St.Helens The Heart of the North West

Pilkington, a member of the NSG Group, has chosen St.Helens to produce its revolutionary Activ™Self Cleaning Glassand a range of products for the solar market.

The Mersey Partnership (TMP) and Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) have been heavily involved in the decision-making process, with support from St.Helens Council.    

 The move has also been made possible with a £3million grant from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).

As well as Activ™ glass, the new facility will use nanotechnology developed at nearby Lathom to produce coated glass for the Solar Cell and Thermal Installation markets.  The move will also enable Pilkington’s Cowley Hill site to continue production of the low-emission K Glass.

Arthur Smith is TMP’s Investor Development Manager with St.Helens Council.  He says: “Not only does this investment secure a major manufacturing facility in the Liverpool City Region for years to come, it enables further research and development work to continue alongside the manufacturing base in St.Helens. 

“There will be genuine knock-on benefits for the wider economy, safeguarding jobs through the supply chain and increasing exports from the UK.  I’m proud to have worked alongside Pilkington to secure this important investment. ”

Ron Hamilton, Pilkington’s Operations Director Building Products Europesaid:  “This has been an excellent example of the public sector working in partnership with a private company and the support and advice Arthur Smith provided during the process has been superb. 

“There is no doubt that behind the scenes Arthur had to use his considerable lobbying skills to obtain the level of support throughout the various organisations that we eventually received.”

Mark Hughes, Executive Director of Enterpriseand Skills at the NWDA, said: "This significant investment will provide an important boost for the local and regional economy, enhancing the Northwest's research and development base and securing the company's future in St.Helens."

The news follows Pilkington's other recent investments in their St Helens manufacturing sites including the Watson St site, which is now producing low iron glass for solar panels and photovoltaic cells to convert light into electricity.

A planning application has been submitted to St.Helens Council to enable the installation of the coating facility at Greengate.