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Editor’s Comment International news
GREG MORRIS, EDITOR
Save our summer
September, and the time to return to work, a new school year and the opportunity to reflect on a relaxing summer.
However this summer was one of the strangest in living memory: devastating wildfires and heatwaves in southern Europe and in the Northwest of America, while northern Europe endured monsoon rain and in Germany, tragic floods.
July and August is traditionally the time in the northern hempishere to wind down and relax. But with climate change they have become the ‘wild west’ months in recent years, a period where it is impossible to predict what the weather will be like each day.
It was a timely reminder ahead of the COP26 talks later this autumn of how fragile our climate is.
In a feature interview this issue, Diageo’s Procurement leader suggests consumers are more savvy than ever about packaging and its environmental impact on the world. Gen-Z and the future consumer base will be very different to all that has been known before. They are digital natives and have grown up with social media. They can rapidly spread the word of what packaging is healthy for the environment - and what is harmful.
The glass industry is in a strong position to appeal to this new generation of consumer. It is further ahead in its discussions on how to reduce carbon emissions from the manufacturing process than some other sectors, for example.
But more needs to be done if we are to save our summers. FRONT COVER IMAGE: www.pennine.org
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Ciner Group to invest 1.9 billion TL in Ankara facilities
Turkish glassmaker Ciner Group will invest 1.9 billion liras (US $228.9 million) in its Ankara manufacturing facilities.
The company will produce 237,250 tonnes of glass bottles annually as part of its new investment in Ankara Sincan.
Part of the 1.9 billion liras will also be invested in Ciner Group’s Bilecik glass plant.
Park Cam, one of the Ciner Group companies, has also committed to investing 1.2 Billion TL in its Bozüyük glass factory.
The construction phase has already started and will have a production capacity of 2.8 billion glass bottles per year and employ an additional 100 people.
Vidrio Formas starts second glass manufacturing facility
Mexican manufacturer Vidrio Formas has started a second production facility to increase its capacity to deliver glass containers to its customer base.
The new facility is located in Lerma, about one hour away from Mexico City and 10 minutes away from the original Vidrio Formas glassworks.
The plant includes a batch plant with the capacity to support the installed furnace and the future installation of a second furnace, a new regenerative end-fired furnace with a capacity of 320 t/d and two glass container production lines.
Preparations are already underway to install two more lines to begin production by the end of 2022.
The new plant increases the throughput capacity of the company by 30%. With the two additional production lines in 2022 the increase will be 60%.
Pilkington UK glassmaking powered by hydrogen
Pilkington UK has manufactured architectural glass at its St Helens, UK facility using hydrogen power in a world-first trial.
The trial is a key step in the manufacturer’s plans to decarbonise and could see a transition to using hydrogen to power all production at the site, which currently uses natural gas.
The switch means that the float glass furnace – which accounts for the majority of the company’s overall carbon emissions – would be able to run with hugely lower emissions.
The aim of the trial was to demonstrate that the furnace, in which the raw ingredients of the glass are heated to around 1,600 degrees centigrade, could run safely at full production without impacting product quality.
The initiative is part of the ‘HyNet Industrial Fuel Switching’ project to decarbonise industrial processes across the North West of England.
Heinz-Glas back at pre-Covid levels of glassmaking
German glassmaker HeinzGlas is now producing at pre-Covid levels with the international market recovering faster than expected.
The construction of the furnace at the newly built production site in Jiangsu province began at the end of July 2021, with production expected at the beginning of 2022.
Expansion into South America is also continuing for Heinz-Glas, with an office building, storage space and a hall for finishing all being built in Brazil.
There is also a joint venture in India is currently running at full capacity and is considered by Heinz-Glas to be an important success factor for supplying the domestic and Indonesian markets.
And lastly, its furnace in Dzialdowo, Poland which was affected by major damage, has also been rebuilt so that regular production can be resumed before the end of the year.
