speaking to the specialists - emhart glassold.emhartglass.com/files/a0143.pdfincreased market share...

INTERVIEW

Emhart Glass:

SPEAKING TO THE SPECIALISTS– with perfection in mind

112 glass machinery plants & accessories 2/2010

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lass MachineryPlants & Accessories– GMP&A

At present, the con-tainer industry is striving to findnew uses and applications forglass, which also involves complexglass types and, obviously, specificmachinery to deal with them. Whatis Emhart Glass doing to respondto these requests for inspection andquality with regards to health andsafety standards too, of course?

Martin Jetter – President of Emhart Glass

In terms of container quality, themarket requires a continuousimprovement of the inspectiontechnology, which we are providingwith our new FleXinspect machineportfolio and our MiniLab. Theseproduct lines are offering a numberof improved inspection methods,both, online and offline. But quali-ty should not only be measured, itmust be produced first. And in this

regard we are continuously improv-ing products and processes in ourResearch Center in Windsor,Connecticut, United States. Theproduct launches, which we plan for2010, will be an important stepinto this direction.

Besides improvement of existingprocesses, we are also looking forcompletely new innovations: wewill soon launch a method to sig-nificantly improve the quality ofglass in terms of its properties.With our new Hardglass technolo-gy, which is at the moment devel-oped and tested in our ResearchCenter, we are able to improve thestrength of a container significant-ly, which offers new applications,

Many developments have

been and are still taking

place in the glass industry,

especially with regards to the

hollow – or container – glass

sector. Companies need to

be ‘top of the class’ to stand

out from their competitors

and Glass Machinery Plants

& Accessories decided, with

this interview-style article, to

give its readers ad idea of

what goes on inside one of

the world’s leading

machinery manufacturers –

Emhart Glass.

glass machinery plants & accessories 2/2010 113

GMartin Jetter President of Emhart Glass

Fig. 1 - NIS 12 SectionTriple Gob

and, in addition, makes glass moreattractive in comparison with com-petitive packaging materials.

In addition, we also recognize anincreasing interest in health issues,which is a trend, that helps glassover other packaging materials suchas PET or cans. Emhart Glass rec-ognizes its responsibility in aworld, which shows a high sensi-bility for health aspects, and there-fore we have hired a scientist, spe-cialized in toxicology and environ-ment, looking into these issuesfrom a strictly scientific aspect.This will help the whole glassindustry against the competition ofother packaging materials, but italso helps to identify possible areasof improvement for glass.

GMP&AMany glassmakers are, despite

the global crisis, investing in spe-cialization. How does EmhartGlass consider the continuousrequest for return on investment(ROI)?

Martin JetterOur mission statement states that we

will support our customers in their quest forsustainable profitability, quality andincreased market share through automationsolutions. This is the guideline for our dailydevelopments and efforts. It was the reasonfor the investment in our Research Centerin Windsor, where we develop new process-es and equipment, which allow higher qual-ity and efficiency. Many of those new prod-ucts will be presented at glasstec 2010.

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Emhart Glass invested EUR 18 million in its research centre in Windsor,Connecticut, United States, which covers 27,500 sq.ft., with a further 18,000sq.ft. office space.The centre is equipped with a complete production line for the manufactu-re of glass bottles, including a 40 tonnes/day, oxy-fuel fired furnace (desi-gned by Sorg with refractories from RHI and PDR); the capability for twoforehearths, although only one – a joint Emhart/Sorg 240 type forehearth - iscurrently in operation. The feeder and shear are Emhart Glass equipmentbased on its 555 feeder.The cross conveyor and stacker were supplied by Sheppee International,while the gas fired lehr – 2 x 23 metres – is from EW Bowman. The cold end

conveyor is from German supplier DMA andinspection is managed by Emhart Glass’Veritas family of inspection machines.This is not the first time that Emhart Glass hasbuilt such a facility. During 1929 – 1964 it ope-rated a research centre in Hartford,Connecticut with three furnaces and a totalcapacity of 40 tonnes/day melting capacity.

