Glass International Digital Edition January 2018

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Digital Edition January 2018

COMPANY PROFILE: STÖLZLE MASNIÈRES COMPANY PROFILE: ARDAGH LIMMARED COMPANY PROFILE: RIGOLLEAU I N T E R N A T I O N A L

IC Cover advert (Q9)_Layout 1 20/12/2017 13:29 Page 1

A GLOBAL REVIEW OF GLASSMAKING

, Tomorrow s Technology Today

The world’s leading glass companies come to FIC with their electric boost/heating projects

E-glass Installations up to 3,500kW in oxy-fired furnaces for

Display glass Numerous installed power projects, up to

Container glass Various installations in flint and coloured glasses, up to 2,500kW, for increased output and quality.

Electric furnaces New designs for most glasses,

extra tonnage, improved glass quality and no strand breakages.

Float glass Boosting installations, from single-zone 1,000kW

to 3-zone 6,000kW designs, to increase clear output, maintain tinted output, save energy and reduce emissions. Multiple bubbler installations.

Tel +44 (0) 1736 366 962 Fax +44 (0) 1736 351 198 Email general@fic-uk.com

1000kW for TFT/LCD glasses - using tin oxide electrode blocks for exceptional glass quality.

including opal. Complete technical back-up for melting quality improvement - from raw materials through to forehearth and all operational problems. Troubleshooting service on all existing furnace designs.

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, The World s Number One in Furnace Technology

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Welcome & Contents

Digital Issue January 2018 Digital Edition January 2018

COMPANY PROFILE: STÖLZLE MASNIÈRES COMPANY PROFILE: ARDAGH LIMMARED COMPANY PROFILE: RIGOLLEAU I N T E R N A T I O N A L

FIC Cover advert (Q9)_Layout 1 20/12/2017 13:29 Page 1

A GLOBAL REVIEW OF GLASSMAKING

, Tomorrow s Technology Today

The world’s leading glass companies come to FIC with their electric boost/heating projects

E-glass Installations up to 3,500kW in oxy-fired furnaces for

Display glass Numerous installed power projects, up to

Container glass Various installations in flint and coloured glasses, up to 2,500kW, for increased output and quality.

Electric furnaces New designs for most glasses,

extra tonnage, improved glass quality and no strand breakages.

Float glass Boosting installations, from single-zone 1,000kW

to 3-zone 6,000kW designs, to increase clear output, maintain tinted output, save energy and reduce emissions. Multiple bubbler installations.

Tel +44 (0) 1736 366 962 Fax +44 (0) 1736 351 198 Email general@fic-uk.com

1000kW for TFT/LCD glasses - using tin oxide electrode blocks for exceptional glass quality.

including opal. Complete technical back-up for melting quality improvement - from raw materials through to forehearth and all operational problems. Troubleshooting service on all existing furnace designs.

www.fic-uk.com

FIC (UK) Limited Long Rock Industrial Estate, Penzance Cornwall TR20 8HX, United Kingdom

, The World s Number One in Furnace Technology

Front cover image www.fic-uk.com

Welcome to the digital issue Happy New Year to you all. We hope you had a fantastic Christmas and are looking forward to the year ahead like we are. It's our 40th Anniversary and we're looking forward to celebrating with you, keep your eyes peeled for more information on this in the coming months.

Welcome to this special one-off digital issue from Glass International. The aim of the supplement is to provide a sample of some of the articles we have published in the preceding 12 months.

We publish company profiles on glass manufacturers and suppliers alike throughout the year.

This issue is a taster of some of those profiles, with manufacturers from Europe, South America and Asia all highlighted. December and January is generally a quiet month so hopefully this will fill the gap until the next issue, which is printed in February. Remember, our free emailed weekly newsletter provides all the latest information from the glass industry – let me know if you would like to know more about this and we will add your details to the database.

2

Greg Morris, Editor gregmorris@quartzltd.com

7

10

2 Company profile: Stölzle Masnières Investing in know-how (first published in July/Aug 2017)

Plus find us on Linked-In and Twitter.

7 Company profile: Ardagh Limmared Limmared’s €21 million upgrade to meet needs of drinks market

(first published in February 2017) 10 Company profile: Rigolleau Rigolleau reaps the benefits of $40 million upgrade

(first published in March 2017)

@Glass_Int

www.glass-international.com

14 Company profile: Thai Glass Industries (TGI) Thai Malaya Glass unveils fourth Saraburi furnace

(first published in Dec/Jan 2018)

www.glass-international.com

WWW.GLASS-INTERNATIONAL.COM

1 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

Company profile: Stölzle Masnières

Investing in know-how Greg Morris met with Etienne Gruyez, Managing Director of Perfumery and Cosmetics for the Stölzle Group’s Masnières site in France. It acquired the facility two years ago and transformed it into a Centre of Excellence for the perfume and cosmetics industry.

www.glass-international.com

The Masnières site has been transformed in recent years, since the takeover. What has taken place?

