A GLASS company is pushing ahead with plans to become a £50m business, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Romag aims to become a global leader after being taken on by Clayton Glass.

The business has stellar deals with rail operators Hitachi Rail Europe and Bombardier, as well as the Ministry of Defence, and boss Ryan Green said the agreements can be a catalyst for further lucrative contracts.

Romag, based in Leadgate, near Consett, County Durham, also supplies bullet-proof and blast-resistant glass, as well as carrying out solar panel work, and is overseen by Stanley-based Clayton as a separate entity.

Mr Green, who took over as Romag chief executive when the deal was announced earlier this year, says the businesses complement each other, with Romag’s work in specialist sectors accompanied by Clayton’s focus on conservatory roof glass and composite door glass manufacturing.

He told The Northern Echo: “My ambition is for this to be a world leader and I see no reason why we should not achieve that in the next five years.

“I bought Romag for the £50m opportunities it is capable of.

“Clayton is a large player in the market but Romag is a global player.

“Both have market-leading reputations in their respective sectors, so we will continue to operate each completely independently so they can focus entirely on continuing to grow their market share.

“It is on a journey and it was the opportunities, rather than the existing business, that excited me.

“Our strategy is not one of cost reduction, it is one of growth.”

Mr Green, as managing director at Clayton Glass, oversaw a deal to take on Romag from Wearside housing association, Gentoo, for an undisclosed sum.

He said its order book was a particular draw, with existing deals providing scope to secure new agreements going forward.

Romag, which employs about 150 staff, is supplying Hitachi with windows for hundreds of carriages at the firm’s plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

However, the business has a further contract to send windscreens to another trainbuilder, Bombardier, for its Aventra stock, which will be used on underground Crossrail lines in London.

The business also enjoyed a positive trip to Berlin for InnoTrans, a rail industry trade show, which it says yielded a number of enquiries that could lead to future work.

Mr Green added: “The potential of this place is massive.

"It could be something huge.”