Glass

Simplified and strategic custom glass sourcing

We take the risk out of custom glass sourcing with clever, flexible solutions tailored to customer needs. We have a strong 20-year relationship with accredited manufacturers in China. Our key manufacturing contact has spent over two decades building connections and relationships to source anything our customers require.

Custom Sourcing Glass

Our Process

Product Specification Phase:
  • Working with our clients’ designers and engineers, we translate performance criteria and sketches into specifications, compliance requirements and drawings.
  • We send this information to our suppliers for an initial assessment of manufacturability and quoting. Our manufacturers determine if they can produce the design reliably and at the lowest possible cost to meet the performance criteria. Then they provide a quote.
  • If we identify opportunities for design improvement through this process, we discuss and evaluate these with the client for feasibility, cost and timing, and we then update the specifications and drawings before obtaining final quotes.
Sample Phase:
  • After acceptance of a quote, our manufacturers deliver prototype samples for trial, feedback and approval. If any production tooling is needed, it is created once prototypes are accepted.
Quality Control:
  • Our client’s quality control and standards compliance needs are managed by the factory with third-party testing as required. This is done by our manufacturers, as well as by North American test labs (e.g. Intertek).
  • In many cases, our clients will visit our supplier’s facilities to witness first production runs and validate for themselves the quality of the manufacturing, testing and packaging.
  • Where required, all components and completed chairs are tested to meet the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association’s (BIFMA) standards with full test results provided.

Let's Talk

We can source any chair parts for you. Speak to our experts about your particular needs.

Fabrication capabilities

Our fabrication capabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Etching
  • Frosting
  • Bending
  • Beveling
  • Precision machining
  • Multiply glass lamination
  • Tempering
  • Silk-screening
  • Painting

Items custom sourced and fabricated

We can custom source any glass item or component for you. The following is a short list of the most popular items we source:

  • Shelves
  • Tempered Wall Panels and panels for white board applications
  • Mirrors
  • Textured glass panels
  • Tempered Curved Glass Components
  • Tempered Painted Machined Glass Panels

Notable projects

Custom Glass Sourcing for a Company that Already Has a Vendor

A large North American supplier of pet and aquarium products came to us when their current vendor was unable to supply custom curved glass of consistent quality.  Working off samples, drawings and design specifications, our manufacturing partner was able to produce a number of samples for customer testing. Once the samples were approved, we set up the quality control procedures at the factory, which included a list of 36 checks. The customer was ecstatic with the result and this is an on-going program many years later.

Result: Even though they already had a long-standing relationship with a Chinese vendor, they came to Comtrad as we were able to meet their needs for consistent quality and a reasonable price.

Helping to Expand a Customer’s Product Offerings

A large company that supplies glass wall panels for commercial buildings was interested in having us make glass panels and whiteboards for offices. In order to fully understand their needs, we had our manufacturing contact come to North America from China. The manufacturer was then able to set up production and QC standards to match the customer’s requirements. Our relationship with the customer has evolved to the point where we are suggesting new product lines to them, including a new glass dry erase projecting screen.

Result: We took the time to completely understand the customer’s requirements, even flying in the manufacturer for meetings. Today, we not only source and produce products for this customer, we are partners helping to grow their business.