Melbourne property giant, Grocon, are having to replace half of the glass in their $180 million Westpac headquarters after imperfections became visible in the heat-tempered glass last week, according to The Australian Financial Review (www.afr.com). The glass was imported through China Southern Glass, China’s largest manufacturer of building glass.
What was, presumably, a cost saving measure initially, will now end up costing the group millions of dollars in replacement materials, time & labour, Customs fees and damages to reputation.
There have been a lot of problems with cheaper imports not meeting Australian safety regulations and being of inferior quality. For example, some Chinese glass is known to explode under heat, such as when it is exposed to lengthy periods of sunshine. Also, some imported glass is not made for the Australian climate and, therefore, cannot withstand the extreme temperatures and harsh weather that accompanies it. Imported glass needs to be put through stringent product testing to ensure it complies with Australian Standards and BCA codes. This latest news serves as a lesson to us all, that the cheapest option is not necessarily the best.
Image courtesy of www.afr.com.au