£1m investment in automated technology to improve production capacity

The company’s new 46,000 sq ft premises in Leeds, West Yorkshire, is the world’s largest dedicated factory for manufacturing ScreenLine® integral blinds into insulating glass units.

Ian Short, managing director of Morley Glass & Glazing said: “The new premises give us the opportunity to design the space in exactly the way that we need it to be. 

It will be a bespoke integral blinds manufacturing facility. We’re investing in the latest automated technology with a new Best Makina fully automatic sealed unit assembly line, which is less labour intensive, improves the efficiency of our production line and enhances the quality of the finished product.

It’s capable of producing 3m x 2.5m sealed units and the automation means that there is less handling of the glass – and therefore less potential for damage.

Arriving in Leeds with a vehicle escort from Turkey, the new machine was packaged in three huge containers and installed by six engineers in just one week.

Ian added: “It is a very robust machine and the first of its kind to be installed in the UK. It has an automated gas press and robot gun that utilises three different types of sealants: hot melt for traditional sealed units, silicone sealed for structural glazing and Kommerling GD115 polysulphide for fire-glass as well as being used as our primary sealant for sealed units.

With using Best Makina they have a philosophy that one size doesn’t fit all, and have made the complete line tailored to suit our needs. The machinery also comes with a two-year warranty.

“The three tonne washing machine even recycles its final rinse water, which is used to clean the brushes in a pre-wash cycle, helping to maintain the machine’s components, keeping it clean and free of debris, and ensuring the quality of the finished products.

“The new premises also give us the space to increase our product range. We’ll soon be launching fire-rated Uni-Blinds® as well as a home automation interface that enables window and door installers to easily incorporate motorised integral blinds within home automation systems.

“And to complement our exclusive S159 (equivalent to RAL7016) anthracite grey colour we also have another exclusive product coming out. The SL16C blind system (24mm over all DGU) is available in three colours.

These new product developments who how we are continually striving to satisfy the market demands for integral blind systems.”

Morley Glass has achieved 30% year-on-year growth as demand continues to increase for its Uni-Blind® sealed units with ScreenLine® blinds inside, and this growth is set to continue.

The Uni-Blinds® range provides the widest choice of integral blinds in double and triple glazed units, with all manual, solar and motorised versions available in the industry’s shortest lead-time of 10 days from 10am any Friday.

Morley Glass & Glazing provides unrivalled technical support for Uni-Blinds® customers too, being the only UK supplier of integral blinds to have dedicated customer support engineers on the road.

It also stocks the largest range of ScreenLine® system spare parts in Europe with the enlarged factory enabling it to stock £750,000 of Screenline® components with most parts supplied within 24 hours.