Five Sprinter vans driving along an out-of-town road

This extraordinary building material sheds light in the dark.

Innovation and versatility are absolutely essential to master glazier Hans Hudler-Oswald. For his company Bayernglas, the Sprinter is without doubt the right vehicle for the job.

Craftsmanship is in its DNA.

Hans Hudler-Oswald literally grew up in a glazier's workshop. Just like the four generations of the Hudler family before him, his fascination for glass developed at an early age. Accordingly, he decided to dedicate his time to learning the craft. After finishing school, he completed an apprenticeship to become a glazier's assistant. But after his father was involved in an accident, Hans had to replace him in the business at short notice. "I had to take over the shop at short notice," recalls the friendly Bavarian. In 2011, the time was ripe for Hans to team up with his wife Kristin and set up their own business – Bayernglas was born.

For the love of glass.

Being a glazier is the perfect occupation for Hans Hudler-Oswald. "You're never on the same building site for long," he says, justifying his passion for glazing. Thanks to the enormous amount of change and variety, he's learned to love his craft: "Today, I'm repairing an interior door, tomorrow I might be working on a kitchen back-panel or a roof canopy and the day after that a glass-fronted building." He places great emphasis on manual craftsmanship. "In our company, all apprentices practice every step by hand because anyone's capable of just pressing a button," says Hans about his approach. For him as an instructor, what counts is that the apprentice enjoys what they're doing and learns something at the same time – regardless of whether they stay on at Bayernglas or whether they will change companies at the end of their training. Hans obviously has a preference for taking on the assistants after they complete their apprenticeship.

A glazier's best friend.

Tradesmen and women who need to transport heavy and valuable products need a reliable and safe vehicle. As panes of glass are a fragile good, a number of special requirements are placed on their transport. Hans Hudler-Oswald was well aware of this when it came to putting together his own fleet of vehicles. And that's why he opted for six Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans. Smaller panes are able to be safely transported to the customer inside the load compartment thanks to a special interior with retaining mechanisms, whilst slightly larger items are transported to the building site on the special external frame which the company developed itself. Only the largest panes in their portfolio require Bayernglas to use a truck.

A fascination in glass.

Not your average van.

The Sprinter vans in the Bayernglas fleet stand out from the crowd. The tasks which they have to master mean they are true heroes in the trade: their reinforced brakes and the softly set-up suspension guarantee the safe transport of the glass. But the thing that makes the fleet stand out most is its design. Each Sprinter at Bayernglas presents a different aspect of the company: be it an Alpine landscape, modern graphical artwork or a night-time city scene – each of the six vans has a unique appearance. One motif which can be found on all vehicles is the Bavarian lion which is integrated into the Bayernglas logo. The aim of this conspicuous vehicle design is to draw attention to the company.

A fleet suited to the company.

Hans Hudler-Oswald is especially impressed with the new Sprinter. The elegant and modern appearance won him over at first glance. But that's not the only reason behind the great teamwork between Bayernglas and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. For a modern glazier with a large catchment area, the ride comfort which the Sprinter offers ensures that even on long journeys, the experience is as relaxing as possible. And when it comes to orders for the bustling centre of Munich or in the tight streets of small villages, the high-resolution reversing camera is especially helpful. Bayernglas seeks to set itself apart from regular glaziers, and not just in terms of its fleet, but also in its product portfolio. After all, glass can be used for much more than simply windows: kitchen back-panels with printed motifs, glass showers and glass steps are also part of the varied range of uses for this fascinating material of which Hans never tires.