Yes, since May 2015, when we restarted Masnières.

This site is dedicated solely to perfume and cosmetics – that is one of the reasons why the group acquired this entity, to buy the know-how in perfume and cosmetics.

The site is going to be 200 years old next year, and clearly we didn’t buy it for the buildings, because they were old, we didn’t buy it for the machinery, because it was old – the reason to buy Masnières was really for the know-how of the people.

Within the group the idea is that Masnières is what we call ‘the Centre of Excellence’ for perfume and cosmetics. Every customer request, every new project comes through Masnières, where we study it. Even though in some cases it will be manufactured at our site in Poland, everything for the client starts in Masnières.

We have our design team here, which was part of the investment so that we can do everything for the customer: They can come here with the full design specifications or just the idea, and we make the design.

For example, one customer gave us a napkin with a drawing on it and said “this is our project, we want a football for our perfume”, and so the team designed it. We took their idea, and designed a range that was launched this year in three sizes.

We do the design, we do the 3D mock up, and then because we have invested heavily in the mould department, we can do a trial mould inhouse. We can do a sample on the production

2 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

� � The Masnières site and its Managing Director, Etienne Gruyez.

line in the morning, make a modification on the mould in the afternoon, and go back again in the evening.

In 2015 we invested €5 million, in 2016 we invested €5 million, and this year we will invest around €4 million – so, €14 million in total, across the factory.

This was on new quality check machines, and we have redone the lines and invested in new equipment. We are also trying and developing some new equipment with manufacturers such as Tiama, for example.

The goal was to bring the know-how to the next level, and with higher quality.

What strategy do you focus on in Stölzle Masnières?

The main strategy of Masnières is time to market.

We need to be the fastest. We are in a region where we know we are not the cheapest, Western Europe, but what makes a difference to the client is time to market.

We are geographically close to the clients here. We are 1.5 hours from Paris, so it is easy for the clients to come here and work with our development team.

We are not the only ones in the market with a high quality product, but where we try to be different is on the speed. The market changes quickly. The average time for us to develop a new design is four weeks, that is standard but it’s still very fast.

Continued>>

Company profile: Stölzle Masnières

If we include our decoration facility which is across the road, we have 335 employees.

Do you place much emphasis on training at Stölzle Masnières?

Before, people would have one skill. Now, usually we try to train them to do two jobs and have two sets of know-how, so that on one day they can work on the hot end, the next day on the cold end.

It gives us more flexibility on the production line, but also it gives them more interest in their job – instead of always doing the same thing, they can learn new skills.

As with Arc International, we have had a grant from the regional government to help with the training programme. The northern region created a special fund for Arc and for us so that we can train our people, because there’s a real know-how in the glass industry here.

Last year we recruited 24 new people that studied what I would call ‘the base’, which is usually the cold end. This year we have recruited another 12.

Another thing is that Stölzle Masnières used to be a closed factory; nobody visited it.

Last year, for the first time in the history of the company, we had a family day, so people could bring their families and show them the glass factory because it had always been a mystery. It’s important for the staff, so they can be proud of what they are doing.

We have started programmes and visits with local schools so they can come and see who we are and what we do. I wouldn’t say the glass industry

“Yes, for us Industry 4.0 is linked to the time to market. The goal is to be fast in development and flexible, so we aim for four weeks development

”

time.

is not well known, but it is seen as an ‘old’ industry.

I think we need to show students that we also use the latest technology, we use big data, Industry 4.0, we have to be fast – to give them some appeal.

You mentioned Industry 4.0, is that something you’re interested in?

Yes, for us Industry 4.0 is linked to the time to market. The goal is to be fast in development and flexible, so we aim for four weeks development time. We are also concentrating on having a lean supply chain, and seeing how we can shorten the lead-time between the processes.

It’s also starting to work with the customer on how to share information in terms of sales volume and so forth, so we can better manage our inventory.

The environment is also important. We have worked on reducing our footprint as much as we can, in terms of energy consumption, treatment of the water, we bring our products in using boats so that we don’t use as many trucks, we recycle water, we have the flue treatment system at the back of the factory so that we don’t pollute the air.

Our clients, especially in perfume and cosmetics, are strong on their environmental footprint and so today it is a minimum.

If you can’t prove your credentials then you are out of the game. It has become a standard.

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

How many staff do you have here?

3 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

Company profile: Stölzle Masnières

Are your customers predominantly global or from France?

Our customers are global, although it’s true that with perfume and cosmetics the market is mainly driven by French brands: L’Oréal, Chanel, LVMH Group, Groupe Rocher, so we do have a big footprint from France. We also have customers in Sweden, the Middle East, the US. Our customers are about 60% French, 40% the rest of the world.

If one of your American clients has an idea for a design, would that still come to Masnières first?