Borosil Renewables adding two more solar glass lines
India’s only solar glass producer Borosil Renewables is considering adding two more lines to its plant in Bharuch in the state of Gujarat.
Lines four and five will each consist of 550 tonnes per day and are scheduled for construction in 2023 and 2024.
With the addition of these new lines, it will take Borosil Renewables’ overall capacity to 2,000 TPD of solar glass by the end of 2024.
The company’s third furnace is currently under construction and will commence operation in May 2022.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Revimac installs IS machines at Frigoglass
Revimac has installed two 10-section IS machines at the Frigoglass (Beta Glass) site in Agbara, Nigeria.
The order included feeders and the machines have started production.
Despite all the problems and delays due to the Covid situation, technicians and specialists of the customer together with Revimac supervisors, did a great job during the installation and start-up of the machines, respecting the project schedule of the customer.
Rath builds new Budapest pre-assembly area
Rath Group has built a new pre-assembly area at its production site in Budapest, Hungary.
The newly refurbished and modernised pre-assembly area has been completely rebuilt on 400 m2, levelled (+/1 mm flatness, accuracy to DIN 18202) and equipped with reference markings for angle marking.
Robert Nusszer, Managing Director of the global Sales Unit Glass, Rath Group, said: “The refurbishment of this area allows professional preassembly to be carried out to international standards, so that requirements of glass industry customers can be met even more perfectly in the future.”
Guardian Glass plots Russian expansion
Guardian Glass is to add a jumbo laminated glass production line at its Ryazan, Russia plant.
It said the investment supports the region’s strong growth in the commercial, residential and interior sectors and the call for glass products that address safety, security and acoustic performance.
As a result, Guardian Glass Russia will offer the region an improved product mix including SunGuard and ClimaGuard coatings on laminated substrates for various applications.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Heye International appoints MD
Glass manufacturing technology supplier Heye International has appointed a Managing Director, who will join on October 18.
Hans-Peter Muller will be responsible for the development and implementation of the future strategic approach of the company, delivering new business projects through sales negotiations in different countries internationally.
Together with the team, he will continue to develop the customer base, maintain customer relations and support the development of a prospect pipeline.
GreenGlass recycles 75 million bottles in 2021
GreenGlass said that by recycling this amount of glass waste, more than 6,500 tonnes of CO2 have been saved, the equivalent of the emissions produced by an airplane that flies around the world about 350 times.
Established in 2013, GreenGlass paved the way of the glass recycling market in Romania, under a €5 million investment with a recycling capacity of 110,000 tonnes/ year.
The company turns 100% glass waste into a valuable resource for the glass packaging industry.
Zippe constructs Guardian batch house
Zippe has developed a new batch house with batch transport and cullet return system for Guardian Glass’ Czestochowa plant in Poland.
In addition, nine high performing float glass batch chargers, one batch charger as a substitute in case of need – were also supplied via a separate order.
This is the second float furnace on site and the new installation has more than doubled the plant’s capacity..
Zippe’s work included the design, manufacturing and installation of the steel structure, the process equipment and the control
Vetropack sees increased European glass demand
Vetropack Group increased net sales from goods and services by 23.3% to CHF 399.2 million ($437.1 million) compared to CHF 323.8 million ($354.7 million) last year.
A total of 7.1% of the increase in sales was generated by the new Vetropack glassworks in Moldova.
In Europe, the demand for glass packaging rose.
In the first half of the year, it sold 2.89 billion units of glass packaging, 23.0% more than in the previous year (2.35 billion units).
It forecasts that consumer behaviour will not fundamentally change in the second half of the year and is therefore planning to fully utilise its expanded capacities. Under ideal conditions, revenue can reach the value of the first half-year and stocks can also be slightly built up.
Encirc set to expand filling capacity by 40%
Encirc is set to increase its wine filling capacity by a further 75 million litres over the next year to meet growing demand, which will see its Beverages facilities capability increase by up to 40%.
