Leading Indian glass manufacturer Hindusthan National Glass & Industries Ltd. (HNG) has selected Emhart Glass SA as its supplier for a major greenfield development at Naidu Peta and a significant exte…
Leading Indian glass manufacturer Hindusthan National Glass & Industries Ltd. (HNG) has selected Emhart Glass SA as its supplier for a major greenfield development at Naidu Peta and a significant extension to its plant at Nashik. HNG was founded over 60 years ago and established the first fully automatic glass container plant in India at Rishra, near Kolkata, in 1952. Since then, it has created and acquired five additional plants at Bahadurgarh, Rishikesh, Neemrana, Nashik and Puducherry. The firm“s nationwide presence makes it India“s largest producer of glass packaging, with a manufacturing capacity of 2,825 tonnes a day that satisfies well over 55% of local market demand. HNG serves domestic clients in the liquor, beer, pharmaceutical, food and beverage sectors, supplying them with glass in flint, amber and green. The firm also supplies a growing number of international customers including United Spirits, SAB Miller, HUL, Nestl, GlaxoSmithKline and Heinz. HNG initiated its greenfield project at Naidu Peta, in the state of Andrah Pradesh, in response to rising demand for food and beverages in the region. The plant“s flint glass line will have a daily capacity of 700 tonnes. Emhart Glass“ contribution will be four 4 -inch TG 12-section AIS machines and two BIS machines. BIS is a completely new concept in glassmaking, unveiled at glasstec 2010 by Emhart Glass, making these two machines the first of their kind in the world. As part of this supply project, HNG will act as Emhart Glass“ technology partner, developing and refining BIS technology to create the perfect fit for the Indian glass container market. The entire plant will also be fitted with all Emhart Glass“ latest technologies for high-speed, high-quality container forming, including the FlexRadar infrared process analyzer, Plunger Process Control (PPC) and Temperature Control System (TCS). Emhart Glass is also supplying machines and equipment for HNG“s major extension of its works at Nashik, Maharashta, where a second furnace of approximately 700MT capacity is being built. The Nashik facility was acquired in 2005 and currently has one furnace and four manufacturing lines giving an installed capacity of 390 tonnes per day, as well as on-site bottle printing and decorating. For its expansion, Emhart Glass will deliver six 4 -inch TG 12-section AIS machines. AIS, developed by Emhart Glass, is the foremost pneumatic glass-forming machine on the market today, and the ideal choice for the narrow neck press and blow (NNPB) process used by HNG. The total value of the two contracts is around EUR 29 million. Both the greenfield plant and the extension will begin production during the first quarter of 2012. HNG“s choice to work with Emhart Glass has been carefully considered, with the manufacturer benchmarking a range of equipment suppliers over the last two years. A deciding factor was the superior performance of the AIS machine installed at HNG“s Puducherry plant, which convinced HNG“s decision-makers of Emhart Glass“ ability to engage with their firm as a true technology partner. The managing director of HNG, Sanjay Somany states: Due to HNG“s growing technical demands in glass forming, HNG chose Emhart Glass as the ideal technical partner.”