Yes. We have a US office in New York with a developer there, so we have the technical knowhow available in the US office to immediately be able to say ‘yes we can do this’ or ‘no we cannot do this, this is how it could be modified’. Then the request comes here.

For the time to market and because of time difference it is important to have that person available there to immediately answer.

Our customers appreciate the fact we are global, that we have a global footprint in terms of factories as part of the Stölzle Group.

We have our sister factory in Poland we can use, as what we do here we share with them. We use the same tools and the same suppliers, so it’s easy to transfer from one plant to the other if necessary.

www.glass-international.com

Have your customers seen the benefits since Stölzle took over the site?

Yes. The first thing was, we asked them to come here. Before they would come to do an audit, but it makes a difference if you are the one asking them to come and be part of the development process.

We are trying to design to cost. What can we design that is easier to produce and therefore more economical for them?

The other thing that they’ve seen, although bear in mind I’ve only been in the group for three years, is that Masnières used to have a bad reputation because it was closed off, and it was not clean.

Now, clients congratulate us on the cleanliness, on the presentation, on the motivation of the staff, so yes they do see the investment.

There was a limited investment over the past 15 years, and now in two years we have managed a complete transformation.

How proud are you of what you’ve achieved so far?

I’m personally proud of my team, because yes I’m the Managing Director but I’m not alone, I have all my team.

I use the image of the triathlon. At first you swim, because at the time the company needed to swim, to survive to get back and do the transformation.

We have done that step but now we have to do

4 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

the bicycle and it’s a long race because in the meantime the competition has not stopped. So now we have to be on the bike and go faster and take the lead. The last race will be in the next two years: the running.

So yes I’m very proud, but the race isn’t over!

Now we have to pedal twice as fast to catch them.

Have you expanded your product range?

We are in the process of doing so. We have two things: 90% of our business is customer-specific design, they come with their design and that is linked to one client; that’s their shape. 10% of the business is on standard shapes. We have a standard collection that we provide to smaller clients that cannot afford to buy their own moulds.

We are expanding on the customer-designed shapes, and with the standard shapes we have developed a new, high end line that we call the Private Collection, five shapes that were introduced in 2015 at LuxePack.

Last year we continued expanding, and this year we introduced new cosmetic lines. Right now we are working on a separate business that we have started, the perfume diffuser.

How important is decoration to perfume and cosmetics?

It’s crucial. If you look when you go to a store, there is hardly any glass that is ‘just glass’, it will have a special cap or something. When you buy a perfume, the first thing you actually ‘buy’ is the design, because before you smell anything it is the design that attracts your eye and makes you try it.

Then you get into the smell, but the first thing that attracts you is the design.

We cover every type of decoration that you can possibly imagine, and we are also developing some new ones. We have developed two patents last year and are presenting them to selected customers.

Are there any trends in decoration?

Personalisation, so that people feel they are buying their own perfume.

We have also started to play with the sense of touch, so you have the visual when you look, then the smell. We are working with some clients so that when you hold the bottle it gives you another impact. It will help you memorise the bottle and make people feel really involved in buying the perfume.

We are also doing new treatments where it feels like you’re touching something very rough, or as if you’re touching stone.

The goal is that the brand can differentiate itself from the competition.

Continued>>

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Company profile: Stölzle Masnières

Do you notice trends dependent on geographical regions?

Yes. Overall, the big brands try to be global, but they launch limited editions depending on the market. For example the Middle East loves gold, so they will design something with a lot of gold because for that market it needs to shine.

Asia is not a big market for perfume, it is more for cosmetics and creams – although that trend is coming, as the Chinese are more into perfume.

Europe and the US are pretty much the same.

Brands try to be global, because of the cost of launching. For example, when they use an actress as the face of the perfume, the advert will be global.

What decoration techniques do you offer at Masnières?

With the Polish and French plants together we offer everything, so spraying, pad printing, frosting, and hot stamping, which is growing.

Inkjet printing is new, and we have developed a lot of techniques with this, for example creating the wood effect that we spoke about earlier.

You feel like you’re touching wood but it’s inkjet printing, and that’s something we developed here. We do gluing, sleevings, we do all of that, which is a big strength of Stölzle.

As a group we offer everything inhouse. It’s good for the client, as they come with the idea and leave with a finished product.

www.glass-international.com

Has there been an emphasis on the automisation of machinery?

Yes, especially in the control area. To have good glass it starts in the hot end. Before, you would produce the glass and then check it to see whether it was good or bad, and if so throw it away.

There was a lot of waste, but we have invested in technology where, for example, we take a picture of each gob, and measure the temperature, the weight and the angle, because the way the gob will fall into the machine will give you the quality even from the beginning.

We have invested a lot in improving the quality from the hot end. You still have some defects that you can only find in the cold end, for example the bottle neck and so forth. Every line is equipped with visual quality machines, so that also reassures our customers.

