22 July 1999: Container glass manufacturer Heye-Glas celebrated its 200th anniversary on 17 July. Founded in Obernkirchen, Germany, on 17 July 1799, the group now has interests in several companies bo…
22 July 1999: Container glass manufacturer Heye-Glas celebrated its 200th anniversary on 17 July. Founded in Obernkirchen, Germany, on 17 July 1799, the group now has interests in several companies both in Germany and around the world, including the US, Portugal, Poland, France and the Netherlands. Altogether it employs roughly 3,000 people and group sales amount to over half a billion, according to Heye-Glas. The most recent subsidiary to be set up is Schaumburger Formenbau GmbH in 1998, whose staff were previously employed in Heye-Glas“ mould-making department. The group says it intends to exploit the growth opportunities arising from the mould division“s new independence. In 1996, Heye-Glas Nederland was formed to meet growing demand from the Dutch brewer Heineken for green export beer bottles. A new, state of the art factory in Moerdijk near Rotterdam, close to Heineken“s brewery, started production in 1998. Heineken owns a 33.5% stake in Heye-Glas Nederland. In Portugal, Heye-Glas has a majority stake in glassmaker Sotancro, whose main production is wide-mouthed jars for the food and pharmaceutical industry. It also has a partnership with the glass container manufacturer Ricardo Gallo. The group has a number of interests in Poland, including its machine and equipment manufacturing subsidiary Heye-Polska, founded in 1992. It also has partnerships with Huta Szkla Dzialdowo, specialized in the manufacturer of glass for cosmetics, and with Heinz-Glas. In 1991, the group entered into a joint venture with the Polish government which led to the forming of Heye F.F.S., a manufacturer of casting, moulds and accessories. In the US, Heye-Glas runs a joint operation with the Saint-Gobain group for the manufacture of glass packaging production machines with Heye technology for the American market, as well as moulds and accessories. Set up in 1987, Heye America is based in Marion, Indiana. In 1989, the group founded a company to handle logistics services for its customers, GLI Glas Logistik International. Based in Obernkirchen, the company now has subsidiaries in Poland, Portugal and France.