Staying Competitive in the Glass Industry: Viridian Glass
In 2022, Solos Glass merged with Viridian, one of Australia’s biggest glass processing companies. At the time, Ash Hejry was Solos’ Production Manager, overseeing the factory’s manufacturing from start to finish. Now a Production Specialist at Viridian, his experience expanded with the new role, taking him into the world of double-glazing.
“With Solos, we did everything with glass. The glass was getting supplied from Oceania and imports, and then we processed it. Now we are one company, processing single glazed glass and double glazing.”
The rise of double-glazing in Australia, prompted by a shift towards sustainability, is in line with Australia’s new building code and BASIX requirements. On Viridian’s automated line, flat, square panels are cut on a specialised machine, which then puts them together and fills the empty space with argon gas or air, making them into DGU units ( Double Glazed Units). The process is straightforward, repetitive, and requires no manual handling. Viridian’s CMS machine, the Profile Vertical, is much more sophisticated.
“That’s the main processing machine we have in this business on the manual line. The majority of the heavyweight glass gets processed on it. There are more quality requirements in the heavyweight glass than the lightweight glass machine.” says Ash.
Used for detail work like cut-outs, the Profile’s job is to produce single-panel sheets with perfect edges. In all the years he’s worked with the CMS, Ash has never seen it fail to do just that.
“The edge quality of the CMS machines just can’t be compared with.”
That, in today’s quality-hungry market, keeps a steady flow of big clients ordering from Viridian. The secret lies in pairing sophisticated machinery with the right tooling
The right tools matter
From its first cycle till today, the Profile has been a reliable rock for Ash’s team. Part of the secret to its success lies in the tooling used, which determines the end result. At first, Ash and his team started with products that seemed OK, then began to disappoint over time. When he saw the quality drop, Ash reached out to us straight away with Tyrolit’s range in mind.
“We started with another brand, but probably in a year’s time, the quality dropped dramatically. That’s when I contacted Pierre and Marco from CMS Australia. Four years have passed now, and we don’t have any issues with tooling and everything is smooth. The tooling is perfect”
Success hinges on service and support
With the Profile running more than 12 hours a day, Viridian goes through a large amount of diamond tools. The production team keeps the workshop well stocked, copy and pasting order numbers regularly for prompt delivery. It’s a small task that takes almost no time – which means that they can focus on taking care of the machine itself.
“To be honest, the machine is not stopping. We’re using it every day, from 6am to 10pm. Obviously, the machine’s age is getting older now and more maintenance is required. It’s probably 7-8 years old now.” says Ash.
When Solos first bought the Profile Vertical, Pierre recommended that regular maintenance be performed every 1000 hours – twice as often as the standard 2000 hours check. With a high-volume output on heavyweight glass, he knew that Viridian’s Profile needed proper care and attention.
That care and attention has consistently been provided throughout the years, changing and adapting to meet the machine’s needs. Now in its eighth year of heavy-duty use, the focus is on a rigorous cleaning schedule, keeping all the parts rust-free and in mint condition.
“In the old factory, we had the water treatment system. In this factory we’re just using a freshwater system and therefore there’s more cleaning involved.”
After almost a decade of working together, we’re able to anticipate Ash’s needs and step in at the right time. That trait alone is invaluable to the glass industry, with its short cycle times and long days. Add to that the edge quality of the Profile, and it’s easy to see why Viridian is a go-to for big jobs across the Australia.
“When architects are specifying high quality products, they don’t have any other option, they need quality. Hence, it’s becoming more critical to produce high quality glass.”
If you agree that quality is increasingly becoming a competitive edge in the glass industry, now is the time to act. With everything from state-of-the-art double-glazing machines to CNCs for detailed work, the CMS range is well-stocked, and well-established. Get in touch with one of our reps and explore your options today.
