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Vetropack Austria celebrates flint glass furnace

Under the motto "The future can come ... we are ready," Vetropack Austria celebrated two events together with numerous guests and an anniversary.

The glass works in Pöchlarn has been part of the Vetropack Group for 30 years. In addition, the new flint glass furnace was completed and the Vetropack Group's training centre was opened.

The hosts of the celebration, Claude R. Cornaz, CEO Vetropack Holding, and Johann Reiter, Managing Director Vetropack Austria, welcomed not only a large number of customers and partners but also personalities from politics and business.

Among those present were KR Sonja Zwazl, President of the Lower Austrian Chamber of Commerce, and State Parliament Deputy Karl Moser.

The guests enjoyed the unique opportunity to take a look at the newly constructed white-glass furnace from the inside, before it is gradually heated up to 1580°C for melting glass again.

Following on from the visit to the modernised production facilities, Vetropack Austria invited its guests to Persenbeug Castle. Frank Rehme, managing director of gmvteam and specialist in future technologies and innovations in retail trade, gave a talk entitled “Packaging glass in the context of the shopper – the brain buys! How the subconscious mind influences decision-making processes when shopping”.

“Investment in the modernisation of our production facilities is essential in today’s economic climate. It secures our success and competitiveness in the long term,” explains Claude Cornaz.

“The most important cornerstone of our success are, alongside the uniqueness of glass as a material, our employees’ know-how, our customer orientation and the way we constantly optimise our processes and technologies.”

“We are proud to be able to look back on 30 years of dynamic development, an innovative spirit and high product quality at the Pöchlarn Vetropack plant, which can be attributed not least to the enormous commitment made by our employees.

"Production employees from all subsidiaries will benefit from the group’s newly built training centre. This will also help us continue to meet the high demands on our products,” is how Johann Reiter welcomed the success of Vetropack Austria.

Vetropack Austria is the country’s leading manufacturer of glass packaging, employing a total of 668 people at its two glass foundries in Kremsmünster and Pöchlarn. In 2015, 1.574 billion units of glass packaging were sold and net sales of €181 million generated.     

Pictured L-R   Mag. Johannes Schedlbauer, MAS (Wirtschaftskammer Niederösterreich, Spartengeschäftsführer Sparte Industrie), Franz Eckl (Wirtschaftskammer Niederösterreich, Bezirksstellenobmann Melk), Ing. Johann Reiter (Geschäftsführer der Vetropack Austria), DI Claude R. Cornaz (CEO der Vetropack Holding AG), KommR Sonja Zwazl (Präsidentin Wirtschaftskammer Niederösterreich) und Karl Moser (Abgeordneter zum NÖ Landtag)

J.v.G. Thoma GmbH is delivering a DESERT turnkey production line to Brazil, the first of its kind and hopefully the first in many breakthroughs to leave the factory floor on their way to the largest country in South America. With a capacity of 30 MW, this is a small semi-automatic DESERT production line, but still a flagship in terms of DESERT solar module production and electricity generation in the country, now fully functional and ready to start with operation.

The machinery consists of DESERT production machines for high-efficiency DESERT solar modules built specifically for extreme hot climate, such as can be seen in deserts or in tropical areas. Made solely in Germany and built using the latest in DESERT and TROPIC module production, the systems inlcudes all cutting-edge technology.

Certified DESERT solar modules, DESERT containers, DESERT power plants and DESERT manufacturing machinery built using pioneering DESERT and TROPICS technology are now fully set up, and ready to perform. But powering on the machinery has been a long time coming. Up until recently, this advanced piece of equipment had been waiting for clearance at a port in Brazil. Now that the formalities have been dealt with, both J.v.G. Thoma and its customer in Brazil can get production under way.

J.v.G. Thoma GmbH is a company whose vision has always been to harness the infinite power of the sun and convert it into an inexhaustible supply of energy. But a vision such as this requires global reach, and this project has opened new doors. Brazil is not only a gateway to South American cooperation, but also the launchpad to international reach and expansion.

