What goes on at a modern glass processing factory? The answer: a heck of a lot.

To illustrate this, we recently filmed an exclusive video tour of abc Glass’s Portsmouth HQ, using hi-definition drone and video camera footage. In just 5 minutes you can explore our entire indoor facility from a bird’s eye view and enjoy close-up shots of our glass processing techniques in action.

A sneak peek of cutting-edge

The opening sequence takes you on a panoramic tour of our warehouse during a typical working day. Starting at the eastern end, the drone sweeps across the entire factory space – far above the heads of our 30-strong team of technicians. We’ve even labelled each machine in turn, so you can see where specific glass processing tasks are carried out.

From the 1:17 mark, focus shifts to our state-of-the-art glass processing technology in action. The first technique we see is high-pressure water jet glass cutting and shaping, made possible by our Intermac Primus Water Jet machine. We then get a glimpse of a glass toughening plant (2:36), futuristic automated glass cutting line (2:57), and glass laminating (4:32).

The longest sequence is devoted to our pride and joy: the CNC glass cutting and shaping machines (3:45). Here you can see both our horizontal and vertical machines in action, with torrents of water blasting against toughened glass sheets. These machines are 100% computer controlled and allow us to produce glass to complex shapes and designs.

It’s not just snazzy machines that do all the work, though. Our team’s glass wizardry extends to cutting, shaping and painting by hand, using methods that have stood the test of time.  At 2:15 we see an abc Glass technician back painting glass sheets with a hand-held spraying device. Next up is glass polishing and bevelling by hand (2:20), a process that calls for extreme care and attention to detail and we are one of only a handful of companies in the UK still to offer this service.

Last, but certainly not least, we see the unsung heroes of abc Glass: the customer service team (4:46). These are the friendly folks who help with any and all enquiries about our services and glass products.

How did we film it?

To shoot the video, we turned to our partners Carica Media. Days of planning went into a single day’s shoot – we had to consider safety, time constraints, and the physical challenges of shooting in a busy workspace.

Phill, Carica Media’s resident photographer, used a combination of drone footage, static tripod cameras and gimbals to capture our people and processes in action. The drone sequence was challenging due to ceiling lights and the roof structure, and the hand held shots required great care as many of our glass processing machines are fitted with laser circuit-breakers that cause a full shut down if interfered with. Filming around these sensitive lasers was like walking through a minefield!

If you enjoyed the video tour, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn & Pinterest). For enquiries about our glass processing services, and to learn how we can help with your next project, get in touch via the Contact page.