New factory for Viridian Glass

Viridian Glass has completed the first of a series of signifi cant investments, with the opening of its new innovative glass-processing factory at Highbrook, Manukau, in December. The investments, planned over the next few years, will allow the New Zealand manufacturing and construction New factory for Viridian Glass industry to take advantage of the increasing demand for energy efficient glass products.

The new Viridian factory is the only purpose-built, fully automated glass-processing factory in New Zealand, and is the most advanced factory of its type in the world. The factory embodies a major shift in the way glass is processed, with the use of technology software to manage continuous glass production.

Alan Westwood, Viridian New Zealand general manager, says: “The factory represents a significant investment in New Zealand, and is stage one of a planned investment programme which will include new factories and equipment throughout the country.”

Viridian will develop the adjacent site at Highbrook in the next three years to match the expected demand for energy-effi cient glass in commercial buildings, and is proposing to commence construction of another new factory this year, this time in Wellington. “Despite a difficult economy, we’ve invested in and are committed to the New Zealand market,” says Mr Westwood.

Mayor of Manukau City, Len Brown, who attended the opening, said at the launch: “It’s great to see the investment that is being made in Manukau City. Viridian’s commitment to ensuring they deliver maximum potential to their customers in the glass industry is an indication of their forwardthinking leadership. They are creating a thriving environment for the future.”

Continuous flow of work

Key to the factory is the software that combines all the variations of production requirements with the factory equipment speeds, programmes and timings, thereby providing a continuous flow of work. The software also identifies where each piece of glass is in the system.

This enables the Viridian Highbrook factory to handle very large volumes of glass of different sizes to match New Zealand industry demands of customisation and short lead times.

Previously, glass had to be manually handled, possibly up to 50 times, from manufacturing to the time it arrived with the customer. At Viridian Highbrook the glass is handled only once, providing greater efficiency, quality and workplace safety.

“This means greater efficiency and superior quality for the window and construction industry,” says Mr Westwood. “With new energy-efficiency legislation in place, there will be an increased demand for double glazing in the residential sector. Our Highbrook factory has been timed to coincide with this, and the upshot is the New Zealand glass and window industry, with its unique demands, can take a strong position against the threat of imported standard windows or glass.”

Self-diagnosing system

The beauty of the $18 million Highbrook factory is that the entire system is self-diagnosing. As each piece of glass enters the processing line, it is etched with a unique bar code that is scanned at every step of the process and tracked from beginning to end – a world first.

Glass is transferred on conveyors throughout the factory, and all sharp edges are removed to allow for safer handling at the end of the process when the pieces are transferred to trolleys and loaded into trucks, ready for dispatch to the customer. Being fully automated, the new factory can generate one glass unit every 30 seconds – that’s four times faster than a traditional glass-processing plant. Off-cuts are recycled in a number of different ways, including being used in road fill and the reflective element in paint.

Upskilling of operators

The new automation means that the skills required to operate the factory are another major change for the industry. “The technology involved means that we are investing in upskilling our operators – this is good for the labour force and for the economy,” says Mr Westwood. “We are also working closely with JITO (the Joiner Industry Training Organisation) to address the current skills shortage.”

This approach has been endorsed by the government. Maurice Williamson, Minister for Building and Construction, who also attended the launch, says: “Viridian’s new factory provides unique employment opportunities for skilled technicians to ensure a top-quality product. We welcome such initiatives to improve market conditions and to spark innovation. We are seeking to help the building industry by reducing regulations, cutting red tape and creating an environment in which business can prosper. I commend Viridian for working closely with the Joinery Industry Training Organisation.”