Emhart Glass

RESEARCH CENTRE

Fig. 2 - Research Center Windsor

Fig. 3 - Research Center Cold End

Fig. 4 - Research Center Hot End

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 2


But we do not only offer “hard-ware” products to support the ROIof our customers. We have built asupport team including glass pro-duction experts, which are support-ing our customers to increase effi-ciency and quality in their opera-tions. In 2009 we launched a num-ber of service products like produc-tion assistance, mold coolinganalysis, mold design, containerproperty analysis, TechnicalAssistance Agreements, or remoteservices.

GMP&AWhat can you tell us about

Emhart Glass’s new – or as youcall it - next generation - ofinspection systems – FleXinspect?

Jeff Hartung – Vice President,Inspection

The FleXinspect product familyis the direct result of the talents andtechnical strengths which resultedfrom the successful integration ofthe ICS/Inex engineering compe-tencies and talent with the engineer-ing competencies and talent ofEmhart Glass – using only the bestof the best. This technical team pro-vided the FleXinspect platform andproduct family based on direct feed-back from the market and closedevelopment cooperation with ourcustomers. The machines providethe customer with the reliabilitythey all seek: reliable inspections,reliable electro/mechanical systems,reliable and simple Human Interfaceand Statistics Reporting. In addi-

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Fig. 5 - MiniLab

Fig. 6 - MiniLab MLP

Fig. 7 - MiniLab line


tion, the product family providesthe customer with the flexibilitythey need to configure their ColdEnd in such a way that their strate-gy for the future is supported now,as well as in the future – by justadding capabilities to the existingplatforms. In short, theFleXinspect is a technology plat-form that reliably suits the needs oftoday – with the capability to adaptto and apply technological advanceswithout major Cold End equipmentand layout changes. TheFleXinspect family consists of:FleXinspect T, FleXinspect BC, andthe FleXinspect M. TheFleXinspect T is a vision enabledrotary handler that can be configuredas a Total Inspection Solution. TheFleXinspect BC capitalizes on theadvances in camera and servo tech-nology to provide more reliable andeasy to use vision based inspec-tions. The FleXinspect M is a lowcost fixed functionality solutionthat fits the footprint of existinglegacy line footprints of installedbase machines without changinglayouts, just slide into place wherethe old machine existed.

GMP&AWhich global market areas

are these different solutions indi-cated for?

Do these various possibilitiesmean that FleXinspect is so modu-lar it can grow with the request andproduction of the glassmaker?

Jeff HartungThere are many drivers that

influence the needs of our cus-tomers when deciding on how to

invest and configure their cold end.These drivers vary in importancedepending on the specific situation.In many existing plants real estateis an issue as the cold end is shrink-ing; container quality levels anddemands are increasing with pricesdecreasing; and investment in thehot end in order to improve their

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Jeff HartungVice President, Inspection

FIG. 8 - FleXinspect BC

EMHART GLASS TIMELINE1902 The idea: The story begins with an idea shared by US entrepreneurs

Karl E. Peiler, William H. Honiss and William A. Lorenz: to find new waysof making and using glass containers.

1912 Founded in Hartford, Connecticut: Four more businessmen join to form theHartford-Fairmont Company, which develops the first glass gob shearingand feeding device, the forerunner of modern glass container machines.

1913 Hartford-Fairmont introduces the first plunger-feeder, laying the founda-tions for the automation of the glass container industry.

1922 Hartford-Fairmont joins with the Empire Machine Company to formHartford-Empire.

1924 Patent of IS Machine: Glassmaking pioneer Henry W. Ingle creates thefirst individual section (IS) machine, a new automation standard that stillforms the core of our product range.

1925 The first four IS machines go into operation, heralding the dawn of auto-matic container manufacturing.

1932 Hartford-Empire introduces a continuously rotating paste-mould machi-ne, allowing glassmakers to manufacture seamless tableware.

1940 The first double-gob equipment is introduced.

1945 The HE-74 check inspector is introduced, and inspection research ismade a priority.

1951 A new name, ‘Emhart Manufacturing Company’, reflects an ambition toexplore new directions.

1952 European Manufacturing: Emhart Glass makes its first move overseasby acquiring Aktiebolaget Sundsvalls Verkstader in Sweden.

