Flat Glass Industries Transitions for the Future

December 19, 2017

On Friday, David Peart (GMC CEO) visited Flat Glass Industries and saw the amazing work being done by a local company to transition from automotive into a new future focused industry.

Flat Glass Industries (FGI) Geelong, part of MHG, a GMC member, decided to accept the challenge and reinvent themselves when the closure of automotive manufacturing threatened their business.

Through hard work by Dean Haritos, Neil Lynch and their team, the company is setting itself up to supply what is a new market for them – architectural glass.

This is a great story for Geelong and it demonstrates a vibrancy in the sector and a willingness to adapt to market conditions. The company is firmly pushing forward into the advanced manufacturing space through its use of innovation, state of the art equipment, systems and processes.

Minister for Industry Ben Carroll also visited FGI to announce their successful application for the Victorian Government’s Local Industry Fund for Transition (LIFT). Thanks to the Government’s support, FGI has successfully started the transition from automotive glass to supplying glass to homes and businesses. The transition will see FGI  retain its 75 strong workforce and provide them with an opportunity to re-skill.  The company is also creating an additional five jobs.

As part of the project, the company is revamping a dedicated automotive glass processing facility that otherwise would have closed and is converting it to a state-of-the-art architectural glass facility with new machinery.

GMC applauds the team at FGI and encourages other companies to seek out further opportunities and where appropriate available funding  to achieve their goal. Funding currently open for applications includes: