Owens-Illinois (O-I) has earmarked its plant in Holzminden, Germany, for installation of a new furnace with its new MAGMA glassmaking technology. 

The Magma technology was revealed in November last year and has been operating on a pilot line at the company’s US plant in Streator, IL. The new equipment in Holzminden will represent the next step towards full commercialisation by scaling up the production volume and allowing the company to increase testing intensity and scope. 

Magma is an initiative to reimagine glassmaking with transformational technology and new processes. O-I said it will allow for ultra-flexible glass production that can be expanded rapidly and at low capital intensity.  Vitaliano Torno, President of O-I Europe, said. “The Magma technology enables us to define a new way of making glass to better serve our customers and bring more options and flexibility to production.”

This investment would create new jobs, offering career opportunities to those who are eager to make sustainable products that positively impact communities. A natural product that is infinitely and completely recyclable as well as frequently reusable, glass is the most sustainable packaging solution. Reiner Zinnecker, manufacturing leader at O-I Germany, concluded: “It is great news that our highly flexible and technically advanced plant has been selected for such breakthrough technology.

"We are excited to be at the forefront of driving innovation in the glass industry.

"Our team of highly-skilled employees is eager to play a key role in achieving O-I’s vision for the future of glassmaking.”