Alistair Houghton meets PHILL MILLWARD, managing director of CGI International

Millward said: “He was the guy who saw the opportunity that could take the product further. The product needed some new developments.”

CGI performed ahead of Dunedin’s expectations, with the newly-developed Pyroguard range becoming a market leader throughout Europe. Š

The company moved premises twice in those 10 years to keep pace with expansion, eventually moving to its current purpose-built home in 2002.

In 2004 – the year Millward joined CGI – Dunedin launched a £35m recapitalisation of the business.

And, in April, Millward became managing director after another refinancing package from Dunedin, with whom he says CGI has a “very strong” relationship. The St Helens area is already synonymous with glass – and CGI, which employs 55 people, buys its “raw material” flat glass from rival Pilkington, as well as from other leading glassmakers such as Saint Gobain.

As a company whose products are used in the construction trade, Millward and his team at CGI could be affected by the ongoing economic downturn that has seen the brakes put on many building projects.

But he is confident that, as much of CGI’s work involves refurbishing or converting existing buildings, the company will be able to ride out any slowdown in new-build work.

“At the moment, we haven’t felt the full force of the downturn in building,” he said. “There’s a bit of anticipation it may hit us. We’re weathering the storm at the moment, but time will tell.”

The company’s strong export performance also helps insure it against the UK market slowdown.

CGI sells glass throughout Europe and exports as far afield as Singapore and Hong Kong.

“We sell wherever we can go,” said Millward. Š“If we think there’s an opportunity there, we’ll go and visit. We’ve got a good base of customers in different markets. Ireland has been going very well. Š

“I’ve just come back from Sweden, and the market there is quite buoyant.

“We’re taking a look farther afield. ŠWe’ve seen opportunities in the Czech Republic and Romania recently.”

Millward’s priority for the immediate future of his business is to keep growing into those new markets.

“I’m not trying to take over the world,” he said, “but want to be able to get more market share in lots of European and Eastern European countries.

“We also want to extend our work. We’ve also been doing some fact-finding in the Dubai and Middle Eastern market, and then probably farther afield – even to Australia.”

alistairhoughton@dailypost.co.uk