What Irlbacher Blickpunkt Glas does

Irlbacher Blickpunkt Glas GmbH is a family-owned German specialty manufacturer founded in 1935 and headquartered in Schönsee, Bavaria, where it operates a single integrated production site. The company combines flat glass processing — including cutting, edging, CNC machining, waterjet cutting, screen and digital printing, tempering, and cleanroom optical bonding — with the ability to print electronic circuits directly onto glass substrates using ceramic pastes and to SMD-assemble microcontrollers and components onto thermally hardened glass. This dual capability sits behind approximately a dozen proprietary technology platforms, notably IMPAtouch (capacitive touch circuits printed on glass), IMPAled (LEDs mounted directly on glass), IMPAeGlass (sub-12mm mechatronic modules with 32-bit microcontroller control on glass), IMPAColor (decorative color printing), optical/sensor bonding, and a scalable embedded HMI solution kit.

The company's revenue model is project-based custom manufacturing for B2B clients, with no public pricing and no retail or e-commerce channel. Products are delivered as ready-to-install mechatronic modules engineered to each customer's specifications and sold exclusively through direct engagement with the customer's engineering and product development teams. Go-to-market relies on a direct enterprise sales motion supplemented by trade show presence at embedded world, Light + Building, MedtecLIVE, and World of Fireplaces. Irlbacher serves twelve distinct verticals — medical and laboratory technology, building technology, home appliances, sanitary engineering, mechanical engineering, devices and systems, fireplace, optical, lighting, technical industry, glass-ceramic, and marine and aviation — with no single consumer-facing segment, giving it a diversified customer mix anchored by a 50+ year strategic supply and co-development relationship with SCHOTT AG that accounts for approximately 20% of business volume.

Ownership is entirely within the Irlbacher family across three generations (Josef Irlbacher, Günther Irlbacher as Technical Managing Director, and Stephan Irlbacher, plus Anna Maria Irlbacher managing the import/export subsidiary A. Irlbacher Import + Export GmbH; GSI Glass Technology GmbH is the third wholly owned subsidiary). The company employs over 500 people and holds ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 50001 (energy management) certifications, with no external investors, funding rounds, M&A activity, or restructuring events disclosed.

Name

Irlbacher Blickpunkt Glas

Legal name

Irlbacher Blickpunkt Glas GmbH

Website

https://irlbacher.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Irlbacher Blickpunkt Glas is a family-owned German specialty manufacturer that integrates flat glass processing with printed electronics and SMD assembly to deliver custom embedded HMI mechatronic modules for B2B customers across medical, appliance, building, lighting, and fireplace industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Flat Glass Manufacturing

NAICS

Glass Product Manufacturing Made of Purchased Glass (327215)

SIC

Glass Products, Made Of Purchased Glass (3231)

akta.pro primary industry

Glass Fabrication & Processing Services (Cutting/Edging/Drilling/Polishing) (IMADAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Glazing (Acoustic, Blast, Bullet-Resistant, Smart/Electrochromic) (IMADAHAL), Fire-Rated Glass & Glazing Assemblies (IMADAHAH)

Keywords

• Flat glass processing
• Glass HMI solutions
• Electronics on glass
• Mechatronic glass assemblies
• Embedded touch interfaces

Headquarters

HQ city

Schönsee

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Customized Glass Product Manufacturing: Irlbacher develops and manufactures customized product solutions for commercial customers across multiple industries. Products combine glass processing with mechanics, complex electronics, and software. Revenue is generated through the design, development, and production of custom mechatronic glass assemblies delivered as ready-to-install modules including cover glass, display, mounting frames, seals, etc.
2. Technology Platforms Licensing / Product Integration: Customer-specific use of Irlbacher's technology platforms (IMPAtouch, IMPAled, etc.) integrated into customer products, with ongoing engineering and manufacturing services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Irlbacher Blickpunkt Glas is a German manufacturer of customized flat glass solutions for industrial and commercial B2B customers, combining extensive in-house glass processing (CNC machining, screen and digital printing, tempering) with proprietary electronics-on-glass technology platforms (IMPAtouch, IMPAled, IMPAeGlass, IMPAcolor, optical bonding) to deliver ready-to-install mechatronic HMI modules for industries including medical technology, home appliances, building technology, fireplace, lighting, sanitary, mechanical engineering, and glass-ceramic.

