Verallia has invested €28 million in its Vauxrot, France glass container plant.
The plant’s furnace has been totally rebuilt and extended to supply a 4th production line.
The investment has modernised production equipment and increased the capacity of the site, which Verallia said was a champion of fast colour and model job-changes.
The site can now make up to 700,000 bottles a day for the wines and spirits market, and the beer segment, supporting the boom in micro-breweries in particular.
Vauxrot is one of two group plants in France to produce yellow and dark amber bottles, alongside its Saint-Romain-le-Puy, Loire site.
Verallia Chairman and CEO, Michel Giannuzzi, celebrated the furnace restart.
He said: “This investment is a sign of our commitment to our customers in terms of quality and flexibility. It will allow us to meet the vitality of the markets and their high-end repositioning with a rising demand for a differentiated offer.”
The furnace is equipped with end port regenerative technology and meets energy consumption and air emission standards.
It can now run on gas, contrary to the previous 100% fuel installation. Vauxrot recycles cullet processed by Verallia’s subsidiary, Everglass, in Rozet-Saint-Albin, around 30km from the site.
The Vauxrot plant is Verallia’s historical glass factory, built in 1827. It is located in the villages of Soissons, Cuffies and Crouy, and has 150 employees.
Thanks to the new installations they now have better working conditions: soundproofing in the hot-end cabin, access footbridges on the furnace for hot interventions and widespread use of hoists on the machines to reduce load-carrying.
Around 100 people attended the celebratory event: customers – including La Maison Cointreau, a long-standing partner of the plant - suppliers from the construction project, representatives from the local communities and from Verallia’s two shareholders - Apollo and Bpifrance.
