RFID, BLE, IoT & Drones for Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing Industry

The glass and glass products manufacturing industry are a vital sector that encompasses the production of various glass-based products for numerous applications. It begins with the melting of raw materials, such as silica sand, soda ash, and limestone, in high-temperature furnaces to form molten glass. This molten glass is then shaped and processed into a wide array of products, including flat glass for windows and mirrors, container glass for bottles and jars, fiberglass for insulation and reinforcement, and specialty glass for electronics and optical instruments. The manufacturing process involves cutting, molding, annealing, and sometimes coating or laminating to achieve the desired properties. Industry plays a significant role in construction, automotive, packaging, and technology sectors, contributing to modern infrastructure and countless consumer products. Advances in glass technology continue to drive innovation, making it a dynamic and evolving field.

GAO’s RFID, BLE, IoT, and drone technologies have helped its customers in the glass and glass products manufacturing industry to improve their work processes, their operations and productivity by better management of their staff, materials and operational equipment such as furnaces, melting tanks, annealing ovens, glass forming machines, cutting and breaking equipment, glass laminating machines, glass coating equipment, glass printing machines, glass polishing machines, glass inspection systems, glass handling equipment, glass recycling equipment, conveyor systems, quality control tools, glass packaging machinery.

Ranked as one of the top 10 global RFID suppliers, GAO RFID Inc. is based in New York City, U.S. and Toronto, Canada. GAO offers a comprehensive selection of UHF, HF (including NFC) and LF RFID (radio frequency identification) readers and tags, BLE (Low Energy Bluetooth) gateways and beacons, and various RFID and BLE systems such as people tracking, asset tracking, access control, parking control, fleet management, WIP (work in progress), traceability. RFID and BLE products and systems, as well as its IoT and drone technologies, have been successfully deployed for Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing Industry. Its sister company, GAO Tek Inc. https://gaotek.com, is a leading supplier of industrial or commercial testers and analyzers, drones, and network products.

The targeted markets of both GAO RFID Inc. and GAO Tek Inc. are North America, particularly the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe. As a result, this website gaorfid.com is offered in English and other major languages of North America and Europe such as Spanish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian, Dutch, Turkish, Greek, Hungarian, Swedish, Czech, Portuguese, Serbian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Slovak, Catalan, Lithuanian, Bosnian, Galician, Slovene, Latvian, Estonian, Welsh, Icelandic, and Irish.

Applications & Benefits of GAO’s RFID, BLE, IoT & Drones for Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing Industry

To satisfy its customers, GAO’s RFID or RFID Systems for glass and glass products manufacturing are offered in 2 versions. One version is that its software is running on a local server that normally is on our client’s premises, and another version runs in the cloud. The cloud server could be GAO’s cloud server, client’s own cloud server or a cloud server from one of the leading cloud server providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud (formerly SoftLayer), Oracle Cloud, RedHat, Heroku, Digital Ocean, CloudFlare, Linode and Rackspace. The above illustrates GAO system for glass and glass products manufacturing software running on a local server.

The above illustrates GAO system for glass and glass products manufacturing with its software running in cloud.

GAO’s RFID and BLE technologies, consisting of RFID readers, RFID tags, BLE gateways, BLE beacons, software, cloud services and their systems, have the following applications in glass and glass product manufacturing industry:

Raw Material Tracking: GAO’s RFID tags can be affixed to incoming raw materials like silica sand, soda ash, and limestone. This allows for real-time monitoring of inventory levels, ensuring a steady supply to the glass melting furnaces.
Furnace Temperature Monitoring: GAO’s RFID sensors placed within the high-temperature furnaces can collect temperature data, ensuring optimal furnace operation and preventing equipment failures or deviations in glass composition.
Glass Batch Identification: GAO’s RFID tags on batches of molten glass help identify and trace them as they move through the glass forming machines, such as float glass production lines or glass blowing machines.
Mold and Die Management: GAO’s RFID-enabled molds and dies assist in tracking their usage, maintenance schedules, and replacement needs in glass shaping processes, enhancing equipment longevity and product quality.
Worker Safety: GAO’s RFID-enabled safety badges or wearables can monitor the location of workers, ensuring their safety in potentially hazardous environments like annealing ovens and glass tempering equipment.
Product Quality Assurance: GAO’s RFID technology can be employed to record and monitor the quality parameters of glass products during and after production, helping to identify defects and maintain high-quality standards.