Product overview

Irlbacher Blickpunkt Glas is a family-owned glass processing company specializing in high-tech HMI (Human Machine Interface) solutions combining flat glass processing with embedded electronics and mechanics. The company operates technology platforms including IMPAtouch (electronics on glass), IMPAled (LEDs on glass), IMPAeGlass (slim device structures), IMPAcolor (decorative colors), and Sensor Bonding. These platforms are offered as a modular solution kit enabling customers to create customized embedded HMIs combining touch functionality, haptic elements, lighting effects, and display integration. Core services span glass processing (CNC machining, screen printing, tempering), design and mechanical engineering, with applications across medical technology, building technology, home appliances, lighting, mechanical engineering, and fireplace industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IMPAtouch: Technology platform for electronics on glass - capacitive sensors, conductor tracks, and complete circuits printed on glass using ceramic pastes and screen printing, resulting in single-pane safety glass (ESG) that can be assembled with electronic components via SMD process.
• IMPAled
• IMPAeGlass

Products and services

• IMPAtouch Electronics-on-glass technology platform that prints capacitive sensors, conductor tracks and complete circuits onto glass using ceramic pastes and screen printing, then SMD-assembles electronic components and microprocessors onto the thermally hardened single-pane safety glass (ESG) substrate. Targeted at commercial OEMs needing durable touch interfaces.
• IMPAled LED-on-glass technology platform where conductor track structures are printed on glass and LEDs are SMD-assembled and soldered directly onto the thermally hardened substrate, providing integrated illumination alongside capacitive switching and dimming sensors. Used by commercial lighting and HMI OEMs.
• IMPAeGlass Technology platform that brings touch sensors and evaluation electronics directly onto glass in an industrial process, enabling touch-sensitive HMIs with nearly any dimensions but only a few millimeters in height. Uses 32-bit microcontrollers (ARM Cortex M0/M3 PSoCs) powerful enough to embed simpler applications, removing the need for a separate control board in devices.
• IMPAcolor Color technology platform offering trendy decorative colors and finishes for glass products, expanding Irlbacher's screen and digital printing capabilities on glass substrates for commercial customers.
• Sensor / Optical Bonding Fully automated process for optical bonding of touch sensors made from glass onto displays using LOCA (liquid optical clear adhesive) in a cleanroom rotary cycle cell, enabling high-precision touch-display assemblies.
• Heated Glass Heated glass solutions in which electronics are embedded directly into the glass substrate, providing active heating for a variety of commercial applications.
• Scalable HMI Solution Kit Modular embedded HMI solution kit with approximately a dozen ready-developed technology platforms that can be freely combined and customized. Supports PSoCs with ARM Cortex M0 and M3 cores, proximity sensors, lighting effects, background illumination, display functions and haptic elements, with IP65 front panel rating and glove-operable touch.
• Embedded HMI Solutions Human Machine Interface solutions combining proximity sensors, lighting effects, background illumination, display functions and display control in glass-based interfaces with optional haptic elements. Delivered as ready-to-install mechatronic modules to commercial OEMs.
• ROBAX Glass-Ceramic Products Glass-ceramic products from SCHOTT for fireplace applications, including heat-resistant fire viewing windows and the Night Design portfolio featuring IR-SuperMAX coating that reflects up to 80% of IR radiation back into the combustion chamber. Irlbacher processes SCHOTT's special glass-ceramic materials into finished components under the long-standing partnership.
• SURYA Wellness Infrared Lamp Wellness infrared lamp co-developed with SPS Life GmbH, featuring intuitive touch controls without a display, based on functional ceramics technology. An example of an end-product application built on Irlbacher's electronics-on-glass capabilities.
• Glass-Ceramic Grill Plate (SCHOTT Nextrema) Glass-ceramic grill plate made from SCHOTT Nextrema with temperature resistance up to 920°C (twice the hottest grill output), resistance to thermal jumps of 800°C, and easy-to-clean surface. Processed by Irlbacher using its glass-ceramic capabilities.
• Accessible Tablet for Visually Impaired Accessible tablet for visually impaired people featuring touch input with engraved guides, 10-finger typing system, and an integrated Braille display showing 32 characters simultaneously. Demonstrates Irlbacher's ability to combine custom glass processing with embedded electronics.