1954 The first six-section IS machine is introduced, along with the HE-127automatic finish check inspector.

1968 The first triple-gob machine is introduced.

1970 The first eight-section double-gob machine hits the market, delivering a30% improvement in productivity.

1972 A ten-section double-gob machine with modular sections is introduced.

1974 Emhart Glass ships its 1000th IS machine and launches its innovative516 electronic control system.


complement of inspections availableto the “invest in the basic platform”and build over time through opera-tional investments as their inspec-tion needs change. The machines aretruly modular allowing customers todecide on how and where to inspectfor certain defects – as well as pro-vide them with the option for redun-dant inspections. In addition, we pro-vide a solution for the customer whohas a large installed base but is notready for a full cold-end rebuild. Weinclude in the product family a mod-ern low cost, fixed functionalityproduct that fits into their existinglayouts and legacy footprints whilereplacing their old technology withreliable new technology.

GMP&AHow does Emhart Glass decide

which FleXinspect is right for eachclient?

Jeff HartungReally it is a matter of sitting

with the customer and workingthrough the details that derive fromtheir overall investment strategy inhot end, combined with their coldend strategy for the demands of theircustomer’s specifications, and allthe other constraints that may exist– financial, speed, real estate, tech-nical, personnel, etc. For sure, therehas been a paradigm shift in theInspection Business of EmhartGlass. We no longer supply onlyinspection machines. We supplyautomated solutions and servicesupport. This new way of workingresults in the best solutions for ourcustomers: working directly togeth-er to get the best solutions onpaper, ideally between EmhartGlass product specialists and cus-tomer cold end technical teams. Inaddition the introduction of ProjectManagement to the InspectionBusiness of Emhart Glass and AfterSales Service products allow thecustomer to have full supportbefore during and after their invest-ment decision. The proper selectionof equipment, or optimal path for

FIG. 9 - FleXinspect T

1977 The first Advanced IS machine AIS is installed.

1980 Emhart Glass’ first Total Machine AIDA (Automatic Inspection DefectAnalysis) is demonstrated.

1982 Emhart Glass acquires Powers Manufacturing Inc., based in Elmira, NY.Powers had established an international reputation for quality cold-endinspection equipment, and its facility was ideally suited for producingEmhart Glass’ Total Inspection Machines TIM.

1985 The VertiFlow mould cooling system is introduced, almost doubling pro-duction speed and enhancing product quality and strength.

1986 Emhart Glass introduces its Flex-line system, allowing glass producersto make rapid changes to the number of IS sections being used.

1989 Emhart Glass is acquired by The Black & Decker Corporation.

1990 Emhart Glass launches innovations including servo-electric parallelshears, an improved 555 servo-electric feeder system, the T600 LANforming control system, the 560 servo-electric pusher and pocket air fin-gers for pusher mechanisms.

1998 Emhart Glass is acquired by Bucher Industries of Niederweningen,Switzerland.

1999 Emhart Glass’ first NIS starts operation at WiegandGlas.

2000 The Next Generation IS machine NIS is introduced, delivering up to 4.2per cent higher cycle rates, reducing workout times by half and increa-sing mould life by up to 20 per cent.

2002 Introduction of the Veritas series of inspection machines.

2004 FlexISProcess Control is introduced to the market.

2005 NIS becomes available in a quad-gob configuration.

2007 Emhart Glass completes the acquisition of ICS Inex Inspection Systems.Established in 1855, Inex created Optitron, the first inspection machinefor refillable bottles, in 1955, and subsequently built a strong position ininspection devices for the pharmaceutical, food and general packagingindustries.

2008 Opening of the Emhart Glass Research Center in Windsor Connecticut(see separate text box)

2009 Opening of new plant in JohorBahru, Malaysia, for the production ofglass container forming products.

efficiencies and produce higher quali-ty containers faster. These are just afew of many. The FleXinspectallows the customer to review

their strategies for containers,production speeds, specificationand quality demands etc. thenselect an optimal solution ofconfigured FleXinspect. Butmost important is that invest-ment decision can be built

upon, through oper-ational investments– increasing inspec-tion capabilities

without changing theplatform. Many conceptsregarding flexibility wentinto the design ofFleXinspect. This product

family provides the customerwith different investment options:from the “get it all at once” invest-ment decision - providing the full


the customer, will ultimately derivefrom this close cooperation withthem. Working together we helpour customers be more competitiveand profitable.

