A UK glass processor looking back at 160 years of history

Ravensby Glass is a glass company based in Dundee, Scotland, specializing in products such as double and triple glazed units, interior glass and facades. With over 150 employees and 7,000 square metres of production space, the company distributes its products throughout the UK.

The history of Ravensby Glass has its roots in the 19th century, starting out in textile manufacturing. Over the decades, and after diversifying and investing in various businesses, Ravensby Glass was founded in 1986. Extraordinarily, in over 160 years the ownership has remained intact over five generations, with the founding families of Ogilvie and Cunningham runing the group, investing and evolving as the markets and opportunities dictated. We met the current owners: CEO Hamish Ogilvie and CFO Nicholas Cunningham, great-grandsons of the founders.

“After diversifying into different sectors, we have been in the glass business as processors since the 1980s" says Mr Ogilvie "Over the years we have always invested in increasing the quality of our glass and the efficiency of our service. At our site in Dundee where we have consolidated our activity for greater efficiency, we have created a hybrid plant dedicated to residential glass, which we distribute extensively in Scotland, and commercial glass, which we supply throughout the UK. We have put a lot of effort into having efficient logistics across such a large territory. In this latter regard, we have established a reputation as a reliable supplier, which is one of the company's assets”.

Forel IGU lines as core of production process

Ravensby Glass presents itself as a structured company. In the production plant, there are two warehouses for large panes, from which two horizontal cutting lines are fed. The glass panes are then processed and tempered where needed, before being directed to one of three existing IGU lines.

 

“In 2019, we decided to enhance our production with a new insulating glass line," Mr Ogilvie explains. "And we accepted an invitation to visit the Forel plant in Italy. On this occasion we were very impressed by the technology and solutions developed, and decided to purchase our first Forel IGU line along with a vertical processing Line, for the production of processed glass pre tempering. After overcoming the initial bedding-in period of the new equipment (every machine of every brand has its own peculiarities) we were suitably satisfied with both lines’ performance, and as part of our growth strategy, we decided to order a second IGU line, to process projects related to both our residential and commercial sectors. Today these two Forel IGU lines represent the core of our production and the vertical edging line, processes the bulk of our glass production.”

What machines are currently in operation at Ravensby Glass?

The Forel machines in operation at Ravensby Glass are: the “Residential” IG line, capable of processing double glazing units up to 4000 x 2500 mm, with rigid or flexible spacer bar, and a “High Tech” IG line with a wide range of options such as triple/quadruple glazing, all sides stepped and large piece processing of up to 5000 x 2800 mm. The edging machine is Forel Art. EM, appreciated worldwide and renowned for its precision and output performance in arrissing, grinding and polishing.

Like all manufacturing companies, Ravensby Glass faces the challenges of a competitive market in which new variables, such as rising energy costs and enhanced requirements for thermal performance have recently appeared: “We are managing the complexities of this economic phase in different ways," explains Mr. Cunningham. "On the one hand, we have turned up the heat on our energy suppliers, particularly when our supply contract is expiring, and on the other hand we are rationalizing our production flow, for example by using only one toughening plant instead of two.”

Trend towards automation to continue in the future

“This particular situation, however, does not change one basic reality: If the glass production is already highly automated today, it will have to be even more in the future. Forel's system brings clear advantages in terms of productivity and allows for constant digital control over the work in progress, facilitating the operator's task. This allows us to guarantee our customer the conformity of our product.”

 

Given its position in the UK market, Ravensby Glass has its finger on the pulse of both commercial and residential glass trends: two different realities that are reacting in different ways in this first half of 2023.

Demand for triple glazing to rise into 2024 and beyond

“Contrary to what might have been assumed a year ago, the demand for commercial glass shows no sign of contracting, quite the contrary,” continues Mr Ogilvie. “The sector of construction and architecture in the UK is in full swing and the demand for facades, shopfronts and other installations will be a constant well into 2024. Despite the dampening effect we can expect due to the rising cost of raw materials, it is undeniable that there is a willingness to invest significantly in commercial glass, particularly triple glazing.”

“Case in point: In 2022, our orders were only 10 per cent triple glazing, whereas today they are already 35 per cent. As for the residential market, it is stable at the moment. However, I believe that the demand for triple glazing will also increase here before long, in the wake of what is happening in other sectors. From this point of view, Ravensby Glass is well prepared: when it comes to triple glazing, the Forel line has demonstrated really good performance.”

06.06.2023, Ravensby Glass