Company History

The company was established in May 1978 as a specialist glass company and manufacturer of hermetically sealed insulating glass units (double glazing), drawing on the experience of the directors within the glass industry the company quickly gained a reputation for quality products, at the right price and delivered on time. Customers included many local councils and household names such as Everest, Anglian, Magnet and Solaglas.

The company was established in May 1978 as a partnership, later becoming a limited company as we grew larger.

For your peace of mind we are FENSA registered (reg no.12060), we are also licensed by the Office of Fair Trading (reg no.594886) and have full and comprehensive Public Liability Insurance to the value of £3 million and £10 million Employee Liability Insurance.

We are also licensed by the Environment Agency (reg no. YDA/149960) and we are members of the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF). (Membership Number - A2701) . We are Also TrustMark registered through the GGF.

We are one of a very few number of companies within our industry who are allowed to accept credit card payments for their products, due to the "here today, gone tomorrow" nature of the double glazing trade credit card companies do not want to deal with this industry.

Your confidence in us can be further re-enforced by the fact that we own our premises outright and do not operate from rented premises, all of our manufacturing equipment and office equipment is also wholly owned by the company and NOT subject to lease or finance agreements.

We have been trading successfully on the Internet since September 1996

NEWS FOR 2011

Newton Aycliffe Rotary Club

To celebrate the Centenary of Rotary International the Newton Aycliffe Club initiated an environmental improvement scheme at the southern entrance to the town by the Blue Bridge, a well known landmark.

The County, Borough and Town Councils along with a number of local business partners all combined to enhance the area and provide an attractive welcome to visitors. The site now offers a pleasant roadside haven for walkers with picnic tables and seating. It now provides a warm welcome to visitors.

US Government

We have just fulfilled our seventh order for the US Government, however, due to confidentiality agreements, we can't disclose which departments.

NEWS FOR 2010

Ben Hall

Ben Hall joined the company as the IT manager having previously worked for a web design and IT consultancy business in Darlington. Ben brings a wealth of experience to ensure that the company's web sites are up to the very latest standards. Ben is married to Natalie and has two children.

Tim Walton

Another new addition to our "merry band" is Tim Walton, formerly installation supervisor at local company Starlight Windows. Having spent twenty years at Starlight, Tim is well known and highly respected in our local area and brings a wealth of experience to his new challenge. He joins us as installation manager.

Tim's experience extends to the building trade and part and parcel of his remit will be to explore the possibility of the company offering kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms fully fitted in our local area. July saw Tim and his partner Mandy celebrating the birth of their first child, Ollie Ryan, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THREE!.

Notable Orders

Notable orders this year include a second order from the American Embassy in London for our frameless glass doors and an order from a GE company for Lexan (GE make Lexan).

The company secured the domain name conservatory.org and purchased the assets of DOUBLE GLAZING.NET from an Australian company, both are for future use and are currently under construction.

WHERE IN THE WORLD???

• We have shipped conservatories to Arizona, Connecticut, Alberta, Germany, Holland, the Falklands, all over Ireland, and every off shore British Isle.
• We have shipped other products to Japan, Florida, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Romania, UAE, Iceland, Zambia Africa,and just about every off shore British Isle, (Isle of white, Isle of Man, Channel Isles including Jersey and Guernsey and the Scottish Isles)
• We have even delivered a conservatory to the Falklands would you believe.
• We have delivered eight to the Hebrides, one to the Shetlands, two to the Orkneys, one or two to the IOM, one to the IOW, one to Isle of Mull, one to the Isle of Bute, many, many to Ireland, both North and South, two to Holland, one to Germany, one to Arizona, one to Connecticut, one to Washington, USA, one to Calgary, Canada one to San Diego, California one to Washington State one to France, ten conservatories to the Outer Hebrides and many to the Highlands of Scotland.
• We recently secured an order from the US Air force and we have receive many orders from the MOD. We have also fulfilled orders for the American Embassy in London, the US Army.

NEWS FOR 2009

John Bermingham

This year was overshadowed by the death of the company chairman John Bermingham. After a nine month illness, John passed away in October having retired in 2008 to look after his seriously ill wife. His duties have been assumed by the managing director, his son

John had a wealth of experience having worked in the industry for nearly 60 years. He was highly respected within our industry and by the local community being a long standing member of Newton Aycliffe Rotary Club and VERY well liked by customers, many who attended his funeral.