We are also working with big data. We always say ‘glass is magic’, and it’s true. We have people here that know how to look at the gob, and they tweak maybe two things on the machine and then it just works. But in the end, what that person has been able to do is gather in their mind some data about what this machine can do, and what they need to do to modify it and get a result.

So we are trying to take measurements on pressure, temperature, angle and so forth, so that

6 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

on future production we can replicate all the best parameters.

This is something new, gathering that big data, and there’s still a lot to do because we have so many factors and indicators in a glass factory, but in the end it’s only the human that knows how it all fits together. We want to take the data, gather it, and see how it’s linked.

Our role is to do that, to work on the big data and see what makes an impact on glass production, the goal being that we can be faster when we launch the production because we have the right parameters.

How big is the Masnières site?

We have one furnace with four lines and we do around 70 tonnes a day. The site is huge – they used to have five furnaces here. Today we only have one running. There is a second furnace; we are waiting for the market to grow and then we can hopefully start it up .

What do you look for in a supplier?

First of all we use the Group know-how, which was a benefit to Masnières because Stölzle already use some machines and suppliers so we benefitted from that knowledge. After that, for suppliers, it’s just being able to work with the specifics of perfume and cosmetics.

We have seen many suppliers that are used to working with bottles, they come and say ‘we have this wonderful machine for visual inspection’, but when you go to use it on small items the machine can’t process it. Plus, we have complicated shapes, with bumps and spikes and so forth. So we need a supplier that is capable of knowing the perfume and cosmetics sector, or has the will to improve in that industry.

We are working with some of our suppliers on improving some of their machines.

How would you like to see this site evolve over the next few years?

We want to continue the growth, and continue the training of our employees, to continue the know-how. I see two aspects: From the customer side, Stölzle Masnières could become a ‘design playground’. The designer can come here and say ‘I’ve got this idea, is it possible to do it in glass?’

Then, from the Stölzle Group’s point of view, every company is looking for growth and so it would be to start the second furnace.

We want to improve the results we have with this one furnace, and then grow with the second one. But again, it will all depend on satisfying our clients: they are the drivers. �

Stölzle Masnières, France www.stoelzle.com

Company profile: Ardagh Limmared

Limmared’s €21 million upgrade to meet needs of drinks market

� Ardagh’s Limmared plant in Sweden.

Ardagh recently completed the €21 million expansion and modernisation of its Limmared, Sweden plant.

Greg Morris was the first outside visitor to view the upgraded facility and, while there, met with Ardagh’s Nordic Operations Director, Bo-Lennart Nilsson. �The Limmared plant produces the Absolut bottles.

demand for these bottles. To meet these changing market conditions, Ardagh updated its product portfolio and replaced its second furnace with a larger, more energy efficient oven.

Upgrade The site underwent a €21 million upgrade between September and December last year and, as a result, is better equipped to serve the cider and beer bottle sectors.

Bo-Lennart Nilsson, Operations Director, Nordic, Ardagh Glass, said he was happy with the modernisation.

“It has been a very large project but we have done a lot in a very short space of time. When you replace as much as we have it is a large project.

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

W

hile Ardagh’s Limmared plant in Sweden is famous for its production of Absolut vodka bottles, it is also a substantial producer of other container glass too. A number of high profile beer and cider bottles are produced at the plant as well as an array of soft drink bottles.

The site, 100km east of Gothenburg, is nestled in serene Scandinavian countryside and is one of the oldest glass plants in the world, dating back to 1740.

The facility manufactures 450 million items a year from its two furnaces. One flint furnace predominantly produces spirit bottles while the other furnace, which until the recent modernisation was smaller, manufactured pharmaceutical and container bottles.

The recent trend of increased consumption of craft beer and cider in European and Nordic countries has led to a corresponding rise in

7 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

Company profile: Ardagh Limmared

In fact it has not been too far away from being a totally greenfield project. But now we are at the start up I believe we have got a lot for our money and the value we will get out of this will be good. I am extremely pleased.”

The modernisation included a new furnace from German group Horn, a new Heye International IS machine, an annealing lehr from Antonini, pusher bars and new inspection equipment from France’s Tiama group.

Furnace capacity has increased to 240t/day from 150t/day with an amber, brown and green colour offering. The furnace’s two new IS machines have 22 sections – one with a 12-section double gob and one 10-section producing double gob.

The revamp will bring the plant’s total capacity to 640 tonnes per day, producing glass from five production lines – three on its 400 tones per day flint furnace and two from the new, multicoloured oven.

Civil works

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As well as the new equipment, the project also involved a substantial amount of civil works, which saw the building extended by approximately 20% to house the new equipment. To accommodate

a larger furnace the company had to extend the building both in height and depth. The cold end building dated back to the 1950s so this was demolished and reconstructed.

Orders for materials and machinery were placed in January 2016 and civil works to extend the building began in April last year. The project officially started on September 5 and was completed on December 14, meaning the company can now increase its offering of bottles such as Kopparberg and Rekorderlig cider.

