The COVID-19 pandemic has completely transformed the world and the workplace in the last few months. As a result, health and safety are more important than ever and companies continue to improve business continuity plans to account for the need of reduced human-to-human contact at the workplace. Not only the government, but employers and employees alike play a key role in reinforcing the COVID-19 secure guidelines to help minimise the spread of the virus.
Staff and customers’ health and wellbeing are a priority for Donwood Glass
At Donwood Glass, we have taken COVID spread mitigation seriously, while also ensuring that our operations continue to flow efficiently. We’ve adapted to this new normal by adjusting our working procedures to ensure that our staff are compliant and safe.
We stay connected with our customers and we continue our pursuit of excellence in everything that we do. As always, we are committed to quality – whether it’s the quality of the products and services we offer or the high standard of health and safety provisions we make.
Employer’s duty to create a safer workplace environment
Employers have a ‘duty of care’ for staff, customers and anyone else who visits their premises. They need to follow official government guidance and ensure their workplace is COVID-secure during the ongoing pandemic.
Where it is required that staff work from the office, employees will need to be reassured that the necessary measures are being put in place to ensure their safety.
Workplaces should be set up to meet the COVID-19 Secure guidelines. These include the introduction of back-to-back or side-by-side working, separating workspaces 2 metres apart from one another where possible and the use of screens or barriers to separate people.
To help with the transition back into a functioning economy and creating a safe environment for people to work in, we have introduced a new range of glass hygiene screens for your workplace.
Donwood Glass’ new glass hygiene screens
Our hygiene screens are a great solution to enable your employees to socially distance in most indoor workplace environments. The glass is high enough to give protection and limit the risk of airborne germs being spread, but not too high to make employees feel cut off and isolated.
The glass screens are available in one height (60cm) and three widths (80/140/160cm) to fit a range of desk settings. All screens come with adjustable support clamps in satin chrome to allow for easy fixing to most types of surfaces. The hygiene screens are supply-only and available to deliver locally.
To find out more about other bespoke solutions that can help you create a safer office, please contact our team.
Donwood open for orders 13th May 2020
We are opening Donwood for production as of Wednesday 13th May and will operate normal hours of 8am to 5pm.
You can place orders using usual methods such as fax or email. Strict lead times will need to be adhered to upon return. Someone will be in touch next week in relation to orders already placed with regard to rescheduling.
It is hoped that the initial return to work will as smoothly as can be for us all. The difficulty has been trying to ascertain a co-ordinated return to work along with the rest of the industry. Employees will be informed individually when to return in a staged manner. It would be futile for us to return to work if our other stakeholders such as, suppliers, customers, contractors and colleagues were unable to return as well. Indeed, we have had colleagues here at Donwood that have lost someone close because of the pandemic. Sincere condolences if you have also been badly affected by Covid 19.
At the current time, it is vital that we all do our part in protecting the supply chain by ensuring that bills are paid. Therefore, should you have outstanding payments to make, please could you remit payment.
To ensure the safety of our staff and customers:
For collections, we please ask that your drivers enter reception area where no more than one person will be permitted. For deliveries, our drivers will be been given clear guidelines to follow and we ask that you please ensure that government guidelines are adhered to in ensuring the safety of everyone.
We appreciate it is an extremely difficult time for everyone at the moment and safety is paramount. We will however, do everything we can to strive for the best service we can provide to deliver your goods as promptly as possible.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and we wish you all the best in staying safe and riding the storm. We look forward to getting back to total normality as soon as humanly possible.
Following our last post on 24 March we wanted to update you all on our operations in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Originally our intention had been to reopen on 14 April however the company has decided to remain closed for the short term to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.
We hope all our customers understand this is an unprecedented situation and the safety of all of our stakeholders is paramount. Everyone here at Donwood Glass is committed to flattening the curve and stopping the spread of Coronavirus and we wish you all well at this challenging time.
All orders placed will be honoured in due course and we will be contacting customers as soon as we’re able to. Please email accounts@donwood-glass.co.uk if you have any queries.
Once again we hope you all stay safe and we wish you all the best.
In what are difficult times for us all, following the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, we would like to highlight our current status in this unprecedented situation.
In light of the Prime Minister’s announcement on the evening of 23 March 2020 we have taken the decision to close our premises as of 24 March 2020 until further notice.
Please note that our intention is to open again on 14 April 2020, this is based on the current Government advice of a three-week closure period. Should this guidance change and restrictions remain in place for longer, we advise for you to check our company website for updates.
As you’ll no doubt be aware, we’re operating within the national guidelines and safeguarding our hard-working staff. As a business, we feel that the safety of all our stakeholders including suppliers, customers and employees is of paramount importance in these uncertain times. We’re confident that if we all commit to social distancing we can beat this together.
