Edgetech partnership driving Padiham Glass’ automation success
Aligning with the right brand isn’t just about having access to quality products – it’s about using the power of brand association to enhance market position.
It’s a philosophy that has been central to Padiham Glass’s long-standing partnership with Edgetech, which has delivered far more than just superior spacers and has helped drive the IGU manufacturer’s growth and successful transition to automated production.
The relationship has provided a powerful combination of brand equity, technical excellence, and innovation support and demonstrates how the right supplier partnership can drive business success.
As part of the Emplas Group, one of the UK’s leading fabricators of uPVC windows and doors, Padiham Glass has established itself as a prominent force in both trade and new build sectors, currently producing over 1,700 units daily with ambitious plans to increase volume by 50% in the next year.
And partnering with Edgetech has been instrumental in their success, says John Spiby, divisional director for the Emplas Group and MD of Padiham Glass.
“For me, branding is key,” explained John. “Edgetech continually promotes its brand, which means we gain equity from this association, making it easier to upsell our proposition. Everyone in the industry talks about window energy ratings and U-Values and using Edgetech enables us to offer leading-edge products with leading-edge performance.
“The Edgetech brand is excellent and has huge market presence, and not a day goes by where I don’t see something on social media about Quanex and Edgetech; that isn’t cheap to do, and we see the real benefit of this and the significant value it adds.”
The relationship between the two companies spans more than 15 years, with Padiham Glass initially taking small roles for shaped units before transitioning to full production. This partnership has proved particularly valuable thanks to Padiham Glass’ recent investment in a highly automated IGU line to meet growing demand and maintain quality standards.
“We want to work safely, produce fantastic products that people want to buy, and remain profitable,” continues John. “For us to do that we have to be extremely efficient and improve our waste streams, whether that’s material or time. Automation and automatic bar application is essential in achieving these goals, and having used the product for many years it was a simple decision for me to choose Edgetech. Their product ticks all the boxes.”
Beyond product quality and brand, John also emphasises the importance of Edgetech’s technical support. “People, products, and professionalism set Edgetech apart. You can always pick up the phone and talk to someone if you have an issue,” he says.
“I have known Tony Palmer and Gary Shoesmith (Edgetech’s head of sales and head of quality & technical respectively) for many years and the experience and expertise they bring, and share is invaluable. We don’t just care about safety and visual quality; we care about the longevity of our sealed units, and getting the spacer and sealant right is crucial to that.
“Our head of quality Jon Cooper has been working closely with Gary and Tony and this has enabled us to adopt leading edge lean manufacturing tools to further improve our unit performance and efficiency.”
The company’s commitment to quality is matched by Edgetech’s reliability as a spacer supplier, added John. “Their OTIF is excellent, which is vital for us as a component supplier to a huge window manufacturing plant as if we deliver short it has a huge impact on the service that Emplas can offer, while their performance and consistent product quality is second to none.
“And, despite our excellent in-house processes, we sometimes need support, whether we’ve run out of product or face a technical issue we can’t solve, and Edgetech is always there.”
Tony Palmer, Edgetech’s head of sales, adds: “Padiham Glass’s recent investment in the automated IGU line perfectly illustrates our role as a comprehensive technical partner rather than just a supplier and we’re delighted they’re seeing the huge benefits of moving across to automated Super Spacer application.
“Padiham Glass exemplifies the type of forward-thinking manufacturer we’re proud to partner with and is another demonstration of Edgetech’s 35-year track record of helping ambitious IGU manufactures produce outstanding glass units.”
Looking ahead, John offers advice to other manufacturers considering automation or switching to Edgetech products: “The industry needs to be more efficient, and automation is key. Like everything, it does come with its challenges; we have a four-man engineering team because these machines are sophisticated and require regular maintenance. But the benefits in terms of efficiency and consistency make it worthwhile and our run rate has undoubtably improved with the automatic spacer application.”