While most bottles are destined for use in Scandinavia, a substantial amount are exported to European countries such as the UK.

Benefits Ardagh will quickly reap the benefits of the investment, Mr Nilsson stated.

8 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

� The plant has installed a new IS machine.

� The new annealing lehr was supplied by Antonini.

“It means we will be more operationally efficient, we will reduce our cost footprint because we will produce much more but with basically the same fixed costs. The furnace also has a better melting efficiency so will save on the running costs, which is also a benefit to our customers because it means we are more competitive. The furnace has been designed for today’s market demands so fits perfectly with customer requirements.”

The furnace was also chosen for its environmental benefits. It is more energy efficient than its predecessor and has extra electricity capacity to reduce its carbon footprint.

The plant is already known for its forwardthinking environmental strategy: In 2009 it was announced that waste heat would be piped from the plant to be used for district heating in the Swedish municipality of Tranemo. In 2014, Ardagh’s other Nordic plant, Holmegaard in Denmark, followed suit with a similar renewable energy programme.

The new, automated machinery will bring benefits for the plant’s production staff too.

“We have done a lot from an automation point of view, particularly on the cold end. There is much more data in the process now which will help employees and operators on the shop floor.

In the hot end we have lowered the IS machines to floor level which makes for an improved working environment.”

The plant is also the regional headquarters for Ardagh’s Nordic operations and is a decoration specialist with 10 decoration lines. As such, its staff are employed in administrative roles and on decoration lines as well as in production.

Mr Nilsson was particularly proud of the plant’s 450 staff while the work and upheaval took place.

Such is the strong culture at the plant, that the staff are proud of their new surroundings.

Company profile: Ardagh Limmared

“The process to produce glass is fantastic, it is difficult and complicated and

”

I like those challenges

� The IS machines have a 12-section double gob, and a 10-section double gob.

He was also complimentary about Ardagh’s Central Technical Services (CTS) organisation, a specialist team dedicated to help with modernisation projects and who liaise with potential equipment suppliers for such projects.

Suppliers to the plant include Sorg, Zippe, Bucher Emhart Glass, Agr International, Pennekamp, Sipac, DMA, Symplex Inspection, Xpar Vision, Zecchetti and Fermac screen printing machines.

“We want suppliers who offer value for money and a package that fits with their approach, but also reliability is key.”

Mr Nilsson has worked for Ardagh for 28 years and, like 90% of the plant’s staff, lives locally.

His love of glass remains undiminished. “It is a living material, a nice material, let’s say it is an honest material.

“The process to produce glass is fantastic, it is difficult and complicated, and I like those challenges. The company has been great to work for and all the people I work with are great as well, it’s a nice environment.

“The general trend in Nordic countries is that glass is increasing, so overall everything is positive.” �

Ardagh Glass, Limmared, Sweden, www.ardaghgroup.com

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Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

Company profile: Rigolleau

Rigolleau reaps the benefits of $40 million upgrade Argentinian container and tableware glass manufacturer Rigolleau recently invested $40 million in a completely new furnace upgrade.

The investment also included new forming and inspection machines as well as a revamp of its cold end. Greg Morris met its Commercial Director, Sebastian Abadia Cattorini, and Industrial Director, Sergio Cattorini, at its headquarters near Buenos Aires to discuss the investment.

www.glass-international.com

A

rgentinian container glassmaker Rigolleau has been reaping the benefits of its new $40 million upgrade.

The Berazategui, Buenos Aires-based glass manufacturer completed its furnace and equipment upgrade in December 2015, and since then has seen increased production speed while at the same time producing a lighter weight glass.

The investment took two years from its initial idea to glass start up, and involved a completely new furnace and associated equipment such as IS machines, lehrs, inspection machines and palletisers. The upgrade was as a result of improved market conditions in Argentina thanks to the election of a new President and a change in the ruling political party.

Rigolleau anticipates more export opportunities

10 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

Political change Argentina has seen a major change politically with the election of Conservative President Mauricio Macri. Mr Macri’s victory was the first in more than a decade for Argentina’s centreright opposition and ended the 12-year rule of the Peronist Party.

The former President of the Boca Juniors Football Club and Mayor of Buenos Aires

to nearby regional countries thanks to the new market conditions.

Background and history The company makes glass for the container and tableware sectors. It has five furnaces – three for container glassmaking and two dedicated to tableware. It has a total of 16 lines, with nine IS machines for container glass. It has a capacity of 1000 tonnes a day and produces more than 2 million units a day.

It offers colours in flint and amber, extra flint for tableware and cosmetics, and a Georgia green and a blue colour for tableware.

It is the only glassmaker in South America to be certified with FSSC 22.000, which it originally received in 2013 and was then renewed earlier this

Company profile: Rigolleau

year. The certification is proof of its commitment to all its food and beverages customers.

