Allied Glass breaks £100million barrier

The company, backed by private equity group Equistone Partners, saw turnover rise to £102million for the financial year ending December 2012, continuing the strong growth seen in previous years.Allied Glass is an expert in the design and manufacture of specialist bottles. It supplies many of the world’s leading brands, including Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker owner Diageo, William Grant & Sons and Whyte & Mackay.

The sales rise has been fuelled by demand for premium spirits in emerging markets such as China, India, Russia and South America.

Allied Glass has just completed a multi-million pound investment into its site in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, to boost production and keep up with the demand. The firm completed a furnace rebuild to increase capacity, reduce operational costs and improve overall environmental performance.

To capitalise on business in overseas markets, Allied Glass has also appointed a French-speaking business development manager and a multi-lingual sales officer.

Steve O’Hare, non-executive director of Allied Glass and head of Equistone Partners in the North, said: “Allied Glass is a world-class manufacturer that has benefitted enormously from its flexible approach to design and manufacture, supporting its blue-chip customers as demand for premium spirits from emerging markets increases.

“Allied’s strategy remains one of investment for growth. This is demonstrated perfectly by the installation of new facilities at the Knottingley site to ensure the company continues to grow.”

Philip Morris, sales and marketing director at Allied Glass, added: “Our latest investment has been planned to ensure that we have the ability to respond to the future needs of our international customer base and continue with our ambitious growth plans.

“With a 12-year life span, the furnace has been designed to ensure we continually improve product quality and efficiency, while increasing our production capability in the long-term.”

Allied Glass employs more than 650 staff at its sites in Knottingley and Leeds.

Equistone acquired a majority share in the company in August 2010 after backing a secondary management buyout.