Some of the most spectacular glass roofs built across the country in the past half century have their origins at a modest factory unit in our region.

Filon Products is now working on the £2 million refurbishment of the Business Design Centre in London – the former Royal Agricultural Hall. Built in 1862, the hall is 54ft high and its arched glass roof has a span of 125ft.

Burntwood-based Filon, the UK’s leading company making glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) for use as rooflights, has produced the state-of-the-art curved polycarbonate ceiling lights for the barrel-vaulted roof.

It is the most recent in a string of projects at factories, football stadiums, King’s Cross railway station, Royal Ascot racecourse and Twickenham rugby stadium.

After 50 years Filon is the market leader when it comes to rooflights and has broadened out to produce cladding for buildings, internal linings for aircraft, specialist parts for the North Sea oil industry, solar heating panels, canal linings, flat roofing systems and even road traffic signs.

Sales director David Hathaway said: “We have also worked on the football stadiums for Preston North End, Birmingham City and Celtic, and count Marks & Spencer, Axminster Carpets and Jewsons among our clients.

“Currently we are working on a highly prestigious contract, producing the curved ceiling lights for the Business Design Centre in London, in the former Royal Agricultural Hall.”

The new Filon technology will not only improve the look of the roof but will also improve the insulation and allow a greater level of natural daylight.

Filon now has its eye firmly on winning work at the sports stadiums that will be built in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

Financial director Julie Cox said: “Filon’s success has, and always will be, based on knowledge and experience of the industry – many senior managers and employees have been with the company for more than 30 years.” 

Back in 1957, Filon was the first UK company to manufacture GRP rooflights.

At the time, the company was part of British Industrial Plastics (BIP) and took on an American patent for the production of GRP sheeting by a continuous process called “pultrusion”, using heat to produce the resin and glass sheet.

Julie Cox said: “The introduction of this ‘pultrusion’ method revolutionised the industry. In the late 50s and early 60s, the name of Filon became synonymous with translucent GRP sheeting.”

The growth of the business saw it move from its original base in Streetly in 2004, two years after a management buyout headed by new managing director Ron Allen, to new premises at Burntwood.

The growth of the business saw it move from its original base in Streetley in 2004, two years after a management buyout headed by new managing director Ron Allen, to new premies at Burntwood in Staffordshire.

Major investment in new plant and equipment following the move increased production capacity at the 63,000 sq ft new base. 

The firm now employs 70 people and makes about 2.5 million square metres of GRP sheeting every year.