Washed Glass: 24-hour Just-in-Time Supply
Greenonetec in Austria is the first collector factory in Europe that has its own glass supplier next door. Petraglas set up a production unit just across the road. This is a model already standard in China, where the material suppliers are situated in the same industrial area as the collector manufacturers. Photo: Greenonetec
For several months now, the newly founded Austrian company Petraglas has delivered ready-for-process glass covers three times a day across the road to Greenonetec, a 50 % subsidiary of the Austrian Kioto Clear Energy AG. The synergy effects are obvious: The Austrian collector manufacturer does not need a storage facility, or a washing unit for the glass. The finished glass comes straight to the production line in fixed sizes and quantities. Petraglas is also negotiating glass deliveries with the Photovoltaic Division of the Kioto Clear Energy AG, which runs a photovoltaic module production in the same industry zone.
Petraglas’ managing director is the Italian Nicola d’Errico, who has almost 50 years of experience in the glass industry. The company receives the biggest share of its entire EUR 9 million investment from a private Italian entrepreneur. Petraglas purchases float glass and enhances it in the St. Veit factory: It is cut, polished, tempered and washed. There are no further coatings planned at present.
The capacity of the Petraglas factory is said to be 800,000 m2 per year. 60 % of this quantity is reserved for Kioto. The collector manufacturer shipped 1.1 million m2 of collector area last year alone.
Petraglas also offers a “just-in-time” service within 24 hours to other collector manufacturers in Europe. It does not have to be ungraded glass from St. Veit in each case, but the glass could also be purchased at other production sites of tempered solar glass. Not the source of the glass is the point to consider, but the service to the collector manufacturer.
More information:
Petraglas, Tel. 0043/4212/28414-11
http://www.greenonetec.com
http://www.Kioto.com
