Pilkington UK: Flying the Flag for British Manufacturing

We’re proud to announce that Pilkington UK has been shortlisted for Machinery Innovation and Sustainability Initiative of the Year at the prestigious G Awards 2025.

Both nominations recognise our new Rolled Plate manufacturing line (RP5) in St Helens – the home of Pilkington UK for nearly two centuries – where we now produce the Texture by Pilkington™ range.

This state-of-the-art line secures the future of British manufacture of texture glass. By feeding directly from our float glass furnace, it enables the same output that previously required two furnaces – a step change in efficiency and sustainability.

Machinery innovation is in our DNA. Over our 199-year history, Pilkington UK has led the way in advancing glassmaking:

- In the Plate Glass era, we developed the dual grinder and polisher – a breakthrough that transformed productivity and quality.

- In the Float Glass era, Sir Alastair Pilkington and his pioneering team invented the process that still underpins modern architectural and automotive glass worldwide.

From those early breakthroughs to today’s RP5 line, our heritage of quality and British innovation continues to shape how the world is built.