As a respected employer and supplier, as you’d expect we are assessing the situation daily and have been for some time now. We are keeping a close eye on the guidelines and will continue to adapt our strategy as these evolve. We’ll be in touch to update you as soon as the situation changes.
All orders placed will be honoured in due course, we’ll be contacting customers as soon as we’re able to. Please email accounts@donwood-glass.co.uk
On behalf of all the team at Donwood we thank you for your patience during this challenging time and hope you stay safe.
Here at Donwood Glass, we’re known for our exceptional customer service, product reliability and quality.
As you’d expect from an experienced provider, we’re committed to continuous improvement and follow comprehensive industry quality standards so that we’re able to provide all of our customers with the very best products.
We manufacture a range of glass products for double and triple glazing, architectural glass (such as doors and balustrades), domestic glass (for kitchens, bathrooms and table tops) and bespoke commercial glass.
We always ensure we follow the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) Code of Good Practice which sets out standards for members covering the sales process, materials, aftercare and more. see
As you’d expect, glass manufacturing is a complex and specialised process. We believe that there needs to be more awareness about industry standards which detail certain allowances within the glass itself.
When we consider that glass is effectively for looking through not at, it should be inspected as such as the guidelines outline. End users should be advised about these standards where possible, and the nature of the glass manufacturing process whereby very small blemishes can occur.
We’ve outlined some of the key points from the Code of Good Practice so read on to find out more…
Sealed Units
Glass that is used to produce sealed units is the same as glass used in single glazing.
The Code of Good Practice states: “Viewing sealed units for scratches on the outer faces of the panes must be carried out before any rendering, plastering or other works adjacent to the glazing takes place, and as early as reasonably practicable following installation.”
How to do a professional inspection
To carry out a professional standard inspection, one should stand in a room no less than 2 metres away from a sealed unit and look directly through it. When inspecting toughened, laminated or coasted glass, one should stand no less than three metres away.
Allowances are made within the guidelines in that if it isn’t possible to stand at the correct distance, then you are able to stand as far away as you can from a sealed unit.
Inspections should be carried out in natural daylight but not directly towards the sun. There should be no visible moisture on the surface of the glass. Glass must be viewed at an angle of 90º and inspections should exclude a 50mm wide band around the edge of the glass.
What to expect when carrying out and inspection
GGF guidelines specify that any flat transparent glass – such as laminated, toughened or coated, is acceptable if the following are neither obtrusive nor bunched:
- Bubbles or blisters
- Fine scratches no more than 25mm long
- Minute particles
An important point to note is the guidelines state that the obtrusiveness of blemish is to be judged when looking through the glass under natural light – not at it. They go so far as to state that users should understand that glass used in any sealed unit is a processed product and as a consequence blemishes are to be expected.
The guidelines confirm that defects such as smears, fingerprints or other dirt on the faces of the glass, or extraneous material in the cavity are unacceptable, if they are visually disturbing.
Special glasses
A natural phenomenon of toughened glass is that it may show visual distortions which are accentuated by reflections in sealed units. This isn’t a fault as such but can occur.
Laminated glass can have a few more blemishes as it is made up of several layers. Low emissivity coatings can product transient visual effects. Coating may look like a transparent film or produce a haze in some lights. When lightly coloured objects such as net curtains are placed next to the glazing, it can look slightly darker.
Condensation
Sealed units will generally reduce the incidence of condensation, but users should be aware that it may still occur under certain conditions. See our previous blog on condensation here.
Brewer’s Fringes – the rainbow effect
Occasionally small rainbow effects are produced by the glass refraction of light. This is due to high quality flat sheets of glass being placed parallel to each other.
Multiple reflections
Multiple reflections can occur in certain light conditions. This is caused by multiple surface reflections within the sealed units which can vary from pane to pane.
So, there you have it. As always, please get in touch to discuss any queries you may have about glass and glazing products – we’d be happy to help.
ANNUAL SHUT DOWN
Please note that we will close for the Christmas holidays at 5pm on 19 December and will reopen at 8am on 6 January 2020.
Wishing all of our clients and customers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
At Donwood Glass we pride ourselves on manufacturing high-quality glass products and providing an excellent level of customer service. This all starts with our experienced and dedicated team – Discover more about the talented individuals behind the Donwood Glass brand with our latest staff profile. This time around it’s Matthew Hazzard who works in our supervisory team.
Name: Matthew Hazzard
Job Title: Supervisor
What does your day to day life involve? I’m involved in every stage of the production to ensure our high standards of quality are high maintained.
