards event at the Lon-don Hilton on Park Lane – ‘Component Supplier of the Year’ and – Training and Development Initiative of the Year’.The ‘Component Supplier of the Year’ G-Award is a coveted award by suppliers within the UK glass and gla-zing industry and an award that Thermoseal Group has achieved ‘Finalist’ in for se-veral years in a row. This was the first time the Group entered in for the ‘Training and Development Initiative of the Year’.A summary of the ‘Com-ponent Supplier of the Year’ award win is based on the fact that Thermose-

al Group has grown 10 per cent year-on-year and now offers all of the advantages of purchasing directly from a manufacturer coupled with the premium service promise of a leading UK distributor.

WARM-EDGE SPACERSIn the face of multinatio-nal, highly-funded compe-titor products, Thermoseal Group turned to manufac-turing warm edge spacers in 2010 and developed two of the most thermally effi-cient warm edge spacers in the world. The Group is now the only UK spacer manufacturer to produce both a rigid tube spacer – Thermobar – and a flexi-ble alternative – Thermo-flex. Both have, this past year, been certified with Bundesverband Flachglas Data sheets. Additional-ly, they have recently been Passive House approved. They have now also incre-ased production volumes to meet the demands of the export market.Both Thermobar and Thermoflex are products

extruded in-house at the Group’s bespoke produc-tion site in the north of England (one of four UK sites – all of which are also distribution centres) which has seen many enhance-ments over the past year to ensure that the quality of products can be monitored and traced back from raw material through to delivery to the customer. They have a Kaizen system of lean manufacturing in place to maximize productivity and minimize waste.

QUALITY CONTROLThermoseal Group’s Qua-lity Control Department is headed up by Technical Manager, Richard Sellman - a qualified Chemist who has been working in the IG industry for 30-plus years. Richard is also the Chai-rman of the GGF Compo-nents Group, has attended TC 129 WG4 (EN 1279) meetings and has been in-volved in drafting the latest revision of EN 1279 stan-dards. Richard has spurred further investment in Ther-moseal’s Innovation Centre to increase the quality and depth of testing and ensure that all components per-form to worldwide stan-dards for use in insulated glass sealed units.Working alongside Richard is industry specialist Ri-chard Sellman, as well as Material Specialist Rohit Kale. Rohit initially joined Thermoseal Group on a Government Key Transfer Partnership scheme from

a prestigious UK universi-ty. He has since joined the Group as a full time Chemi-cal Engineer. INJECTION MOULDINGINVESTMENTSThere has also been a huge investment in Thermoseal Group’s injection moulding facility to produce bespo-ke warm edge components which are colour-matched to Thermobar and Ther-moflex warm edge spacers. The Group now manufac-tures approximately 45 per cent of all of the compo-nents they supply and warm edge spacer is over 55 per cent of the total spacer they supply (other spacers are Aluminium and Steel). Their target is to manufac-ture over 75 per cent of the products they supply. This year, they have added the Thermobar Interbar range as well as further colours of Thermobar to the list of over 1,500 components they supply.

CHANGES ININFRASTRUCTUREThe Group’s growth and shift into manufacturing has been a massive chal-lenge which has also meant many changes to the infra-structure of the business to ensure that they continue to offer a service worthy of our award win, including: expansion of their Kent and Belfast sites; new racking systems and compatible forklift trucks to maximize space in all warehouses; the

T H E R M O S E A L G R O U PThermoseal Group is a Double G15 award winner. Awards include the coveted ‘Component Supplier of the Year Award’ and

also ‘Training and Development Initiative of the Year’. Thermoseal Group Limited is - Dedicated to Insulated Glass. It is the largest

specialist insulated glass (IG) component manufacturer and distributor in the UK, supplying over 1,500 insulated glass components

including the largest combined sales volume of spacer bar sold into the UK market. The Group also supplies a wide range of

glass manufacturing machinery produced by its expert engineering team with the skills and facilities to design and build machinery

tailor-made to customer requirements. With over 35 years of experience working in the window industry, the Group has invested

in excess of GBP 5 million to turn its hand to large scale manufacturing of warm edge spacers (both flexible and rigid), as well as

injection moulding bespoke fittings in-house. Perma Led adhesive lead strip and various Georgian components are also manufactured

in-house. Thermoseal Group now has its own Innovation Centre dedicated to developing and testing high quality thermally efficient

and IG manufacturer-focused products. It is the only UK IG component supplier with its own EN1279 testing facility.

As a member of the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF), Bundesverband Flachglas (BF) and Insulated Glass Manufacturers Asso-

ciation (IGMA) Thermoseal Group is dedicated to helping to improving standards and helping to shape the future of the insulated

glass industry. Dedicated UK teams provide a bespoke service from local depots nationwide. European sales are directed through the

Group’s European sales team, as well as a worldwide network of sales agents.

www.thermosealgroup.com is a fully interactive website with mobile platform providing downloadable product information, ca-

talogues, industry information and an online enquiry and service support facility. The Group also has various multilingual satellite

sites including: www.thermobarwarmedge.com and www.thermoflexwarmedge.com. Insulated Glass Components supplied by

Thermoseal Group include: Sacer Bar and Accessories (Thermobar, Thermoflex and Thermix Warm Edge; Aluminium, and Steel);

Gas filling fittings and machinery, Georgian Bar and Accessories; Molecular Sieve Desiccant; Decorative Lead, Bevels, Films and

Accessories, as well as Sealants and Integrated Blinds (residential and commercial). Glass machinery includes: Gas filling machines,

hot melt extruders, edge deletion machines, production lines and most other equipment for sealed unit manufacturing.

introduction of a bar coding system; development of their Customer Relationship Management system; the upsizing and expansion of their fleet of delivery vehi-cles and the employment of many new staff. They have been extremely busy this past year and plan to conti-nue to develop and improve their products and service.

NORTHERN SPACER BAR MANUFACTURING SITESTheir northern spacer bar manufacturing sites have employed 50 staff using be-spoke equipment and me-thods to produce their own unique Thermobar and Thermoflex Warm Edge Spacers. These sites have

a strong training and de-velopment program imple-mented with proven results in increasing productivi-ty and reducing waste. All staff have tailored training schemes and are subject to regular Kaizen training days to practice lean manufac-turing. After a recent visit from the Mayor

of Wigan Borough in ho-nour of their achievements, their sites are buzzing with energy that can only be ex-perienced through support, mentoring and a sense of involvement from all staff. They have really started to see the benefits of training and development, which has improved extrusion processes from 76 per cent of target to 95 per cent of target. Similarly, lamina-tion capacity has gone from approximately 78 per cent to 95 per cent. They have also reduced their general site waste.

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Unit E, Gavin Way, Nexus Point, Off Holford DriveBirmingham B6 7AF - UKTel: +44 – 121 – 3313950Fax: +44 – 121 – 3313999E-mail: marketing@thermosealgroup.comwww.thermosealgroup.com