Triplex Safety Glass was a British brand of

toughened glass Tempered or toughened glass is a type of safety glass processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal glass. Tempering puts the outer surfaces into compression and the interior into tens ...

and

laminated glass Laminated glass (LG) is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, it is held in place by a thin polymer interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), lonoplast polyme ...

. The marque is often seen on vehicle and aircraft

windscreen The windshield (North American English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. Mo ...

History

The Triplex Safety Glass Company Ltd was founded in 1912 by

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

-born Reginald Delpech (30 March 1881 - 29 May 1935). The company was established in 1912 to build laminated windscreens in Britain, under French patents. On 9 September 1929 Triplex formed a joint venture company with

Pilkington Pilkington is a Japanese-owned glass-manufacturing company which is based in Lathom, Lancashire, United Kingdom. In the UK it includes several legal entities and is a subsidiary of Japanese company NSG Group. Prior to its acquisition by NSG ...

in St Helens. The company is now part of Pilkington Automotive. In the 1960s Triplex bought its main competitor British Indestructo Glass, giving it a monopoly in British laminated glass production. In the 1980s, around 1,000 people worked at the Triplex site in St Helens and about 700 at the site in

Kings Norton Kings Norton, alternatively King's Norton, is an area of Birmingham, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Worcestershire, it was also a Birmingham City Council ward (politics), ward within the Government of Birmingham, Engl ...

. Pilkington retired the Triplex brand in August 1993. The company was formally dissolved in September 2019.

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

Structure

The company was headquartered at

Eccleston, St Helens Eccleston is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 10,433. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the early history of Eccleston is marked ...

, at a factory built in 1928. It had its main plant at

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 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

External links

Grace's Guides

Motorsport Magazine April 1970
{{Automotive industry in the United Kingdom Aircraft component manufacturers of the United Kingdom Automotive companies of the United Kingdom Vehicle safety technologies British brands British companies established in 1912 Car windows Economy of Merseyside Glassmaking companies of the United Kingdom Manufacturing companies based in Birmingham, West Midlands Manufacturing companies established in 1912 Northfield Constituency Metropolitan Borough of St Helens