It is a far cry from when the company was founded in 1882 by Leon Rigolleau. Mr Rigolleau, a Frenchman, started the company as an ink printing business but converted to glassmaking in 1906. The site, 36km from downtown Buenos Aires, was close to a nearby brewery and next to a railway line so was ideal for transporting the bottles to the brewery.

Today the company is still on the same 26-hectare site, about a 30-minute drive from Buenos Aires city centre. It has changed ownership a couple of times in the intervening years and is now a familyowned group, which is listed on the stock market.

Its main products are food jars, beer bottles, spirits bottles, olive oil bottles, ready to drink alcoholic beverages and cosmetics. Its tableware offering includes tumblers, dishes and jars.

Its customers include household names such as Walmart, Carrefour, AB InBev and Avon, and while its main geographical market is naturally Argentina it also exports to nearby countries Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru and Brazil.

advocates a free-market approach and is keen to open up international trade.

Events such as the recent Argentina Business and Investment Forum 2016 in Buenos Aires attracted CEO’S from large global conglomerates such as BP, Coca Cola and Siemens, which said it would invest in Argentina.

It is as a result of this renewed confidence that Rigolleau believes there will be more opportunities to increase its exports to nearby countries.

� Rigolleau’s 26-hectare site has been at the heart of the Berazategui community since 1882.

� The Heye IS forming machine on furnace number 7

Mr Sergio Cattorini said the furnace No. 7 project was a huge undertaking, which involved the creation of a special team to organise.

“It was a completely new furnace. It was the first time since 1961 that we had built a completely new furnace here, so was our first big project in 50 years.

“There was a lot to organise. The furnace was built on the site of an old warehouse, so could be described as a greenfield furnace. We also had to build a new chimney and examine everything from IS machines, lehrs, palletisers, inspection and cold end.

“The aim was also to have a much more automated hot and cold end, involving fewer labour and operational costs. The project was a huge task but a successful one – we have increased our capacity by 40%, so we are very pleased.”

Some of the companies who have supplied equipment to the revamped site include Portugal’s Vidromecanica (lehrs) and Icebel (palletiser), France’s Tiama group (inspection machines) and Italy’s OMS group (packaging).

The bubblers for the new natural gas powered, end port furnace were supplied by German company Sorg, but the furnace itself was designed and installed by Rigolleau’s own specialist engineers, who will also maintain and repair it when required.

The double and triple gob IS machines were supplied by Germany’s Heye International. When Glass International visited the site, the new equipment had been in operation for 10 months and Rigolleau reported a very successful operation.

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

Investment project

11 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

Company profile: Rigolleau

� The furnace number 7 project was completed last December.

� The revamped cold end.

Mr Sebastian Abadia Cattorini said: “Lightweighting is a key point for us. Since the start of operation, the machines have been running well. They have increased our speed and reduced the weight of the glass, so we are happy.”

www.glass-international.com

Technical agreement Rigolleau and Heye have had a technical agreement together for the past five years, which keeps Rigolleau up to date with the latest technology. The agreement involves every part of the glassmaking process from research and development, furnace design and installation, and training for Rigolleau operators. Rigolleau operators are trained at both Heye and at its parent company Ardagh Glass in Oberkirchen, Germany, as well as at Rigolleau’s own site. They are also trained in mould repairs and benchmarking to ensure best practice.

As a result, one of the innovations from the investment has been a stronger, lighter, returnable bottle using the NNPB process. Rigolleau used this combination of European know-how and local knowledge to design the furnace itself, rather than use an overseas furnace supplier.

Mr Sergio Cattorini said: “We have five furnaces and every two years we repair one of them. Each time our engineering team learns something from the furnace and learns to adapt new technologies.

We have learnt from the best suppliers but applied our own local knowledge.

“We have to be flexible in our operations due to the changing market conditions in Argentina.

We have 60 job changes a month and produce containers from 4ml to 4000 millilitres in size. We have a huge range and it is a complex operation so we need the support of the engineering team to have that flexibility.”

It is this flexibility and its customer service that it lists as its strengths. Rigolleau now has the flexibility to attend to shorter quantities if required, or the traditional long runs.

“Our customers are our top priority,” stated Mr Cattorini. “If we are flexible then they are happy.”

He added: “We maintain constant communication with them. They will usually approach us first with a new product and we will support them as much as possible and try to anticipate their needs.”

12 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

� Rigolleau produces more than 2 million units a day.

Another growing trend from its customers is the environment, which is where Rigolleau’s lightweight and returnable bottles come in. It also has a recycling centre within its plant to reuse cullet in the glassmaking process. Further raw materials are available in Argentina – sand from Buenos Aires province and soda ash from Patagonia in the south of the country.

Rigolleau also requires a similar level of customer service from its equipment suppliers. Most of its technical suppliers are European or US-based and are a long flight away. Due to the distance involved, Rigolleau requires reliable equipment and for its suppliers to maintain excellent customer support.

