Owens-Illinois (O-I) will invest more than $60 million to expand its plant in Gironcourt, France.
Plans include building a new furnace for a total of three furnaces at the plant when the expansion project is completed in early 2020.
The expansion at Gironcourt (pictured) will focus on the growing premium beer segment, which is highly differentiated and uses unique bottle shapes to build strong, premium brand equity.
O-I CEO, Andres Lopez, said: “Our customers recognise that glass brings brand building capabilities. It delivers what consumers want - premium, healthy and sustainable packaging."
“The expansion at Gironcourt is an important part of O-I's investment strategy to support the growing demand for glass in premium segments.”
This expansion supporting organic growth follows the recent transaction to acquire nearly 50% interest in Empresas Comegua, a manufacturer of glass containers for the Central American and Caribbean markets.
This inorganic growth investment connects the company's footprint across the Americas - extending from Canada to Argentina.
O-I is also driving innovation in the glass segment evidenced by the development of MAGMA, a breakthrough initiative to reimagine glassmaking with transformational technology and new processes.
O-I also recently launched O-I : Expressions, a direct-to-glass digital printing technology offering customization at speed, value and flexible volumes.
