Lasiluoto, Finland

“We had a clear need for larger tempered glass that our subcontracting network simply couldn’t deliver. In addition, we wanted the ability to process glasses with different coatings and meet the growing domestic demand for striking, impressive glass architecture,” says Kari Lilja, Managing Director of Lasiluoto.

Lasiluoto’s reputation and offering in Finland and surrounding countries have been growing for the past 85 years. “We’re a family business founded by my grandfather,” says Lilja. Today, the business is run by the third generation – Kari Lilja and his sister, Marjut Jokinen.

Lasiluoto started out as a traditional glass shop. When it later moved into the insulating glass sector, the company selected an insulating glass line by Lenhardt, which became Bystronic and later continued under the Glaston brand. As a result, Lasiluoto and Glaston have had a long partnership.

Moving into large tempered glass

For about 10 years, Lasiluoto considered its next move. Procuring the exact products the company wanted to offer its customers was becoming very challenging. In addition, the team lacked the ability to efficiently process glasses with different coatings. That’s when they decided it was the right moment to invest in their very first tempering line and bring these capabilities in-house.

Lilja and his sister were convinced by a conversation with Glaston’s salesperson. “We looked at other competitors, but in the end, we chose Glaston. To be honest, it was the only realistic option for us. Plus, going with a Finnish company was very important – and a key factor in this investment,” Lilja says.

“Once the decision was made, the process went surprisingly quickly,” he adds. In March 2025, Lasiluoto became the first company in Finland to install Glaston’s FC Series E with Autopilot. The line is known for delivering exceptional glass quality and energy efficiency, especially in jumbo sizes.

Autopilot – the deciding factor

He goes on to say that Glaston’s Autopilot was the deciding factor for the investment. “Without Autopilot, we probably wouldn’t have invested at all,” Lilja notes.

Since this was our very first tempering furnace, we had no in-house expertise in tempering glass. For us, it was crucial to have the support of Autopilot so that we could take the furnace immediately into production without spending six months learning by trial and error.