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.

Originally established as a partnership we became a limited company in April 1985, (registration number 02856348),
You can check this out by going to Companies House and searching for Protech Limited the free web check area. Please use the following link - http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/WebCheck/fastrack/ (Opens in a new window)

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

• 2008 was quite a year for weddings here at Protech Direct, the managing director and the newest addition to our team Susan Dickinson surprised everybody when the got married in Las Vegas in November, Susan has only just joined the company so it was a whirl wind romance after all they have only been "dating" for 20 years, our boss does not like to rush into things



• The chairman of the company, John Bermingham, celebrates 56years of marriage to his wife Joan this year.



• 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.



• New Year, new image, we are replacing our staff photo with an updated picture. We have quite a range to choose from, we are so undecided about which picture to use we are asking you to vote. Select the picture you like the best below using our online poll and the winning picture will be displayed on the front of all our websites.
  
  Online Protech Staff Image Poll

Image 1 - Click on the image to enlarge	Image 2 - Click on the image to enlarge
Image 3 - Click on the image to enlarge	Image 4 - Click on the image to enlarge

• 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
  
  
  
  Susan Dickinson joins 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 below 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.

	Protech Limited 1978
	Protech Limited 2007

The Blue Bridge Centre 1970s

The Blue Bridge Centre 2008

Other images of our new building

Protech Limited Customer Support Team

Protech Limited Customer Support Team In Meeting Images open in a new window

• 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 02856348),
  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
  
  
• In 1988 our office manager Debbie Clark joined the company as a YTS at the tender age of 17.
  (Debbie has since married the works manager Mark Hindmarch )
  
  
• 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'.