Following the delivery of this initial order, J.v.G. Thoma GmbH will be looking forward to an ongoing collaboration with the Brazilian company. From setup and initial training to setting the scene for a ramp up, J.v.G. Thoma will be there to provide expertise and assistance. Moreover, the company will be jointly responsible, along with the client, for the successful integration of the DESERT solar module factory.

In the future, bigger DESERT power plants will be set up on Brazilian soil, and together with existing turnkey production systems, they intend to take up a large share of the products and assets this sector will possess locally. J.v.G. Thoma plans to build up a local network of sales agents that can extend a premium offering to neighbouring countries in South America. Eventually, the company hopes to be able to expand its customer base to clients in North America.

Hans Thoma, general manager from the Thoma-group, is eager to acquire a substantial market share in Brazil, a growing country with tremendous potential for solar energy output. Having complied with local official procedures (Inmetro, TÜV, Fraunhofer CSP) and cleared the way for future business collaboration, he expresses his hope that the solar industry will henceforth expand quickly.

”Being able to introduce Brazil to the infinite opportunities of a solar industry is a privilege for J.v.G. Thoma GmbH, and one that we are extremely grateful for. At the same time, this placed the ball squarely in our court, and the pressure to get the ball rolling quickly was high. Now that the lengthy initial formalities are out of the way, we can focus on making this project a success.“

The first DESERT solar module production in BRAZIL! Lets go ....
J.v.G. Thoma GmbH is delivering a DESERT turnkey production line to Brazil, the first of its kind and hopefully the first in many breakthroughs to leave the factory floor on their way to the largest country in South America. With a capacity of 30 MW, this is a small semi-automatic DESERT production line, but still a flagship in terms of DESERT solar module production and electricity generation in the country, now fully functional and ready to start with operation.

The machinery consists of DESERT production machines for high-efficiency DESERT solar modules built specifically for extreme hot climate, such as can be seen in deserts or in tropical areas. Made solely in Germany and built using the latest in DESERT and TROPIC module production, the systems inlcudes all cutting-edge technology.

Certified DESERT solar modules, DESERT containers, DESERT power plants and DESERT manufacturing machinery built using pioneering DESERT and TROPICS technology are now fully set up, and ready to perform. But powering on the machinery has been a long time coming. Up until recently, this advanced piece of equipment had been waiting for clearance at a port in Brazil. Now that the formalities have been dealt with, both J.v.G. Thoma and its customer in Brazil can get production under way.

J.v.G. Thoma GmbH is a company whose vision has always been to harness the infinite power of the sun and convert it into an inexhaustible supply of energy. But a vision such as this requires global reach, and this project has opened new doors. Brazil is not only a gateway to South American cooperation, but also the launchpad to international reach and expansion.

Following the delivery of this initial order, J.v.G. Thoma GmbH will be looking forward to an ongoing collaboration with the Brazilian company. From setup and initial training to setting the scene for a ramp up, J.v.G. Thoma will be there to provide expertise and assistance. Moreover, the company will be jointly responsible, along with the client, for the successful integration of the DESERT solar module factory.

In the future, bigger DESERT power plants will be set up on Brazilian soil, and together with existing turnkey production systems, they intend to take up a large share of the products and assets this sector will possess locally. J.v.G. Thoma plans to build up a local network of sales agents that can extend a premium offering to neighbouring countries in South America. Eventually, the company hopes to be able to expand its customer base to clients in North America.

Hans Thoma, general manager from the Thoma-group, is eager to acquire a substantial market share in Brazil, a growing country with tremendous potential for solar energy output. Having complied with local official procedures (Inmetro, TÜV, Fraunhofer CSP) and cleared the way for future business collaboration, he expresses his hope that the solar industry will henceforth expand quickly.

”Being able to introduce Brazil to the infinite opportunities of a solar industry is a privilege for J.v.G. Thoma GmbH, and one that we are extremely grateful for. At the same time, this placed the ball squarely in our court, and the pressure to get the ball rolling quickly was high. Now that the lengthy initial formalities are out of the way, we can focus on making this project a success.“

The first DESERT solar module production in BRAZIL! Let
Source: Glass International
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