Emhart Glass said it was reorganising its global production and engineering capability with the aim of putting it closer to customers worldwide while improving flexibility, cost efficiency and profitability.
There has been a shift in demand in recent years from high-end glassmaking and inspection equipment towards affordable standard and mid-range machines.
Emhart Glass said it had responded to this change by making sure its production, engineering and supply-chain setup is adapted to these market conditions.
The company is therefore focusing its production and engineering capacities in Europe and the USA on high-end machines, while concentrating in Asia primarily on mid-range machines.
Its plant at Sundsvall, Sweden will focus on high-end glass-forming machines such as NIS and BIS, the flagships of the Emhart Glass range. The parts distribution centre, based at Sundsvall, will be outsourced to a global logistics firm, with warehouses in Europe, the US and Asia.
Critical high-quality parts will be produced in the Swedish Örebro parts manufacturing plant for all machine types and machine production locations.
In Malaysia, capacity at its Johor Bahru facility will be increased, with emphasis on complete standard forming and inspection machines.
An engineering team for forming and inspection machines will also be established. This change will mean adjustments to the corresponding functions in the USA and Europe while the company’s Research Centre in the USA will remain unchanged.
Martin Jetter, President of Emhart Glass, said: “Our strategy will enable us to retain our strong position at the high end of the market while strengthening our position elsewhere, ultimately being best in class in all market segments.
“I would like to reassure our customers that they will always receive the level of quality and service they expect. The extent of our global network is unchanged. The local sales and service setup will stay the same as well as existing contact partners at Emhart Glass.”
