The All India Glass Manufacturers’ Federation (AIGMF) has sent a letter to the government expressing heightened concern over the gas shortage due to the war in West Asia. Glassmakers may be losing as much as EUR 9.2 million as a result of missing supplies that are forcing them to scale back or even shut off furnaces.
“This is a difficult situation for us because glass manufacturing is energy-intensive requiring uninterrupted fuel supply,” said Rrajesh Khosla, president of the AIGMF and CEO of Hyderabad-based AGI Greenpac. “In its absence, around a third of container glass units have already shut down. We may see more plant shutdowns if the gas shortage is not addressed quickly.”
With the gas crisis arriving without warning, many furnaces could be shut down without proper conditions, leading to expensive damages, lost income and packaging product shortages. Even if operations are scaled back, the glassmakers clients are facing product shortages and lost profits for the foreseeable future.
In their letter to the government, the AIGMF has requested prioritising container glass manufacturing given its usage in food, beverages and pharmaceutical applications.