GAO’s drone technologies find the following applications in the glass and glass product manufacturing industry:

Facility Inspection and Maintenance: GAO’s drones equipped with cameras and sensors can perform aerial inspections of glass manufacturing facilities, identifying maintenance needs on roofs, ventilation systems, and exterior structures to ensure the safety and integrity of the premises.
Inventory Management: GAO’s drones can be employed to perform real-time inventory checks in glass storage areas, ensuring an accurate count of glass sheets, molds, and other raw materials.
Equipment Monitoring: GAO’s drones can monitor the operational status of specialized glass manufacturing equipment, such as glass shaping machines and annealing ovens, detecting early signs of wear or malfunction.
Safety Surveillance: GAO’s drones equipped with thermal cameras can conduct safety surveillance during glass production processes, ensuring compliance with safety protocols and identifying potential hazards in real-time.
Environmental Compliance: GAO’s drones can assess emissions and pollution levels, helping glass manufacturing facilities stay compliant with environmental regulations specific to the Nursing Care Facilities Industry.
Energy Efficiency: GAO’s drones can analyse energy consumption patterns in manufacturing plants, identifying areas for energy-saving improvements, such as optimizing furnace operations and HVAC systems.
Supply Chain and Logistics: GAO’s drones can assist in tracking the movement of glass products within and outside the facility, enhancing supply chain management and streamlining logistics for shipping glass products to nursing care facilities.
Site Survey and Planning: GAO’s drones can conduct aerial surveys, collect topographic data, and assist in site planning.

GAO’s IoT technologies, consisting of IoT sensors, sensors networks and systems, find the following applications in the glass and glass product manufacturing industry:

Furnace Optimization: GAO’s IoT sensors within glass melting furnaces can monitor temperature, pressure, and fuel consumption, ensuring the efficient operation of these critical equipment pieces, which are vital in the glass and glass product manufacturing industry.
Predictive Maintenance: GAO’s IoT-enabled sensors on glass forming machines, like float glass production lines and glass blowing machines, can predict maintenance needs, reducing downtime and optimizing production output.
Energy Management: GAO’s IoT systems can track energy consumption in real-time, helping glass and glass product manufacturing facilities optimize power usage, especially in energy-intensive processes such as glass tempering and annealing.
Quality Control: GAO’s IoT sensors can continuously monitor the quality of glass products throughout production, alerting glass quality technicians to any deviations and ensuring that products meet industry standards.
Supply Chain Visibility: GAO’s IoT-enabled tracking systems help monitor the movement of glass products from the manufacturing facility to distribution coordinators in the supply chain, ensuring timely deliveries to customers.
Inventory Optimization: GAO’s IoT sensors on glass storage racks can provide real-time data on inventory levels, helping inventory managers avoid shortages and reduce excess stock.
Worker Safety: GAO’s IoT wearables, such as smart helmets for glass blowers or smart gloves for glass edge processors, can monitor worker safety by tracking vital signs and detecting unsafe conditions.
Environmental Compliance: GAO’s IoT systems can measure and report emissions and environmental data to ensure compliance with environmental regulations specific to the glass and glass product manufacturing industry.
Glass Coating Control: GAO’s IoT sensors can monitor the application of coatings on glass surfaces, ensuring the correct thickness and coverage for various products, including architectural glass and glass tableware.
Real-time Data Analysis: GAO’s IoT analytics platforms can process data from various stages of glass production, providing plant managers and process engineers with actionable insights for process optimization.

GAO Helps Customers Comply with Standards, Mandates & Regulations of Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing Industry

GAO RFID Inc. has helped many companies in glass and glass product manufacturing industry to deploy RFID, BLE, IoT and drone systems and to ensure such deployments complying with the applicable industry standards, mandates and government regulations:

RFID, BLE, IoT, & Drone Standards & Mandates

ISO 18000
EPCglobal Gen2
Bluetooth SIG
IEEE 802.15.4
MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)
CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol)
OneM2M
ISO 21384
ASTM F38

US Government Regulations

Clean Air Act (CAA)
Clean Water Act (CWA)
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations
Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR)
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) labeling regulations
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on emissions and hazardous substances
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for glass used in food and pharmaceutical packaging
Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations for glass transport and packaging

Canadian Government Regulations

Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA)
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA)
Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act (TDGA)
Hazardous Products Act (HPA)
Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (OHSR)
Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA)
Food and Drugs Act (FDA)
Competition Act (CA)
Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards for glass products
Transportation Regulations (Transport Canada)

