Vidrala is planning a €180 million investment project for its Caudete glass production plant in Albacete, Spain.

It said the project will strengthen sustainability and energy efficiency at the site.

The plant is equipped with two furnaces and eight production lines with an annual capacity of approximately 315,000 tonnes of glass containers for the food and drink sectors.

It directly employs around 300 people, making it one of the primary industrial employers in the surrounding area.

The investment plan outlined by Vidrala includes measures to modernise the production centre by incorporating technology into the glass manufacturing processes.

From June, the factory will begin refurbishing the first of its two furnaces, which will expand its annual capacity by 10%.

The second phase— subject to the plant’s competitiveness and market conditions— includes the upgrading of the second melting furnace, the expansion of electrical infrastructure, and the development of new renewable energy generation solutions on-site.

Additionally, large-scale moulding machinery would be introduced, allowing production to adapt to lighter and more sustainable packaging.

The President of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, visited the facilities to see the scope of the planned works, which are designed to bolster the centre’s industrial competitiveness and ensure its long-term commitment to the area.

Raúl Gómez, CEO of Vidrala, said: “Spanish industry needs to be defended. Today, more than ever, given the events unfolding in the Middle East and the serious energy insecurity this crisis is creating in Europe.

"We need firm backing from the country to allow us to move forward with investment decisions that are currently more complex than ever. Our proposal is to invest, but we need support.

“We have a project designed to incorporate the best available technologies, which would position the plant as a benchmark in industrial decarbonisation and raise the standards of safety, sustainability, and quality of employment in Castilla-La Mancha.”

He added: “We are planning an investment of over €180 million euros, which would guarantee activity for decades and whose value is even more significant in the current international climate.

"But this moment demands a firm commitment and a proportionate response: from the Government of Spain, with a steadfast commitment to industry, supporting measures on energy tariffs and industrial deregulation aligned with the most ambitious European countries; from the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, whose support in the form of investment incentives is crucial for any industrial initiative with a long-term vocation; and from our people, whose commitment to the shared project is the best guarantee for tomorrow.

"Together, we can make this project a reality.”

Vidrala’s activity in Caudete is closely linked to the development of the agri-food sector, particularly wine, which is one of the pillars of the Castilla-La Mancha economy.

Through its industrial platform in Caudete, the group supplies glass packaging to numerous food and drink producers, helping to drive the sector's competitiveness and consolidate industrial value chains linked to the territory.