www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24848642 off topic i know but a real shame for the town with all its history here

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24848642 off topic i know but a real shame for the town with all its history here

Indeed. I thought they employed a lot more people than that in St Helens though. Have there been previous downsizings?

i think its just the cowley hill site

It is just the Cowley Hill site. Still a massive shame for the town. I wonder if they will pull down the chimneys or leave them up?

Sad news. Another nail in the coffin of manufacturing industry in this country.
Rockware, UGB and Pilks all gone or almost gone.

They could paint it 'Wigan Colours' again



Bad news that it is being shut down.

Just for clarity, The whole of Cowley hill site is not closing. 3 production lines will continue to run with associated warehousing and Engineering.

The loss at Cowley hill is the float line CH2 and all staff employed on that line.

Been in the cards for a while. I think the whole thing will down in the next year or so

I've been working with Pilks recently. Japanese company NSG bought Pilks and have lumbered them with all their financial problems, plenty people over here losing their jobs rather than dishonouring some poor fellas over there...

IIRC most of the float process went to Pilks other factory at Kirk Sandall Doncaster.They shifted employees there to man the process there,like they did when Pilks first went to Kirk Sandall in 1934 i think.

The only float tanks currently in the UK are UK5, UK6 (Mothballed ), CH1 ( Mothballed ) and CH2 which will be mothballed shortly. The only other glass furnace producing glass, in the Uk, is at Watson street which produced rolled patterned and wired ( Being phased out ).

ch1 is not mothballed it got knocked down years ago. I have been working on ch2 for 10 years and it's never been there while I have