The investment plans will mean the introduction of a new filling line at iys Elton, UK site among other new projects.
The company’s 360 model allows global brands to bulk ship their wine to its Elton site that is filled into bottles made at the same facility and then delivered directly to retailers.
Encirc experienced its most successful year to date in 2020, with its filling lines being at almost full capacity.
During the year, more than 400 million bottles of wine and carbonates were filled and sent to UK and European retailers.
Sisecam secures $75 million IFC Covid-recovery loan
Sisecam has received a $75 million loan to boost its post-Covid recovery.
The investment by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) will help fill a COVID-impacted funding need for the Turkish company.
The IFC funding will help Sisecam sustain its operations, contributing to its post-COVID recovery through increased competitiveness, exports, and economic activity.
IFC said the financing would help Sisecam implement its capital expenditure programme delayed by COVID-19 and finance its working capital needs, alleviating the impact of the pandemic.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Saint-Gobain European site sales
Saint-Gobain has sold two of its glass operations in France and Germany, while SaintGobain Sekurit has closed a site in Portugal, putting 130 jobs at risk.
The company sold its French glass processing and shaping company Aurys to a former manager of SaintGobain.
The group has also sold the German tempered glassmaker GVG Deggendorf to the Swiss Arbonia group.
A separate part of SaintGobain’s operations, SaintGobain Sekurit, also closed its production site in Portugal and laid off 130 workers due to accumulated losses in recent years.
HFT promotes Sam Leaper to Sales Director
HFT has promoted Sam Leaper to its Director of Glass Business Development.
Mr Leaper has been with HFT for four and a half years and has contributed to the growth of the business.
He will lead HFT’s Sales and Marketing Department as it continues to grow and offer global glass makers with turnkey project support and EPC solutions from initial conception, through development, design and execution.
Schott forms new Indian partnership
Germany’s speciality glass company Schott has a new partner: the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world‘s largest vaccine producer and manufacturer of biologics.
SII has bought a 50% stake in the Indian joint venture Schott Kaisha from former co-owners Kairus Dadachanji and Shapoor Mistry.
The joint venture is an Indian manufacturer of pharma packaging products such as vials, syringes, ampoules and cartridges used to package life-saving medications.
It said it was securing its supply of pharma packaging amid rising global demand.
Top 10 stories in the news
Our most popular news over the past month, as determined by our website traffi c. All full stories can be found on our website.
� 1. Vidrio Formas starts second glass manufacturing facility � 2. Pilkington UK architectural glass production powered by hydrogen � 3. Ciner Group to invest 1.9 Billion TL in Ankara manufacturing facilities � 4. India’s Kapoor Glass and Borosil Renewables secure glass manufacturing awards � 5. Saint-Gobain sells two parts of organisation and closes another site � 6. O-I Glass issues 2021 Sustainability Report � 7. O-I integrates energy-saving air compressors in French facilities � 8. Heye International appoints Managing Director � 9. Piramal Glass renamed to PGP Glass � 10. Feature: Consol Glass celebrates its Women in Glass
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Stoelzle aims for CO2 savings with digital technology
Premium spirit glass bottle manufacturer Stoelzle aims for energy and CO2 savings after it integrated a digital performance monitoring solution into its production lines.
It has integrated technology from Hark, a Leeds, UK-based start up, at its Knottingley, UK production site.
Hark’s technology is being integrated into two production lines and will deliver asset performance monitoring.
The Hark Platform will support integrations with motors and inverters on the production lines, enabling remote asset performance monitoring. Through partnerships, Hark is able to provide the hardware to connect these assets effectively.
A continuous stream of data will be fed into the cloudbased platform for analysis, so that Stoelzle can understand its operations more accurately and highlight any asset opportunities immediately.
Ferro shareholders approve Prince acquisition
Shareholders of glass coatings and colour solutions provider Ferro have approved its acquisition by an affi liate of Prince International Corporation.