What has been your proudest work memory? My proudest memory was completing my first shift in charge of the factory, it was very satisfying to know everything went smoothly. Another proud moment was getting the new toughener up and running, again without a hitch.
Best part of working for Donwood Glass? Working with a great team of course!
Biggest change you’ve noticed in the job from the time you started? It has to be the growth of the business, it’s amazing to see how much it has expanded.
What would be your advice for anyone coming into your profession? My advice would be to learn as much as possible, not just about your role but about the production process as a whole and the material you’re working with. It can open up a lot of opportunities.
Favourite hobby outside of work? I love swimming
Favourite holiday destination? Portugal
Favourite movie? Jaws – it’s a classic!
Each of the team at Donwood are committed to maintaining the highest standards for our customers, both domestic and commercial. To find out more about the products we offer contact our sales team, who would be delighted to help answer your query.
At Donwood Glass, we pride ourselves on manufacturing high-quality glass products and providing an excellent level of customer service. We constantly strive to deliver the most efficient service levels for our customers and, as such, we are committed to continual investment in the best machinery available.
As part of this development plan, we recently upgraded to a brand-new glass toughening machine – allowing us to increase our production output by up to 40%, improving lead times and ensuring a quick, quality service for our customers.
This latest acquisition follows a period of continued investment in new technology at Donwood Glass. Other recent investments include a 6-brush vertical glass washer and a cutting-edge compressed air system.
These purchases reflect an ethos that we have followed for decades, a dedication to high-quality customer service. The success of this approach is reflected by the long-standing relationship we enjoy with many of our customers, some of whom have partnered with Donwood Glass for over 25 years.
The acquisition of a new glass toughening plant comes during an exciting time for Donwood Glass. We look forward to sharing further successes with you very soon.
Would you like to find out more about the range of products we offer?
Contact our sales team, who would be delighted to help answer your query.
Regular followers of our blog will know that the last twelve months have been an exciting time at Donwood Glass – and we’re not done with the updates yet.
Our latest investment includes a significant update to our compressed air system, introducing a new system which is more energy efficient, in keeping with our green credentials, and ensures our team can continue to deliver a reliable and high-quality service to our customers across the UK.
The investment follows a year in which we upgraded to a custom, fit for purpose office space, adapted from one of our on-site storage units. The site houses our dedicated customer service and personnel team, who are responsible for ensuring our customers receive fantastic service whilst aiding our team in delivering projects efficiently and effectively.
We also recently updated our equipment to a new 6 brush vertical glass washer. The system, which also incorporates a pre-rinse system with technology to maximise the quality of toughened glass products, ensures that as a business we can continue to live our values of exceptionally quick turnaround and the highest standard of finish.
Our company values are more than simply words on a website, we pledge to live up to them in each and every job we undertake, and our dedicated approach is the reason customers continue to return to us again and again.
This commitment to great service was officially recognised earlier this year when we successfully achieved the latest ISO 9001:2015 certification, becoming one of the first companies in the North East glass production industry to be recognised in this way. In order to achieve certification, we needed to demonstrate our ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer, statutory and regulatory requirements.
All in all 2018 has been a fantastic year for the team and we look forward to bringing you more exciting news and new developments in the coming 12 months. We wish all of our customers a happy and prosperous December and we look forward to bringing you more news in 2019.
Our Christmas opening hours are as follows: close 1pm, 21/12/2018 and re-open 8am, 07/01/2019.
At Donwood Glass, we pride ourselves on the exceptional service we deliver and the quality of the glass products we distribute to clients, all from our Gateshead HQ.
To further this commitment to reaching exceptional standards, we continue to invest in all areas of the business – including a new 6 brush vertical glass washer. The new system, complete with inspection screens, incorporates a pre-rinse system with technology to maximise the quality of our toughened glass products.
This investment is the next stage of our ongoing commitment to providing the most comprehensive service to our clients. Throughout our 30 years in glass-making our company has been delighted to work alongside some of the most recognisable names in manufacturing, developing long-lasting relationships based not just on the products we sell, but on the strength of our customer service and our no-compromise approach to top performance.
We live the values outlined in our service pledge, covering every aspect of the business – including lead times, exceptionally quick turnaround and the highest standard of finish. Our testimonials offer a ringing endorsement of the hard work carried out by our team, ensuring our brand is synonymous with trust and reliability.
Our recent IS0 9001:2015 certification was further proof of the value we place on our client relationships. As well as promoting established quality management principles, the revised ISO 9001:2015 standard includes a stronger customer focus, as well as examining the processes put in place to implement continued improvement.
To find out more about working with our team, view our range of products or contact our sales team today.