Amposan The company also has a pharmaceutical glassmaking plant, Amposan, based in Chimbas, San Juan province. The site employs 60 people and makes neutral glass ampoules and vials in flint and amber colours. It produces 500,000 units a day and has five ampoules production lines and eight vials production lines.

Future Now that the new equipment has been installed, at its Berazategui site, Rigolleau expects further automation on its remaining lines over the next five years. It aims to become much more developed in Latin America and export a larger portion of its production to countries nearby, as well as to be more efficient in the glassmaking process. �

Rigolleau, Berazategui, Buenos Aires, Argentina info@rigolleau.com.ar www.rigolleau.com.ar

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07/09/2017 12:12

Company profile: Thai Glass Industries (TGI)

Thai Malaya Glass unveils fourth Saraburi furnace Thai Malaya Glass recently unveiled its fourth furnace at its Saraburi plant in Thailand. The 300t/day furnace has five production lines and will make small and medium sized bottles, mainly in flint. Greg Morris visited Thailand to talk to Boonsak Stitmannaithum, Executive Vice President of Operations of Thai Malaya Glass and Thai Glass Industries.

www.glass-international.com

T

hai Malaya Glass’s (TMG) furnace number 4 project at its Saraburi plant is one of the most modern and efficient in the world.

The furnace and production line, named by the company as SB4, was supplied by some of the world’s leading glass manufacturing technology providers. Within a few weeks of start-up, the line had reached an efficiency of 90%, something which Khun Boonsak Stitmannaithum, Executive Vice President of Operations at TMG and parent company, Thai Glass Industries, is understandably proud.

“We reached 91% yesterday so we are extremely pleased,” he states.

“SB4 reached 90% after the first few weeks of operation and that is a new benchmark for us.

We have a very good team and we had very good preparation as well.

“We are very pleased so far. The production line is modern, more efficient and has a well-planned layout. We worked as a team on this and listened to the workers on what they wanted from a new production line.”

14 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

� Khun Boonsak with Greg Morris.

Continued>>

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As well as the Future Glass Forum, Glassman Asia will also feature its traditional conference, Technology in Glass, which will focus on the latest technologies and trends in the glass industry.

Conference papers aim to discuss innovations and practices which bring real benefit to the container glassmaking process.

The Future Glass Forum is a live discussion of the issues surrounding Industry 4.0, ‘smart manufacturing’ and creating a ‘smart factory’, including perspectives on Glass Manufacturing and Digitalisation. This conference is free-to-attend and is applicable to both flat glass and hollow glass production as well as business consultants interested in the considerations of business models, IT infrastructure, energy efficiencies and plant safety and security.

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Company profile: Thai Glass Industries (TGI)

SB4 will produce 300t/day of mostly flint glass and supply five production lines. The majority of bottles made on the line will be for soya milk, which is a growing market in Thailand.

The batch plant, regenerative furnace and forehearths were supplied by German partner companies EME and Sorg. The forming equipment was from Bucher Emhart Glass, the annealing lehr from Antonini, inspection equipment from O-I, sensor equipment from Xpar Vision and the packing system from Italy’s Zecchetti.

Furnace heat-up took place on October 6 and the first glass came out on October 20. Most of the glass made from the site will be supplied to the north of Thailand. The Saraburi site is located 120 north east of the capital Bangkok.

Mr Alexander Sorg, Managing Partner of Sorg attended the warm up ceremony – his company also supplied all the other furnaces to the plant.

“We want energy efficiency when it comes to a new furnace and Sorg provides that. We were pleased with the performance of SB3 and we are familiar and comfortable using Sorg furnaces.”

Construction of SB4 took 13 months and was a straightforward operation, states Khun Boonsak.

“We all feel a sense of pride about it. Normally when we do a new project like a new furnace, the delays come from the main construction rather than the equipment, but this time we had a really good contractor construction company and everything was perfect. Just like SB3 it is a very modern furnace and production line.

“The MPX 2 inspection machines from O-I are more modern. We are using Emhart AIS forming machines in NNPB for the first time. It is still early days but we are happy.”

Largest container manufacturer Thai Malaya Glass became part of Thai Glass Industries (TGI), Thailand’s largest glass container manufacturer, when TGI acquired it seven years

16 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

� Work has already begun on a fifth furnace at Saraburi.

ago. At the time the plant only had one furnace.

Since then there has been plenty of investment in the Saraburi plant culminating in SB4. The site was chosen as a strategic location because of its proximity to a gas pipe, as well as to the key north and north east of Thailand, where the company sells a lot of bottles.

Construction has continued at the site with a fifth furnace, SB5, due to open in August. SB5 will have a capacity of 400t/day, have five production lines and manufacture mostly amber bottles.

There are two reasons for the company’s recent expansion. One is the increased demand for glass containers, both in Thailand and in neighbouring countries abroad. The other has been the closing of TGI’s Rajburana plant in central Bangkok, which has been substituted by Saraburi’s output.

