ITALY – Vetropack, a glass packaging manufacturer, has announced the inauguration of its new facility in Boffalora sopra Ticino, northern Italy.
The event signifies the official start of operations at the facility and is attended by important business partners, customers, and notable representatives from the local Italian government.
This inaugural event was attended by various Vetropack business partners, customers, and other key representatives and officials from the local Italian government.
Vetropack Group CEO Johann Reiter said, “We are very happy to have reached this final milestone today. We would not be here today without our partners, and we would like to thank everyone involved.”
The latest milestone comes a few months after Vetropack began heating up its melting furnaces at the Boffalora plant.
Since the initial start-up of the furnaces, the company has been gradually preparing and transitioning the plant to begin full production.
Switzerland-headquartered Vetropack Group has established a new high-tech plant with an investment of approximately SFr400 million (US$443.53m).
It has been built to enhance production flexibility in order to meet the requirements of the Italian market, while also supporting Vetropack’s long-term sustainability goals.
The plant will support the production activities of glass packaging for Vetropack Group’s subsidiary, Vetropack Italia.
Previously, Vetropack Italia operated from Trezzano sul Naviglio, also located in northern Italy.
The plant is expected to increase Vetropack’s existing production capacity in Italy by up to 70% once all eight production lines are fully operational.
The company said that this site based in Boffalora will enable a more flexible production process to accommodate small batches. This will allow Vetropack to quickly address the dynamic demands and conditions of the domestic market.
The factory is also claimed to be more resource-efficient and sustainable in its production processes.
Vetropack specifically stated that the site will utilize exhaust heat from furnaces and recycled water in production to support a closed-loop system. Additionally, the site is equipped with state-of-the-art filter systems to further reduce emissions.
Meanwhile, in September last year, the company introduced ‘the world’s first’ returnable bottle made of tempered lightweight glass.
Dubbed Echovai, the bottle is durable and lightweight, weighing up to 30% less than standard returnable bottles.
It is also more resistant to abrasion and reduces logistical effort, producing 25% less carbon dioxide emissions compared to a standard 0.33l returnable bottle.
Vetropack announced the launch of Echovai after approximately ten years of development work at its innovation center.
The company is rolling out the glass container in a phased manner due to its ‘sophisticated, technologically demanding’ development process.
