What is expected to be the biggest glass processing, tempering and double glazing factory in Qatar is set to be officially opened when Qatar Glass Industries inaugurates its facility this month.

The factory, which had a soft opening in September, has already been contracted to supply glass products for Al Noor Tower (15,000 sq m), Beach Tower (12,000 sq m), Um Bab Tower (20,000 sq m) and Al Majid Tower (9,000 sq m).
“Qatar Glass Industries (QGI) is the biggest glass processing, tempering and double glazing factory in Qatar,” says Khaldoun Al Masari, managing partner. “We are equipped with the latest and the most technologically-advanced machinery and network software, imported from Finland, Germany, Austria and Italy.”
“Our investment of more than QR50 million ($13.77 million) is already paying dividends, and our reputation of being able to satisfy the huge demand for high-performance glass conforming to international standards is already growing – so much so, our customers are unable to take delivery of their orders because we are turning the orders around faster than they can use them,” he adds.
Qatar currently imports 80 per cent of its glass requirements from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and QGI’s aim is to take at least 35 per cent of that market. QGI’s mission is to work alongside architects and designers and provide them with high-performance glass products that comply with international safety and quality standards, while being flexible with delivery schedules.
“Glass sheets are supplied as stock to us, and we cut it to our customers’ requirements in sizes of up to 6 by 3 m. This is a first in Qatar,” says Khaldoun proudly. “We are also the first in Qatar to be able to heat strengthen glass, in thickness ranging from 4 mm to 19 mm.”
“One of our unique services is that we are able to supply ‘low energy glass’ (low-e). This glass is soft coated using the new-technology Tamglass Pro E convection furnace, making the glass distortion free. This glass is commonly used in towers and for curtain-walling,” says Khaldoun.
“Keeping track of our customers orders is extremely important to us, so we have installed the Lisec management software, which enables us to follow an order right from initial signature through to final delivery, including being able to programme the cutting, tempering and bar coding of each unit.” Khaldoun points out. “This job tracking system allows us to know precisely where each piece of glass is at any given time and also to know what the technical requirements were for that order, in case of repeat orders and so on.”
QGI’s attention to delivery is further demonstrated by the fact that it has imported special racks from Austria to hold and store the glass products, until the order is delivered to the site manager. Once the material has been used, QGI retrieves the racks and replenishes them, thus speeding up delivery and protecting the glass product.
QGI’s production line comprises:
• A fully-automated jumbo-size flat glass cutting line from Lisec of Austria. It is equipped with automatic transport and positioning system with free-fall glass rack;
• A tempering and heat strengthening line from Tamglass of Finland. The latest Tamglass Pro-E convection furnace is 244 cm in width and 450 cm in length, with a high capacity to produce the best quality optical vision, high-performance glass and soft coated low-e glass;
• Insulated double glazing line from Lisec of Austria, which offers the latest advanced technology for high capacity and the highest quality of double glazing;
• Highly-advanced glass processing machines supplied from Italy by Officina Meccanica Schiatti Angelo, Lovati Fratelli and Beltex, which are reputed to be among the leaders in quality fine edging, shape edging, drilling and arissing; and
• Automated sandblasting machine, supplied by Dynamiki of Greece, which enables mass production of decorated and textured glass.
In addition, QGI purchased the latest heavy-duty cranes from Demag of Germany, including a heavy-duty 5-tonne jib crane, which has been installed at the main entrance of the loading bay to speed up the unloading of glass trucks with high security and precision. Here, the glass boxes are unloaded easily from the truck and handed over directly to the heavy-duty overhead crane placed inside the factory which in turn places them on the storage racks and also on the free-fall rack of the automated cutting table.
Logistics Systems of Austria supplied QGI with heavy-duty mobile, fixed and storage racks, including special racks for the double glazing line, facilitating the handling of glass for each project.
Other equipment such as the automatic suction lifter and clipper has been supplied by RBB-Italy to ease the transportation of huge thick glass sheets and forwarding it to the cutting table with the support of the overhead crane, thus eliminating the risk of glass breakage which could occur if the sheets were handled manually.
QGI has also bought the latest water treatment plant, which will provide its fully automated Lisec washing machines with purified water, ensuring that the processed glass is washed clean with treated warmed water.
Qatar Glass Industries is backed by all the necessary tools and work benches to temper, polish edges, drill holes and shape the glass.
In addition to fulfilling the demands for high-performance optical vision glass double glazed for compounds, villas and towers, QGI also caters to smaller projects such as frameless shopfront glass facades with normal or spider system fittings; internal glass partitions with frameless doors of different assemblies; shower enclosures and screens; glass stairs with stainless steel structure and fittings; glass balustrades; panoramic glass elevators; decorative glass and mirrors of various shapes and designs; ceramic coloured tempered glass; sandblasted patterned glass with any required design and ultra-violet glass bonding.
Given the overwhelming response to its facilities, QGI already has plans to expand the facility by a further 7,000 sq m, and to increase the single shift to three, as well as extend its product range and services to include autoclave glass lamination, tempered curved glass, heat soak testing, silk screening and gas-filled double glazing units.