Hourglass Seal, manufacturers of precision sealed glass units for over 20 years has invested in a fully automated For.El Super Spacer application line to future proof its products. Andy Thomas, sales and marketing director at Hourglass Seal explains why the company took the decision to invest at this level when most companies have put spending on hold: “For the last 20 years we have kept pace with glass technology and innovation to ensure we continue to give our customers the highest performing and most cost effective sealed units. We believe legislation will only continue to tighten as far as energy performance of a window is concerned, so we want to ensure our customers continue to lead the field with the best products on the market.

“We have been aware of Edgetech’s Super Spacer product for some time now and knew it was the market leader in the UK, but changing our spacer gave us the opportunity to upgrade our machinery and improve our productivity at the same time. Working closely with machinery experts Promac, we researched the machinery options available and could see that the fully automated route would have the biggest positive impact on our business. We are currently manufacturing 2000 sealed units a week and when the new machine is fully up and running in January 2012, we will have the capacity to make 3500 units a week on a single shift basis. The new machine will also incorporate a flood fill gas press and sealing robot. All of this automation means reduced handling which in turn reduces the chance of our units being marked or damaged in any way.

“Making such a significant investment in the current economic climate is perhaps more risky than making the same investment when the market is booming, but we haven’t built the previous 20 years success on standing still and not taking any risks. We are confident that working with our chosen partners and taking advantage of all the additional support they offer, we will be able to keep our customers well ahead of their competition.

“As well as further improved energy performance Super Spacer will also mean our customers can benefit from reduced condensation and improved durability. It is also the best product to use in triple glazed units, which we have also been manufacturing for some time now. There is no need for desiccant which obviously eliminates the risk of any finding its way into the unit, and Super Spacer has over 20 years proven performance staying perfectly parallel to the edge of the unit, even on curved products.

“Hourglass Seal has a wealth of experience working with fabricator customers, specifiers and architects and we pride ourselves on the outstanding service we offer across the board. We look forward to further exceeding customer expectations with this automation, which is the latest investment in our expansion plans which have already seen us move to a brand new unit, introduce new vehicles and revamp our website.”

Hourglass Seal will be marking its investment with an Open Day on 24th January at its Gloucester premises where local dignitaries, customers and prospects from all sectors will be able to see the new machine in action and find out more about the company’s products and services.