The furnace, glass forming machines and inspection equipment at Vetropack’s Hum na Sutli facility in Croatia are producing at full capacity.
Following the completion of the furnace modernisation and the heat-up, Vetropack has increased production capacity as well as the plant's energy efficiency, reducing its carbon footprint.
Work in Hum na Sutli began in September 2024. In addition to modernising the furnace, Vetropack Straža also installed more efficient glass forming machines and precision inspection technology at the cold end.
The furnace and equipment consume less energy and produce fewer CO2 emissions than their predecessors, particularly the first NIS machine at the plant with its servo-electric drive.
The modernised furnace was heated up as planned at the end of last year. Vetropack Straža is utilising the new equipment to its full capacity to supply its customers better and meet growing demand more quickly.
The latter relates not only to flint glass, but also to the coloured bottles and jars produced in Hum na Sutli.
While Vetropack Straža produces standard colours such as brown and various shades of green in larger batches by recolouring furnaces, smaller quantities of more unusual colours are produced via the process of feeder colouring.
This is why the modernised furnace in Hum na Sutli was also equipped with a new colour feeder, designed to accommodate the furnace’s higher production volume.
This allows Vetropack Straža to offer customers smaller batches – from a minimum production batch of two weeks – in individual colours, with flexibility and short lead times.
The colour portfolio ranges from delicate turquoise to black-violet or UV white, which offers complete UV protection despite its clear appearance.
Coloured glass production via feeder colouring first started at Hum na Sutli in 2003.
The first colour was a dark blue, at that time produced for Fructal's fruit juice bottles.
Today, this rich blue colour is so popular that batches are usually produced by recolouring an entire furnace.
