FAQ > Auto Glass Differences > OEE Aftermarket Windshield Manufacturers

• What is an OEE Aftermarket Windshield Manufacturer?

Safelite Glass Corperation is an OEE aftermarket windshield manufacture. They are currently owned by Belron a very large company whose roots began in South Africa and have now spread across the world. Belron trades under 15 different brands including Carglass®, Autoglass® and now Safelite. Belron acquired the Safelite Group in 2007 who was at that time one of, if not the main OEE aftermarket "original equipment equivalent” windshield manufacturers who produce OEE windshields in their own manufacturing facility which is located in Enfield, NC, which is ISO-9002 certified to ensure consistently high quality. According to Safelite their products are essentially the same type of glass that is installed at the time your vehicle is made and that the only difference between OEM and OEE is the windshield manufacturer. Safelite claims that their auto glass parts meet or exceeds all federal, industry and safety standards, and to make sure they engage in some of the most rigorous product testing in the industry.

An OEE windshield manufacturer is a company that   does   not   contract   with   any   of   the   worlds   automobile   or   truck   manufacturers . In some cases they may not have the legal right to manufacture the auto glass to the exact same specifications as OEM distributors due to licensing and copyright laws. An OEE aftermarket windshield is significantly cheaper to buy than an OEM windshield produced by an OEM manufacture. OEE windshield and other types of auto glass suppliers are companies that participate solely in after market products, where the tight quality control requirements of auto manufacturers may be possibly bypassed. It is said that they typically produce the part by reverse engineering an OEM part to get dimensions as they may not be privy to original equipment specifications for fit, finish and performance.