For Hyde Park’s Window Film
Systems Inc., the business side of business glass is
anything but clear. In fact, for the creator of such
products as anti-burglar glass, anti-graffiti glass
and even bomb-resistant glass, is a little filmy residue
is a very good thing indeed.
“Our uniqueness has been the key to our success,” stresses
Peter Yates, Window Film Systems owner and president. “We
provide high-quality service and have a progressive
outlook.”
Offering the only burglar-resistant glass in Canada
with a ULC rating (the highest rating awarded by the
Underwriters Laboratory of Canada, group underwriters
for the country’s insurance industry), Window
Film Systems, through its subsidiary Laminating Technologies
Inc., has developed a unique process of dry laminating
security films to glass. By bonding film to glass with
adhesives (like wallpaper to a wall but without the
wetness), the resulting window becomes both burglar
and graffiti resistant.
“When someone inscribes their name on the window,
the film can be removed and replaced with no damage
to the window” explains Yates, adding that all
of his company’s tough and durable films are
composed of multiple layers of polyester.
This past spring, Window Film Systems inked a major
deal to supply a large American distributor of transit
buses with the anti-graffiti film. The film has since
been installed on the interior of buses in Los Angeles,
New York and Chicago.
Yates, a native of Nairobi, Kenya, who purchased Window
Film Systems in 1990, says the business has posted
growth between 20% and 30% annually over the past five
years. And while the majority of contacts are based
in South-western Ontario, Yates says an ambitious approach
to large international contracts, led by the bus deal,
is proving fruitful. “This (transit bus) contract
could lead to millions of dollars worth of sales for
us.”
Other recent contracts secured by the company include
a deal to supply both the U.S. embassies in Vancouver
and Calgary with blast mitigation film, a film designed
to minimize bomb damage. The film, called Protekt,
offers exceptional resistance to hurricane-force winds,
explosions, weapon fire or other projectiles capable
of shattering glass.
The Protekt film also makes forced entry more difficult.
When store display windows equipped with Protekt are
broken, glass can stay mostly intact, discouraging “smash
and grab” theft.
Paul Caplan, owner of Novack’s, a downtown outdoor
clothing and equipment retailer, quickly attests to
the effectiveness of the burglar-resistant film. He
sought the services of Window Film Systems two years
ago after a number of beak-ins. “ Since then
we’ve had no break-ins,” Caplan reports. “Video
cameras (on-site) have shown us where a person attempted
to break the window by throwing a big rock at it. The
rock just bounced off it and left a small mark.”
Another significant chunk of Yates’ business
comes from the sales of solar film, mainly to area
clothiers. The film helps to block out up to 99% of
the sun’s ultraviolet rays. The company has also
started to work with graphic design applications for
interior glass.
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