Mackenzie Glass reflects on purple patch

Mackenzie Glass has spent the first quarter of 2022 investing £1m in infrastructure, introducing new products, and mending greenhouses. We report.

For most people, February’s Storm Eunice caused mayhem, as it ripped through the country disrupting energy networks, rail services, sports fixtures, and causing a huge amount of destruction.

For those tasked with repairing the damage, the fortunes were different as they were dispatched to replace all manner of broken items such as fencing, roofing and garden furniture.

A significant casualty was the humble greenhouse, which literally had everything thrown at it during the storm. As a result, Mackenzie Glass saw a 1,000% increase in the amount of greenhouse glass that it sold to the trade.

“We sold something like 50,000 sheets of greenhouse glass to customers following Storm Eunice,” says Mackenzie Glass’s joint managing director Mark Herbert. “And this was after it was so well forecast. In fact, we are still seeing a ripple effect, with the number of orders way above where we would expect to see them at this time of year.”

But this has been indicative of Q1 for the Bristol-based glass merchanting business, which has started the year with a significant amount of investment in new machinery, infrastructure, and new products.

“At the top of our list is a new £200,000 Bottero cutting line, which is capable of processing float glass from 2mm through to 19mm and will reduce the lead time on all specialist products and smaller orders, while improving accuracy,” adds Mark.

The Bottero cutting line includes: a 630CBM-R automatic loading machine; a 343BCS-R automatic float glass cutting table; and a 103BBM-R air floatation breakout table.

The cutting line will enhance Mackenzie Glass’s storage options, improve cutting times, and future-proof the business for the next decade. The complex installation will require multiple engineers collaborating over a two-week project, but such an investment is vital as demand for specialist glass products continues to grow, according to Mark.

“On a headline level, glass supply seems risky,” he says. “News like increased energy surcharges, and supply allocation affects investment plans for many glass supply businesses, which in turn affects opportunities.

“The Bottero cutting line is just one example where Mackenzie Glass seeks to improve product quality and speed of service, while creating further opportunities for customers.”

Other recent investment includes a second fire-glass saw, which reflects the growing demand for cut-to-size fire glass for specific projects.

“The state-of-the-art Putsch Meniconi vertical saw allows us to process glass (2.7m x 5.1m) up to 70mm thick in fire-resistant, bullet-proof and multilayer laminates,” Mark says. “It cuts three ways – vertical, horizontal, and vertical bevel cut – and it allows smaller glass processors to compete with larger competitors on prestigious projects, without having to invest heavily in extra stock and specialist machinery.”

Representing more than £500K of investment and taking the overall recent investment to over £1m at the Bristol site, Mackenzie Glass will shortly take delivery of two Volvo FM 420 lorries, which are fully converted specialist crane vehicles, and will service the company’s growing and existing HIAB customers with an eye on expansion along both the M5 and M4 corridors in particular.

Other vehicles due to arrive on site later this year include two new 18-tonne DAF LF260s, and a Ford Transit H3 (Driveline).

Other items that have arrived at Imperial Park within the last 12 weeks are a new drilling machine, an additional straight-line edger, and a forklift truck.

“Investment in this kind of infrastructure is vital as we continue to expand our ranges,” says Mark. “That includes purple mirror glass. We have been selling coloured mirror glass for a number of years now, and we have seen demand steadily increase. Adding purple mirror glass to our range provides our customers – literally – with a unique selling opportunity. No-one else offers the extensive range of tinted mirrors from stock in volumes that we do.”

Product samples have already been dispatched to interested customers, and feedback has already proved positive.

“This is a sector that we expect to grow, and we can provide our customers with cut-to-size small orders to enjoy the kinds of margin that is so difficult to find in the glass processing sector at the moment, especially as companies see growing overheads eat away at the bottom line,” Mark concludes.