Cornwall Glass has completed the acquisition of Hayes based multi-laminate specialist, LW Architectural Glass.
Agreed at the end of March, the purchase sees Cornwall Glass acquire the business and all assets, with immediate effect.
The sale reportedly gives Cornwall Glass new geographical reach along the M4 corridor into London, plus a cutting-edge multi-laminate capability, including autoclave, sterile climatic lamination facility and resin pour systems.
Cornwall Glass director, Mark Mitchell, said the agreement represented a major opportunity for LW and Cornwall Glass: “The investment that has gone into LW Glass is substantial and it’s delivered some highly impressive commercial projects throughout London,” he said.
“It’s a very important strategic acquisition for us, giving Cornwall Glass a geographical presence in London – something which we have been considering for a number of years – but also additional manufacturing capacity.
“This strengthens our offer across the group but also gives us some great specialisms and reach into new markets.”
LW Architectural Glass was founded by Lee Warren Fabrication and Design, as its specialist glass business, in 2014. With a turnover in excess of £4m, it works across commercial and architectural sectors and has reportedly supplied a host of high profile commercial projects including Wembley and Heathrow Airport.
In addition to its state-of-the-art lamination facility, the purchase of the 50,000ft2 manufacturing centre, also gives Cornwall Glass two new heat soak ovens, a new toughening plant – the fourth within the group – alongside a spray booth, straight-line edgers and new CNC machinery.
“It’s not just the capacity to manufacture our own laminates that LW gives us but the scale of the sheets that we can handle – it’s glass processing on a very large scale,” said Mitchell.
He continued: “This includes balustrading, floors and canopies, in addition to over-sized units – areas, which we see as delivering significant growth going forward.”
With a combined turnover of £19m post acquisition of LW, Cornwall Glass has seen sustained growth through a combined strategy of expansion and acquisition covering 15 locations throughout the South West and along the M4 corridor.
In addition to LW Architectural Glass, recent acquisitions have included Westcountry Glass. With more than £5m invested going into its Langage purpose built IGU production and processing facility in 2016, its turnover has grown from £1.5 to £4m since 2009.
LW Architectural Glass will start trading under its new name of Cornwall Architectural Glass – London, with effect from April 18th.
Mitchell concluded: “We now have a track record in acquisitions. It’s always a learning curve and you always pick up more experience every time you go through a major purchase.
“What we see in Cornwall Architectural Glass – London are immediate opportunities for it and for Cornwall Glass as a group. This includes significant opportunities in commercial and light commercial sectors, particularly in the supply of laminate and multi-laminate products.”
