Page 55 - Glass Machinery Plants & Accessories no. 4-2021
P. 55

nstallation work is due to begin   “We established a basic design   members, as well as end users of
               for Glass Futures’ capital pro-  specification that was used as part   glass products. For this reason
            Icess equipment - a brand-new     of a tendering process for the   it’s funded by government money
            Global Centre of Excellence in St   detailed design of the batch plant.”  and, as such, follows public pro-
            Helens, England. To discuss their   Liggett went on to describe    curement regulations for assigning
            plans for the exciting initiative,   how Glass Futures approached a   contracts. Describing the synergy
            key project representatives met   number of well-known companies   between EME and Glass Futures,
            recently with EME, its contractor   that are familiar with both materi-  he explained how the two are
            of choice, which is already hard at   als handling technology and batch   working together to improve the
            work with UK subcontractors as    design and installation, specifically   running of the process - jointly
            plans go ahead to install four huge   noting that EME was successful   ensuring that the cost of activi-
            silos at the site - all set for comple-  at completing the detailed design   ties are being well-managed while
            tion within 18 months.            which was then used as the tech-  keeping in mind the high level of
                                              nical specification for the public   flexibility they both seek to achieve.
            PROJECT BACKGROUND AND            procurement contract to supply
            EME INVOLVEMENT                   and install the batch plant.     ANTICIPATED CHALLENGES
               At the meeting, EME Sales                                         Here Woltz identified the main
            Director Dr Sebastian Woltz,      SEEKING THE RIGHT PARTNER        challenge being a need for flex-
            responsible for the tendering       Liggett said that Glass Futures   ibility, so that potential new tech-
            phase of the project, explained:   is essentially a collaborative effort   nologies during or after the project
            “I met and exchanged ideas with   that includes commercial glass   could be integrated into the batch
            Glass Futures General Manager     making companies among its       plant. Said Woltz: “This is  why
            Aston Fuller during the Furnace
            Solution conference. It was then
            that I realised how the vision of
            installing such an R&D facility       Grant Bailey
            was entirely feasible. Indeed we
            were very happy to be awarded the
            engineering tender and we’ve been
            in continuous contact ever since.”
               Peter Liggett, Capital Projects
            Manager for Glass Futures, added:









                                                   Peter Liggett


















                                                    Sebastian Woltz










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