Company:Triplex Safety Glass
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive, Aerospace |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Founded | Script error: No such module "Date time".[1] |
| Founder | Reginald Delpech |
| Defunct | 24 September 2019[1] |
| Headquarters | Eccleston, St Helens , United Kingdom |
| Products | Laminated glass Toughened glass |
Number of employees | 1700 (1980s) |
| Parent | Pilkington |
Triplex Safety Glass was a British brand of toughened glass and laminated glass. Their marque is often seen on vehicle and aircraft windscreens.
History
The Triplex Safety Glass Company Ltd was founded in 1912 by Kent-born Reginald Delpech (30 March 1881 - 29 May 1935).[2][3] The company was established in 1912 to produce laminated windscreens in the UK, under a licence from French Société du Verre Triplex established by French chemist Édouard Bénédictus (1878–1930) who invented laminated glass.[4] Triplex glass was reportedly first applied to automobiles during World War I.[5]
On 9 September 1929 Triplex formed a joint venture company with Pilkington in St Helens.[1] The company is now part of Pilkington Automotive.[6]
Pilkington retired the Triplex brand in August 1993. The company was formally dissolved in September 2019.[1]
Key people
- Sir Graham Cunningham, Chairman
- Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, Chairman, 1954–1956
- Derek Cook, Chairman, 1984–1985
- Sir Barrie Heath DFC, Managing Director, 1960–1968
- Kenneth Horne, sales director
Structure
The company was headquartered at Eccleston, St Helens, at a factory built in 1928. It had its main plant at Kings Norton in the West Midlands.
The St Helens factory now manufactures under the GKN (Aerospace Transparency Systems) brand. Aerospace glass continues to be made at the site. It is believed[who?] that the automotive building fell out of use with the collapse of MG Rover in 2005 (when Pilkington downsized operations), although closure quite possibly predated this.
The Eccleston Site has since been demolished and a new housing estate built on the land.
Products
Triplex made laminated and toughened windscreens and windows for the automotive, rail, marine and aerospace sectors. Particularly widespread is the use of so-called "triplex" adhesives, which result from the bonding of two or more glasses – single or safety – usually via polyvinylbutyric (PVB) membranes. The glazing is welded by heating and later pressing.
Triplex glasses exhibit the maximum impact resistance. This glazing system is distinguished for the optimal use of safety in use since, if it breaks, the glass pieces are held in place by means of the intermediate membranes, preventing serious injury.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Triplex Safety Glass Company Limited". Companies House. https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/00242230.
- ↑ "Flight Global 1916". https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1916/1916%20-%200067.PDF.
- ↑ "Here and There - How Safety Glass was discovered". Motor Sport. July 1931. https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1931/54/here-and-there-35-july-1931.
- ↑ Jean-Marie Michel (April 27, 2012) Contribution à l'Histoire Industrielle des Polymères en France, (Société Chimique de France, 2012), Chapter A3: Le verre renforcé Triplex, page 1
- ↑ Rasmussen, Seth C. (2024-11-01). "Art and Inspiration: Edouard Benedictus and the Invention of Laminated Safety Glass". ChemPlusChem 90 (1). doi:10.1002/cplu.202400572. ISSN 2192-6506. PMID 39523823.
- ↑ "Pilkington Automotive Limited". Companies House. https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/02803344.
External links
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