Automation has moved from being a competitive advantage to a commercial necessity for IGU manufacturers, says Tony Palmer, head of sales at warm edge technology pioneer Edgetech.

For years, automation in insulated glass unit (IGU) manufacturing was perceived as something reserved for the biggest, fastest-growing players, an enhancement, not an essential. Today, that landscape has fundamentally changed.

Across the industry, we’re operating in a challenging environment; labour availability is tightening, customers expect higher volumes with shorter lead times, and pressure to reduce carbon output is shaping both regulation and procurement. Against this backdrop, relying on production models that depend on ever-growing numbers of skilled operators simply isn’t sustainable.

Manufacturers need processes that deliver output, precision and repeatability as standard, regardless of who is or isn’t available on the factory floor. It’s this reality that the early adopters understood long before it became mainstream.

Cleartherm’s story is one I often reference because it captures the transition our whole industry is now facing.

They made the strategic decision to automate more than 20 years ago and their success wasn’t just about spotting the rising importance of energy ratings or the performance benefits of warm edge technology. It was about recognising that flexible spacer systems, particularly Super Spacer, unlock a scalable production model that rigid technologies and manual methods simply can’t match.

They could already see that recruiting and retaining enough skilled labour to meet demand would not be feasible long-term. At the same time, they recognised that energy efficiency was going to move from a differentiator to an expectation.

By 2005, they’d installed their first full auto line. Today, they’re producing close to 800 units in just over an 8.5-hour shift, a level of output that manual production simply can’t compete with. But what really stands out is not just the volume, it’s the consistency and reliability.

Shift after shift, Super Spacer delivers precision results with far fewer operators and without the variability that comes with manual spacer application. That’s exactly what IGU manufacturers now require to meet commercial pressures.

The lesson here is clear: automation and flexible spacer systems don’t just improve a process; they redefine what that process is capable of. A high-performing automated line doesn’t just give you more units; it gives you a more stable business model. It protects margins in tight markets, reduces vulnerability to labour shortages, and ensures your output doesn’t falter when your team changes, grows or retires.

When I speak with IGU manufacturers today, many tell me they feel stuck between rising expectations and limited capacity to take on more people. Automation breaks that deadlock. Flexible spacer systems like Super Spacer enable you to redesign production around flow, not workforce availability. You’re no longer building capacity by adding heads, you’re building it by adding capability.
And as decarbonisation continues to influence legislation, specification and customer behaviour, automation also helps ensure you’re operating efficiently, using resources responsibly, and producing high-performance units that meet tomorrow’s standards as well as today’s.

At Edgetech, our role is not just to supply a spacer system. It’s to provide solutions to help manufacturers plan for the decade ahead, to understand where efficiency, sustainability and technology are heading, and to build automation strategies that align with long-term goals.

Cleartherm proved that the businesses that invest early put themselves in the strongest possible position. But today, you don’t have to be an early adopter to benefit. You simply have to recognise that the industry has reached a turning point.

Automation isn’t the future of IGU manufacturing. It’s the present, and it’s the foundation on which resilient, scalable, profitable businesses will be built in the years to come.