Thermoseal Group – Dedicated to Insulated Glass

Samantha Hill, Marketing Manager at Thermoseal Group discusses the introduction of a new strapline and branding strategy for the Group – ‘Dedicated to Insulated Glass’.  Thermoseal Group started out as a Birmingham-based business supplying glass machinery to sealed unit manufacturers back in 1979.  Its initial major success was the introduction of one of the first hopper-fed hot melt machines used to apply secondary sealant to double glazing units. The Group quickly developed a reputation as a supplier of quality machinery backed up with industry-leading customer support. The next major decision for the organisation was to supply insulated glass sealed unit components sourcing quality components from selected worldwide suppliers.  With a strong grasp on market requirements and the ability to negotiate suitable rates of supply, this part of the Group grew to become Thermoseal Group’s core business with over 1,500 components on offer.  The Group’s first manufacturing venture was the purchase of Perma Led adhesive lead company in 1999.  This proved to be a successful addition to the Group’s product offering.Until recently, we were proud to promote ourselves as the UK’s leading supplier of insulated glass sealed unit components.  However, in the past few years Thermoseal Group has again opted for a major strategic change - to become a manufacturer of warm edge products.  This change was of course prompted by changes in regulations which have brought about an increasing demand for more energy efficient windows.  To meet this demand we initially supplied a high quality European leading product - Thermix warm edge spacer.  The Group then embarked on an extensive research project to manufacture high performance industry-leading products.  With investment in excess of £5 million to set up a rapidly-expanding manufacturing base, as well as a growing injection moulding division, we are now a leading UK manufacturer of warm edge spacer bars and accessories.  Thermobar warm edge spacer bar is now supplied to the majority of UK sealed unit manufacturers as their preferred option due to its manufacturability, performance and aesthetics.  It is also supplied to a number of international customers.  A second warm edge spacer, Thermoflex foam spacer, has now been introduced to the market and already has a waiting list for supply.I for one am proud to work for a British manufacturer and am proud to have seen the major growth and manufacturing development at Thermoseal Group in my time here, but it is the professionalism and dedication behind the scenes that has led to the re-branding.  We are now far more than a supplier to the insulated glass industry.We are dedicated to its future.

Dedicated to manufacturing British products

We are the only British manufacturer of a range of warm edge spacers (both flexible and rigid) and also the only warm edge manufacturer to produce fittings in-house. We also injection mould a range of Georgian fittings, as well as Perma Led adhesive lead strip and a range of machinery for insulated glass production.  We are committed to expanding our manufacturing and injection moulding facility and developing the range of warm edge products that we supply – our Innovation Centre is key to this development.

Dedicated to quality and future proofing products

We are the only UK insulated glass component supplier who has invested heavily in an Innovation Centre run by material specialists and equipped with all the latest equipment for research, development and ongoing testing of insulated glass components (both brought in and own manufactured products).  We have invested heavily in research and development of new products and have a team of staff committed to developing and continually improving products. All warm edge products are trialed with customers to ensure that they are ideal for purpose.  We are the only UK insulated glass component supplier with in-house testing to EN1279 standards (standard for glazing unit testing). We only work with selected highest quality suppliers.  Thermoseal Group operates to ISO 9001:2008; Complies with CE Marking Requirements and supplies products tested to EN1279.

We aim to provide recyclable products and packaging.  Where possible, we store and deliver products in packaging (e.g. Stillages, Reels etc.) which are returned to us and used for further deliveries.  We encourage customers to recycle where possible.

Dedicated to offering a wide range of insulated glass products

We pride ourselves in being a complete supplier to insulated glass sealed unit manufacturers, so are committed to offering a comprehensive range of components and machinery.

