Introduction
With over 150 years of experience and 4 generations of experiences, the business has developed from a small family painting and glazing contractor, located near the shipyards in south west Glasgow, into a national glass processing & merchanting organisation. Today, from the 150,000 sqft of our 4 custom designed production sites, the ig Glass Group delivers specialist glass processing capabilities to all levels of the flat glass value chain. Our aim is to constantly adapt and invest in our state of the art production processes, highly trained skill-sets and extensive product ranges to meet the challenging and changing needs of the market.
Our Philosophy
Our philosophy has always been to learn from our past; deliver value in the present; and invest in our future. It has been our ability to learn from past successes and failures, to recognise there is always a better or different way, that has allowed us to continually improve and perfect our market offering today. This approach has been profitable, which in turn has funded the opportunity to invest in the advanced capabilities needed by the organisation for a successful future.
Our core values
How we run our business:
Integrity - We value our reputation and continually enhance it by being ethical and professional in everything we do and say
Family - We assist our people to fulfil their aspirations and develop commitment and respect at all levels of the business
Improvement - We continually challenge the status quo to become the best at what we do
Co-operation - We build long-term relationships with our customers and suppliers for our mutual benefit
Our History
The Haran Family, 1873 to 1973
1873
William Haran, Founder
One of 9 children, William starts the family painting and glazing business , J & W Haran, with his younger brother John in 1873. Located in Crookston Street, Kingston, Glasgow the business serves the local community and housing factors in the south side of Glasgow, providing painting and glazing services.
1890
Janet Haran, the hard working wife
Husband and founder William steps back from the daily operation of the family business, and William's wife Janet takes over the reins.
1900
Sons, John & William join the family business
Both boys leave school at an early age (John is only 12 years old!) and join the family business. Both celebrate the investment in new technology - a Chater Lee motor cycle and side car - which reduces the reliance on wheelbarrows to carry glass.
1914
1st World War
William is called up for active duty and serves 3 years in France with long periods on the Somme. He returns home on sick leave with trench foot, however is returned to the front lines by the Military Police after he is found working for the family business.
1940
2nd World War
While Glasgow is targeted by the Luftwaffe, the business is contracted to repair bomb damage to the Glasgow shipyards. However in 1940, William is arrested as a spy for sketching the glazed roof of the British Polar Engineering factory. Thankfully William is released that same evening when the factory manager explains the situation.
1955
John’s son Ian joins the business
After completing his national service within the RAF, Ian joins the family business. And with his father and uncle still running the company, Ian is put on the tools to learn his future trade. In 1965, after 10 years in the business, Ian takes over as managing director and uses his entrepreneurial skills to expand the customer base and range of services.
1973
The Centenary
Attended by 3 generations of the Haran family, including 90 year old chairman John Haran, the family business celebrates its centenary. The business has now expanded into one of the most prominent glazing contractors & glass merchants in the West of Scotland and has launched associated companies to provide additional products and services to their customer base.
The Westcrowns Group, 1987 to 2002
1987
The Westcrowns Group is formed
To create a stronger financial organisation, J & W Haran Ltd and the associated family businesses are restructured to form the Westcrowns Group of companies. The combined strength of this new organisation enables the launch of Independent Glass Company Limited (ig), our boldest investment to date, developed and led by John Devine Senior, to provide glass merchanting services to the glazing trade companies within Scotland.
1990
The 4th generation
Ian Haran's children join the family business. Fraser, a Chartered Quantity Surveyor, and Lindsay, a Chartered Accountant, join the business as the 4th generation of the Haran family within the organisation. And similar to their father and grandfather before them, they both learn the business from the bottom up.
2002
Ian Haran MBE
Ian Haran is awarded his MBE by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the Scottish construction industry. The Westcrowns Board is restructured with Ian moving to Chairman and Fraser taking over as Chief Executive. They are joined on the Board by Lindsay Haran and John Devine Senior, who collectively form the leadership for the Westcrowns Group.
The ig Business, 1990 to 2023
1990's
Development of tempering and glass processing services
The ig business’s first major investment was to develop their new tempering and glass processing facility within Glasgow. This facility was created to meet the growing customer demand for processed safety glass within the housebuilding and home improvement sectors. As this market sector continued to grow, further investment into new processing capabilities was undertaken within the other existing ig facilities.
2000’s
Development of glass laminating services
With the increasing legislative and industry requirement for laminated safety glass products, the ig business invested in a new laminating/glass processing facility in Mansfield. This new state of the art facility also provided a base for growing geographical markets in the midlands and south of England.