Under the terms of the proposed merger, Ferro shareholders will have the right to receive $22.00 in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes, for each share of Ferro common stock that they own immediately prior to the effective time.
Upon the terms and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the merger agreement PMHC Fortune Merger Sub, an affi liate of Prince, will merge with and into Ferro, with Ferro continuing as the surviving corporation in the merger and as a direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Prince.
Ferro anticipates the merger to close in fi rst quarter of 2022 pending antitrust and regulatory approvals.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Youth help kickstart IYOG 2022
A photography competition for youngsters titled Glass in our Lives helped kickstart India’s celebrations of the International Year of Glass 2022.
Chief Guest Dr. Reinhard Conradt, Vice President and President Elect of the International Commission on Glass (ICG) unveiled a touring exhibition on ‘Glass in our Lives’ at the virtual Annual General Meeting of the All India Glass Manufacturers’ Federation (AIGMF).
Online entries were invited from the age group between 7-24 years to participate in the 1st Photography Contest, a kickstart event to mark International Year of Glass 2022 activities in India.
A Jury of Members representing a cross section of glass sectors and regions decided the top three photographs out of approx., 7,000 entries received from educational institutes and Youth across India.
Rescheduled GPD Finland dates announced
Glass Performance Days (GPD) Finland, originally scheduled for October 2021 will now take place on 16-18 February 2022.
The hybrid event will also include workshops will be on the 15th and 16th of February, followed by the conference sessions and networking activities on the 17th and 18th of February.
AGC’s Fleurus site to restructure after losses
AGC Automotive Belgium will carry out a restructuring plan for its Fleurus site in Belgium, with 40 people out of the 188 workers set to lose their jobs.
A repositioning of the activity is said to be essential to ensure the long-term survival of the site.
The savings are said to be essential both to reduce the expected financial losses for 2021-2022 and to try to ensure the site’s long-term survival by attracting new models and/ or new investments.
Ametek Land improves SGD Pharma furnace production
Ametek Land has provided in-furnace thermal imaging to optimise the borosilicate glass production at a SGD Pharma’s manufacturing facility in France.
SGD Pharma chose Ametek Land’s Near Infrared Borescope (NIR-B-656- Glass) in-furnace thermal imaging system to optimise the production and quality of borosilicate glass from its new 50tpd oxy-gas furnace at its St Quentin Lamotte, France, facility.
The new system replaces the company’s existing CCTV system.
The NIR-B-656- Glass solution provides SGD Pharma with a true-temperature radiometric image, so live continuous temperature values can be obtained.
The high quality of the purge applied on the lens delivers a clear image, providing the same views as the previous CCTV system managed.
The most important benefit is the capability to obtain a furnace thermal profile continuously in the oxy-gas furnace, confirming the hot spot locations are aligned with the furnace design and batch line.
O-I’s facilities across France have invested in centralised computer control systems for air compressors, which provide lower energy needs, fewer emissions and cost savings.
A plant’s compressed air system serves functions, driving machine movements and other uses throughout the glass manufacturing process.
It’s among a plant’s more energy-intensive systems, but the new computer software helps the system work more efficiently and decreases electricity demand. Decreasing demand also saves on a plant’s energy costs.
Previously, a plant’s six to 10 compressors would operate independently.
But the new software creates efficiencies by linking a plant’s air compressors as a network.
This gives full visibility to the teams on one screen, allowing each plant to get an automatic selection of the best available combination to optimise energy efficiency while meeting the plant’s compressed air needs.
Ambev completes Brazilian furnace rebuild
Container glass manufacturer Ambev has completed the rebuild of its furnace number 1 at its Rio de Janeiro site, Brazil. The 360t/day end-fired furnace has three production lines and has been in operation for 14 years.
A heat up ceremony recently took place with members of the Ambev team as well as members of Horn, the German furnace engineering company.