He began his career aged 14 at Taylor's Glass, Percy Place Dublin. At an early age he moved his family to Derby securing a position at Derby Glass, eventually becoming the general manager. Next stop was Cathedral Glass, Lincoln (part of the Bradford Glass Group) as manager with a brief to "sort the place out" or close it. Two years later it was "sorted" and John was offered a move to larger group member Beaumont and Parkinson, Blackpool as managing director. The group became part of (Royal) Doulton Glass Industries eventually becoming part Solaglas, Europe's largest glass merchant.

John was the managing director of the Fylde coast division of Solaglas. In 1978 he moved to Durham in the North East of England to establish The BB Group with his son, the current managing director.

Spring Is Here

Spring is here again and so we thought we'd show you a few pictures of our building in its beautiful surroundings so that everyone can enjoy Protech in bloom. Rememember we have many products to help you improve your own surroundings and make the most of what will hopefully turn out to be a glorious summer.

• The company is 31 years old in May.
• We have recently launched www.Protechsecure.com for your security, peace of mind and confidence when communication with us or placing an order. The site is secured using the very latest encryption for total security.
• We have also recently launched www.Protechtestimonials.com, where you can view peoples experiences when dealing with our company.
• January 2009 Happy New Year from the staff at Protech.

• Protech Staff Images

**Please scroll down for the rest of the company history. (This is a long page)

REST OF THE COMPANY NEWS

• Another wedding, the managing director married Susan Dickinson in A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas after 20 years of being together (he does not like to rush things and insists that he was not dressed as Elvis or married by Elvis, however he will not release any pictures so draw your own conclusions) www.alittlewhitechapel.com
• August 2008 sees us partnered with Hitachi Capital who are part of leading electronics firm Hitachi Electronics. We can now offer consumer finance on our supply and fit products. We are also working with them to enable us to offer consumer finance to our supply only products.
• August 2008 sees our newest menber of staff join the company. Susan Dickinson has joined us from Natwest Bank PLC as our Consumer Finance Director.
  
• 
  July 2008 Wedding. Congratulations to Jessica Humphries, one our longest serving sales team (11 years) gets married to Steven Finlay. Steven works for Rapid-Fit who are located just over the road from our new building.
• We have been settled in our new building for a full year (You can see above pictures of our new building). We are also celebrating the company's 30th Birthday, which was established back in 1978.
  
  Company's 30th Birthday Celebrated with new license plates PRO7ECH.
  Managing Director sporting his new Bentley Continental GT
  
• Our Office Manager Debbie celebrated her 20th Year with the Company in May.

  

  Office Mangager Debbie Hindmarch Celebrating 20 Years with the Company.
  Being presented with a Tag Heur Aquaracer Watch for 20 years of continual excellent service

• We have recently had our products featured on two popular DIY television shows. Our Interior Glass Doors have been featured on Channel 4's Property Ladder. They have also been used on BBC's DIY SOS programme, which will be aired later this year.
• Notable Orders for 2008
• We have received another order from Germany for one of our conservatories.
• We secured our first order to the continent of Africa
• We sold our first conservatory to Jersey and the Channel Islands
• While we sell many, many conservatories to Ireland, we have now sold our first Carport to that area of the globe.

• News for 2007! We have recently moved into our new premises, the Blue Bridge Centre. As you can see from the images below we have come a long way since the company was established in 1978, we were in our old building at Whinfield Drive for 29 years.

