Because the company was planning new construction to expand flat glass production at its site in Bolu, Turkey, the specialty glass manufacturer Schott wanted to rethink and calculate processes, material flows, logistics workflows, and most importantly, all the what-if scenarios beforehand.   As mass customization is also affecting Schott’s glass production, relatively small lot sizes and an highly diverse product portfolio determine the factory’s output. Several thousand different glass products are stacked at the end of the lines and prepared for shipping. The highly flexible production requires that all the workflows for each order proceed perfectly. Objective: avoiding mis investment

It was the first time in Schott’s history that an entire glass factory of this size was simulated beforehand.
This involved the simulation, analysis, visualization, and optimization of production processes, material flows, and logistics workflows on an entire plant floor.    The glass experts at Schott benefited from their own experience and from Siemens’ Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software.

As a result, optimized production at the highly flexible flat glass processing factory for the household appliance industry also became a reality in spring of 2022.

Specialty glass manufacturer Schott has invested about €9 million in its new flat glass production facilities at its location in Bolu, Turkey – including state-of-the-art production technology and a digital infrastructure. The subsidiary Schott Orim, located just 500 meters away from the new construction, currently delivers high-caliber flat glass to household appliance manufacturers at home and abroad. Glass from Schott withstands oven heat, ensures that cooking surfaces are easy to clean, illuminates shelves in refrigerators, and transforms extractor hoods into design objects. To expand its production capacities in Bolu by about half, Schott decided to build a new factory that replaced the existing factory.