• Flat Glass Processing Services Comprehensive flat glass processing services including CNC machining, screen printing, digital printing, cutting, edging, grinding, polishing, drilling, waterjet cutting, and tempering, delivered as in-house manufacturing services to commercial customers across all served industries.
• Design and Mechanical Engineering Services In-house CAD design and mechanical engineering services including construction of production machines and facilities and CNC manufacturing of prototypes and series parts, supporting the development of custom mechatronic glass assemblies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Complete electronic assembly of a fume extractor at only 11.5mm height including connectors — complete control in the microcontroller on the glass
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SCHOTT AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024A more than 50-year strategic partnership between Irlbacher and SCHOTT AG, one of the world's leading technology groups in special glass and glass-ceramics based in Mainz, Germany, with over 17,000 employees. SCHOTT supplies Irlbacher with special glass and glass-ceramic materials. The partnership covers approximately 20% of Irlbacher's business volume. The relationship includes joint product development, such as the ROBAX Night Design portfolio and IR-SuperMAX coatings. SCHOTT presented Irlbacher with a commemorative certificate recognizing their 50-year partnership in 2024.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Guardian Glass: Large international flat glass manufacturer with architectural, interior, and technical glass products. Comparable on flat glass processing and end-market overlap (architectural, building technology); does not compete in Irlbacher's embedded HMI / mechatronic niche.
• NSG Group (Pilkington): Global flat glass manufacturer with operations across architectural, automotive, and technical glass. Comparable as a flat glass industry peer for processing capability and end-market exposure; Irlbacher differentiates through its electronics-on-glass specialization and custom mechatronic assembly.
• SCHOTT AG: World-leading specialty glass and glass-ceramics group with 17,000+ employees. SCHOTT is both Irlbacher's most important long-term partner (~20% of revenue) and a broader specialty-glass incumbent that overlaps on flat glass, glass-ceramic, and increasingly on smart-glass and HMI substrates — making it the closest comparable for Irlbacher's specialty-glass-with-electronics positioning.
• Corning Incorporated: US specialty glass leader with deep expertise in chemically strengthened glass, precision glass for electronics, and glass-based substrates. Comparable to Irlbacher on the high-tech glass + electronics integration axis, particularly for cover glass, touch substrates, and automotive/architectural specialty applications.
• AGC Inc. Global flat glass producer with strong architectural, automotive, and electronics-glass divisions. AGC's integrated glass-and-electronics capabilities (touch sensors, display glass, automotive glazing) directly parallel Irlbacher's combination of flat glass processing and embedded electronics — though at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• TPK Holding: Large Taiwanese touch-sensor and cover-glass manufacturer supplying consumer electronics, automotive, and industrial markets. Overlaps with Irlbacher on capacitive touch sensor manufacturing and glass substrates for HMIs; differs by scale and by being concentrated in display-centric touch rather than custom mechatronic glass modules.
• Saint-Gobain Glass: Major European flat glass manufacturer serving architectural, automotive, and industrial markets with extensive processing and coating capabilities. Comparable as a large-scale flat glass processor; differs from Irlbacher by being primarily a primary glass producer rather than a custom mechatronic HMI specialist.

Regional players

• Fuyao Glass Industry Group: World's largest automotive glass manufacturer with growing industrial and architectural glass operations. Comparable on flat glass processing scale and capability but primarily serves automotive OEMs (especially Chinese and US); not a direct competitor to Irlbacher's custom European appliance/medical/mechanical-engineering customer base.

Emerging players

• Elo Touch Solutions: Specialized touch HMI and touchscreen supplier serving retail, hospitality, industrial, and medical markets. Comparable to Irlbacher on the embedded HMI axis for industrial and medical customers, but Elo's offering is based on conventional touch overlays and displays rather than printed electronics on glass.
• Gauzy Ltd. Emerging player in smart glass and dynamic glazing technologies (PDLC, electrochromic) serving architectural and automotive markets. Overlaps with Irlbacher on the "smart glass" axis but is at a smaller, venture-backed scale and focused on switchable glazing rather than printed-electronics HMIs.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irlbacher-blickpunkt-glas-gmbh-1

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Irlbacher Blickpunkt Glas