Guardian Glass to Add Jumbo Coater

Guardian SunGuard® Coatings on Large Glass Dramatically Expands Architects’ Options

Guardian Glass is installing a jumbo coater in North America to serve its North America commercial glass customers. The investment was approved by the Guardian Industries Corp. Board of Directors.

Architects are increasingly designing projects with larger glass sizes. Adding the ability to coat jumbo-sized glass means Guardian can supply bigger sheets of coated glass to its customers for fabrication into finished sizes for glass facades and windows. This supports the architectural trend to more expansive views and higher daylight penetration in buildings with the world-class energy savings of the Guardian SunGuard® portfolio of high performance, low-E coatings.

For U.S. projects such as the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University - one of the firstZaha Hadid-designed buildings in America - Guardian supplied jumbo-sized coated glass from one of its plants in Europe, which has had this capability for some time. “The new coater will allow us to deliver jumbo-sized glass to our North American customers with significantly reduced lead times,” explains Chris Dolan, Director of Marketing, Guardian Glass North America.

“We are very pleased to hear that Guardian will soon be introducing jumbo-sized coated glass capability in the U.S.,” says Sameer Kumar, AIA, LEED AP, Director, Enclosure Design, SHoP Architects. “The need for jumbo-sized glass cannot be overstated and, as a result of Guardian’s initiative, designers will no longer have to rely on overseas suppliers to meet the needs of our domestic projects. This positive development means greater flexibility and a wider material palette to choose from, which we welcome.”

“The new jumbo coater will also create value for Guardian customers by increasing their product offerings, and allowing them to reduce inventory and waste,” adds Rick Zoulek, Vice President, Americas, Guardian Glass. “Ultimately, increasing capabilities in the commercial segment with these jumbos supports our customers throughout the design and supply chains.”

Guardian will announce the jumbo coater location in the near future.

The Guardian SunGuard glass product line for commercial applications offers excellent solar control and a wide variety of colors and performance levels. SunGuard glass products provide innovative, leading solutions for appearance, economics and energy efficiency, and are available through an international network of independent Guardian Select fabricators. For more information, visit GuardianGlass.com/commercial.

J.v.G. Thoma GmbH is delivering a DESERT turnkey production line to Brazil, the first of its kind and hopefully the first in many breakthroughs to leave the factory floor on their way to the largest country in South America. With a capacity of 30 MW, this is a small semi-automatic DESERT production line, but still a flagship in terms of DESERT solar module production and electricity generation in the country, now fully functional and ready to start with operation.

The machinery consists of DESERT production machines for high-efficiency DESERT solar modules built specifically for extreme hot climate, such as can be seen in deserts or in tropical areas. Made solely in Germany and built using the latest in DESERT and TROPIC module production, the systems inlcudes all cutting-edge technology.

Certified DESERT solar modules, DESERT containers, DESERT power plants and DESERT manufacturing machinery built using pioneering DESERT and TROPICS technology are now fully set up, and ready to perform. But powering on the machinery has been a long time coming. Up until recently, this advanced piece of equipment had been waiting for clearance at a port in Brazil. Now that the formalities have been dealt with, both J.v.G. Thoma and its customer in Brazil can get production under way.

J.v.G. Thoma GmbH is a company whose vision has always been to harness the infinite power of the sun and convert it into an inexhaustible supply of energy. But a vision such as this requires global reach, and this project has opened new doors. Brazil is not only a gateway to South American cooperation, but also the launchpad to international reach and expansion.

Following the delivery of this initial order, J.v.G. Thoma GmbH will be looking forward to an ongoing collaboration with the Brazilian company. From setup and initial training to setting the scene for a ramp up, J.v.G. Thoma will be there to provide expertise and assistance. Moreover, the company will be jointly responsible, along with the client, for the successful integration of the DESERT solar module factory.

In the future, bigger DESERT power plants will be set up on Brazilian soil, and together with existing turnkey production systems, they intend to take up a large share of the products and assets this sector will possess locally. J.v.G. Thoma plans to build up a local network of sales agents that can extend a premium offering to neighbouring countries in South America. Eventually, the company hopes to be able to expand its customer base to clients in North America.

Hans Thoma, general manager from the Thoma-group, is eager to acquire a substantial market share in Brazil, a growing country with tremendous potential for solar energy output. Having complied with local official procedures (Inmetro, TÜV, Fraunhofer CSP) and cleared the way for future business collaboration, he expresses his hope that the solar industry will henceforth expand quickly.

”Being able to introduce Brazil to the infinite opportunities of a solar industry is a privilege for J.v.G. Thoma GmbH, and one that we are extremely grateful for. At the same time, this placed the ball squarely in our court, and the pressure to get the ball rolling quickly was high. Now that the lengthy initial formalities are out of the way, we can focus on making this project a success.“

The first DESERT solar module production in BRAZIL! Lets go ....

Source: Guardian Industries Corp.