Pochet du Courval, a division of the Pochet Group, inaugurated a new Prium® E-Melt furnace at its Guimerville site, which has a history of over 400 years. Fives was entrusted to design and supply the new all-electric cold top vertical melter to replace a traditional gas fired furnace.
The nearly €40M investment, €6M of which comes from public funding, is supported by Pochet Group’s private shareholders. The lower CO2 production is also aligned with the Group’s strategy to reduce the glass industry’s environmental impact with the renewable electricity consumed generated at the photovoltaic plant in Charente, France.
Breakthrough in energy efficiency
Prium® E-Melt is a high-performance glass melting technology from Fives delivers container glass quality with significant reduction in the energy consumed and associated emissions.
This electric furnace is a first in France for luxury glass packaging. It is a major step in our environmental commitment and will have a colossal impact on how the company operates. It will allow us to offer highly decarbonised glass packaging for luxury brands and shape the beauty of tomorrow," says Benoît Marszalek, Director of Operations at Pochet du Courval.
The furnace will produce around 70 tonnes of Pochet du Courval’s extra-flint glass per day, which is more than 30% than the gas-fired furnace it replaced.
Strategic partnership for a GREEN industry
The Prium® E-Melt cold-top vertical melter is one of the most advanced technologies available to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
"We are very proud to support the Pochet Group in this industrial transformation. This electric furnace represents a significant step forward in the decarbonization of the glass industry as it offers a sustainable alternative to traditional furnaces," says Guillaume Mehlman, President of Steel & Glass Division at Fives.
This technological and environmental breakthrough paves the way towards sustainability for the entire glass packaging sector.
