15 January 1998: Australian BTR“S bottling division, ACI Glass, has reportedly said they want to become “selfsufficient” in the supply of its glass making raw materials of feldspar and soda ash, as i…
15 January 1998: Australian BTR“S bottling division, ACI Glass, has reportedly said they want to become “selfsufficient” in the supply of its glass making raw materials of feldspar and soda ash, as it prepares for the sell-off of its packaging business for an estimated US$ 5 billion. BTR, which recently opened a US$ 2 million feldspar mine in Beechworth, Victoria, Australia is also believed to be looking to consolidate its soda ash requirements so that the glass making business can be sold as a fully integrated business. The advanced feldspar mine, which separates the mineral from its host rock using dry concentrating techniques, has a life of 40 years, ensuring that ACI“s glass making facilities in Melbourne and Adelaide are well supplied. ACI Glass is the country“s only supplier of glass containers, holding 96% of the domestic market, and has access to the world-class glassmaking technology of the US Owens-Illinois group. Owens-Illinois is believed to have been given exclusive bidding rights to buy the glass making operations of ACI. The struggling BTR conglomerate put its packaging and building products division up for sale in September in order to focus on its core business of engineering. With the completion of the mine, ACI“s industrial minerals division now meets all the company“s sand requirements, while Penrice, together with US group General Chemical Soda Ash, provides soda ash. ACI is believed to be considering increasing its direct involvement in soda ash production.