GAO Software Provides Easy Integration with API

GAO’s RFID and BLE software offers a free trial for both the server-based and cloud versions, and offers an API to the important systems in glass and glass products manufacturing such as:

Personnel Management:

Employee Scheduling and Attendance Tracking
Training and Certification Management
Safety Compliance

Equipment Management:

Maintenance Scheduling
Equipment Health Monitoring
Energy Management

Access Control:

Physical Access Control
Cybersecurity

Warehouse Management:

Inventory Tracking
Order Management
Quality Control

Supply Chain Management:

Supplier Management
Distribution and Logistics
Demand Forecasting

Other Applications:

Quality Assurance
Environmental Compliance
Product Traceability
Energy Efficiency
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

GAO has enabled its customers to make use of some of the leading software and cloud services in the glass and glass products manufacturing industry. Below are some of the popular software and cloud services in glass and glass products manufacturing such as SAP SuccessFactors, ADP Workforce Now, Kronos Workforce Central and BambooHR. For equipment management, notable options are AWS, Microsoft Azure, eMaint CMMS, Flix, UpKeep, Maintenance Connection and MPulse Maintenance Software. Access control solutions encompass Blue Yonder(formerly JDA Software) . In the realm of warehouse management, top choices consist of Manhattan Associates Warehouse Management, Oracle Warehouse Management Cloud, SAP Extended Warehouse Management and Blue Yonder Warehouse Management. In supply chain management, SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP), Oracle Supply Chain Management Cloud, JDA Software, Manhattan Associates SCM. General application software are SAP ERP, Oracle ERP Cloud.

GAO has worked with some of the leading technology companies glass and glass products manufacturing to provide integrated RFID, BLE, IoT and drone solutions to customers. Here are some of the technology leaders in glass and glass products manufacturing such as SAP, Oracle, IBM, Plex Systems, Siemens, HORN Glass Industries AG, Xpar Vision, Tiama, Fives, SCHOTT AG, Owens -Illinois Inc., Nippon Sheet Glass Co, Ltd, etc.

Case Studies of RFID, IoT & Drone Applications

Case Studies of RFID Applications

Below are some RFID application cases in glass and glass products manufacturing industry.

In the USA, a major automotive manufacturer was experiencing a high rate of internal supply chain damage to parts moving from plant to plant and within their warehouses. To address this challenge, the company implemented a ShockWatch RFID impact indicator program. ShockWatch RFID tags are affixed to assets, and if the asset experiences an impact exceeding the tag’s threshold, the tag will activate. When the tagged asset is scanned by a standard UHF reader, the asset’s condition is automatically entered into the company’s ERP system. This allows the company to quickly identify damaged goods without a visual inspection and take corrective action.

In Canada, a leading manufacturer of doors and windows was looking for a way to improve the efficiency of its manufacturing process and reduce waste. To address this challenge, the company implemented an RFID system to track the movement of materials and products throughout the manufacturing process. The RFID system provides real-time visibility into the location of materials and products, which helps the company to reduce setup times and improve throughput.

In Mexico, a leading manufacturer of glass and glass products in Mexico. The company was looking for a way to improve the efficiency of its manufacturing process and reduce waste. To address this challenge, the company implemented an RFID system to track the movement of materials and products throughout the manufacturing process. The RFID system provides real-time visibility into the location of materials and products, which helps the company to reduce setup times and improve throughput.

In Europe, a leading manufacturer of flat glass and fabricated glass products in Europe. The company was looking for a way to improve the efficiency of its manufacturing process and reduce waste. To address this challenge, the company implemented an RFID system to track the movement of materials and products throughout the manufacturing process. The RFID system provides real-time visibility into the location of materials and products, which helps the company to reduce setup times and improve throughput.

Many applications of RFID by GAO can be found here.

Healthcare|RFID Solutions

Case Studies of IoT Applications

Below are some IoT application cases in the glass and glass products manufacturing industry.

IoT-enabled manufacturing process monitoring is being used by glass manufacturers in the USA to ensure that products are manufactured to the highest quality standards and to identify and correct potential problems early on. Asset tracking with IoT is helping US glass manufacturers to improve on-time delivery, reduce inventory shrinkage, and improve efficiency.

Asset tracking with IoT is helping Canadian glass manufacturers to improve on-time delivery, reduce inventory shrinkage, and improve efficiency. IoT-driven energy monitoring is helping Canadian glass manufacturers to identify and reduce energy waste.

