The Vetropack Group informed its employees in Kremsmünster, Austria, that it will shut down one of the three melting furnaces at the site earlier than originally planned. The move supports the long-term site development and is being taken as part of a planned merger of two furnaces into a modern, larger and more climate-friendly production facility.
The merger of the melting furnaces is part of the investment planning for the Kremsmünster site. However, due to the currently tense market situation in Europe, Vetropack has now decided to bring forward the already planned shutdown of one furnace. This is the most sensible solution for both economic and environmental reasons: only by completely shutting down the furnace is it possible to sustainably reduce energy consumption and costs at the site.
Vetropack will start the shutdown process end of April. The measure will also have an impact on the local workforce: jobs will have to be cut. The majority of these will be temporary contracts and natural attrition. Solutions are being worked out for the Vetropack employees affected beyond this, including voluntary severance payments.
“Bringing forward an already planned interim step is the right decision under current circumstances. It does not, however, change our long-term plans for the site,” said Johann Eggerth, General Manager Business Division Switzerland/Austria. “Kremsmünster will remain an important production site for Vetropack: our investment plans remain unchanged, and we will merge the two tanks into a modern, more efficient plant as planned. This will strengthen the plant’s efficiency and competitiveness in the long term.”
The furnace merger planned for 2028 will enable Vetropack to produce at the Kremsmünster site in the future with a larger, more energy-efficient facility. It is an important building block in the company’s sustainability strategy and is intended to help significantly reduce CO2 emissions at the site.
Independently of the measure announced, the mould shop will be relocated from Kremsmünster to Vetropack’s other Austrian site in Pöchlarn over the coming weeks. This step is part of the continuous optimisation of site structures in Austria.