{"id":14363,"date":"2025-12-17T14:36:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T13:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/?p=14363"},"modified":"2025-12-17T15:21:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T14:21:15","slug":"forel-and-nbsjapan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/","title":{"rendered":"NBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory"},"content":{"rendered":"

The story of NBS<\/strong> 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?<\/em><\/p>\n

The new East Japan facility<\/strong> 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<\/strong>, advanced automation<\/strong>, and complex production flows<\/strong> \u2014 while maintaining the flexibility required for standard production.<\/p>\n

A vision that took shape through close collaboration with Forel.<\/p>\n

A vision rooted in experience<\/h2>\n

\u201cOur story began in 1987,\u201d says Toshiaki Kato, CEO<\/strong> and Founder of NBS<\/strong>. \u201cAt the time, we were a glass delivery company.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In the years that followed, NBS gradually expanded its role\u2014from logistics to operational support, and eventually to direct management of production activities. This path led the company first into tempered glass<\/strong>, then laminated glass<\/strong>, and ultimately to becoming a fully integrated manufacturer of glass products<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cEverything has always been managed in-house, in a fully self-contained way,\u201d Kato explains. \u201cThis approach allowed us to control every stage, from materials and people to machinery.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, at its East Japan facility, NBS produces large-sized insulating glass<\/strong> and is recognized as one of the most structured players in the Japanese glass industry.<\/em><\/p>\n

From standard products to large formats<\/h2>\n

Before the construction of the new plant, NBS\u2019s production<\/strong> focused mainly on standard products. However, ongoing market analysis and constant dialogue with customers highlighted a clear shift<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe realized that, especially in the lower sections of buildings, glass sizes in Japan were becoming significantly larger,\u201d<\/em> Kato notes.<\/p>\n

This led to a strategic decision: to build a factory capable of handling jumbo glass sheets up to 3,300 \u00d7 9,000 mm<\/strong>, without compromising efficiency, quality, or cost competitiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn construction, cost remains a decisive factor,\u201d<\/em> he adds. \u201cThe real challenge was understanding how to combine large dimensions with competitiveness.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Automation and the Sorting System: the core of the project<\/h2>\n

To meet this challenge, NBS adopted a production model strongly oriented toward systemized processes<\/strong> and automation<\/strong> that enables smooth access<\/strong> to different manufacturing stages like grinding, toughening and insulating glass production, while combining additional operations with minimal manual handling, <\/strong>delivering consistent high quality, accuracy and enhanced safety, even with the extreme formats.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we saw the Sorting System in operation, we understood that systematic manufacturing was the right path,\u201d<\/em> Kato explains. \u201cFor Japan to remain competitive, we need to move beyond the limits of manual production.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

During the project\u2019s development phase, NBS visited other plants and observed existing solutions in operation. It was at this point that the collaboration with Forel<\/strong> truly took shape.<\/p>\n

Why Forel: a complete system, not individual machines<\/h2>\n

Approximately 60% of the equipment installed in the new facility<\/strong> was supplied by Forel. A single machine did not drive this choice, but Forel\u2019s ability to deliver a fully integrated production flow<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cForel\u2019s strength lies in covering the entire production chain,\u201d<\/em> Kato explains. \u201cFrom the Sorting System to edge processing and insulating glass production.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In a factory of this scale, coordination between stages<\/strong> is essential. Cutting, intermediate processing, and final assembly must operate as a continuous connected coherent system. Choosing a single partner<\/strong> capable of ensuring this consistency proved to be a decisive factor.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Automation with a human purpose<\/h2>\n

At the East Japan facility, automation<\/strong> is not driven solely by productivity goals. Handling nine-meter-long glass sheets manually is neither feasible or sustainable\u2014 in terms of safety and operational continuity.<\/p>\n

\u201cManually handling a glass of this size is no longer an option,\u201d<\/em> Kato states.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Forel\u2019s solution<\/strong>, operators can now focus on supervision, quality control, and process optimization. The result is a safer working environment<\/strong> and a more stable <\/strong>long-term production model<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A factory designed for the ages<\/h2>\n

Today, the East Japan facility<\/strong> is one of the largest and most advanced glass plants worldwide<\/strong>. It was designed around the principles of automation<\/strong>, systemization<\/strong>, and IoT integration<\/strong> to support production focused, high-value-added products.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen investing in a new factory, it\u2019s essential to be clear about what you want to achieve,\u201d<\/em> Kato concludes. \u201cIf you are building a system, you need a partner capable of supporting it over time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

With this foundation in place, NBS<\/strong> looks to the future with clear objectives: consolidate its competitive advantage and verify its\u00a0 position as a national benchmark<\/strong> for large-format architectural glass<\/strong> production. A factory designed for today\u2019s needs\u2014and, above all, for decades to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":14358,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[257],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-projects"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory - Forel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory - Forel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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 […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Forel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-17T13:36:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-17T14:21:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/forel_nbsjapan_vistaarea2-1-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1705\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ilenia Di Paola\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Escrito por\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ilenia Di Paola\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ilenia Di Paola\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/91258cae185dbe095cdc875c81ab98d1\"},\"headline\":\"NBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-17T13:36:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-17T14:21:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/\"},\"wordCount\":761,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/forel_nbsjapan_vistaarea2-1-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Projects\"],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/\",\"name\":\"NBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory - Forel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/forel_nbsjapan_vistaarea2-1-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-17T13:36:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-17T14:21:15+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/forel_nbsjapan_vistaarea2-1-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/forel_nbsjapan_vistaarea2-1-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1705},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/\",\"name\":\"Forel\",\"description\":\"Machinery for flat glass & double glazing industries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Forel Spa\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Forel\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/logo-forel.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/logo-forel.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":147,\"caption\":\"Forel\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/FORELspa\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/91258cae185dbe095cdc875c81ab98d1\",\"name\":\"Ilenia Di Paola\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory - Forel","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/","og_locale":"es_ES","og_type":"article","og_title":"NBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory - Forel","og_description":"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 […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/","og_site_name":"Forel","article_published_time":"2025-12-17T13:36:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-17T14:21:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1705,"url":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/forel_nbsjapan_vistaarea2-1-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ilenia Di Paola","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Escrito por":"Ilenia Di Paola","Tiempo de lectura":"4 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/"},"author":{"name":"Ilenia Di Paola","@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/91258cae185dbe095cdc875c81ab98d1"},"headline":"NBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory","datePublished":"2025-12-17T13:36:45+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-17T14:21:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/"},"wordCount":761,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/forel_nbsjapan_vistaarea2-1-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Projects"],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/","url":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/","name":"NBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory - Forel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/forel_nbsjapan_vistaarea2-1-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-17T13:36:45+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-17T14:21:15+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/forel_nbsjapan_vistaarea2-1-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/forel_nbsjapan_vistaarea2-1-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1705},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/projects-and-news\/projects\/forel-and-nbsjapan\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NBS and Forel: automation and large-format glass in the East Japan factory"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/","name":"Forel","description":"Machinery for flat glass & double glazing industries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Forel Spa","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#organization","name":"Forel","url":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/logo-forel.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/logo-forel.jpg","width":600,"height":147,"caption":"Forel"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/FORELspa"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/91258cae185dbe095cdc875c81ab98d1","name":"Ilenia Di Paola"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14363"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14405,"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14363\/revisions\/14405"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forelspa.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}