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A special year for Ceramic Glass as it celebrates 40 years in business

A special year for Ceramic Glass as it celebrates 40 years in business

This year marks a special anniversary for Loughborough-based manufacturer and distributor, Ceramic Glass, as it celebrates a historic 40 years in business.

Founded in the early 1980s, Ceramic Glass originally started life supplying NeoCeram ceramic glass for use as vision panels in appliances to OEM stove and gas fire manufacturers across the UK. 

While this remained its core market, NeoCeram began to be introduced in other industries for use in commercial catering, high intensity lights, and heat processing and fabrication applications. Over the years it then expanded its product range to include screen printed, heat-reflective, anti-reflective, semi-reflective, black ceramic mirrored glass, and white ceramic - amongst other varieties of curved and bent glasses.

As the company continued to grow, it then moved into architectural glass applications and introduced the UK market to FireLite – an innovative fire-resistant glass with unique properties.

The company has continued to go from strength to strength ever since, and its Managing Director, Michael Bye, is delighted to see the growth that Ceramic Glass has experienced over the last four decades - as he reflects on the many successes that the company has seen throughout.

“My father, Michael Bye Sr., started the company in 1982, having previously been a director of Spencer Stoves.”

Michael continues, “He soon struck up a relationship with Nippon Electric Glass of Japan and became their sole UK and Irish distributor for their NeoCeram ceramic glass. At that time, stoves used small borosilicate glass strips rather than homogenous ceramic glass panels, so the market was very happy to accept a much improved option which would allow consumers to better view and enjoy their stove.”

“A few years later the company introduced the UK market to FireLite, a ceramic glass product that is typically used in fire doors and screens with long integrity limits up to 4 hours. Again, this is a unique product because of its stability, resistance to high heat intensity, and its resistance to thermal stress and shock,” he adds.

“I then joined the company around 15 years ago and moved the base of operations from Milton Keynes to Loughborough. This central location allowed us to better serve all four corners of the UK. At the same time, we also brought all production work in-house.”

“We continue to work with the principal UK manufacturers of stoves, gas fires and fire doors, who rely on our ability to feed their busy production lines. It’s great for me to see the growth of the business and to continue the fantastic work that my father started all those years ago.”

“I look forward to seeing the business maintain its positive growth curve and continue to offer the global market high-quality fire-resistant glass products.”


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