[NHCOLL-L:4194] FW: Museum Jars

[Bentley, Andrew Charles]

Forwarded with permission...

 

Andy

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Andy Bentley
Ichthyology Collection Manager/Specify Usability Lead
University of Kansas
Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research Center
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
USA

Tel: (785) 864-3863
Fax: (785) 864-5335
Email: ABentley at ku.edu       
                                                
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Dear Mr. Bentley,

Please let me introduce myself and my company. The company is Dixon Glass Limited, we are bespoke glass manufacturers and I am the managing director. One of our specialist lines is the manufacture of glass storage vessels for long term preservation of specimens.

As a matter of course we do not reveal our client list, but in this instance I feel it is necessary to offer some context. One of our clients is the Natural History Museum in London, England. It is they that have mentioned your need for 120mm aperture vessels (as well as others) to us. If you would like to check our references, then Andrew Cabrinovic has offered to supply 'a strong recommendation'. Andrew is the purchasing manager for the Zoology department of the museum and his contact details are the following: a.cabrinovic at nhm.ac.uk <mailto:a.cabrinovic at nhm.ac.uk>  .

Firstly, let me address your requirement head on. We manufacture 120mm aperture vessels as well as larger and smaller sizes. Should you wish to buy one we should talk further and we would then be delighted to manufacture it for you. The jars are handmade borosilicate jars with ground glass stoppered lids that will last a lifetime. We even have a special opening tool if the glass lid becomes jammed, so no need for crashing and banging and lots of physical effort, we simply employ some basic physics; in fact, it was Paul Clark from the NHM that designed the opening tool originally. Our jars are made from glass tubing and as such offer the very highest optical quality in the market.

You correctly mention that supply of larger vessels has tailed off. The reson for this was that people were struggling to make any money from the process. Generally, there is no money in it and the process was non-viable, quite often I believe because too many people were involved in the supply chain, but certainly also because it is not a cheap and simple process. We presently hand make all of our jars, and I attach a photo of a couple of small ones that I have to hand. They have dry goods in them and is not an ideal photo, but it gives an impression of the style and design. There is some more detail on our website which you may well find helpful http://www.dixonglass.co.uk/d-glass/Borosilicate.pdf <http://www.dixonglass.co.uk/d-glass/Borosilicate.pdf>  . We are in the process of re-tooling and we are also developing a semi-automatic production method, so if you could supply any details regarding quantities that would help us enormously. If the supply chain can remain short enough, i.e. the middlemen eradicated, and the volumes reach a critical mass, then I think that the process is viable for all concerned.

We export around the world already, so logistics-wise we are quite capable of dealing with overseas orders. What would help us enormously is if you had some idea of quantities. I can then do some number crunching and see just where we come out.

We do hope that this offers you some hope of obtaining what you require. We love making glass product and as bespoke specialists feel that we are better positioned than anyone else to provide solutions to people's storage issues. I will be in the United States in early May and could easily pop in to see someone should you wish it, it's just a matter of catching a flight to the relevant place. Alternatively, we shall be exhibiting in Holland at SPNHC later this year should that suit your schedule.

Best regards,


Reece Bramley
Dixon Glass Limited
127-129 Avenue Road
Beckenham
Kent BR3 4RX.
United Kingdom.

00 44 208 778 6458
00 44 7824 422250

info at dixonglass.co.uk <mailto:info at dixonglass.co.uk> 
www.dixonglass.co.uk <http://www.dixonglass.co.uk/>  



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