The story of NBS is the story of a company that has built its growth around a simple yet radical question: how should a glass factory operate today, and how will it need to operate tomorrow?
The new East Japan facility was born from this reflection. Not as a simple production expansion, but as an industrial project designed from the outset to handle large glass sheets, advanced automation, and complex production flows — while maintaining the flexibility required for standard production.
A vision that took shape through close collaboration with Forel.
“Our story began in 1987,” says Toshiaki Kato, CEO and Founder of NBS. “At the time, we were a glass delivery company.”
In the years that followed, NBS gradually expanded its role—from logistics to operational support, and eventually to direct management of production activities. This path led the company first into tempered glass, then laminated glass, and ultimately to becoming a fully integrated manufacturer of glass products.
“Everything has always been managed in-house, in a fully self-contained way,” Kato explains. “This approach allowed us to control every stage, from materials and people to machinery.”
Today, at its East Japan facility, NBS produces large-sized insulating glass and is recognized as one of the most structured players in the Japanese glass industry.
Before the construction of the new plant, NBS’s production focused mainly on standard products. However, ongoing market analysis and constant dialogue with customers highlighted a clear shift.
“We realized that, especially in the lower sections of buildings, glass sizes in Japan were becoming significantly larger,” Kato notes.
This led to a strategic decision: to build a factory capable of handling jumbo glass sheets up to 3,300 × 9,000 mm, without compromising efficiency, quality, or cost competitiveness.
“In construction, cost remains a decisive factor,” he adds. “The real challenge was understanding how to combine large dimensions with competitiveness.”
To meet this challenge, NBS adopted a production model strongly oriented toward systemized processes and automation that enables smooth access to different manufacturing stages like grinding, toughening and insulating glass production, while combining additional operations with minimal manual handling, delivering consistent high quality, accuracy and enhanced safety, even with the extreme formats.
“When we saw the Sorting System in operation, we understood that systematic manufacturing was the right path,” Kato explains. “For Japan to remain competitive, we need to move beyond the limits of manual production.”
During the project’s development phase, NBS visited other plants and observed existing solutions in operation. It was at this point that the collaboration with Forel truly took shape.
Approximately 60% of the equipment installed in the new facility was supplied by Forel. A single machine did not drive this choice, but Forel’s ability to deliver a fully integrated production flow.
“Forel’s strength lies in covering the entire production chain,” Kato explains. “From the Sorting System to edge processing and insulating glass production.”
In a factory of this scale, coordination between stages is essential. Cutting, intermediate processing, and final assembly must operate as a continuous connected coherent system. Choosing a single partner capable of ensuring this consistency proved to be a decisive factor.
At the East Japan facility, automation is not driven solely by productivity goals. Handling nine-meter-long glass sheets manually is neither feasible or sustainable— in terms of safety and operational continuity.
“Manually handling a glass of this size is no longer an option,” Kato states.
Thanks to Forel’s solution, operators can now focus on supervision, quality control, and process optimization. The result is a safer working environment and a more stable long-term production model.
Today, the East Japan facility is one of the largest and most advanced glass plants worldwide. It was designed around the principles of automation, systemization, and IoT integration to support production focused, high-value-added products.
“When investing in a new factory, it’s essential to be clear about what you want to achieve,” Kato concludes. “If you are building a system, you need a partner capable of supporting it over time.”
With this foundation in place, NBS looks to the future with clear objectives: consolidate its competitive advantage and verify its position as a national benchmark for large-format architectural glass production. A factory designed for today’s needs—and, above all, for decades to come.
