Engl-Glas GesmbH from Ottnang am Hausruck (Upper Austria) has gained an excellent reputation as a glass manufacturer that can cover almost all facets of the flat glass industry. Consistent investments in reliable and advanced processing systems are just as much a part of this positive development as good management with visions and a strong team behind it.

The success story began in 1983. Matthias Engl, owner of Engl-Glas GesmbH, had completed his master glazier examination two years earlier and at the age of 22 was one of the youngest master glaziers in Austria. He started as a one-man company and in 1987 was able to take over the insulating glass manufacturer Stadler in Ottnang with 8 employees and a production area of around 500 m². A gradual further development, such as the renewal of the insulating glass lines and the installation of toughened safety glass and laminated glass production, allowed the Upper Austrian company to grow step by step. 60 employees are currently working in various shift models on a production area of around 7,000m² and generate sales of around 10 million euros.

500,000m² of flat glass with glass thicknesses between 4 and 12mm were processed at Engl-Glas last year. “We deliver our products to a wide variety of different customers, from one-man businesses to wholesalers, carpenters, metalworkers, locksmiths, glaziers and window makers, we cover all these areas with our diverse portfolio,” explains Evelyn Engl, managing director and daughter of the company founder. Deliveries are made within a radius of about 300km, i.e. everything between Vienna, Innsbruck and Munich, with their our own trucks.

Matthias Engl had already decided in 2011 to rely on vertical glass edge processing and water jet cutting technology. “I found this technology very interesting, especially for our demands in terms of accuracy and complexity of the glass panes,” says Matthias Engl. “In 2017 we wanted to exchange the existing processing machine. We knew that the systron proHD glassprocessing centre with integrated waterjet was the only one that would meet our requirements and we didn’t hesitate. Of course, there was a certain risk, after all, systron was only 2 years old, but we have not regretted it to this day. Especially when you produce a lot of laminated safety glass, where you need CNC-based edge processing and internal processing in the same production step, accuracy is crucial,” emphasizes the entrepreneur and adds:

“With the systron proHD waterjet machine, I can be sure that the cut-outs are precise placed correctly, have the same size and that the glass panes are therefore exactly congruent.

This has definitely contributed to our success in relation to laminated glass, because thanks to first-class quality we are definitely one of the top suppliers in Austria.“

After the first systron proHD waterjet cutting machine 5027 for panes with an edge length of up to 5m, Engl-Glas 2020 invested in the next proHD glass processing centre, this time the smallest glass-line 3525 for panes with an edge length of up to 3.5m. This glass processing machine is primarily used for processing all-glass systems. “The smaller proHD is right in front of the tempering furnace and mainly processes ESG, mirrors or Lacobel glass. But if capacities are free, we can also supply the glass for our laminated safety glass production. We use both systron machines in 2 shifts and produce an average of 2,000-2,500m² of glass per week,” says Evelyn Engl.

Acting sustainably has always been a credo of Matthias Engl: “In 2019 we fitted our roof with photovoltaic elements and thus generate around 500,000 kW annually, which is around a quarter of our total electricity requirement. With our product portfolio, we have also deliberately opted for mixed production, we are not designed for series. We want to stay in this segment and produce high-quality products, thanks to which we can in turn buy machines in this quality class. We’ve always wanted to build a good reputation for quality and I think we’ve done well. Now we have the generation change, which will keep us busy for a while, my daughter will continue to run the company,” says Matthias Engel. His daughter Evelyn Engl adds: “It will take some time to really fill in these footsteps, but fortunately I have great support from my father and the colleagues.”