The year 2009 marks 70 years of glass manufacturing for international technology group Schott in Vincennes, Illinois, US. Glass manufacturing in the city continues to prosper, as confirmed by an annou…
The year 2009 marks 70 years of glass manufacturing for international technology group Schott in Vincennes, Illinois, US. Glass manufacturing in the city continues to prosper, as confirmed by an announcement made in October 2009 saying that Schott North America, Inc. was expanding and diversifying its production lines at Schott-Gemtron“s Knox County facility to include transparent armour for the defence industry. Being an integral part of such a wonderful, hard-working community has been an incredible experience for Schott, said Dr. Gerald Fine, President and CEO of Schott North America, Inc. Seventy years is an impressive accomplishment for any factory, and it“s the people of Vincennes who deserve the credit for this remarkable milestone. Vincennes is a great place to do business. I look forward to many more years of a productive partnership with the city and its residents. The first glass was produced at Vincennes by Hamilton Glass, when it moved there from Chicago in November 1939, employing 30 residents in its 20,000 sq.ft. facility. In 1970, Hamilton became a wholly owned subsidiary of National Gypsum Company, which underwent a period of growth thanks to the continuous expansion of the tempered glass industry due to legislation requiring safety glazing materials in homes and commercial construction. By the end of the 70s, the company occupied 260,000 sq.ft. and employed around 450 people. In the 1980s, after being bought back by the employees in 1981, and with the assistance of Revenue Bonds authorized by the City of Vincennes, the company went on to acquire Seattle-based Charlton Industries, a lead-glass window manufacturer in 1985, and re-located its production facilities to Vincennes. In 1986, Hamilton became part of AFG Industries, which then became Schott-Gemtron following an acquisition of a majority interest in Gemtron in 1989 by Schott from AFG. Schott-Gemtron“s Vincennes facility now processes and finishes glass-ceramic cooktops and flat glass for the home appliance industry. Moreover, in November 2009, Schott announced that it had been selected by Oshkosh to provide transparent armour windows for its new line of mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles, for which Schott has invested more than USD 2 million over the past six months to accommodate production. Schott-Gemtron currently employs approximately 300 people in Vincennes, with plans to hire additional production and supervisory workers in 2010 as the new defence line is phased in. Schott employs 17,300 employees at manufacturing and sales sites in 41 countries, generating global sales of EUR 2.2 billion during the 2007/2008 fiscal year.