SILATEC’s roots date back to the 1970s—a time when the security landscape in Germany underwent a fundamental shift due to kidnappings, robberies, and attacks during the so-called RAF era. It was during this time that the idea arose to develop glazing capable of effectively protecting people, buildings, and valuables.
For Wolfgang H., this was more than just a technical challenge. His inventive spirit was sparked by the question of why safety glass had to be either very thick, heavy, or visually conspicuous due to a strong green tint. His goal was to combine protection, transparency, and suitability for everyday use.
The first experiments took place in his own home and garage. At the time, there were hardly any standards, certifications, or established testing procedures for safety glass. As a result, new material compositions were developed and tested under realistic conditions—using tools, various attack methods, and numerous in-house test series. Step by step, these initial developments laid the foundation for SILATEC’s current safety glazing solutions.
The passion for safety glass does not lie in a single person, but rather in the people at SILATEC today.
What began back then with curiosity, technical expertise, and the desire to further develop safety glass continues to shape the company to this day. The commitment to question existing solutions, break new ground, and continuously improve safety glass is carried forward today by the people at SILATEC. Engineers, chemists, production staff, and safety experts work every day to further develop materials, manufacturing processes, and safety concepts—and thus to continue writing the story of SILATEC.
A. Belling: Has been working in research for many years and heads SILATEC’s chemical laboratory:
“I have been contributing my experience as a chemist at SILATEC for many years. My focus is on the further development of our safety glass, particularly in the area of UV protection. I also oversee the quality control of our products and help ensure that high quality standards are maintained over the long term.”
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Weimar of the University of Siegen: Has been working for SILATEC for many years:
“I am Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Weimar from the University of Siegen. For over 20 years, I have been collaborating with SILATEC on research projects involving innovative safety glazing. Together, we develop solutions that make safety glass lighter, slimmer, and more energy-efficient, thereby creating new applications for demanding construction projects.”
SILATEC is a German manufacturer of safety glass based in Gelting near Munich. For over 50 years, the company has been developing and manufacturing safety glazing for applications with heightened requirements for burglary resistance, bullet resistance, and blast resistance. Unlike many other providers on the market, SILATEC focuses exclusively on safety glass and its continuous development.
This specialization in safety glass has defined the company for two generations. Production takes place exclusively in Germany. Today, SILATEC’s safety glazing is used in high-end residential buildings, museums, embassies, jewelry stores, and other applications with heightened security requirements.
For more than 50 years, we have been developing safety glass with a clear goal: to protect people and give them a sense of security and peace of mind—in the places that matter most to them. What began with the first prototypes is now the result of decades of experience, continuous research, and the dedication of many people. This expertise is incorporated into every pane of glass we develop and manufacture in Germany. We create transparent safety solutions that offer protection without obstructing the view of what matters most—so that people can feel safe and enjoy their living and working spaces with peace of mind.
Today, safety glass is no longer used exclusively in museums, jewelry stores, or other particularly sensitive facilities. Increasingly, owners of high-end residential buildings and villas are also opting for glazing that is burglar-resistant, bullet-resistant, or blast-resistant. In addition to its protective properties, features such as transparency, light weight, ease of use, and UV protection are also in demand today. Safety glass should integrate harmoniously into the architecture while simultaneously protecting people, valuables, and high-quality interior furnishings.
In addition to providing a sense of security, high-quality safety glass can also help preserve a property’s value over the long term. Safety glazing is thus increasingly becoming an integral part of modern, high-end building design.
In addition, Silatec has already conducted well over 1,000 ballist test on its own and has prevented and analyzed countless break-in attempts worldwide in order to continue learning directly from the harsh realities of crime.
The Bavarian company operates and manufactures in accordance with the DIN ISO 9000 quality management standard.
For decades, SILATEC has pursued a consistent strategy: Instead of offering a wide variety of glass products, the company focuses exclusively on safety glass. This focus creates the flexibility to continuously refine materials, manufacturing processes, and safety concepts.
Experience, practical testing, and real-world safety requirements thus yield a constant stream of new insights that are directly incorporated into product development. The underlying philosophy has remained the same to this day: to view safety glass not as a standard product, but as a technology that must constantly evolve.
Silatec has further improved the mechanical properties of these highly transparent plastics to provide even more effective burglary protection. The experts have also fine-tuned the dimensions so that, in special custom-made products, they can even exceed a glass length of 6 meters—while maintaining the outstanding safety features.
The performance of the safety glass is constantly being optimized, including through very practical considerations such as: How can the safety glass be made even lighter and thinner to further simplify handling within the building?
Engineers are constantly working on new scenarios to simulate how the panes might be attacked. In the field of ballistic testing, they are constantly researching new calibers that do not appear in the European ballistic standard DIN EN 1063: This extends all the way to the .50 BMG caliber, i.e., the 12.7 × 99 mm cartridge (BMG stands for Browning Machine Gun).
Tests have even been conducted with the 14.5 × 114 mm caliber, an armor-piercing round. Over the decades, the family-owned company has consistently driven technological development forward.
Patrick Coppée is an expert in safety glass solutions that meet the highest standards for burglary protection, bullet resistance, aesthetics, and functionality. As Sales Manager at SILATEC, he advises owners of exclusive residential properties, museums, government institutions, and embassies, as well as security and design consultants, on the development of customized security concepts. His expertise is rooted in the combination of scientific research, continuous product development, and extensive practical testing.
