Difficult summer for UK glass supply
Continued high demand throughout the UK Glazing market is putting pressure on IGU manufacturers and supply chains.
With 2 0f the 3 UK float glass production lines undergoing rebuilds, glass supply is reaching critical levels across all market sectors. All IGU manufacturers are on reduced allocation throughout the summer and high demand is exhausting supplies. This has resulted in extended lead times, partial factory closures and non-supply of glass to glazing companies.
Here at Regency, we have worked with Saint-Gobain to minimize disruption. The first half of 2021 saw us work with 5-day lead times. Due to continued high demand and the reduced allocation, we have had to extend glass lead times to 8-days for the 3rd quarter and will review this later in the summer.
Saint-Gobain report that the rebuild is on target but the import of glass to fulfill allocation cannot be increased and therefore, the UK supply is at the agreed levels with no extra glass available.
Please continue to work to GGF visual guide and conserve glass as much as possible. Quick turn round units must be for absolute emergencies only. Glass that exhibits minor defects needs to be glazed and replaced once the supply is back to normal; customers would have a unit in place and help us to conserve glass.
Most requests for quick units would be refused as these units are cut on a ‘hand cut basis’ and are not part of a production scheduled batch. The hand cut process wastes over 50% of sheet glass that cannot be used for further production. Scheduled batches utilize a bring forward system and waste is less than 3% across the production spectrum.
