Glasshape

Glasshape History

Borne out of a curiosity with how decorative glass ‘petals’ for desk lamps were produced, Glasshapes early leadership team realised a significant opportunity for larger format applications existed such as windscreens for ambulances, buses and the marine sector, together with food-bends for the catering industry. The main challenge though was efficiencies – capital investment and production times escalated costs hindering the appeal of the product. This led the engineers at Glasshape® to invent their own manufacturing equipment.

The new furnaces operated on a different principle, with quicker production at a fraction of the cost of internationally available furnaces at the time. This provided Glasshape® with a very competitive edge over other glass benders in New Zealand.

By 1995 we had mastered the art of bonding two panels of bent glass with resin, certified to AS/NZS 2208 – the required safety standard for the use of laminated glass in buildings. This was a major development that delivered a future with huge potential as the use of bent glass as an architectural product was new to the building industry.

In 2000, Glasshape® developed processes to bend complex curves in 3D enabling manufacture of superior windscreens for the marine industry. This led on to the automotive market with certification to American Land Transport Standard ANSI Z 26-1 being achieved making it possible to supply automotive screens internationally.

2007 brought a $2m expansion with the installation of specialist machinery to bend and toughen glass and another to water jet cut glass. Glasshape® is well known internationally for its unique ‘glass laboratory’ philosophy. Worldwide, companies approach Glasshape® to design, test and manufacture specialist glass products to suit particular challenging applications.

2016 marks the 30th anniversary of Glasshape® and the culmination of a three year, substantial investment programme significantly expanding the capabilities and capacity of the business to better serve its rapidly growing export market. The business was honoured to have the Prime Minister of New Zealand the Rt. Hon. John Key officially open the new facilities on November 13, 2015.

By developing and building our own machinery and mould systems, Glasshape® has grown from bending glass for upmarket light shades to become the largest specialist bent glass manufacturer in Australasia. The next chapter for the business will be shaped by the dozens of highly skilled dedicated glass professionals employed at Glasshape® today.

Glasshapes’ Sustainability Statement

Glasshape® understands that in order to be truly sustainable we need a holistic view of how we operate. The three interconnected spheres of sustainability being Environmental, Economic and Social need to be managed in a collective way in order to provide a total sustainable future for our business to prosper and for those that we are connected to can benefit from.

Environmental Sustainability

Glasshape® is committed to developing an environmentally friendly and sustainable future, to help ensure generations to come inherit a world that benefits from our efforts and is less effected by climate change.

We understand that what we do can make a difference, for better or worse and therefore we take this responsibility very seriously.

We have aligned ourselves with other similarly minded suppliers; who share a passion and common responsibility for the future wellbeing of our planet and would like to invite you to join us on this journey.

Glass Waste:

Glasshape® manufactures its bespoke bent and specialist glass products from standard sized rectangular flat panes of float glass. We purchase this high-quality stock material from companies such as AGC, who are equally committed to a sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

Our initial process of manufacturing products involves the cutting of infinitely variable sized and shaped profiles from these flat stock sheets, which can result in glass wastage. Through the investment in advanced batching and nesting technology, this inherent wastage in the cutting process is significantly reduced; maximizing the yield from our base materials.

Any waste glass that results from this technically advanced cutting process is 98% – 100% recycled through our preferred provider 5R Solutions; who repurpose this glass into the following products, extending its use and preventing it from entering landfill:

• Filtration Systems
• Insulation Products
• Sand Blasting Media

Water Supply and Reuse:

To ensure our products are of the topmost quality, we require an equally high standard and supply of Water, in order to CNC Cut, Edge Polish and Clean our Glass in the process of manufacturing. This Water is used to lubricate our cutting tools and to remove debris left on the Glass after cutting and polishing, before it enters our toughening, bending, printing and or laminating processes.

As part of a recent and major Plant Extension, Glasshape® implemented a Rainwater Catchment and Filtration facility, which takes Rainwater from our expansive Factory Roof and stores it in Holding Tanks for use in our Cutting Plant. This Water is reused many times over, going through a sediment extraction and filtration system to ensure it is fit for use.

This source of Water and method of filtration and reuse, reduces the need to draw from Municipal facilities and ensures that when the Water enters the Waste System that it is free from pollutants.

Packaging Recycling:

Due to the bespoke nature of our Glass Products and the inherent properties of glass, being weight and vulnerability to damage if not packaged correctly, we rely on using durable and workable materials, such as wood and cardboard as our primary materials for packaging. Both materials come from sustainable resources which we actively recycle through our preferred supplier, Northland Recycling.

Energy Sources:

The processes of Bending, Toughening (Tempering) and Laminating Glass require a lot of energy, mainly due to the amount of heat required in order to successfully ensure the quality and shape of our products and the standards that they need to meet are achieved, for their designated applications.

We employ two main sources of energy in order to run our plant and machinery, the first being Electricity which is supplied to us by Mercury from 100% renewable sources, such as Wind, Hydro, Geothermal and Solar. The second source of energy is Natural Gas which is supplied to us by Contact who are equally focused on providing sustainable products which are locally sourced.

Transportation of Goods:

Due to the quality and demand for Glasshape® products, we find ourselves shipping our goods all over the world. Where possible, for long-distance shipping we recommend and prefer to ship our products via sea freight; which we believe causes fewer CO2 emissions. Once again, we have chosen to work with an equally committed freight forwarding company, Mondiale who are dedicated to making a difference for the better of our environment.

Product Lifecycle – End of Life:

An inherent quality of the Products that we manufacture, can be found in the amazing material that we use. The longevity of Glass and its ability to be repurposed when it has reached the end of its life for the application in which it was manufactured, is truly outstanding and understated. Glass is one of the ultimate sustainable materials!

Our Sustainable Supply Partners:

We have chosen to enter into supply partnerships with the following companies not only for the quality of service and products that they provide; but also as they share a common view with us on the importance of sustainability.

• AGC
• 5RSolutions
• Northland Waste
• Mercury
• Mondiale

Economic Sustainability

Fairness, Accountability, Responsibility & Transparency in Governance:

Glasshape® governance and management is multi-leveled, drawing upon the expertise of its Directors and Senior Management Team in order to maintain a high degree of transparency, fairness and accountability to its Shareholders and all Stakeholders in the business, including its Staff. Glasshape continually monitors and reports on its economic performance and actively works to remove any risk from the business; which could cause harm and adversely affect those entities that are both directly and indirectly related to it.

Social Sustainability

Respect, Support & the Wellbeing of our Staff and Community:

Glasshape® respects and values its staff and the communities which they come from and who we serve. We understand that without their support and wellbeing, we wouldn’t be able to perform at the standard required within the Markets in which we do business. It’s our people that make the difference and it is the reason why we invest a lot of time and effort into making sure that the environment in which they operate, is safe and that they are adequately trained to perform their designated tasks, free of concern. We actively support and encourage our Staff to better themselves and help where possible, to further their education and training, enabling them to grow within the business. We are advocates for equal opportunity, employing and promoting staff based on their skills and not their gender, race or physical abilities.