First Class in Glass: TVH’s Blueprint for OEM Quality Cabin Glass

Joris: If we look at the evolution from a machine’s perspective, we’ve come a long way. Most mini excavators up until the 1990’s, for example, didn’t even have a cabin with windows and door panels. Glass wasn’t on the agenda back then. The main driver behind this cab evolution was safety legislation, such as the EN 474 standard. This standard, for example, defines safety requirements for earth-moving machinery. Technological improvements added a whole range of new features to the cabin, and comfort also played a major role. We now see cabs fitted with more features, such as heating and air conditioning, so that operators can work comfortably. And visibility has also become crucial: OEMs now offer larger glass panels all around to keep a better eye out on the job.

Ann-Sofie: That’s right. We closely follow the OEMs. If a brand develops a new type of glass, we will offer a product identical to the original. We also don’t just offer a new windscreen when it breaks. Customers can get the complete package: the right rubber seals, the right installation adhesive and even the windscreen wipers and windscreen wiper motor. 

Joris: Through acquisitions, we have built a wealth of expertise and a very broad product portfolio in recent years, making the customer experience much easier.

Ann-Sofie: When it comes to safety standards, our glass adheres to the usual standards, such as 43R in Europe and DOT in America. That remains fairly stable. But in terms of glass design, we notice an evolution. In the past, glass designs were usually mainly flat panes; now we see larger, cylindrical and even spherical panes. These panels don’t curve in just one direction, but in various directions. That’s better for aerodynamics and the driver’s visibility, but it makes things much more complex. Glassinter also uses different types of safety glass: laminated glass for windscreens, which holds together neatly if broken, thanks to a vinyl layer. We also offer tempered glass, which shatters into small, harmless pieces, and polycarbonate, which is virtually unbreakable but more susceptible to scratches.

Joris: Those large, curved windows do indeed present some logistical challenges.

Ann-Sofie: Absolutely. We’ve had to invest heavily in our supply chain and packaging capabilities. For single Glassinter orders of flat or slightly curved panes, we now use custom-made boxes. They are made to measure and manufactured on demand to suit their unique design. The glass pane is perfectly packaged and effectively ‘floats’ between the cardboard as a buffer. For large stock orders of, say, five or more items, we consolidate shipments to reduce volume using a new ‘shrink-wrap’ machine that allows us to pack everything securely in modular crates. And for really large, spherical and fragile panes, weighing 22 kilos or more, we now use specialised glass boxes or ‘glass racks’. We’re constantly looking for the best way to get that fragile glass to the customer intact.

Joris: I see three major challenges. One: the rapid pace of modifications and new machine models from manufacturers. This makes our stock management more complex. Two: identification errors. Ordering the wrong filter is one thing, but ordering a bulky windscreen incorrectly adds a great deal of waiting time. Three: the pressure on quality and price from competitors entering the market with cheaper alternatives. Glassinter always offers the same quality as OEMs, so you have to compare like-for-like products in terms of glass thickness and correct curvature; it’s nothing like the cheap competition.

Ann-Sofie: Logistics is also a challenge, especially since our daily volume has grown tenfold over the last four years. Managing high-volume, oversized, and fragile glass requires optimised warehouse operations and careful shipping protocols to prevent transport damage. 

Another known issue with forklift trucks is that people often use aftermarket cabs that differ from the original. To guarantee a correct glass match every time, we’re launching our new ‘glass search tool’. Customers can search not only by make, model and serial number, but also by dimensions, and we provide clear photos and drawings to double-check if the shape is correct.

Joris: If I had to focus on one thing, it would be local stock. The customer comes first, and machine downtime costs money. Sending a windscreen from Belgium to South Africa takes time. By investing in local stock, we drastically reduce transit time, which significantly boosts our sales opportunities. Our Glassinter product offering is already rock-solid; we’re one of the world’s leading players across earthmoving, material handling and agriculture, so the biggest growth now lies in expanding that local availability.

Ann-Sofie: Absolutely right. We’re already expanding stock levels across our branches in Europe, the Americas and APAC. By analysing our data, we determine which fast movers we need to have in stock locally. If you have high-quality glass available locally, you avoid costly long-distance transport charges. That simply puts you in an incredibly strong position as a brand, and I see a great deal of potential for future growth there.

At TVH, you can enjoy high-quality glass solutions at the right price thanks to Glassinter. But that’s not all! Our commitment to providing you with the best products also means that our extensive range is backed up by first-class service. Our regional warehouses stock these glass solutions locally to ensure fast delivery. This minimises waiting time and maximises productivity!

With Glassinter, we offer the widest range of first-class cabin glass, which includes:

• Glass in various types of materials, such as tempered glass, laminated glass and polycarbonate.
• Glass in different shapes and forms, including flat glass, cylindrically curved glass and spherically curved glass.
• Glass combinations and kits, such as cabin window sealing profiles, framed units and cabin door glass panels. 

Our glass solutions are suitable for over 500 makes of construction, agricultural, industrial and material handling equipment, such as:

Bobcat • BT • Case IH • Caterpillar • CLAAS • Clark • Deutz • Doosan • EP • Fendt • Genie • Hangcha • JCB • JLG • John Deere • Jungheinrich • Komatsu • Kubota • Linde • Massey Ferguson • Manitou • Merlo • Mitsubishi • New Holland • Nissan • Still • Takeuchi • TCM • Toyota • Valtra • Volvo • Yale • Yanmar • 

Read some of our other blogs to find out more about the first-class glass from Glassinter:

• Custom-made packaging for every Glassinter window 
• Why Glassinter is the perfect fit for machine glass and accessories
• A success story - developing heated Linde windshields with Glassinter

• Click here for more info about Glassinter.
• Visit our online shop to order Glassinter glass panels and windscreen-related accessories.
• Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

This blog post is brought to you by your Glassinter team.