The products and service options that we supply includes the following:

Insulated Glass Components:  Spacer Bars (Warm Edge, Aluminium and Steel) and Accessories (Corner Keys, Flexi Keys, Connectors, Duplex Fittings, Gas Keys and Gas Fittings); Integrated Blinds (Residential and Commercial); Molecular Sieve Desiccants (Standard and Mini Bead); Primary and Secondary Sealants for Glazing (PIB, Hot Melt, Warm Melt, Polysulphide, Polyurethane and Silicone);  Georgian Bar and Fittings (18x5mm, 18x8mm, 25x8mm, Muntin Bar and Fittings, Foam Spacer Fittings, System 2, System 76 (45mm), Surface Mount Georgian and a range of other Georgian accessories); Victorian Grille and Fittings (6mm and 8mm); Adhesive Tapes; Perma Led adhesive lead strip; Glass Bevels; Films as well as a whole array of Tools, Accessories and Chemicals and Machine Ancillaries used in insulated glass sealed unit manufacture.

Glass Machinery:  As well as providing tailored business solutions including complete manufacturing packages, we also supply individual machines including: Hot Melt Extruders; Gas Fillers; Edge Deletion Machines; Water Treatment Plants; Glass Washers (Horizontal and Vertical); Desiccant Dispensers; Georgian Bar Cutting and Assembly Machines; Production Lines; Panel Press and Roller Press Machinery; PIB Machines; PS and PU Mixing and Silicone Dispensing Pumps; Machinery for Spacer Bar Bending, Cutting and Gas Hole Drilling; Tilting Tables and machinery for manufacturing with Foam Spacer Systems.  Glass machines can often be tailor-made to customer requirements.

We can also supply glass machinery on lease-hire and lease-purchase contracts.

Other services we provide include:

• Ink-jet printing company details on spacer bar

• Supplying Spacer bar with pre-applied PIB

• Georgian Fabrications

• Colour-matching components

• Free delivery in the UK (subject to terms and conditions to be agreed when ordering goods)

Dedicated to staff

Longevity and loyalty are key words at Thermoseal Group.  We have staff members who have been working with us for over 30 years and many over 10 years.

When possible we will promote staff from within the organisation, but if we consider new knowledge or experience is required we will recruit from outside the organisation.

Thermoseal Group has been Investors in People Accredited for over 10 years.  This standard provides a guideline for identifying and ensuring that training and development needs are met at all levels of the organisation and annual training reviews are carried out.  Each member of staff is then given a personal training plan to build and develop individual skills for their particular role.  Each member of staff is kept informed and involved at all levels.  All staff members receive an employment package including pension, bonus scheme and other additional benefits.

In the past few years we have doubled the number of employees working at Thermoseal Group – mainly involved in the production of warm edge spacer and accessories.

Dedicated to customer service

We listen to our customers and aim to build a symbiotic relationship to develop our products and service to meet their requirements.  We create bespoke products and packaging to suit customer’s needs.  We offer a personal service and aim to provide an order processing and delivery service suitable for their business requirements.  All customers receive an immediate order confirmation.  Each customer is allocated an area sales manager who is experienced, knowledgeable, and always happy to discuss account requirements with customers.  If we get it wrong, we put it right as a matter of urgency.

We have our own network of over 30 owned vehicles to deliver our goods using our own staff network operating from 4 UK sites in Birmingham, Wigan, Kent and Belfast.

A customer relationship management system is in place to offer a synonymous service and we compile customer surveys to help to gain additional service feedback and determine the next relevant product. We have invested in a bar coding system to improve accuracy of processing, picking and delivering products.  We add value to our service where possible – e.g. print spacer bar.

Investment in user-friendly mobile and traditional websites provide a key service to customers, offering additional business support services and all product and service information, as well as downloadable documentation.  They are also a means of product enquiry.

We also offer a marketing support service to our customers.

Dedicated to being leaders

In addition to all the reasons detailed in this article showing how we aim to lead the industry, we are also active members of the Glass and Glazing Federation and the Bundesverband Flachglas working within insulated glass groups to represent the views of insulated glass manufacturers.  We have an export manager working in Europe and various agents and distributors across the world to supply our products world-wide. We have the expertise and facilities to design and build insulated glass manufacturing machinery tailor-made to customer requirements.  We have dedicated UK teams provide a bespoke service from local depots nationwide.

Ends

For further editorial information and photography, please quote reference A087 and contact Samantha Hill on 0121 331 3976 or e-mail: sam.hill@thermosealgroup.com.