15 October 1998: A new glass factory was opened in Moerdijk, Netherlands on 1 October by Heye-Glas. The German company has a 66.5% stake in the operating company, while Heineken has the remaining 33.5…
15 October 1998: A new glass factory was opened in Moerdijk, Netherlands on 1 October by Heye-Glas. The German company has a 66.5% stake in the operating company, while Heineken has the remaining 33.5%, Heye-Glas said in a recent press release. The Heineken Group is the second largest brewery group in the world, only coming after the American Anheuser-Busch Group. Heye-Glas has been one of the main suppliers of the Heineken Group for more than 20 years. The geographic proximity of the glass factory to the Heineken breweries in Zoeterwoude (70 km) and Hertogenbosch (55 km) make the location logistically ideal for its customers, the Heineken Group. On 19 May 1998, after 9 month“s of construction, the glass factory went into operation. Capital investment amounted to approximately 130 million guilders. The machinery and equipment installed in Moerdijk represent the most modern level of technology. In the production area, two of the most powerful machines in the world have been installed including IS double-gob-20-station machines made by Heye-Glas, which are capable of producing 1.4 million export beer bottles per day for Heineken. Approximately 500 million bottles will be produced annually. The furnace system installed at Moerdijk is the Heye oxyfuel melter with heat recuperation, the highest level technology for environmental protection. A plant for pulverising cullet has been developed by Heye-Glas and installed in Moerdijk, which guarantees that the recycling glass – approximately 80 % of the batch – is ground to a size of less than 1 mm, ensuring that any impurities are melted and do not affect the quantity of the beer bottles produced. The company said its involvement in the Netherlands signifies an expansion of Heye-Glas“ glassmaking activities. In addition to the production plants in Obernkirchen and Germersheim, Germany, Heye-Glas also has interests in glass factories in Belgium, Poland and Portugal. There is also domestic and foreign participation in the fields of machinery and logistics. The report said that 120 jobs have been created in Moerdijk because of Heye-Glas Nederland.