Other images of our new building

Protech Limited Customer Support Team

Protech Direct Customer Support Team In Meeting

• The company was established in May 1978 as a specialist glass company and manufacturer of hermetically sealed insulating glass units (double glazing), drawing on the experience of the directors within the glass industry the company quickly gained a reputation for quality products, at the right price and delivered on time. Customers included many local councils and household names such as Everest, Anglian, Magnet and Solaglas.
• In 1980 upvc window and door manufacturing was added to our growing list of products and services.
• In 1982 we added secondary double glazing to our product list.
• 1983 saw the company establish a site glazing division offering sealed units glazed for builders and self builders. Contracts up to the value of £250,000 being regularly secured from national house builders.
• Originally established as a partnership we became a limited company in April 1985, (registration number 01907678), You can check this out by going to www.companieshouse.gov.uk and searching for Protech Limited in the free web check area, (The WebCHeck service is available from Monday to Saturday 7.00am to 12 Midnight UK Time).
• During 1986 conservatory manufacturing was added to our product range.
• Also during 1986 the company purchased premises on Whinfield Drive, Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate WHICH IT HAD BEEN RENTING SINCE 1978

• 1989 saw the company introduce specialist glass and window profile optimisation software at a cost £7000.00, this software means that our pvcu profile waste was reduced from 15% to 2%, the glass wastage was reduced from 15% to 5%.

  The software is still in use today and has paid for it's self many, many times over. All waste from these products has been recycled from the day that the company opened its doors in 1978 in respect of glass and in 1980 when we branched into the manufacture of upvc windows and doors. Our company colours are green and so was our company ethos many, many years before green issues became came to the fore.

  At the same time automatic glass cutting equipment was installed offering a high degree of accuracy and efficiency.

• During the 90's the manufacture and installation of commercial aluminium windows and doors was also added to our growing portfolio of products and services, one our the earliest works being carried out for Durham County Council's architects department.
• September 1996 saw the launch of our very first web site. www.thebbgroup.co.uk
• In 1997 our Managing Director was interviewed on Sky Business News by Gerard Tubb in relation to our internet sales
• 2000 saw the company secure internet orders from Transco, Isle of White Council, Parliamentary Direct Works dept for Kensington Palace, Ministry of Defense and Watford Football Club to name but a few.
• Although we have been involved with secondary glazing since 1982 in March 2000 we launched the web site www.secondaryglazing.com, the first order coming from Industrial Estates Scotland (IES) valued in excess of £35,000. Over the years we have supplied secondary glazing to councils, airports, local authorities, national house builders, The National Trust and countless householders. BY COINCIDENCE OUR NEW PREMISES ARE RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO IES
• In 2001 we fulfilled our first export order to Europe.
• 2002 saw orders received from Belgium, Switzerland and Sweden and sash window orders from Italy and Germany and a conservatory order from Germany.
• 2002 also saw the company dispatch goods to Monaco, France, Spain, Greece, Ireland, the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, the Orkneys, the Shetlands, Jersey, the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Bahrain, Germany and Norway, all in the first half of the year.
• The second half of 2002 brought a continuing steady stream of orders from Europe and Scandinavia as well as an order which was dispatched to Yamanashi, near Tokyo, Japan.
• During 2003 amongst the many orders received included a small order from Miami in Florida and our first conservatory order from the USA which was delivered to Los Angeles port and shipped by road to Arizona.
• During 2004 we received the first of quite a few orders from CERN (The world's largest particle physics laboratory) in Switzerland. In the same year we shipped a conservatory to New Haven, Connecticut and one to Calgary in Canada.
• During 2005 we exported two conservatories to Holland and one to Portland, Oregon.
• In 2006 the company continues is contolled growth without borrowings or an overdraught facility, building on a secure financial base and closely overseen by the directors and the senior management team.
• In this year our most notable order, amongst many, was for a conservatory to be shipped to San Diego.
• 2007 saw the company purchase the Blue Bridge Centre as detailed above, these premises where purchased from company reserves and are not subject to a mortgage or any borrowings including overdraft, this also applies to our existing Whinfield Drive premises which we have retained.
• 2007 Notable Orders
• orders received from the US Airforce and the US Navy,
• First conservatory order from France
• Plastics order to Gibraltar
• French doors to Jersey, Channel Isles.
• 2007 saw the company provide Interior Glass Doors for a property that was featured on Channel 4's 'Property Ladder'.

Information:

• Delivery 4 weeks (UK mainland)
• FREE UK Mainland delivery.

• All prices include vat
• You can order by email, fax or letter, (see below for our contact details)
• We accept secure credit card payments over the telephone: 01325 310520. We accept the following credit cards: visa, switch, mastercard, visa electron, jcb cards, solo, euro mastercard and maestro. Or you can post us a cheque made payable to Protech Direct.

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