Sharpening the edge in a niche interior market
Celebrating 40 years of being in business, Kensington Glass Arts decided it was time to upgrade its old Tamglass furnace to Glaston’s RC350. The deal-clinching factor was Glaston’s agreement to get the new furnace installed, commissioned and running saleable tempered glass in just three weeks. With his
exceptional ability to orchestrate teamwork, David Stone, CEO of Kensington Glass Arts, coached the joint teams into completing this nearly impossible schedule on time.
“Instead of buying new equipment, we got a used Tamglass along with new CNC and polishing equipment in 2002. After using the old furnace for 15 years, it was a clear priority on our list to upgrade,” David explains. “The market has improved over the past five years. So, we have had our eyes set on upgrading how we fabricate glass, as this area offers us the biggest growth potential.”
David had been tracking manufacturers of tempering furnaces for a number of years. He also visited the top international glass shows.
“We reached out to several manufacturers to find out how long it would take them to deliver a new tempering furnace, what all would be involved, and what would be the costs and process. We stipulated that the new furnace had to be up and running in three weeks from the time that the delivery crates arrived. The ultimate challenge, I guess,” David smiles.
“Since I was already predisposed to liking Glaston, I listened to all they agreed on – and was convinced by their confidence in being able to help us make the deadline,” he says.
“In the end, it all went well, because everyone did their best to pull together. By June 12, the new furnace was producing glass, exactly three weeks to the day,” David says with a smile – exactly what Glaston promised. “The entire project worked because we were all on board fully to get it done.”