GMP&ABeing the top of the range, which

glassmakers is FleXinspect T suit-able for?

Jeff HartungReally it is matter of customer

philosophy. Each customer has a dif-ferent way of doing things and/or dif-ferent preferences. It is very impor-tant that Emhart Glass truly under-stands what the customer is trying toaccomplish so that we can providethem with the best solution. Thereare so many drivers affecting thisoutcome that the best way to answeris through understanding the cus-tomer’s immediate and long termneeds and strategy. The FleXinspectT is a suitable solution for cus-tomers with real estate issues andfurther need to combine inspectionsinto one machine. This machine canbe a total inspection solution formany of today’s containers.However, this really is dependent onthe customer’s preference/philoso-phy and container portfolio and qual-ity requirements. In addition, the

FleXinspect T reaches the customerwho wants to start advancing but notquite ready to invest in a full com-plement of machines. TheFleXinspect T allows them tomigrate from traditional inspectionsto those traditional inspections withmore advanced technology plusincreasing their capabilities step-by-step. Really the FleXinspect T issuitable for most of the market needsbut for the extreme price sensitivecustomers who don’t desire the needfor the potential of building on thismodular platform – we offer a lowcost fixed functionality solution:The FleXinspect M.

GMP&AHow does the client – or how

does Emhart Glass discuss with theclient about the features ofFleXinspect T and how and when toupgrade it?

Jeff HartungTypically the need derives from

an additional requirement from ourcustomer’s customer, or increase inproduction speeds in the hot end.But in some cases our customer’smay have a need to increase theirinspection capabilities in order toprovide the necessary informationfeedback to assist the hot end with

improving their quality. Anotherfactor is the addition of a new con-tainer, which requires differentinspection methods, or an increaseto the number of inspection sta-tions so that the container can befully inspected. Also we must notforget, advances in technology andinspection algorithms may be ofinterest to the customer. Becausethey have invested in thisFleXinspect platform, they havethe choice to add these capabilitieswithout investing in additionalequipment. In addition, our productspecialists and service audits mayresult in recommendations to thecustomer that improve their con-tainer inspections, or yields, withX, Y or Z upgrades.

GMP&AAt the Glassman Middle East

show in November 2009, EmhartGlass presented its numerous ISmachines, along with the glass con-tainer industry situation and dri-vers. How do you advise yourclients on which production andquantities?

Martin JetterAt the Glassman we showed the

solution for lowest investmentwithout compromising the quality.It is our SIS machine, which ishighly recognized by the market. Inthe short time since its launch wehave shipped already 22 machinesof this type! On the other hand we

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Locations:Cham, Switzerland (Head Office)Clearwater, Florida, USA (Sales, Marketing & Research)Windsor, Connecticut, USA (Research Center)Elmira, New York, USA (Manufacturing & Logistics)Owensville, Missouri, USA (Manufacturing, Logistics & Sales)Singapore (Sales office)Johor Bahru, Malaysia (Manufacturing, Logistics & Training)Kawasaki, Japan (Sales office)Manchester, United Kingdom (Sales & Service)Sundsvall, Sweden (Manufacturing, Logistics & Training)Örebro, Sweden (Manufacturing & Logistics)Madrid, Spain (Sales, Service & Training)Moscow, Russia (Sales office)Dego, Italy (Logistics, Manufacturing & Sales)Neuss, Germany (Sales office)

Emhart Glass

GENERAL FACTS AND FIGURES

Figure 10


have the unbeatable solution forlowest container cost and flexibili-ty, which is our NIS machine. OurIS and AIS machines are in betweenthese two positions. We are analyz-ing with our clients their specificsituation regarding available invest-ment, container mix and volume,

and then propose and offer the bestsolution for every specific demand.

GMP&AWhat about Emhart Glass’s

other machinery? – ware transfer,cooling, forming, plunger processcontrol, flex pressure system,

FlexIS process control system,refractories, etc., sampling, – youseem to be right on track to givetotal control and managing in man-ufacturing processes!

