Cambridge Glassblowing
Cambridge Glassblowing is a UK-based, 1977-founded custom scientific glassware manufacturer (borosilicate and quartz) serving pharmaceutical, academic, and industrial research customers through bespoke fabrication, standard products, and a repair service, operating as part of the AGI Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersEly, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cambridge Glassblowing does
Cambridge Glassblowing Ltd. is a UK-based, custom scientific glassware manufacturer founded in 1977 and headquartered in Ely, Cambridgeshire, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asahi Glassplant UK Ltd within the AGI Group — described as the world's largest employer of scientific glassblowers. The company designs, manufactures, and supplies bespoke borosilicate and quartz glassware for scientific research and industrial applications, producing everything from simple glass tubes to complex reactor systems and 100L+ pilot plant installations, with tubing capability up to 465mm in diameter. Core technical capabilities include ISO 3585:1998-conformant borosilicate manufacturing, controlled annealing at 565°C, quartz processing for ultra-high temperature and UV-transmission applications, on-site CAD design, and an in-house energy recovery system at one of the UK's most advanced glassblowing facilities.
The business operates a sales-led, direct enterprise model with a team of technical sales consultants (Commercial Manager, Technical Sales Specialist, Glassware Sales Manager) who work with customers from initial concept through quotation and delivery. Revenue is generated through four streams: bespoke borosilicate glassware (custom one-off and small-batch work), the company's own standard laboratory glassware range sold from stock, a repair service with emergency turnaround, and distribution of Schott Laboratory Glassware and Soham Scientific product lines. Customers include major pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, GSK, Novartis), consumer goods (P&G), oilfield services (Schlumberger), and leading UK universities (Cambridge, Oxford), with a stated 90% repeat business rate and 50+ elite research institution clients. The company is ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certified, sources raw materials from Europe's two main glass producers with full batch traceability, and benefits from knowledge sharing with AGI Group sister businesses in Switzerland, Italy, and the USA.
Cambridge Glassblowing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cambridge Glassblowing
- Legal name
- Cambridge Glassblowing Ltd.
- Website
- https://cambridge-glassblowing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cambridge Glassblowing is a UK-based, 1977-founded custom scientific glassware manufacturer (borosilicate and quartz) serving pharmaceutical, academic, and industrial research customers through bespoke fabrication, standard products, and a repair service, operating as part of the AGI Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cambridge Glassblowing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Scientific Glassware Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Glass Product Manufacturing Made of Purchased Glass (327215), Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (3272), Other Pressed and Blown Glass and Glassware Manufacturing (327212)
- SIC
- Glass Products, Made Of Purchased Glass (3231), Glass & Glassware, Pressed Or Blown (3220)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pharmaceutical & Medical Glass Packaging (Vials, Ampoules, Syringes) (IMALAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Glass Fabrication & Processing Services (Cutting/Edging/Drilling/Polishing) (IMADAHAI)
Keywords
Where Cambridge Glassblowing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ely
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cambridge Glassblowing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Bespoke Borosilicate Glassware: Custom-designed and manufactured borosilicate glassware solutions. Includes new concepts and evolution of existing glassware designs. Manufacturing ranges from simple glass tubes to complex glass reactor systems.
- Cambridge Glassblowing Glassware: Company's own range of standard laboratory glassware available from stock including nitrogen bubblers, multi-neck round bottom flasks, condensers, manifolds, and reaction vessels.
- Glassware Repairs: Repair service for valuable laboratory glassware to reduce unnecessary waste. Includes premium emergency turnaround service.
- Glass Discs, Plates, Tubes & Rods: Supply of custom optical and non-optical discs and plates in materials including sodalime, crown glass, borosilicate, and quartz. Tubing up to 465mm and rods up to 40mm cut and finished to requirements. Agents for Schott Laboratory Glassware.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Bespoke glassware quotation |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Cambridge Glassblowing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cambridge Glassblowing designs, manufactures and supplies custom scientific glassware in borosilicate and quartz, ranging from simple tubes to complex glass reactor systems, for laboratories in pharmaceutical, academic, agrochemical and industrial research. The company also sells its own standard range of laboratory glassware from stock, offers a glassware repair service, and supplies raw materials including discs, plates, tubes, rods and Schott Laboratory Glassware.
