EXCLUSIVE ARDAGH INTERVIEW

A subsidiary of sustainable packaging business Ardagh Group, Ardagh Glass Packaging – North America (AGP – North America) supplies brand owners around the world with myriad shapes and sizes of glass in up to 20 colours. In an exclusive Glass Worldwide interview, Charles Mace, Director, Glass & Furnace Engineering, discusses his role at the company and explains how growing up in a ‘glass town’ helped to shape his 32-year career in the industry. The full version of this article appears in the Jan/Feb 2023 issue that has been mailed globally and is also now available free of charge in the digital archive*.

From starting out sweeping factory floors to earn college money, to becoming Director, Glass & Furnace Engineering, Charles Mace describes his career in the glass industry as “a long, but very rewarding journey.” A “third-generation glass worker,” from, “the glass capital of Indiana,” Dunkirk, Indiana (USA), Mr Mace had many family members who worked at the local Kerr Glass plant (now part of Ardagh Glass Packaging – North America), including his father, who presumably taught his son the merit of hard work – rising through the ranks from an hourly employee to become Furnace Manager, then Plant Engineer.

“I recall learning about the furnace operations and glass, in general, from my dad and his fellow operators from an early age,” Charles reminisces. “At the time, employees’ children who were going to college could work at the plant during the summer to earn money for college, which helped the plant cover shifts for employees taking vacations. I was going to school at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, a short distance away and was asked to come back to work after the beginning of my freshman year due to a shortage of people at the plant. The following spring, the plant posted [vacancies] for IS machine operator apprentices. I signed up and changed my major from Psychology to Business. I had become a full-time glass worker. Approximately 18 months later, there was a posting for a Furnace Operator and I was able to obtain that position. I knew I had found my career at that point. Due to advancement opportunities and relocation requests, I completed my associate degree at the age of 28 and bachelor’s degree in Management at the age of 40.”

Career prospects

Growing up in a “glass town full of glass people, the real attraction was the pride in the work,” continues Mr Mace. “[My] goal was to become a Furnace Manager, then Furnace Engineer.”

Employed by Saint-Gobain Containers, Glass Furnace Management LLC, LMC Industrial Company, and – for the last 12 years – Ardagh Group, Mr Mace achieved and then exceeded this goal. He has previously held a number of positions, including Cold End Selector; I.S. Machine Operator; Furnace Operator; Supervisor, Batch & Furnace; Manager, Batch & Furnace (multiple locations); Engineer, Furnace Design; Engineer, Furnace Operations; Engineer, Senior Furnace Operations; Manager, Furnace Operations; Director, Furnace Operations.

“Being from a glass family, my expectations were realistic,” says Mr Mace, reflecting on 32 years in the industry. “What I really enjoyed were the technical challenges and the people. Early on, the main influence on my career was my father. He taught me a lot technically about glass and was always a good sounding board. In reality, though, the people of Dunkirk were the real inspiration. To me, these hard-working, dedicated individuals not only took the time to teach and mentor me technically, but they were proud to be part of the glass industry and the history of our town. Later in my career, professionally, one individual helped influence me the [most] and that was Eric Dirlam [previous Director – Furnaces at Ardagh Group and now a Master Furnace Engineer at SSOE Group]. Eric taught me how to navigate the business side of things and really helped improve my decision-making and leadership abilities.”

Career-wise, the industry has “exceeded my wildest dreams,” Mr Mace enthuses. “My oldest daughter is now in the industry on the finance side, as well,” he notes.

Hotbels BTU Award

Held in Lexington, Kentucky last April, the 35th Hotbels glass industry seminar for suppliers and glassmakers incorporated the presentation of the Business & Technology United (BTU) Award to Chuck Mace. “I was humbled to receive the 2022 BTU Award at the Annual Hotbels Conference, as it is an award from my peers. I have been attending Hotbels for a very long time, and I respect and admire all the previous recipients of this award” comments a proud Mr Mace. “To me, the reward is recognition for years of hard work and learning that has allowed me to contribute to Hotbels through technical discussions and papers. Hotbels is a great atmosphere where relationships are forged through technical discussions and ideas. I look forward to attending for many more years.”

Best team in the industry

As Director, Glass & Furnace Engineering at AGP – North America, which provides high-quality glass containers for the beer, beverage, food, spirits and wine markets, Mr Mace is responsible for furnace design and construction, furnace operations, furnace maintenance, glass technology and forehearth operations. “Everything from ‘ground to gob’,” he explains, including raw materials, the batch house, furnace design and construction, furnace drains, commissioning, operations and maintenance, as well as forehearth operations and hot end inspection. “The team I manage is responsible for all of the Ardagh Glass Packaging – North America facilities.”

Meeting the evolving environmental and commercial needs of the business, while increasing asset life through operational stability and innovative technologies in operations and maintenance, is an accepted and continual challenge, he maintains. Accordingly, AGP – North America’s glass and furnace engineering team works very closely with Environmental, Capital Planning and many other departments within the company.