IoT-powered quality control is enabling Mexican glass manufacturers to identify and correct quality problems early on, reducing waste and improving customer satisfaction. IoT-driven distribution tracking is helping Mexican glass manufacturers to improve on-time delivery and reduce inventory shrinkage.

IoT-driven predictive maintenance is helping European glass manufacturers to reduce downtime and improve efficiency.

Case Studies of Drone Applications

Below are some drone application cases in the glass and glass products manufacturing industry.

A major glass manufacturer in the USA is using drones to inspect the condition of its glass furnaces. The drones are equipped with high-resolution cameras that can detect cracks and other defects in the furnaces. This helps the company to identify and repair problems early on, preventing costly downtime.

A glass manufacturer in Canada is using drones to monitor its inventory levels. The drones are equipped with RFID readers that can scan the tags on glass panels to track their location and quantity. This helps the company to ensure that it has the materials it needs on hand to meet customer demand.

In Mexico, a glass manufacturer is using drones to deliver finished products to its customers. The drones can fly over traffic and reach remote locations, which makes them ideal for this task. This helps the company to reduce its reliance on trucks and other ground transportation, saving time and money.

In Europe, a glass manufacturer is using drones to deliver spare parts to its service centers. This helps the company to reduce downtime for its customers.

GAO RFID Systems & Hardware for Glass and Glass Products Manufacturing

GAO RFID Inc. offers the largest selection of BLE gateways, BLE beacons, RFID readers, tags, antenna, printers, and integrated RFID systems for various industries, including glass and glass products manufacturing.

BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)

GAO offers advanced BLE gateways:

BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)

as well as versatile beacons with such important functions as temperature, humility, vibration and panic button:

GAO RFID Beacons

GAO’s BLE technology is suitable for many industries, including glass and glass products manufacturing.

UHF (Ultra High Frequency) RFID

GAO offers the largest selection of UHF RFID readers for various industries, including glass and glass products manufacturing:

GAO RFID offers the widest choice of UHF RFID tags, labels, badges, wristbands for various industries, including glass and glass products manufacturing:

and an array of antennas to address different applications:

RFID Antennas UHF 860-960 MHz

HF (High Frequency), NFC (Near Field Communications) and LF (Low Frequency) RFID

GAO offers the largest selection of HF, NFC, and LF RFID readers for various industries, including glass and glass products manufacturing:

HF, NFC and LF RFID tags, labels, badges, wristbands for various industries, including glass and glass products manufacturing:

and antennas:

GAO also offers RFID printers:

GAO RFID Printers

Digital I/O adapters:

GAO RFID Digital IO adapters

and relay controllers:

GAO RFID Relay controllers

For embedded applications, GAO offers UHF, HF and LF RFID reader modules:

In collaboration with its sister company GAO Tek Inc, a wide selection of high-quality drones is offered:

https://gaotek.com/category/drones/

The RFID systems by GAO are highly popular for clients in Glass and glass products manufacturing:

Physical asset or operational equipment tracking system:

GAO RFID Asset Tracking Software

Assets that can be effectively tracked using GAO’s technologies include storage tanks and containers, chemical pumps and transfer equipment, forklifts and pallet jacks, safety equipment (e.g., protective clothing, gloves, respirators), labeling and packaging machinery, quality control and testing equipment, computer systems for inventory management, transportation vehicles (e.g., trucks, tankers), climate-controlled storage warehouses, and specialized handling equipment for hazardous materials.

People or workers tracking system:

PERSONNEL TRACKING SOFTWARE

Personnel or people access control system:

ACCESS CONTROL SOFTWARE

Parking or vehicle control system:

PARKING CONTROL SOFTWARE

Furthermore, GAO provides the customization of RFID tags, RFID readers, BLE beacons and BLE gateways, IoT, drones, and systems and consulting services for Glass and glass products manufacturing and for various industries in all metropolitans in North America, particularly the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and Europe:

Gao Services.

GAO Makes Efforts to Satisfy Customers

Large Choice of Products

In order to satisfy the diversified needs of their corporate customers, GAO RFID Inc. and its sister company GAO Tek Inc. together offer a wide choice of RFID, BLE, IoT, drones, testing and measurement devices, and network products.

Overnight Delivery

In order to shorten the delivery to our customers, GAO has maintained a large stock of its products and is able to ship overnight within continental U.S. and Canada, and fast delivery to anywhere in Mexico and Europe from the nearest warehouse.

