Guardian Glass North America announces enhancements to its certification program for architectural glass fabricators in the United States and Canada.
With the changes, current independent Guardian Select® Fabricators become Guardian Select® Advantage Fabricators, while those companies with advanced capabilities and quality standards that can meet the Elite program parameters can become Guardian Select® Elite Fabricators. Elite Fabricators have the opportunity to work with Guardian Glass on projects that demand higher optical quality standards.
Supported by Guardian’s new Elite Optical Quality specification, architects will benefit from a glass product with the desired glass aesthetic and performance, coming through an improved supply chain with exemplary quality standards and service.
“The goal of the newly imagined program is to provide resources, services and support more specifically aligned with the needs of our Select Fabricator customers while at the same time answering the call from the architectural community for more stringent quality standards,” says Brian Schulz, Segment Marketing Manager, Commercial for Guardian Glass North America. “Guardian looks forward to joining our fabricator partners in creating value by opening up new project opportunities with SunGuard® advanced architectural glass.”
Since 2007, Guardian Glass has brought value to fabricators and architects through the Guardian Select® Fabricator program. These improvements were necessary to keep pace with fabricator growth and were developed from analysis of fabricator and architect interviews, research and insights into the North American commercial glass industry.
Key advances in the program include:
- Fabricators are grouped in a new tiered model based on processing capability quality standards and project scope.
- Fabricators in the Elite category will undergo a more robust and stringent certification process and more frequent re-certifications.
- The Guardian Select® Elite Fabricator must have specific processing equipment, quality practices and measuring devices to meet the advanced standards.
- The Elite fabricator program incorporates the Elite Optical Quality specification, a new specification from Guardian Glass that assures the most stringent specification targets and processing controls are in place to achieve the highest level of optical qualities of glass on a project.
Fabricators and architects can visit the Guardian Glass website to learn more about the new Guardian Select® Fabricator program.
About Guardian Glass
Guardian Glass, a major business unit of Guardian Industries, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of float, coated and fabricated glass products. At its 25 float plants around the globe, Guardian Glass produces high performance glass for use in exterior (both commercial and residential) and interior architectural applications, as well as transportation and technical products. You’ll find Guardian glass in homes, offices, vehicles and some of the world’s most iconic architectural landmarks. The Guardian Glass Science & Technology Center continuously works to create new glass products and solutions using the most advanced technology to help customers see what’s possible™. Visit guardianglass.com.
About Guardian Industries
Guardian Industries, a global company headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, operates facilities throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Guardian companies employ 18,000 people and manufacture high-performance float glass; coated and fabricated glass products for architectural, residential, interior, transportation and technical glass applications; and high-quality chrome-plated and painted plastic components for the automotive and commercial truck industries. Guardian’s vision is to be a preferred partner to our customers, suppliers, employees and communities based on a foundation of mutual benefit. This drives our relentless focus on improving people’s lives by providing products and services they value more highly than their alternatives and doing so responsibly while consuming fewer resources. Guardian is a wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc. Visit guardian.com.