Cementing its focus on the premium spirits and perfumery markets after shuttering its tableware business last year, this week Slovenian glassmaker Steklarna Hrastnik inaugurated its new furnace for extra white flint glass.
Steklarna Hrastnik’s new oxyfuel G furnace and four new IS machines represent an investment of €18.5m. The new furnace, which has a production capacity of 120 tons, will produce extra white flint glass for spirits, cosmetics and perfumery and will transfer to hydrogen technology in the coming years. The glassmaker’s product portfolio currently ranges from 50ml to three liter formats.
The company operates two furnaces at two sites in the town of Hrastnik; it plans to upgrade its B furnace, dedicated to extra white flint glass for spirits, with a capacity of 165 tons, in 2023.
In addition, Steklarna Hrastnik has invested more than €4m in a decoration plant, also in Hrastnik, that is currently in start-up phase. Fully automated lines for spraying and screenprinting will be operational by next month, with metallization set to follow in the third quarter.
The glassmaker has also laid out sustainability goals. By 2025, it aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 20%, increase energy efficiency by 10% and replace 35% of fossil fuel use with green energy sources.
Between 2009 and 2020, Steklarna Hrastnik says it has invested more than €86m in production and processes.