Product overview
Cambridge Glassblowing is a custom scientific glassware manufacturer offering a portfolio of bespoke and standard products. The core offering comprises bespoke borosilicate and quartz glassware manufacturing services, where custom designs are created from concept through technical drawing to production. Alongside bespoke fabrication, the company sells its own standard range of laboratory glassware (Cambridge Glassblowing Glassware) available from stock. The portfolio also includes glassware repair services, raw materials (discs, plates, tubes, rods) including Schott Laboratory Glassware, and Soham Scientific Glassware sub-brand products. The company operates manufacturing scales from one-off bespoke pieces to thousands of repeat orders, using borosilicate glass conforming to ISO 3585:1998 and working with tubing from 3mm to 465mm diameter.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bespoke Borosilicate Glassware Custom-designed and manufactured borosilicate glass products tailored to specific customer requirements, from simple tubes to complex laboratory instruments and glass reactor systems, for research, development and manufacturing laboratories.
- Quartz Glassware Custom quartz glass products for specialised applications requiring ultra-high temperature resistance (above 300°C), extreme purity for electronics manufacture, or light transmission in the ultraviolet range down to 200nm.
- Cambridge Glassblowing Glassware (Standard Range) In-house manufactured laboratory glassware available from stock, including nitrogen bubblers, multi-neck round bottom flasks, splash-heads, separating funnels, dropping funnels, stopcock adaptors, pressure equalising funnels, Buchner filter flasks, vacuum filter funnels, sintered columns, nitrogen/vacuum manifolds, condensers, jacketed reaction vessels, reaction tubes, and cold traps.
- Glassware Repairs Repair service for valuable laboratory glassware designed to extend equipment life and reduce unnecessary waste, including a premium emergency turnaround service for urgent customer requirements.
- Glass Discs, Plates, Tubes & Rods Supply of custom optical and non-optical discs and plates in materials including sodalime, crown glass, borosilicate, and various quartz products including spectrosil, with tubing up to 465mm diameter and rods up to 40mm cut and finished to required length. Also acts as agents for Schott Laboratory Glassware.
- Soham Scientific Glassware Glassware manufactured to Soham Scientific's original designs and specifications, providing exact replacements and custom laboratory glass based on original drawings for customers who previously purchased from Soham Scientific.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% repeat business rate
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cambridge Glassblowing
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cambridge Glassblowing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Cambridge Glassblowing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AGI Group (Asahi Glassplant)coreCambridge Glassblowing is a subsidiary of Asahi Glassplant UK Ltd and part of the AGI Group. The company is part of the world's largest employer of scientific glassblowers. AGI Group is described as the world's scientific glassblower and biggest supplier of engineered glass systems. Cambridge Glassblowing is unified with sister companies by values of innovation, sincerity and progress.
- Soham ScientificminorCambridge Glassblowing now manufactures glassware based on Soham Scientific's original designs and specifications. They produce exact replacements for Soham Scientific laboratory glassware using the original drawings, ensuring continuity for customers who previously purchased from Soham Scientific.
- Schott Laboratory GlasswareminorCambridge Glassblowing acts as agents for Schott Laboratory Glassware, supplying their products at competitive prices alongside their own bespoke glassware offerings.
- AGI Glassblowing Subsidiaries (Switzerland, Italy, USA)coreKnowledge sharing with sister glassblowing businesses in Switzerland, Italy and USA further boosts capabilities and available resources. These companies have their own lengthy history in scientific glassblowing, enabling Cambridge Glassblowing to meet virtually any scientific glassware requirement.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cambridge Glassblowing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hilgenberg GmbH: German precision glass manufacturer producing custom scientific apparatus, capillary glass and specialty tubing; comparable as a European bespoke scientific glassmaker serving pharma and research customers.
- Quartz Scientific Inc. US fabricator of fused quartz and high-purity quartz glassware for semiconductor, photonics and laboratory use; directly comparable to Cambridge's quartz processing capability (UV transmission, high-temperature, high-purity applications).
