The glass packaging industry faces the growing challenge of attracting young, highly skilled people, who are willing to work in glass plants. Over time, says Thomas Bewer, process knowhow within the plant will diminish, resulting in less productive processes and reduced revenues. In order to face this challenge, Bucher Emhart Glass’ End to End strategy provides technology and services to bridge the knowledge gap.

It was in 2011 that a joint-venture was created between Bucher Emhart Glass and China’s Shandong Sanjin Glass Machinery Co Ltd. Vincent Pang, Chairman of Sanjin and Martin Jetter, President of Emhart explain how the initiative has benefited both parties, as well as numerous customers in the Chinese glass container market.

Kenneth Andrew Domann*, Ceramic Engineer and Larry Finn**, Laboratory Manager discuss a formulation that has helped solve the issue of thermal shock in applications such as expendables. Research included a collaboration with the local university as well as testing in glass plants.

More than a century ago, a small group of engineers who would not accept the status quo and refused to quit in their quest to revolutionise the way a glass bottle is made changed the hollow glass container industry forever. They formed a company known then as Hartford Empire that paved the way by designing the machines, defining the processes and setting the standard methods in which glass bottles are still produced.

Ten years ago, Emhart Glass (as it was then called) laid plans for a new state-of-theart manufacturing plant in Taman Preindustrian Cemerlang, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Construction began in 2008, and the new plant was officially opened in 2009. Covering a total area of around 6,000 square meters, the plant replaced an existing site managed by Formac, a former supplier that Emhart Glass had acquired in 2006.

In 2014, Bucher Emhart Glass launched its BlankRadar forming process control system, based on XPAR Vision’s Gob Assist and Blank Temperature Control products. Now, this agreement has been extended, with Bucher Emhart Glass selling the XPAR IR-D system under the Bucher Emhart Glass FlexRadar brand. Martin Jetter, President of Bucher Emhart Glass spoke exclusively to Glass Worldwide about this development and its positive implications for the international glass container industry.