Through close collaboration with government agencies, state criminal investigation bureaus, and leading security experts—as well as his experience with numerous burglary and shooting tests—he possesses in-depth knowledge of real-world threat scenarios and effective protection concepts. With more than 100 technical presentations and live demonstrations across Europe, he explains complex security requirements in a practical manner and is one of the most sought-after experts for transparent security solutions.
The requirements for safety glass are constantly evolving. That is why SILATEC has been investing in its own research and development for many years. The goal is to continuously improve safety glazing in terms of protective performance, transparency, weight, and applicability. This in-house development is complemented by research collaborations with colleges and universities. The insights gained are directly incorporated into the further development of materials, glass structures, and manufacturing processes. At SILATEC, research and practice are closely intertwined.
SILATEC is very active in the field of research and development, as evidenced by its many significant research collaborations:
A collaboration with TU Siegen and Prof. Dr. Ing. Thorsten Weimar spanning over 20 years and now comprising six research projects on the topic of safety glass
The individual projects address the following topics: “Basic Research on Laminated Safety Glass,” “Ultra-Thin Safety Glass,” “Residual Load-Bearing Capacity and Load-Bearing Behavior of Laminated Glass,” “Thermal Insulation and Energy Efficiency of Special Safety Glazing,” “Burglary Protection in Existing Buildings,” and “Bullet-Resistant Glass.”
The Time Factor:
In the future, Silatec will place even greater emphasis on the time factor in burglary protection, because the more time is spent thwarting burglars’ attempts, the higher the likelihood that they will give up.
The “Mechanics Before Electronics” Principle:
Especially against the backdrop of increasing digitization, connectivity, and automation, mechanical protection remains the company’s focus. This is because the purely physical resistance provided by glass and windows always functions independently of the power supply and the internet connection—and, of course, cannot be “hacked.”
“Mechanics first, then electronics”—for the reasons mentioned above, this is also the credo and recommendation of criminal investigation experts. In other words: Security glass and windows should remain the foundation of any security concept; electronic devices such as alarm systems, video cameras, and digital networking can complement this foundation.
The development of safety glass has been part of SILATEC’s DNA for over 50 years. What began with the inventive spirit behind the first safety glass developments is carried on today by engineers, chemists, production staff, and safety experts. Many employees have been working with safety glazing for years and contribute their experience from research, development, manufacturing, and field testing to new projects every day.
SILATEC’s mission is to continuously advance the development of safety glass and to combine protection, transparency, and practicality for everyday use. Since its earliest developments in the 1970s, the company has pursued the goal of better protecting people, buildings, and valuables through innovative safety glazing. Research, development, and practical experience form the foundation for the continuous improvement of its products.
SILATEC’s origins date back to the 1970s. The development of safety glass for high-security applications gave rise to a company that, to this day, focuses exclusively on safety glass. Over the course of two generations, materials, manufacturing processes, and safety concepts have been continuously refined.
For decades, SILATEC has deliberately focused on burglar-resistant, bullet-resistant, and blast-resistant glazing. This specialization allows the company to tailor its research, development, production, and quality control specifically to the requirements of modern security glazing.
Safety glass must be continuously adapted to meet new requirements. That is why SILATEC has been collaborating with colleges and universities for many years and conducts its own research and development. The insights gained are directly incorporated into materials, glass structures, and manufacturing processes.
Standards define minimum requirements. In addition, SILATEC examines the performance of safety glass under additional stresses and attack scenarios. Findings from ballist test, burglary scenarios, and research projects support the continuous improvement of safety glazing.
SILATEC is a manufacturer of safety glass and combines research, development, production, and quality control at its facility in Gelting, near Munich. The safety glazing is custom-made for each specific project. Production takes place exclusively in Germany.
SILATEC safety glass is used in high-end residential buildings, villas, museums, jewelry stores, embassies, and other applications with heightened security requirements. National and international projects each have different requirements in terms of protective performance, transparency, and architectural design.
Yes. Research, development, manufacturing, and quality control all take place at the same location in Gelting (Bavaria). This allows development processes, production, and quality requirements to be closely integrated. The result is custom-made safety glass—tailored to each specific requirement and each customer.
SILATEC is a proud member of DIE FAMILIENUNTERNEHMER, the leading association for family-owned businesses in Germany. This membership underscores our commitment to sustainable business practices and long-term corporate success.
For our customers, this membership offers significant added value: They benefit from a partner that is firmly anchored in a strong network and has access to cross-industry expertise. Our affiliation with DIE FAMILIENUNTERNEHMER underscores SILATEC’s financial stability and long-term focus. It ensures reliability and the certainty that SILATEC will continue to offer innovative solutions in the future.
For SILATEC, membership in DIE FAMILIENUNTERNEHMER is more than just an affiliation—it is an expression of our values and commitment to responsible entrepreneurship. SILATEC is proud to be part of this community and to contribute to strengthening Germany as a business location.
DIE FAMILIENUNTERNEHMER represents the interests of over 180,000 family-owned businesses across various industries and of all sizes. The association advocates for market-oriented economic policy, fair competition, and entrepreneurial freedom. Members are distinguished by their combination of responsibility for the future and cross-generational tradition. The focus is on exchanging experiences with other innovative family businesses and leveraging the extensive network to identify trends early on and continuously develop solutions.
Silatec is also a proud member of the Flachglas MarkenKreis, a consortium of high-performing, medium-sized companies in the glass industry. As part of this glass network, the family-owned company pools its expertise with other leading companies to deliver first-class solutions in all areas related to glass as a material.
Silatec has many other innovative partners and is constantly striving to build and expand valuable relationships.
