Further implementing its Strategic Management Plan announced Nov/2010, the NSG Group has announced that it is investing £36M in an off-line vacuum sputter coating facility at its Pilkington Cowley Hill site, in St Helens, UK. The new installation will manufacture a range of high performance energy-saving glazing products. The expansion is supported by a grant of £5M from the UK Regional Growth Fund & is due to come on stream October 2012. David Pinder, MD Building Products UK & South Europe said "The installation of this advanced technology coater will allow us to widen our range of high performance coated glasses enabling our customers to meet & exceed UK building energy-saving regulations, complementing our well-established & widely used Pilkington K Glass" online low-emissivity product, which continues to meet UK building regulations requirements. Our aim is to widen customer choice & the new investment will enable us to expand our range of energy-saving products to meet increasingly tough regulations. Local UK manufacture of some products currently imported from our plants elsewhere in Europe will help reduce transport costs & environmental impact, in line with the NSG Group's Sustainability agenda. The investment will help create 50 new jobs & also allow us to extend our successful Apprenticeship scheme, bringing young people into our industry."
