“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,” said 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.
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 said. “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.”