NorthernView
22 | NOVEMBER 2023
NorthernView
CHALLENGING CONVENTION , UNLOCKING POTENTIAL
With a host of new products launched , multiple award wins and other nominations in the pipeline , a busy FIT Show behind it and important milestones reached in its pioneering glass recycling initiative , 2023 has been a busy year for proud Yorkshire business Morley Glass .
The company has evolved over three decades to become the world ’ s largest manufacturer of bespoke high performance ScreenLine ® integral blinds , with an average of 4,000 units produced every week sold nationally under its Uni-Blinds ® brand .
The scale of Morley Glass ’ s operation enables British window and door installers to benefit from the shortest lead times , and early access to new ScreenLine ® integral blinds developed by manufacturer Pellini S . p . A . The partnership between the two companies means Uni-Blinds ® integral blind units are available in as little as 10-12 working days – that ’ s an attractive time-frame to homeowners and end-users who often do not want a lengthy wait to complete their windows , doors and blinds package .
This year Morley Glass has been first to bring a variety of new integral blind products to the market . Most notable was a new integral blind for flat glass rooflights – this is a high quality pleated blackout blind with motorised operation encapsulated within a high performance double glazed unit . Another exciting addition was a new switchable smart glass solution , which is ideal for high-end residential and commercial customers .
The company also enhanced its range of Venetian integral blinds
Ian Short , Managing Director at Morley Glass
during 2023 with several new contemporary colours . First orders of its exclusive black ( B160 ) integral blind were delivered at the beginning of the year , and further new colours followed to meet the demand for very specific neutral tones .
Agate grey ( S120 ) and slate grey ( S158 ) Venetian colours were introduced to offer homeowners subtly different alternatives to the ever-popular anthracite and white blind slats . And a dual coloured slat , which is white in the inside and anthracite on the outside debuted at the 2023 FIT Show .
This show was hugely successful for Morley Glass , bolstered by an award-winning marketing campaign that generated the strongest ever footfall to their stand . In August , Morley Glass was recognised for its efforts by winning the coveted ‘ Best Use of Social Media ’ award in the FIT Show Marketing Awards .
It was the third major award win of 2023 for Morley Glass , which followed a special sustainability award from Saint-Gobain Glass and success at the GGP Installer Awards in March . Here , the company scooped the award for ‘ Best Installer Support Programme or Service Initiative ’ in recognition for its post-consumer glass collection and recycling service for installers . And it is hoping this success will be repeated in late November at the prestigious G-Awards , in which the scheme is a finalist for the ‘ Sustainability Initiative of the Year ’ award .
All these awards recognise the progress that Morley Glass has made during the past two years in conjunction with Saint-Gobain Glass to create a viable process for installers to divert end-of-life IGUs away from landfill into the re-manufacture of new high performance building glass .
Important milestones have been reached over the past 12 months in the recycling scheme which involves Morley Glass crushing old IGUs into cullet . The initiative cuts resource and energy use in the glass manufacturing industry , saves installers money on waste disposal and raises money for charities , groups and individuals working on environmental and social improvement projects .
In early 2023 , Morley Glass generated its 1,000th tonne of cullet and now that figure is around 1,500 tonnes – a level that means the scheme has cut CO2 emissions in the glass making process by over 1,000 tonnes .