Austria’s RATH Group has taken over responsibility for refractory materials production at the Bucher Emhart Glass plant in Owensville, USA. This includes a specialist research facility.

According to Bucher Emhart Glass, both businesses will profit from synergies in product development as well as production. In addition, customers will benefit from the strengthened business, as there are no actual changes with the RATH Group taking over and continuing the complete production facility, as well as the product portfolio. “This is positive news for our customers in the glass container industry” commented Martin Jetter, President. “The accelerated development speed plus the expansion of the product portfolio will be to their advantage. Additionally, we will work closely with the RATH Group, as we are very aware of the importance of high quality refractory materials for the glass production process. It’s an advantage for the employees in Owensville to be part of the RATH Group, whose core business is refractory technology and heat-resistant materials.”

For the first time, RATH has its own production site in the heart of the US glass industry. "Our aim is to use our own production plants to produce high quality refractory products for the container and flat glass industries” said a spokesperson for the company’s management. “With the acquisition of the Owensville production facility, we are enhancing our service and product portfolio and gaining broader international market access, to become an even stronger and more reliable partner for our customers worldwide. For example, we are expanding the RATH product portfolio to include feeders, forehearth mouldings and spare parts for the specialist industry. Our close collaboration with Bucher Emhart Glass in the future means that we will benefit from our mutual strengths and we will pass this added value on to our customers.”

The final sale is planned for autumn 2019.