More than one billion glass containers are manufactured by Gerresheimer Essen every year. The facility has two furnaces - one for transparent and one for brown glass - which supply the production lines day and night with molten glass “gobs” that are processed into all kinds of glass containers. This spring the 11 year-old brown glass furnace will be replaced by a new one.
The furnace is constantly filled with 200 tons of molten glass. It is made of a fireproof material which gradually erodes over time as a result of constant exposure to molten glass at temperatures of up to 1600 degrees Centigrade, and the chambers also get dusty, so it has to be replaced every 10 to 11 years.
It’s important to minimize production downtime as a result of the furnace replacement project, which is provisionally scheduled to last for six weeks. “The replacement of a furnace is a special event at any glassworks. We’re all going to be helping out to ensure that the new furnace can be installed in record time," said Dr. Jürgen Unruh. The new furnace will be used in the production of brown or “amber” glass as it is known. This investment in a technically new furnace increases the plant’s productivity and helps to safeguard jobs there.
Despite the furnace project, Gerresheimer’s customers can count on punctual and reliable deliveries because the Gerresheimer Group has eight production plants for molded glass around the world. Three of them are in Germany - in Essen, Lohr and Tettau.
The new furnace satisfies all statutory requirements of exhaust gases and air purity, and it has a completely sealed melting basin to improve energy efficiency.
Gerresheimer Essen specializes in the production of glass articles for the pharmaceutical industry. That’s why all production lines have clean room technology and advanced production and inspection equipment that is certified as compliant with all the relevant standards. Customers not only expect first-rate glass, but also innovativeness and excellent results. In order to satisfy these discerning requirements and sustain its leadership, Gerresheimer Essen uses state-of-the-art production technology and employs highly qualified production staff who receive regular further training.
The plant manufactures syrup bottles, molded bottles, droppers, tablet jars, cream jars, injection vials and infusion bottles for the pharmaceutical industry. The cataloged product range currently includes several hundred products. Custom-made products are also manufactured.
