Group Company History
Pilkington Group Ltd
Female manufacturing workers in the 1970s.
Pilkington Group Ltd
Growth and diversification1951 - 1990
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1951
Acquisition of Chance Brothers
The Chance works at Spon Lane, Smethwick, in the middle of the twentieth century. -
1959
Invention of the Float Process
View inside the float bath where the ribbon of glass is floated across molten tin at over 1,000℃. -
1966
Further diversification in glass products
One of Pilkington’s major diversification out of flat glass, unpolished spectacle lens blanks, also came via the acquisition of Chance Brothers, which had specialized in optical work since the nineteenth century. -
1967
Further expansion
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1970
Listing on the London stock exchange
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1973
Sir Alastair Pilkington
The flat glass division board in August 1973. -
1974
Further extension
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1979
Growing ophthalmic operations
Spreading the glass fibres into insulation mats. -
1980
Acquisition of Flachglas AG
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1981
Final switch to float glass
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1982
Acquisition of Libbey-Owens-Ford Co
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1987
Move into eye-care business
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1989
Flat and safety operations remained core business