The remaining glass container manufacturing plant owned by TGI is based at Bangplee, south of Bangkok and close to the city’s airport.

The Bangplee site has five furnaces and mainly serves the Bangkok urban market and a number of food processors to the west of the city. Its largest furnace is BP5 with a capacity of 435t/day. All bar one of the group’s furnaces are equipped with electric boosters.

A company suggestion to build a 215t/day furnace in neighbouring Myanmar has been put on hold for the time being. “The electricity supply is not stable enough there. But maybe in two or three years time we will re-consider.”

Flexibility Thai Malaya Glass and Thai Glass Industries supply 50% of their output to sister company, ThaiBev. The brewer makes Thai drinks such as Chang beer, Mangkorn Thong rum and Chang Soda Water. The remaining half of TMG and TGI’s output are supplied to outside customers and includes beverage bottles and food jars.

It means the company is used to making job changes on its production lines and is a factor that makes TMG and TGI stand out from other container glassmakers in Thailand.

Continued>>

LATIN AMERICA 2018 21-22 March 2018, Guadalajara, Mexico

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17/10/2017 10:24

Company profile: Thai Glass Industries (TGI)

Khun Boonsak states: “We had 600 job changes this year and with the introduction of SB4 that figure will rise to 680 job changes next year. We regularly have two job changes a day at our plants and that can sometimes rise to three or four a day, which is a credit to our staff.

“We want to be as flexible as possible to our customers and that means more job changes and smaller lots of production. Next year we will start two jobs on the same machine.

The software is already installed on the forming machines, but in order to do that we have to have the cold end area prepared as well.

“We are different to other glass manufacturers in Thailand, because compared to us they have very few job changes while and some have none at all because they supply the majority of their production to their own in-house customer.”

The company is also the only container manufacturer in Thailand to make green glass.

people trained and experienced in glass.”

Among its new technology are a swabbing robot from Heye and a Socabelec lubricant at TGI’s Bangplee site.

“The forming operator can do a lot more on defect correction and there are also benefits in terms of the amount of liquid we use now.”

Training To encourage more people to join the industry the company has run its own school for the past three years. Students study both in college and in a plant, where they gain practical experience of glassmaking. It also has its own institute, the Thai Glass Technology centre, which provides training in all aspects of hot end glassmaking.

Khun Boonsak has been involved in the glass industry for 44 years. His father started a family cullet supply business – the first in Thailand – providing glass to Thailand’s glassmakers.

He started working for TGI five years ago working for TGI’s parent company Berli Jucker (BJC) for eight years.

“I’ve gone from breaking glass to making glass,” he states.

He still derives plenty of enjoyment and interest from the glass industry.

“Time flies very quickly in the glass industry.

There is always something to think about. One year here feels like three months, because everything moves so quickly. Compared to other industries, we might not have many issues, but the ones we have are big and challenging and make you think.

“The process of making glass is becoming more sophisticated and you really have to follow that to be able to compete in the market.” �

Digital technology

www.glass-international.com

The Saraburi site employs 1150 staff, which will rise by 200 when SB5 starts next year.

“Compared to Europe, that is a lot,” admits Khun Boonsak. “But previously our labour costs were cheap. So when we try to implement robotics or industry 4.0 it’s difficult to find a break even point because the labour costs had been so cheap.

“We know that the future is automation but the price of these systems are still very high compared to people. But we have moved to automation because even if you want people you cannot always find them because the glass industry does not appeal to new job seekers.

“We believe in technology. We think the future is a combination of new technology and new engineers who bring fresh ideas to the industry.

We need automation not for the replacement of existing people, but because we don’t have enough

18 Glass International - Digital edition January 2018

� SB4 is one of the most modern and efficient production lines.

Thai Glass Industries, Bangplee, Samutprakarn, Bangkok, Thailand www.thaiglass.co.th

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JOIN THE ASIAN GLASS INDUSTRY IN BANGKOK Glassman Asia will be the ideal opportunity to network with industry professionals from around the world whilst learning about the latest products and services on the market.

Glassman Conference Technology in Glass

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As well as the Future Glass Forum, Glassman Asia will

live discussion of the issues

also feature its traditional conference, Technology in

surrounding Industry 4.0, ‘smart

Glass, which will focus on the latest technologies and

manufacturing’ and creating a ‘smart factory’, including

trends in the glass industry. Conference papers aim

perspectives on Glass Manufacturing and Digitalisation.

to discuss innovations and practices which bring real

This conference is free-to-attend and is applicable to

benefit to the container glassmaking process.

both flat glass and hollow glass production as well as

The Future Glass Forum is a

Confirmed papers so far include AGR International, Pneumofore and PaneraTech.

business consultants interested in the considerations of business models, IT infrastructure, energy efficiencies and plant safety and security.

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This conference will be held within the Glassman exhibition in the seminar theatre on both mornings of the event.

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