BG Container Glass Company (BGC), a subsidiary of Bangkok Glass Public Company Limited, is planning to manufacture around 144,000 additional tons of container glass in 2018.

To achieve this, the Asian container glass manufacturer is building a new factory, Ratchaburi Glass Industry Company Limited, in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand.

BGC is also making a commitment to innovation by entrusting GPS Glassproduktions-Service with the installation of IS machines and technology at its Ratchaburi factory.

IS machine specialist GPS was awarded the contract for this large-scale project with its tailor-made solutions and service portfolio. It will supply and commission five hot-end IS machine lines and provide extended post-installation support. The new factory will enable BGC to continue building its leadership in Thailand and Asia.

GPS Glasproduktions-Service offers both module adaptations and all-inclusive solutions to customers. In this project for its longstanding international customer BGC, it is again demonstrating its commitment to being a full-service provider.

Five new IS machine lines at the Ratchaburi Glass Industry factory will commence the heating up for its starting from July 2018.

The double and triple gob IS machines at the new facility are entirely GPS-made – from servo feeder up to cross conveyor and stacker, including the control and drive system.

Supplying all the equipment for the new factory is one of the biggest projects that GPS has ever undertaken, and it confirms the robustness of the German IS machine specialist.

However, in a project of this size, the IS machines themselves and the implementation phase aren’t the only important aspects.

GPS has to effectively collaborate with the customer, which involves in-depth discussions and idea sharing before the project kicks off, as well as comprehensive employee training, start-up support and long-term support. This overall concept, which is also being applied in the large-scale BGC project, reflects the GPS ‘everything under one roof’ philosophy.

It was this quality that enabled GPS to secure the contract. The core project phase will be completed by August 2018. It’s an ambitious target considering that the project only commenced in May 2017, but GPS is not concerned.

“We’re confident that we can close out the project on time and within budget,” said GPS CEO, Rolf Themann.

Picture: TG 4 .1/4” under glass ready to produce in double gob and triple gob.