In 2015 alone, Glaston delivered more than 30 FC500 tempering furnaces from its factory in Tampere, Finland, to customers throughout the world.
Of the total number of over 130 sold in the past five years, 25% of these are repeat orders for the FC500 tempering furnace. An additional three FC500-zone heating chamber replacements have been ordered to date by processors who wish to modernize an existing furnace without purchasing a new line.
The FC500 furnace was developed specifically to meet growing market demands for lower energy consumption, higher glass quality and increased capability to temper a larger number of coated glasses, such as Low-E.
“FC500 took off almost immediately as an ideal solution not only for large processors, but also to help newcomers grab a significant share of the tempering business,” says Anna Holmqvist, Product Manager of Glaston’s FC Series.
Great way to enter tempering business
North American sales with around 30 Glaston FC500 lines have been especially brisk. Mid-American Glass in Iowa, US chose to invest in the FC500 furnace to move into tempered glass. With the help of the furnace and sound business planning, both companies have now established themselves with a profitable position in the tempering market of their respective regions.
According to Michelle Magyar, President of Mid-American Glass: “Glaston FC500 is an essential tool to help our company bring customers the quality and efficiency they deserve. The FC500 has an amazing top-of-the line quality.”
Giant leap in quality and energy efficiency
Another example is Tecnoglass of Colombia that decided to change its entire tempering furnace fleet over to Glaston FC Series furnaces. With a total of seven FC500 lines, Christian T. Daes is proud to have the most modern fleet of furnaces in the world today.
Daes says: “Glaston’s FC500 has created the industry’s new standard for optical quality and glass distortion. The results have enabled a giant leap forward in final soft-coated glass quality and in the line’s energy efficiency.”
Tim Kelley, owner of TriStar Glass in the US states: “We’re very quality conscious. With triple-stack Low-E, there is normally a lot of distortion and roll wave. Our customers are looking for the flattest, most aesthetically appealing glass for their structures. That’s why I initially purchased our first Glaston FC500 for our plant in Houston to provide this kind of high-quality glass.” After the first experiences with the first FC500, TriStar Glass decided to invest to another FC500 furnace for their plant in Dallas.