Founded in 1969 and following impressive development, today Glas Gasperlmair GmbH is one of Austria’s leading glass processors. And not without reason: The family-run company places great value on trust, quality and punctuality, and also on the right machines.
Nowadays approx. 400 employees work together with the founding family to ensure the company’s success.
The production halls with a total area of over 60,000 square metres only seem confined by the mountains in stunning Wagrain in Salzburg, and offer – in addition to the impressive backdrop – one of the most powerful and modern machine pools in the whole of Austria, in which over 300 tons of glass are processed daily by experienced specialists for a wide range of applications and areas, and delivered by the company’s 29 HGVs.
Cooperation from the first turn
The starting signal for cooperation with LiSEC sounded in 1975 with investment in the first LiSEC glass washing machine. The cornerstone for many years of commercial cooperation was based on the acquaintance at that time between the company founders Peter Lisec and Josef Gasperlmair. “Initially we primarily accepted prototypes from Peter Lisec. He wanted us to try out these machines and our employees to document every error and every improvement recommendation” says Josef Gasperlmair, describing the first mutual projects. This resulted in the establishment of a machine pool within the “hallowed” halls of Gasperlmair, filled with LiSEC machines: Loading systems, cutting systems, edging systems, processing stations, insulating glass systems, horizontal washing machines, water jets, filling systems, butyl coating machines and bending machines. The majority of these LiSEC machines are tailored to the special wishes of Gasperlmair and equipped with special functions.
The good communication and common understanding established back then is also inherent to current projects. “It is important that we receive feedback – only in this way can we improve ourselves and better understand the customer perspective. Glas Gasperlmair is a really good partner in every respect. Over the years, we have developed the same language and we have been able to complete optimised projects on the basis of mutual exchange” explains Richard Bruckner, the LiSEC Regional Sales Director WEU and Key Account Manager responsible.
All of Gasperlmair’s experiences with the machines are passed on to LiSEC directly. This feedback loop makes Glas Gasperlmair a well-known sparring partner and important provider of input to the LiSEC colleagues in engineering and production. “For us, customers and their needs must be focal. On the Gasperlmair site, the machines can be tested under conditions that are completely different to those in our factory, and the mutual exchange is therefore extremely important to us. We attempt to listen to the best of our abilities, and incorporate the improvements in programs and machines. This is where you see: Good cooperation is the key to success” says Gottfried Brunbauer, CEO of LiSEC.
“What LiSEC produces – it is my intention – we buy from LiSEC”. – Josef Gasperlmair
As such, Gasperlmair recently invested in a new VSL-A. The family-run company first became aware of the new LiSEC cutting table at glasstec 2018. “It is not only the speed of the machine that fascinated me, but also the fact that the station is capable of cutting shapes fully automatically and turning the sub-plates automatically” explains Josef Gasperlmair, who manages the company together with his son.
The VSL-A is a high-performance station for the automatic glass cutting of laminated glass and it stands out due to a number of new features. For the first time, a fully automatic operation without manual intervention was implemented, chipped sheets are automatically turned again and positioned for the next cut. The operator only has to focus on removing the finished cut glass lites sheets. The new VSL-A can cut up to 30% more glass than comparable machines. Another important feature is the option of achieving reduced trim cuts or off-cuts with 20mm. This option is available on all four sides of an optimisation. This significantly reduces glass waste. A further highlight of the VSL-A is the foil heating device (patent pending). Depending on the cutting length, short high-power heating elements are selectively activated and this technology means there are no “cold” areas that have a negative influence on the cut.
The future
The trends in the glass industry are towards high quality products in particular. An efficient and ultra-modern machine pool is therefore essential for a successful future. A competent and reliable partner is indispensable for this. “In my opinion, LiSEC is not only unique due to the innovative machines. The software programs are also up-to-date and it is impossible to imagine the market without LiSEC as a complete provider”, says the founder of Glas Gasperlmair, which is celebrating its 50th jubilee this year: “If we need new machines – replaced or newly installed - or if we require expansions, we get in touch with LiSEC automatically!”