Local to Our Customers

We are located in both the U.S. and Canada. We travel to customers’ premises if necessary. Hence, we provide a very strong local support to our customers in North America, particularly the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and Europe. Furthermore, we have built partnerships with some integrators, consulting firms and other service providers in different cities to further strengthen our services. Here are some of the service providers in glass and glass products manufacturing we have worked with to serve our joint customers:

Atos
Capgemini
Cognizant
DXC Technology
IBM
Infosys
NTT Data
TCS

GAO Has Served Glass and Glass Products Manufacturing Extensively

GAO RFID Inc. and its sister company GAO Tek Inc. together offer a wide choice of RFID, BLE, IoT, drone, testing and measurement devices, and network products.

GAO’s products and technologies have helped its customers in glass and glass products manufacturing industry to achieve success in such as Industry 4.0, sustainability, smart glass, energy-efficient glass, circular economy, digital twin, IoT (Internet of Things), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), advanced materials, customization, quality control automation, supply chain optimization, safety culture, energy recovery systems, nanotechnology in glass, UV-C disinfection, bioactive glass, fire-resistant glass, hybrid glass composites, zero-energy buildings.

GAO RFID Inc. has deployed RFID, BLE and IoT projects for many companies in glass and glass products manufacturing, including many in its various divisions such as:

Flat Glass Manufacturing: This division focuses on the production of flat glass used in windows, doors, mirrors, and architectural applications. It includes the manufacture of float glass, tempered glass, laminated glass, and coated glass.
Container Glass Manufacturing: This sub-industry is dedicated to producing glass containers such as bottles and jars for packaging food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.
Fiberglass Manufacturing: Fiberglass manufacturing involves the production of glass fibers and composite materials used in applications like insulation, construction, automotive components, and aerospace.
Specialty Glass Manufacturing: Specialty glass manufacturers produce glass with unique properties for specialized applications. Examples include borosilicate glass for laboratory equipment, quartz glass for semiconductor manufacturing, and optical glass for lenses and optical devices.
Glassware and Tableware Manufacturing: This division focuses on the production of glassware and tableware, including drinking glasses, dishes, and decorative glass items.
Automotive Glass Manufacturing: Automotive glass manufacturers produce windshields, windows, and other glass components for vehicles. This sub-industry may also include the production of glass sunroofs and panoramic roofs.
Glass Insulation Manufacturing: This sub-industry specializes in the manufacture of glass wool and foam insulation materials used in construction for thermal and acoustic insulation.
Art and Stained-Glass Production: Artistic glass production involves creating stained glass windows, decorative glass art, and glass sculptures.
Electronic Display Glass Manufacturing: This division is involved in producing glass panels used in electronic displays such as LCD and OLED screens for televisions, smartphones, and computer monitors.
Glass Recycling and Reprocessing: Companies in this sub-industry focus on collecting, processing, and recycling glass materials to reduce waste and promote sustainability.
Glass Coatings and Films: Manufacturers in this segment produce coatings and films applied to glass surfaces for purposes like energy efficiency, UV protection, and privacy.
Safety and Security Glass Manufacturing: This division specializes in manufacturing safety glass products like laminated and tempered glass used in architectural and automotive applications for enhanced security.
Glass Packaging Solutions: Companies in this sub-industry provide packaging solutions using glass materials for various industries, including food and beverage, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Glass Component Manufacturing: This includes the production of glass components used in various industries, such as glass tubes for laboratory equipment, glass rods for fiber optics, and glass lenses for optical devices.

GAO’s technologies enable its customers in glass and glass products manufacturing to effectively track their workforces such as glassblower, glass technician, glass cutter, glass fabricator, glass installer, glass laminator, glass finisher, glass inspector, glass painter/decorator, glass engineer, quality control technician, glass production supervisor, glass plant manager, glass research scientist, glass sales representative, glass maintenance technician, glass batch mixer, glass production operator, glass designer, glass assembler and effectively track operational assets such as furnace, annealing oven, tempering furnace, cutting table, glass edging machine, laminating machine, insulating glass line, glass washing machine, glass drilling machine, glass beveling machine, glass bending oven, silkscreen printing machine, glass cutting plotter, glass inspection table, cullet crusher, glass handling equipment, glass kiln, glass engraving machine, glass tempering line, glass coating machine, glass melting tank, glass recycling equipment, batch mixer.

Here are some of the leading companies in glass and glass products manufacturing industry GAO has served: