Can anyone explain the purpose/advantage/necessity of custom, artisan blown glass for lab equipment, as opposed to (presumably) high quality glasswear which can be ordered from any number of laboratory equipment purveyors?
If you are experimenting with new approaches, you may need novel rather than standardized, mass produced equipment.
Heck, even if you aren't doing something new you may need glassware for which there is not a sufficiently large demand to support an industrial production line.
I don't think it necessarily matters that it's glassware, but in generally I'd always rather work with a local master who I can talk to face to face with years of experience in the industry, rather than ordering from a company in China with little input, longer wait times, and (most likely) lower quality due to less experienced workers. Of course these are two extremes, and it's possible that there are other local professionals that can bridge the cap, but the advantages of having an onsite master still seem fairly obvious
Heck, even if you aren't doing something new you may need glassware for which there is not a sufficiently large demand to support an industrial production line.