- Chemglass Life Sciences: US manufacturer of standard and custom scientific glassware including reactors, filter apparatus, and air-free glassware used in pharma R&D; comparable mid-sized specialty glassmaker serving the same customer workflows as Cambridge Glassblowing.
- Ace Glass Incorporated: US-based manufacturer of custom and standard scientific glassware including reactors, condensers and fritted glass used by pharma and academic labs; directly comparable in product mix, custom-glass capability, and customer base.
- Wilmad-LabGlass (SP Scientific): Manufacturer of precision laboratory glassware and NMR tubes, including custom glass fabrication for research and pharma; closely comparable as a specialty/custom scientific glass supplier serving similar end-markets.
- Soam Scientific / Soham Scientific-style contract glass workshops: UK bespoke scientific glassware workshop whose existing designs Cambridge now manufactures; representative of small independent UK scientific glassblowers competing for the same university and pharma custom-glass orders.
- AGI Glassblowing (Asahi Glassplant) sister sites in Switzerland, Italy and USA: Direct sister entities within the AGI Group that perform bespoke scientific glassblowing using the same borosilicate/quartz craft and serve shared multinational pharma and academic customers; Cambridge Glassblowing is directly comparable in craft, customer base, and product specification.
Broad incumbents
- Schott AG (SCHOTT Life Sciences / Laboratory Glassware): Global incumbent in laboratory and scientific glass including Duran borosilicate glassware; Cambridge acts as an agent for Schott laboratory glassware but also competes for bespoke fabricated scientific glassware orders against Schott's custom fabrication offering.
- DWK Life Sciences (Duran / Wheaton / Kimble): Global manufacturer of Duran borosilicate lab glassware, Wheaton vials and Kimble scientific glassware; competes with Cambridge for both standard catalogue items and custom scientific glassware at multinational pharma and academic accounts.
- Pyrex / Corning Life Sciences (lab glassware): Large incumbent producer of standard borosilicate laboratory glassware and broader lab consumables through Corning Life Sciences; comparable in borosilicate lab-glass category but competes mainly in catalogue/standard products rather than fully bespoke fabrication.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cambridge Glassblowing social profiles
Digital presenceCambridge Glassblowing compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Cambridge Glassblowing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cambridge Glassblowing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Cambridge Glassblowing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cambridge Glassblowing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cambridge Glassblowing
What does Cambridge Glassblowing do?
Cambridge Glassblowing designs, manufactures and supplies custom scientific glassware in borosilicate and quartz, ranging from simple tubes to complex glass reactor systems, for laboratories in pharmaceutical, academic, agrochemical and industrial research. The company also sells its own standard range of laboratory glassware from stock, offers a glassware repair service, and supplies raw materials including discs, plates, tubes, rods and Schott Laboratory Glassware.
Is Cambridge Glassblowing a public or private company?
Cambridge Glassblowing is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Cambridge Glassblowing founded?
Cambridge Glassblowing was founded in 1977. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cambridge Glassblowing based?
Cambridge Glassblowing is headquartered in Ely, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cambridge Glassblowing make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Bespoke Borosilicate Glassware is the primary driver. The others are cambridge Glassblowing Glassware, glassware Repairs and glass Discs, Plates, Tubes & Rods.
Who are Cambridge Glassblowing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hilgenberg GmbH, Quartz Scientific Inc., Chemglass Life Sciences, Ace Glass Incorporated, Wilmad-LabGlass (SP Scientific), Soam Scientific / Soham Scientific-style contract glass workshops and AGI Glassblowing (Asahi Glassplant) sister sites in Switzerland, Italy and USA. Broad incumbents are Schott AG (SCHOTT Life Sciences / Laboratory Glassware), DWK Life Sciences (Duran / Wheaton / Kimble) and Pyrex / Corning Life Sciences (lab glassware).
Does Cambridge Glassblowing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cambridge Glassblowing.
What industry is Cambridge Glassblowing in?
Cambridge Glassblowing's product category is Scientific Glassware Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAEAB, Pharmaceutical & Medical Glass Packaging (Vials, Ampoules, Syringes), with a secondary code of IMADAHAI, Glass Fabrication & Processing Services (Cutting/Edging/Drilling/Polishing). Its NAICS code is 327215 and its SIC code is 3231.