After winning the prestigious Glass Company of The Year at the 2024 G Awards, ToughGlaze is starting 2025 on a high – including the launch of its cutting-edge, fire rated and toughened safety glass, TG FR, a product that can work with all major glazing and profile systems and provide up 2-hours integrity and insulation.

When ToughGlaze moved into its current facility in Bedfordshire in 2020, it represented an exciting new chapter for the family-owned glass processing business.

Originally founded in 1993 by Vipul Vora, Ashok Varsani and Bharat Varsani, the company started out with a 3,000ft² factory in Kingsbury, North West London, before growing into larger premises and then eventually committing itself to the 100,000ft², state of the art premises it currently occupies in Bedford.

That proved to be a big move in more ways than one, thanks to a number of significant challenges presented by setting up a factory of this size in the middle of the Covid pandemic.

But ToughGlaze is a business that has been built on hard graft, and after overcoming the logistical nightmares of operating in a pandemic – not to mention the impact of energy prices following the start of the war in Ukraine – it has since flourished, expanding its reach nationwide and building an enviable reputation for quality of product and service.

And it is this reputation, backed up by millions of pounds of investment in machinery, supported by a team of hardworking and knowledgeable people and fuelled by a desire to always be at the forefront of market technology, that contributed to ToughGlaze’s well deserved G24 Award for Glass Company of the Year.

“We were so proud to have won the Glass Company of the Year at the G24 Awards, especially when you look at the strength of the other businesses in that category,” said Bhavik Varsani, managing director.

“ToughGlaze has come a long way, but it was the move to Bedford that has really enabled us to take things to a new level. We set some high targets in 2024 that we achieved, including our highest ever turnover and that’s thanks to the work we’ve put into developing our website and marketing, but also the investments we’ve made on the factory floor and in making our operations as sustainable as possible,” he continues.

“We offer a comprehensive range of products, from 4mm glass that goes into IGU manufacturing, plus specialist fire resistant, acoustic, structural, decorative, heat strengthened and laminate.

“We’re also always looking for cutting edge product that can give our customers a competitive advantage,” he adds.

“Our switchable glass is a good example of that, which we developed in a strategic partnership with the most advanced LCD engineering laboratory in the world. It opens up a load of opportunities in high-end residential projects, in bi-folds or shower screens, as well as commercial projects where additional security or privacy is required.

“And we’re now in a position to launch our latest innovation, which is our ToughGlaze Fire Rated glass. We’re hugely excited about this, because it really does open up a wealth of high margin installations for our customers.”

Next gen fire glass

ToughGlaze’s Fire Rated glass (TG FR) is a cutting edge, heat-resistant tempered glass and is one of the UK’s only two-hour fire-rated glass products that also meets toughened safety glass standards.

Designed to work with all major glazing and profile systems, options range from ultra-clear, half-hour fire-rated glass to horizontal and vertical laminated glass panels rated to 120 minutes for integrity and insulation.

In addition to its compatibility with a comprehensive range of interior glass partition systems, TG FR is also suitable for horizontal, load-bearing fire glass panels, including walls and ceiling panels, and is tested to E1120 with a load of 300 kg/m².

ToughGlaze also provides the relevant certification and maintains production records for each panel manufactured.

“TG FR is the result of a considerable amount of investment in R&D, new machinery and extensive testing at Warrington,” says Bhavik,” but the advantages it brings to our customers are huge.

“What makes TG FR such a versatile product is its state-of-the-art gel interlayer. Compared to traditional, multi-layered, annealed fire safety glass, TG FR is much easier to handle on site and because we’re producing it here in the UK, we can supply it much more quickly and efficiently.

“In the past, installers may have had to wait eight weeks or so for this type of glass, but we can now manufacture it here in Bedfordshire and have it on site in a fraction of the time. That means our customers can now target smaller projects, but with a high value product that delivers a really strong profit margin.”

While Bhavik highlights the benefits of TG FR for jobs that may only require two or three internal screens he is also keen to point out that ToughGlaze’s extensive experience and quality of service – including accreditation to ISO 9001:2015 for quality management – means the company is now winning larger scale commercial contracts across the UK.

“Our production facilities at Bedford have allowed us to extend our reach nationally, and so has the quality of our products but that is all backed up by our service offering and the fact that our customers can trust us to deliver glass that is fit for purpose in a sector that is increasingly being scrutinised post Grenfell,” continues Bhavik.

“It is more important than ever that fire rated products meet regulations, and that there is evidence to support that what we’re supplying meets or exceeds those regulations. We’re fully committed to do being able to do just that, and it’s one of the reasons that we have joined the GGF.

“We feel it’s vitally important to be able have a voice in the industry, and also to be directly involved in the regulations that are shaping the commercial sector.

“Here at ToughGlaze we’re very excited for 2025 and beyond,” he concludes. “Our G Award win is a testament to all the hard work we’ve put in over the years and with the introduction of TG FR, we’re now perfectly positioned to help our customers grow their businesses with a new, high margin and highly versatile range of glass.”