Pilkington Marks 200th Anniversary with Global Celebration Events

21 May 2026

 

NSG Group is pleased to announce that the Pilkington brand celebrated its 200th anniversary on 16th May with events held across regions throughout the year, marking two centuries of innovation, craftsmanship, and leadership in the glass industry.

Pilkington 200th Anniversary Logo

Pilkington 200th Anniversary Logo

Founded in the UK in 1826, Pilkington has evolved into one of the world's most recognised glass brands. Over two centuries, it has played a pivotal role in advancing glass technology—from early improvements in sheet glass production to the revolutionary float glass process introduced in 1959, which remains the global standard today. Pilkington has also contributed to the development of safety glass and advanced coating technologies, enabling safer vehicles, more energy-efficient buildings and enhanced performance in modern architecture.


That same spirit of innovation continues to drive the business forward. Under the Pilkington brand, NSG Group has once again led the industry with the world's first augmented reality head-up display, enhancing vehicle safety by projecting key navigation and hazard information directly into the driver's line of sight. More recently, the company has taken significant steps towards decarbonisation with Pilkington Mirai, the façade market's lowest embodied carbon glass, as well as recycling initiatives such as renew:glass, collectively supporting the transition to a circular glass economy.


The anniversary events highlighted this legacy of technical excellence, alongside the continued evolution of advanced glass solutions under the Pilkington name. The bicentenary celebrations form part of a wider programme of activities taking place throughout 2026, recognising the brand's heritage while looking ahead to the next generation of sustainable and high-performance glass innovations.

Sheet Glass Processing in 1951

Sheet Glass Processing in 1951

Windshield Glass Production

Windshield Glass Production

Manufacturing Line Tour 1
Manufacturing Line Tour 2

Manufacturing Line Tour Held at the UK Site

About NSG Group (Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd., and its group companies)

NSG Group is the world's leading supplier of glass and glazing systems in the business areas of Architectural, Automotive, and Creative Technology.

Architectural manufactures and supplies architectural glass as well as glass for the solar energy and other sectors.

Automotive serves the original equipment (OE) and aftermarket replacement (AGR) glazing markets.

Creative Technology comprises several discrete businesses, including lenses for printers and scanners, specialty glass fibers and glass flakes, mainly glass cord, which is a reinforcing material for timing belts, and Fine Glass products.

https://www.nsg.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Please use the contact form on the web (https://www.nsg.com/en/media/media-contacts)


We value your privacy

We use cookies on this website for analytics, remarketing, social media (optional) and content (essential) purposes.

By clicking ‘Accept All’ you consent to the use of cookies for non-essential functions and the related processing of personal data. Alternatively you can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Essential Only’. You can adjust your preferences at any time by visiting our Cookie Policy and access the settings on that page.

For more information please read our