It was 50 years ago that SORG introduced the first all-electric VSM furnace. According to Volker Müller, having supplied more than 100 of them and electric boosters for more than 500 fossil-fired furnaces worldwide, the German family-owned manufacturer still leads the way with its sustainable solutions. The full version of this article appears in the September/October issue that has been mailed globally and is also now available free of charge in the digital archive*.

With 20,000 suppliers globally, more than 10,000 of whom are active, Sisecam Group is one of the most influential buyers in the international glass industry. Dr Selma Oner, Chief Procurement Officer, discusses her team’s strategic role in the co-ordination of procurement functions, as well as the group’s development of an integrated supply chain. John Wallis reports. The full version of this article appears in the July/August issue that has been mailed globally and is also now available free of charge in the digital archive*.

Verallia recently completed a $40 million investment at its glass packaging site in Rosario, Chile. With 22 years of glass industry experience in South America and beyond, Randolpho Agnello, General Manager of Verallia Chile, spoke exclusively to Glass Worldwide about the company’s activities in the region and the complete furnace reconstruction, factory upgrade and addition of a production line. The full version of this article appears in the July/August issue that has been mailed globally and is also now available free of charge in the digital archive*.

Alexis Underwood, General Manager for Guardian Glass’ Asia-Pacific region, discusses the organisation’s latest investment priorities and its strategies for future success. The full version of this article appears in the July/August issue that has been mailed globally and is also now available free of charge in the digital archive*.

The first Heye swabbing robots to be installed by the Chinese glass container industry are operating at the Shandong Jingyao Glass Group’s Linyi factory, as the following contribution explains. The full version of this article appears in the July/August issue that has been mailed globally and is also now available free of charge in the digital archive*.

Since commissioning a second float glass production line in 2019, AGC Vidros do Brasil reports strong operational performance in its core float, mirror, coating and automotive glass fabrication businesses. Fabio Oliveira (President) and Isidoro Lopes (General Manager, Building and Industrial Glass for South America) highlight some of the organisation’s current activities. This article was researched and written prior to the spread of the Covid-19 pandamic and the full version appears in the July/August issue that has been mailed globally and is also available now free of charge in the digital archive*.

For glass plant operators, manufacturers, plant and machinery builders, as well as glass processors and finishers, it is a good time either to join or expand the world of connectivity. The IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) offers many opportunities, as Tobias Wachtmann explains. The full version of this article appears in the July/August issue that has been mailed globally and is also now available free of charge in the digital archive*.

Winner of the Glass Focus Apprentice of the Year Award 2019, Joe Boyd recently completed his apprenticeship as a Control and Instrumentation Engineer at Saint-Gobain Glass UK. Joe spoke to Glass Worldwide about his achievements at one of the UK’s leading flat glass manufacturers, some of the skills acquired via the company’s apprenticeship programme and how national glass industry award recognition has reinforced his career aspirations. The full version of this article appears in the July/August issue that has been mailed globally and is also now available free of charge in the digital archive*.

Dipl-Ing Bernhard Fleischmann summarises the glass relevant results of the SynErgie project and describes an idea that unfolds from numerous discussions about CO2 emissions and reduction. The idea of a closed CO2 loop is drafted that still uses fuels, however renewable fuels, to melt glass. The concept allows compensating the fluctuations of renewable electric power regarding availability, with the possibilities to store electric energy when disposable as synthetic fuel. This article is based on a paper presented at the GlassTrend sessions during the 25th International Congress on Glass
(ICG2019) in Boston, USA in June 2019 and the full version appears in the July/August issue that has been mailed globally and is also now available free of charge in the digital archive*.