2010s
Development of heavy architectural glass processing
The next major investment programme was to meet the market need for highly processed large glass panels for the architectural building envelope sector. A new facility was developed to provide large panel handling, processing and tempering. In addition, a new digital printing capability was also created to offer unique digital printing options to the market.
2020s
Development of new market opportunities
Following the Group’s involvement in meeting our and our customers essential work requirements during the Covid pandemic, the ig business has developed new product/service offerings to meet market opportunities within the digital display, transportation and glass recycling market sectors.
Our ESG Approach
Environmental Stewardship
- Energy conservation: We recognise that our activities impact on the environment and therefore comply with all environmental legislation. Our values require us to pursue continual improvement, especially in relation to our current and future energy consumption. We deliver this by improving the energy efficiency of our production equipment, operations and workload scheduling. In addition, we are currently investigating onsite energy generation opportunities.
- Recycling & Waste Management: We recycle our main waste products (glass; water; packaging). Our waste glass recycling process has been developed in collaboration with the main glass manufacturers to maximise the recycling benefits, with over 1000 tonnes of glass being recycled by the Group each year. For all other waste materials, the Group operate environmentally focused waste management procedures.
- Awareness: We develop awareness of our environmental responsibilities amongst our employees, and promote our environmental policies and practices at all levels of our organisation. We are also actively involved in the development of recycling opportunities in collaboration with the construction industry and main glass manufacturers.
Marketplace impact
- Quality: It is imperative that our products and services achieve the highest quality standards. We therefore implement our own rigorous Quality Management Systems in addition to the industry and regulatory standards (UKCA Marking) to ensure that we meet and exceed our clients expectations.
- Communication: We ensure that our Core Values transfer to our internal communication and interaction with the marketplace. We protect our reputation by being ethical and professional in everything we do and say.
- Influence: Throughout our history, we have strived to have a voice within the industries in which we operate. Whether this is at local, national or international levels, our aim is always to have a positive influence on the future development of our business, industry and markets.
- Supplier Relations: In following our Core Values, we maintain responsible and ethical relationships with our suppliers. This includes selecting suppliers based on fair and transparent criteria, ensuring fair treatment and payment terms, and promoting responsible sourcing practices. This has led to long term supplier relationships to our mutual benefit.
Workplace impact
- Occupational Health and Safety: The company provides a safe and healthy working environment for its employees, customers, contractors, visitors and members of the public. This involves implementing robust health and safety policies, conducting risk assessments, providing appropriate training and protective equipment, and regularly monitoring and improving workplace safety standards. All our processes were rigorously tested, both internally and externally, throughout the Covid pandemic to ensure the highest standards of safe and healthy working practices.
- Employment rights: Our HR practices and processes ensure that we meet and where possible exceed the statutory requirements relating to Employee rights, Pension commitment and Race, Gender & Disability (Diversity) requirements. We are consistently led by our family culture and values to ensure that the employment experience within our organisation is rewarding, fair, open and respectful.
- Employee development: We ensure that all our people are given the opportunity for personal and career development. We provide formal training programmes and skills enhancement at all levels of the organisation. We also aim to deliver the benefits of action learning – where practical and relevant knowledge can be gained and implemented successfully into the business. This approach to employee development has led to our high levels of staff retention, excellent length of service and career progression opportunities.
Community impact
- Employment: Providing local employment has been the foundation of our business for over 150 years. We have benefited from the involvement and commitment of multiple generations of families within our organisation. We continue to develop this bond through specific employment initiatives developed in conjunction with local community, enterprise and government agencies.
- Community engagement & Future development: We look for opportunities to positively interact and engage with the community to support local initiatives. We provide support to local organisations and charities who provide benefit into society and align with our Core Values. Also we will always consider the impact of the future development of our business to ensure that there is no negative impact on the community.
Corporate governance
- Corporate Governance and Accountability: Our organisation fosters a familial corporate culture which blends the values and benefits of a family approach with the structure and professionalism of a corporate environment. This ensures we consistently maintain effective corporate governance practices, which involve having a clear organisational structure, implementing proper controls and risk management systems, maintaining accurate financial reporting, and ensuring transparency and accountability in our decision-making processes.
- Continuous Improvement: As a fundamental element of our Core Values, the company recognises and acts on its responsibility to continuously assess its operations and seek opportunities for improvement. This involves evaluating and implementing best practices, embracing innovation and technological advancements, and actively monitoring and addressing any social or environmental impacts associated with its activities.
