Page 62 - Glass Machinery Plants & Accessories no. 5-2019

COMPANY DEVELOPMENTS
Company developments
processes. The company is now
at the forefront of its sector, with
smart technology playing a fun-
damental role across its plants.
Encirc’s Elton plant was
purpose-built with Industry 4.0
and sustainability in mind. The
52,000-square metre warehouse
in Cheshire - the largest of its
kind in Europe - is complete-
ly automated and able to store,
arrange and move thousands of
tonnes of product annually.
Now, Encirc is set to signif-
icantly boost glass production
capacity at its Eton site by build-
ing a world-first ‘Industry 4.0-
Ready’ glass production line. The
new line will have cutting edge
technology installed and will see
the plant’s hot end (where bottles
are produced) digitally connected
to the cold end (where bottles are
inspected).
Once operational in Q2 2020,
the new line will make use of in-
built intelligent swabbing, laser
identification marking and state-
of-the-art inspection machines,
which will be fully integrated to
work alongside human operators.
The state-of-the-art technol-
ogy will significantly improve
health and safety for operators
while also increasing the plant’s
manufacturing capabilities. With
closed loop technology linking
the hot end to the cold end, via
instant digital information, the
line’s efficiency will be unparal-
leled within the industry.
This particular project will
include the rebuilding of one
of Elton’s two furnaces. The
new furnace’s increased melt-
ing capacity will supply the new
production line with glass, sig-
nificantly increasing the plant’s
bottle production output.
This activity, which also includes
a significant investment in emis-
sions reduction and abatement,
comes as part of Encirc’s commit-
ment to continuous improvement
and reduction of the carbon foot-
print of its supply chain.

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