18
MAY 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
POLITICAL
LEADERS VISIT
PILKINGTON
The glass and glazing sector needs support as an energy
intensive industry, according to top level politicians
who recently visited Pilkington in Merseyside.
Theresa Griffin MEP (North
West England) and Conor
McGinn MP (St Helens North)
met representatives from
Pilkington United Kingdom
Limited, part of the NSG
group, to discuss future
measures that could support
the growth of the sector in
the UK and mainland Europe particularly in relation to the
energy efficiency of buildings.
The visit, to the company’s manufacturing facility in St. Helens,
was arranged with Glass for
Europe – the trade association for
Europe’s flat glass manufacturers.
The body has been advocating a
supportive legislative framework
for the sector, including an ambitious revision of the EU Energy
Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
Glass for Europe claims the construction sector is able to deliver
‘Pilkington is doing some good work on energy-efficient
products that will work towards tackling energy poverty
in the UK and across Europe, and we need to support our
manufacturing and research bases in the North West’
more energy savings than it has
done in recent years. However, in
order to do so the EU must aim
to triple the current renovation
rate starting from improving the
performance of the buildings’ envelope – a commitment that would
boost the glass and glazing industry through increased demand for
energy-efficient glazing.
The visit saw Theresa Griffin
MEP and Conor McGinn MP tour
Pilkington’s UK5 float glass manufacturing line at Greengate, and
meet Matt Buckley, MD of Pilkington United Kingdom Limited, to
hear more about its state-of-the-art
offline coater at Cowley Hill.
Phil Brown, European Regulatory Marketing Manager at
Pilkington, said: “We’ve made a
significant investment in R&D and
our manufacturing facilities over
the past few years, to enable us
to continue to produce high-performing energy-efficient products
for the commercial and domestic
markets. A firm commitment to
a legally binding energy efficiency target and increased building
renovation rates would not only
present a significant growth opportunity for the glass and glazing
sector, it would provide much
needed stability for our industry
and its supply chain.”
Theresa Griffin MEP, Labour’s
European Spokesperson for
Industry and Energy, added: “It’s
incredibly important that I meet
with industry and trade unions
that are affected by the legislation that the European Parliament is working on to make it
the best and most appropriate
that it can be.
“Pilkington is doing some good
work on energy-efficient products that will work towards tackling energy poverty in the UK
and across Europe, and we need
to support our manufacturing
and research bases in the North
West. We need legally binding
energy efficiency targets across
Europe to help our most vulnerable people suffering energy
poverty.”
Conor McGinn MP said: “I
joined Theresa Griffin MEP to
visit the site because, while the
UK’s steel industry is understandably and rightfully receiving a
lot of public attention, the glass
industry cannot be overlooked
and needs support as an energy
intensive industry. Not least because of the importance locally
in terms of jobs and Pilkington’s
historical links to St. Helens.
“These are challenging times
for the industry, as a company
it is at the forefront of glass
technology and is a world leader
in creativity and innovation but
the government must still play its
part in supporting the sector.”
Source: www.citypress.co.uk