Martin JetterCorrect, Emhart Glass has the

most complete product portfolio inthe glass container industry, includ-ing gob forming, container form-ing, handling, online inspection,offline inspection services and pro-duction support. This allows addi-tional customer benefits. Oneexample: all hot-end functions areintegrated in our control systemFlexIS. One job database, onealarm database, one production per-formance database, one maintenanceplatform, one remote access plat-form for the whole line! This is amajor progress for the benefit ofour customers. In addition we offernow remote access services. Ourexperts can look into the controlsystem online and not only identifyproblems, but also wrong settingsor potential for production

Figure 11

Fig. 10 - NIS Quad Gob

Fig. 11 - NIS with FleXPusher

Fig. 12 - NIS Triple Gob

Fig. 13 - FleXPusher

Figure 12

Figure 13


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improvements. All is possiblebecause we control the whole chain.

In the future we plan to go onestep further: we will use the capa-bility of “total control” to closethe loop: automatic parameter set-ting and tuning based on the mea-surements of various sensors andmeasuring equipment. First closedloop solutions will be shown atglasstec 2010.

GMP&AAny further developments

planned? Which?

Martin Jetter2010 will be a record year in

terms of new product launch. Twoyears after the start up of ourResearch Center, which includes afull functional glass productionpilot line, we are now able to showthe results of our increased invest-ment in Research, Development andEngineering. All products that wewill be launching in 2010 and pre-senting at glasstec, will target on

increased productivity, higher speedand efficiency, and improved quality.This is in line with the commit-ment of our mission statement.

GMP&AAnd what are the future prospects

for expansion at Emhart Glass – youare already present in the UnitedStates, Asia and Europe, but will yoube considering further branches inother precise countries – where?

Martin JetterWe are globally present already

today. In addition we strengthenedour presence in East Europe by theopening of our Moscow office twoyears ago. In 2010 we will strength-en our presence in the Middle East.

But we will also strengthen ournetwork with other leading suppli-

ers of the industry. In December2009 we founded the GlassAlliance, a cooperation of leadingglobal players Zippe, Horn, EmhartGlass and MSK. These companieswill cooperate intensively to pro-vide “total solutions” in terms ofproducts, services, engineering andfinancing for customer projects,including turnkey projects. Ofcourse we will also utilize mutual-ly our sales networks, whichstrengthen the presence of all part-ners of the alliance. ■

EMHART GLASS MANAGEMENTMartin Jetter President

Jeff Hartung Vice President Inspection

Bertil Bjugard Vice President Logistics & Manufacturing

Edward Munz Vice President Corporate Development

Franco Venturelli Vice President Sales & Marketing

Steven Pinkerton Vice President RD & E

William Grüninger Vice President Technical Services

N. L.Wong Vice President Finance

Ian Green Director Product Management

PERCENTAGE OF GROWTH 2004-2008

HOT ENDEmhart, NIS, AIS, SIS, VertiFlow,InVertiFlow, Flex, FlexIS, FlexLine,FlexVector, FlexPusher, FlexReport,FlexPressure, FlexVectorDrive, Versa-Cam,23, 191, 200, 210, 535, 555, 565, VLAN,T300, T600, T6000, SETO, FPS, H28COLD ENDEmhart, INEX, Powers, ProScanner,Scanner, QualiTrac, TIM, Veritas, ICS,SuperScan, SuperVision, ProLaser, SmartPass, QuantaView, ChromaView, Gemini,MiniLab, FleXinspectCOMPANY VISION AND MISSION• Vision - Our vision is a world with glass

as a dominant and preferred ecologi-cal packaging material, enabled byEmhart Glass as the leading techno-logy provider.

• Mission - We support our customersin their quest for a sustainable profita-bility, quality and increased marketshare in the packaging industry throu-gh our automation solutions.

PRESENCE AT TRADE FAIRS IN 2010Glassman São Paulo 2010Mir Stekla 2010glasstec 2010

Registered trademarks

HEADCOUNTDecember 2009:

RD&E 75

Sales & Marketing 73

Manufacturing 538

Technical Services 89

Infrastructure 100

Total 875

EMHART GLASS S.A.

Hinterbergstrasse 22 - PO Box 2251Ch-6330 Cham 2 - SwitzerlandTel: +41 – 41 – 7494200Fax: +41 – 41 – 7494271E-mail: [email protected]

www.emhartglass.com

speaking to the specialists - emhart glassold.emhartglass.com/files/a0143.pdfincreased market share...

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