On May 5th 2022, I officially reached the age of retirement and I will start receiving state pension, but I have decided to stay active in the industry for a couple more years. I am not done yet!

Back in February 1978, I applied for a technical assistant job at Vereenigde Glasfabrieken at Maastricht, the Netherlands.

It was 1 June 1978 when I saw, for the first time in my life, how a glass bottle was made and it obviously made a huge impression.

My colleagues at the time told me that if I stayed for one year and still enjoyed it, then most probably I would stay for the rest of my life.

Today, after almost 44 years I started to realise that they were right. I am still in the glass industry and I have to say that I haven’t regretted it for one moment.

The Glass Manufacturing Industry Council has announced student travel grants for the 83rd Conference on Glass Problems, which is scheduled to take place in Columbus, Ohio on 31 October – 3 November 2022.

Travel grants are available on a first come, first served basis, provided applicants meet eligibility requirements.

As well as receiving complimentary conference registration and a reduced price for lodging, eligible students are awarded $500 grants to offset travel expenses.

Air Products has provided a generous grant towards the programme.

For more details, contact Donna Banks: dbanks@gmic.org

Anders Invest has signed an agreement to purchase Royal Leerdam and its affiliated company Crisal – Cristalaria Automática from owners Libbey Glass.

The companies manufacture tableware for the European market under the Royal Leerdam and Crisal Glass brands, respectively, with a turnover of approximately €120 million with more than 600 employees.

Royal Leerdam was founded in 1878, and with the Crisal factory in Portugal, founded in 1944, has grown into a strong player in the European market for tableware glass.

The company operates from the production site in Leerdam in the Netherlands and Marinha Grande in Portugal.

In addition, a distribution centre is located in Gorinchem.

Gerresheimer has significantly ramped up its glass and plastic production capacities in India.

A new modern plant to produce high quality plastic containers and closures was built at the Kosamba site, and glass production received a new state-of-the-art and sustainable furnace technology.

Both innovations were ceremonially commissioned by the management.

By adding capacities in India, Gerresheimer intends to ensure consistent supply for critical pharma and healthcare facilities supporting increased packaging demand and public health.

The company already operates production facilities, including Triveni and Neutral Glass, acquired in 2012.

Encirc has been supporting independent UK beer brand Skinny Lager in growing its business following a massive increase in demand.

Over the last year demand has increased from an initial demand of 25,000 litres in the first five months, to approximately 108,000 litres every month.

Throughout the pandemic, Encirc worked closely with Skinny Lager, ensuring the seamless filling, storing and shipping of products from one location.

Encirc’s ‘360’ service allowed the brand to quickly and effectively scale up its business, despite significant challenges to the beverage supply chain over the last 18 months.

Encirc’s range of different packaging formats also helped Skinny Lager adapt as the consumer landscape shifted.

Saint-Gobain has entered into binding agreements for the sale of two UK Glass processing facilities specialized in the manufacturing of double-glazed units.

The two sites in Motherwell, Scotland and Canterbury together generated sales of approximatively €20 million in 2021, and employ around 80 people.

Clayton Glass has exchanged contracts in a deal to purchase the insulating glass unit manufacturing facilities.

A move which strengthens both capacities and geographical coverage to the whole of the UK, from the South coast of England to the North of Scotland.

Adding upwards of 65,000 units a week, in a mix of standard IGUs, specialist roof and door products.

HFT has been contracted to upgrade Owens Corning’s 300,000 ft2 fibre glass production plant in Nephi, Uah.

The focus of the project is to expand the plant’s capabilities to be able to produce a broader range of building insulation in the future and include modernisations and upgrades throughout the production line.

Work is to be completed in the first half of 2023.

Work on the Nephi facility will include furnace, forming, civil/foundations, buildings, offices and utilities, as well as relocation of production equipment from another Owens Corning facility to the Nephi site.

In addition to equipment integration, the project will include structural, mechanical, electrical, and building upgrades.

TricorBraun has acquired Continental Bottle Company (CBC), a leading UK glass packaging provider, and its affiliate, glass decorator DiBro.

The acquisitions expand TricorBraun’s European presence.

“Continental Bottle Company and DiBro have been leaders in the UK packaging industry for decades,” said Court Carruthers, president and CEO, TricorBraun. “We are pleased to partner with these trusted companies – enabling us to offer new products and expanded supply chain options to customers—while investing in their continued growth. We are thrilled to welcome these outstanding teams to the TricorBraun family.”

Serving customers for over 30 years, CBC provides primary glass packaging for the cosmetic and fragrance industries.

On 9 May the Stoelzle Glass Group’s Polish production site in Częstochowa began emptying its flint furnace to start the demolition and rebuild over the next two and a half months.

The new furnace will reach a capacity of 480tpd and include the installation of three efficient production lines.

The construction of the new furnace is the next stage in Stoelzle’s development strategy.

The first one was the opening of the new Logistics Centre, which helps avoid complications in global supply chains and prepares for the implementation of the next stages of the sales and operational strategy.

The next step was the launch of a new high-speed spray line in the decoration area.