As a multinational organisation, collaboration with counterparts in Europe and Africa is “essential for our business,” points out Mr Mace. “We have regular correspondence and have a face-to-face meetings once a year. There is a lot of talent and experience in our engineering groups in all regions.”

The main focus for the team is to support our facilities to deliver the best quality glass to the forming process through engineered solutions and operational excellence, he continues. “Secondarily, the team is focused on process improvement and emerging technologies.”

A particularly rewarding aspect of his directorship role is the opportunity to work with “a strong technical team” to meet the needs of the company’s facilities on a daily basis to reach its long-term goals. “Managing all areas of Batch & Furnace for Ardagh Glass Packaging across North America is a very large task and it takes a great deal of expertise and knowledge sharing,” acknowledges Mr Mace. “I could tell a lot of stories about innovative hot repair projects and furnace rebuilds, but the project I am most proud of is the selection and development of the team. I believe I have the best team in the industry who continue to amaze me on a regular basis.”

Working relationships

Ardagh is a forward-thinking organisation that rewards its employees well, according to Mr Mace. “At Ardagh, we strongly believe that the success of our business depends on the success of our people. Our Human Resources team is actively engaged in recruiting and attracting top talent, whether it’s promoting from within the company or discovering new talent. We also offer co-op opportunities that allow collegiate engineers to work on projects with real impact to our organisation. Ardagh offers exciting and rewarding opportunities, career growth, competitive benefits and an inclusive work environment. While it has become more difficult, we are still very successful in attracting talent, as Ardagh has a wealth of opportunities for those willing to put forth the effort.”

The company’s relationship with suppliers is “paramount” to its success, underlines Mr Mace. “From refractory materials, to recycling efforts, to technological advancements in all areas of the operation, we work with suppliers regularly to keep moving forward.”

Understandably, the main criteria for selecting external suppliers to support Ardagh’s investments comes down to its objectives and the offerings in regard to reaching those objectives. “We are continuously reviewing options across our business for both operational and financial improvement opportunities. We work very closely with our Procurement team to find the optimum solutions and partners,” says Mr Mace. “Our suppliers are in constant contact with us – they understand our needs and keep us updated on new technologies and offerings. These routine communications are important, and we look for them to continue to innovate and bring us solutions.”

Targeting change

With the ever-changing market and environmental landscape, greater emphasis is being placed on R&D, and most of AGP – North America’s recent installations are investments to improve energy efficiency and/or operational performance, according to Mr Mace. “I believe it is important for all elements of the [production] process to be continuously evaluated for improvement,” he expounds. “Being a data-driven business, we continue to make improvements in data collection and reporting that can improve operational performance throughout our processes.” Moreover, Ardagh has a Sustainability team that “works in alignment with engineering for finding and implementing emerging technologies to meet the goals of the business,” he notes.

In the pursuit of CO2-neutral glass manufacturing – a “lofty, but worthwhile goal” remarks Mr Mace, AGP received approval from the Science Based Targets initiative for its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, concerning its plans for 42% Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 reduction by 2030. “Ardagh is committed to ambitious action in sustainability and continuously improving our infinitely recyclable glass packaging to ensure we are doing our part in the circular economy,” commented AGP’s Chief Sustainability Officer Alex Winters at the time. “The SBTi approval of AGP’s targets is further evidence of Ardagh’s commitment to help our customers reach their sustainability goals and is extremely positive for not only AGP, but all of its stakeholders.”

Last autumn, AGP – North America announced an initiative with its long-time partner Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, one of the largest premium wine companies in the USA, that will see the winery transition from a traditional glass bottle to Ardagh’s ECO Series glass bottles, thereby reducing its environmental impact via lowered greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions.

Further demonstrating its green credentials, since 1933, AGP – North America has been an active member of the Glass Packaging Institute, the trade association representing the North American glass container industry which promotes glass as the optimal packaging choice, advances environmental and recycling policies, advocates industry standards and educates packaging professionals. “In addition, our employees serve on the Board of Trustees, and are involved in Environmental Health & Safety, Marketing & Communications, and Government Affairs sub-groups,” adds Mr Mace.

“Glass has been the preferred packaging choice for foods and beverages since it was first created, and Ardagh is committed to maintaining that reputation by continuing to innovate its processes and products to provide the perfect instrument for presenting the world’s leading brands,” he reflects.

“Coming from a small town that was built around the glass industry, I am proud to be a part of that heritage and history, as well as part of its future. Ardagh Glass Packaging – North America is a wonderful place to be employed. If anyone is looking for a challenging and rewarding career, I would encourage them to look into the opportunities available with Ardagh.”

Further Information:

Ardagh Glass Packaging – North America, Indiana, USA
tel: +1 317 558 1585
email: Marketing.Glass.NA@ardaghgroup.com
web: www.ardaghgroup.com

Images: Chuck Mace / Dunkirk, Indiana plant / BTU Award 2022 winner Charles Mace (centre) with Tom Graham and Demetrius Rankin from Hotwork USA and Bob Chambers and Eric Yaszemski from Fosbel.