GW: What does it mean to you to be elected President of British Glass and what do you hope to bring to the role?

I am pleasantly touched and proud of the election as President of British Glass and would like to express my heartfelt thanks. I hope that during my tenure I will be able to support the excellent work of the team at British Glass and set the right priorities for any new challenges that arise.

GW: In the coming months, what will be the primary focus of your tenure as President?

The environment in which every industry is currently operating is extremely fast-paced and dynamic. Be it the requirements of the market, the environmental aspects and the resulting necessary goals or the expectations of our employees of modern companies, which are also subject to constant development. At the moment, however, a main focus must be placed on the requirements of environmental and energy issues in order to create the conditions for achieving the goals set here. This extends from the availability of future forms of energy to the required raw materials such as recycling material.

GW: With Stoelzle Flaconnage a long-term member of British Glass, what do you consider to be the main benefits of membership?

Working with British Glass is a very important building block in the management of our company. [Events] in the recent past have shown how efficient this organisation is: be it Brexit, a worldwide pandemic or drastic political cuts in environmental or energy policy, the support that the member companies have received from BG has always been very helpful. It’s really difficult for me to pick a specific point here at the moment.

GW: What more could the industry do to support British Glass?

Industry membership is key to support British Glass. On the one hand, this means becoming part of this association and then working as actively as possible on the various committees and working groups. Luckily, in the recent past we have seen former members come back and we are also seeing new members joining the association. I think this is a very good development that will strengthen British Glass in the long term.

GW: How significant is British Glass’ support of Glass Futures and how influential do you expect their activities to be in ensuring long-term prosperity for the glass industry in the UK and further afield?

A new and of course incredibly exciting development has opened up here with the founding of Glass Futures. As with all newcomers, it is difficult to predict how positive the impact of this organisation will be in the future. Nevertheless, the plans are very good and I therefore think it is extremely important for British Glass to maintain very close contact with Glass Futures and to accompany the development in the interests of the British glass industry.

GW: In addition to being a member of British Glass, Glass Worldwide is the preferred journal of Glass Alliance Europe and FEVE. How crucial to British Glass is collaboration with such European bodies?

Since we are of course part of the Stoelzle Glass Group and therefore also a member of FEVE, I can only rate it positively from this point of view. The exchange and collaboration with the European organisations was and will always be an important input for the future-oriented development of our industry. Although we are detached from European legislation, we will not be able to avoid its effects on customers, markets or parent and sister companies.

GW: In your opinion, how important are the Glass Focus Awards and what do the events offer?

The events offer an excellent stage for the industry to present itself in the advertised categories; of course also to measure and for the companies and the employees involved to show their skills. The very professional evaluation in the individual categories once again underlines the high level of expertise of the involved British Glass employees, and last but not least the excellent organisation of the award ceremony should be mentioned, which always gives everyone involved a wonderful evening.

GW: What are the highlights of Stoelzle Flaconnage’s performance in recent times?

The Knottingley factory transformed successfully into a one-stop-shop for product development, design, manufacturing and decoration, including the supply of closure applications for a variety of spirits bottles. Caps and closures are equally unique to the bottles that they become paired with; customers are able to choose from sustainable to high-end options as they work with Stoelzle closures experts. Designers and glass experts are committed to developing the perfect bottle for every single product, working closely with customers and supporting them from the initial sketch to the final bottle. A number of our designs gained international recognition at packaging awards.

GW: What are the main challenges and opportunities facing Stoelzle Flaconnage in the short, medium and long terms?

The opportunity not only for the Stoelzle Flaconnage but for the whole industry is that glass is the ‘material of choice’ for the future in packaging. The challenge, which comes naturally with this development, is that it needs to be produced differently in many aspects. This starts with the design, which will in future involve more and more restrictions driven by environmental pressures. It moves on in production where, beside all other requirements, the focus is on how much energy we use and from what source, and finally ends in how we transport the goods to our customer. This wide-ranging transformation will be with us for the foreseeable future.

 
Image: The Stoelzle Flaconnage site in Knottingley, West Yorkshire and (inset) Thomas Riss.