Clearview National July 2016 - Issue 176 | Page 54

GLASS&SEALEDUNITS

The Recipe for Glass
Clayton Glass is the large, market-leading IGU
manufacturer based in Durham, which has been
established for over 60 years. The past 15 years
has seen the company making its name as an
innovator in its field, identifying an opportunity
in the market and pioneering the widespread
introduction of the glass conservatory roof in
2005, developing its own brand of solar control
and self-cleaning SMARTGLASS along the way.
»»SELLING TO LARGE FABRICATORS
and installers, the company had a turnover of
£16 million last year. These credentials, along
with the technical expertise of the team at
Clayton Glass, made it the ideal candidate for
U.S. based SageGlass when it was looking for a
UK distributor to develop its ‘tint on demand’
glass for the UK market.
Clearview spoke to Clayton Glass
Commercial Director, Jason McCabe, to
find out more about their latest product
development, SMARTGLASS Dynamic powered
by SageGlass, which is being heralded as, ‘the
coolest thing to happen to glass’.
“As an independent, Clayton Glass has never
been tied to one glass manufacturer and this
has allowed us to mix and match the best
elements of various suppliers to create our
own recipe of glass that is unique to us and
really stands out in terms of innovation and
technology. With over ten years’ experience in
the glass roof market we were delighted to get
the chance to work with SageGlass because it’s
such a good fit,” Jason explains.
“We invest heavily in research and
development (R&D) with particular respect
to the solar gain properties, or G-value, of
our products. For example, the forthcoming
launch of SMARTGLASS Ultra 86 will see
us again raise the bar in terms of solar gain
performance, helping to maintain a comfortable
temperature inside the conservatory.
“SMARTGLASS Dynamic powered by
SageGlass goes one step further in that not
only does it reflect and amazing 96% of the
sun’s heat when fully tinted on a hot sunny
day but, it can respond to a change in climate
to become almost clear, allowing more heat

54 » JUL 2016 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

to enter on duller days. The
glass intelligently maintains a
comfortable temperature in
the conservatory come rain or
shine, all of which can be controlled with our
SMARTcontroller, and this makes it a totally
unique proposition in the UK glass roof
market.
“We knew SageGlass CEO, Dr. Alan
McLenaghan, from his days working for
Saint-Gobain at its Eggborough plant,” Jason
continues. “He was looking for a domestic
partner in the UK and Clayton Glass signed a
distribution contract 12 months ago.

‘The FIT Show was
massively enjoyable and
very busy for us. There was
amazing interest for the
product and we had an
overwhelming response’
“Being that we are very technically minded,
it was pivotal for us to see the SageGlass
manufacturing plant to get a full understanding
of the product and what it can do, so our R&D
team went to see it in Minnesota.
“I was like a kid in as sweet shop,” Jason
enthused. “And we were quick to deduce that
the product was best suited to a modular
system at this stage. But more importantly we
all agreed that the product must be seen to be
fully appreciated, so we decided it to take it to
the FIT Show.

“In order to gain maximum exposure for
the product we needed it to be accessible and
affordable, so we developed a range of roof
lanterns ranging from 1m x 1.5m to 1.5m x
3m. These are quick and cost effective to fulfil,
which is essential for the early stages of our
UK roll out.
“The FIT Show was massively enjoyable and
very busy for us. There was amazing interest
for the product and we had an overwhelming
response, with 250 leads and over 25 confirmed
lantern sales since the show. In fact, the first
lantern using SMARTGLASS Dynamic powered
by SageGlass was installed at a private dwelling
in High Wycombe, just 5 weeks after the lead
was generated at the exhibition.
“Plans for the range of SMARTGLASS
Dynamic products, as well as further lantern
roof development, also include flat roofs,
hybrid roof panels and bi-fold doors, focussing
initially on modular UK-based stock projects.
We’ve also developed some smaller free
standing set ups so our customers can
demonstrate the product without committing
to the space of a full lantern.
“We give our customers the assurance
that they will never lose a sale on technical
performance. This new addition to our range
supports our strategy as an innovator and our
position of leader in roof glass technology,”
Jason concludes.
www.smart-glass.co.uk
www.sageglass.com