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“Designers are working with even larger glass surfaces, which requires more tempered and tempered-laminated glass. So, we decided to boldly invest in technology that enables us to be in the game,” says Aki Harjunpää, CEO of Jaakko-Tuote of Finland. “Along with other machinery, Glaston’s FC-technology-based Jumbo Series is helping us specialize in highly demanding, world-class glazed structures.”

Despite its humble beginnings in Panelia, a little known village in southwestern Finland, Jaakko-Tuote Oy was established by Veli Harjunpää, Aki’s father, in 1971. The company started by making laminated table glass for the furniture industry and curved glass windshields. In the 80s, the company entered the glass tempering business.

Today, Jaakko-Tuote has grown from a small business venture into a world-renowned manufacturer of high-quality safety glass for the construction and vehicle industries, which makes up approximately three-quarters of the production. The safety glass consists of tempered glass, laminated glass – or tempered-laminated glass – a combination of the two.   

JUMBO SERIES PROVIDES A FOUNDATION FOR GROWTH

To keep ahead of the hungry competition, Veli and Aki Harjunpää have always believed in making bold decisions and staying flexible. “One of our absolute strengths is that we can make quick solutions when needed, and we strive to serve our customers so that they come back to us again,” says Aki.

Their recipe for success includes investing in the latest technology that gives them a leap ahead of the rest. In 2000, Jaakko-Tuote was also the first in Scandinavia to buy the B’JUMBO TPS® insulating glass line from Bystronic Lenhardt, now one of the key technologies acquired into Glaston’s offering in 2019.

In autumn 2018, they signed the deal for the first Jumbo Series tempering line in Scandinavia at a time when they needed six-meter tempering capability.

“Glaston had the flexibility to commit to quick delivery,” Aki recalls. “Our expectations were met 100% by this machine. We visited Glaston in Tampere on a Tuesday and made the easy decision to proceed the same day. One month later, we were getting our production space ready for delivery. The machine was officially handed over at the start of 2019.”

“We have made quite a bit of tempered glass since 1986, but this line has broadened our perspective. It’s a good purchase. It has a comprehensive number of different features to enhance quality, such as the top-notch Chinook convection and iLooK online quality monitoring systems,” he says.

AWARD-WINNING RESULTS

With the Chinook convection technology, Jaakko-Tuote has been able to achieve much better energy efficiency, improved output with coated glass. The company was one of the glass structure suppliers for the award-winning Mall of Tripla new shopping center in Helsinki which won the Glass Structure of the Year award in 2020.

“We provided the glass roof canopy with safety glass and tempered-laminated glass. And we made special roof chairs with multi-layered tempered-laminated glass with maximum dimensions of about six meters,” Aki says.

Although the company considers Europe to be its market, Jaakko-Tuote was also selected by a European subway train manufacturer to produce the automotive tempered glass for the special Singapore subway project. And Aki knows the company’s products have also reached the US for special big bus glass and the UAE for cab glass.

RELATIONSHIP BUILT ON TRUST

“Trust is everything,” Aki emphasizes. “Our customers have come to appreciate us for being a reliable supplier over the decades. Our high-quality products are just a starting point. To be able to produce them, we need to trust our machinery to consistently deliver solutions for more challenging structures. Trust is also about honest and open communication with our suppliers like Glaston.”

Coming from the experience of a long-time processor and one of the largest and most versatile product portfolios in Finland, the trustworthiness the company places in Glaston’s Jumbo furnace is essential. “We are a reliable, confident player in the industry, and we have a long history of doing well. So this creates a foundation that is easy to build on,” he continues.

The technology provides a solid springboard to continue innovating challenging-sized glass to the satisfaction of their customers throughout the world. Aki’s only wish is that his company would have made the decision in investing Glaston’s heat treatment technology already 10 years earlier.

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