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You would have thought that the steep, narrow and winding hill that leads down into the Derbyshire village of Padfield would cause a myriad of problems for lorries transporting glass backwards and forwards to and from the Esquire Glass premises, but operations director Andy Stephens brushes it off any concern. “Only when it is unusually icy,” he quips.

 

The 20,000sq ft factory produces 26,000 decorative glass and mirror products each month for the commercial kitchen, bathroom, furniture and home improvement market, and over the last few decades has grown from a small high street shop which also served the window market, into the worldwide player it is today.

 

Any growth in manufacturing – including the integration of acquisitions along the way (Esquire Glass bought out Witham Glass back in 2022) requires specialist support to make sure that investment in equipment is fit for purpose, future proof and in line with the values and expectations of the business. For Andy Stephens, that means a company which understands his business, understands the environment in which they operate, and can think outside the box.

 

“All of which have been demonstrated by Oz at Flat Glass Solutions, over the years that we have worked with him,” said Andy. “We first worked with Oz (David Cahill, managing director of FGS) in his previous role working with Lambert GT. So when we bumped into him at a trade show shortly after he established FGS, he soon became an integral part of our growth planning.”

Over the years, FGS has supplied and installed a number of Hakon storage racks, three Neptune vertical washers, two single sheet lifters, and a pack lifter. Most recently Esquire has installed a Dieffe centrifuge – a system that not only helps to ensure a greater level of efficiency, but greater consistency of quality as well.

“We’re trialling the centrifuge at the moment, with a view to expanding it into a larger system next year,” continued Andy Stephens. “This trial is a perfect example of how working with FGS is more of a partnership, than a simple supplier-customer relationship. We want to make sure that the system is right for us, to give us projections in terms of potential cost savings against investment levels, and Oz has been fantastic in setting the system up to help us generate this kind of information.”

 

“It is crucial to run a trial of the Dieffe centrifuge, to make sure that the final installation is compatible with the local water supply and the manufacturing environment,” says David Cahill. “In essence, the machine removes small particles of glass and contaminants that are produced during the glass processing. It is designed for the recycling and treatment of water from cutting, grinding and edging machinery.”

 

For glass companies, this means increased productivity due to a reduction in downtime for cleaning, as well as eliminating the need to dispose of contaminated waste water.

“There is no requirement to add any additional flocculants or chemicals, so all in all it allows companies to create more sustainable and environmentally friendly processes within their existing lines,” he says. “Once we have completed the trial and run the numbers, we will be able to work with Esquire Glass to install a Dieffe model that will work optimally with the company’s weekly production runs, while taking into account future growth projections.”

 

Growth for Esquire has been founded on supplying quality products, and with a strong and reputable name in the kitchen and bathroom sector, that growth is going to see many more trucks navigate the hill that leads down to its Padfield site. One thing is for certain, the company never takes any investment lightly, and working with Oz and FGS will ensure it not only meets its own stringent operational targets but also works towards great sustainability”.

www.esquire-glass.co.uk/

Article written by John Roper
22nd May 2026

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