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At 18 he left school and started work in the offices
of the family glassworks. From the very beginning he
was interested in the practical side of glassmaking
and became a skilled engineer. He was held in high
regard by the workers who believed that "Mr
Windle could do owt" and turned to him at any
time of day or night to solve their problems.
He proved himself as an inventor of marked
ability by taking out 34 patents between 1869 and
1913.
One of his most significant inventions in 1871
was a machine attached to a compressed air supply
that took over the functions of supporting, swinging
and rotating thereby enabling even larger sheets of
glass to be made.
Other improvements included the introduction of
electrical equipment such as cranes and grinding
benches. In 1904 he installed a lehr which would
anneal glass continuously thus reducing annealing
time from 4 weeks to 4 days.
In 1863 William Windle became a partner of the
company and was Technical Director and Chairman from
1898 - 1914.
It can be said that William Windle's many patents
provided the technological background for the future
developments in float glass that gave Pilkington
Brothers international supremacy.
He was known as one of the foremost captains of
industry in Lancashire providing employment for
between 12000 to 14000 workers.
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