New EWL factory opens : New EWL Factory opens doors to public sector contracts

Following the success of the new Eco-Window, EWL has moved to bigger premises to cope with demand. Made from the lead-free Kömmerling Connoisseur GreenLine profile, the Eco Window is colour fast and able to keep its sheen for longer.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Sunderland were on hand to officially open the factory alongside business development representatives from the City of Sunderland and systems supplier Kömmerling UK. EWL had grown significantly over the years, progressing from a single industrial estate unit in Blaydon to occupying four factory units in Washington before moving to its new facility.

EWL started in 1996 by the ‘elders' of the old Elders Glass company: Commercial Director Alan Nicholson, Director of Production Paul Davison and Sales Director Ralph Lowes. The move marks the latest development for the firm whose directors were responsible for installing the first PVC-U double glazed installations in the North East of England, including the replacement windows in the Tyne Bridge.

EWL can now further develop its Eco-friendly windows and doors and its new high- security composite door. Furthermore, the move will facilitate increased production and with support of its systems manufacturer Kömmerling, give further access to local and health authority project contracts.

As demand for its new Eco-Window grew and EWL's order books became increasingly healthy, deliveries of the GreenLine Kömmerling Connoisseur profile grew so large delivery vehicles blocked the industrial estate traffic causing major disruption to other businesses. Therefore, the EWL directors decided it was time to move to larger premises.

Paul Davison said, ‘In the past orders of Kömmerling profile had to be handled from the delivery truck into the factory; this process was laborious and meant production operatives would have to break away from their machines to take the delivery. ‘Now, deliveries are catered for by forklift truck in a fraction of the time, allowing our production teams to concentrate on order processing'.

Currently employing around 25 staff, EWL's new factory means it now has the capacity and machinery to produce 600 windows a week, in addition to the production of over 2,000 sealed units per week. EWL has recently enjoyed success in the Institute of Maintenance and Building Management (IMBM) awards for one of the most technically advanced windows in the UK.

The company's entry ranked in the top seven submissions for the whole of the UK, with its lead-free Kömmerling Connoisseur GreenLine profile and Pilkington Active self-cleaning glass. This combination has also enabled the company to be one of this year's nominees for The North East Business Award for ‘Manufacture and the Environment'.