Parliamentary Review – 2017/18

We are highlighting our inclusion in the 2017/2018 Parliamentary Review, specifically the Manufacturing & Services publication. During times of uncertainty we will continue to dive into our archives to highlight company milestones. This extends to underlining the performance benefits of glassflake for our customers.

The Parliamentary Review is a series of annual publications, showcasing many sectors of UK industry. The publication features a message from Co-Chairs, Lord Blunkett and Lord Pickles.  Theresa May MP, Prime Minister of the time, supplied the foreword. Of particular interest in Mrs May’s piece is mention of their ambitious goal of lifting UK R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. This mirrors Glassflake’s commitment to innovation, by investment in product and process development.

The article centres around an interview with Glassflake CEO, Charles Watkinson – excerpts from the discussion are below. A full version of the article can be found on the Parliamentary Review website.

Expansion and development

We have recently signed a deal with Croda, the largest supplier of materials to the cosmetic industry. We’ve also recently received an order from a Chinese company for over 150 tonnes of this product. There are two reasons for our success in the cosmetic industry. One is that we are the only company that can supply the very thin silica flakes we do. The second reason is that we make sure that our flake has an exceptionally low-level heavy metal composition (i.e. materials potentially hazardous for cosmetic use). There are other companies, by contrast, who do not make the effort to reduce heavy metals to the extent we do, therefore lacking access to the cosmetics market.

Moving forward, come what may

Among the challenges we face, increasing production in line with demand ranks highly. Increasing production too voraciously runs the risk of lower-quality products – something we’re keen to avoid. Indeed, we’re determined to become even more stringent in terms of quality, as the market in which we operate is quite exacting in its standards. Because of our unique manufacturing method, much of our production equipment is manufactured by ourselves. This commitment to quality is bolstered by our quality management system and extensive analytical equipment, with which we continually review and assess the effectiveness of our products. In our company, complacency never prevails.The goal is always to make and sell a good product resulting in satisfied customers. Obviously we want growth and profit, but if one is committed to making a good product with as wide applicability as possible, everything else positive comes along for the ride.