Employment has risen and production is increasing at Kelman Bottles LLC in Shaler, Pennyslvania. The firm, formerly Glenshaw Glass Co., has increased its output to 220 tons of glass per day at its pla…
Employment has risen and production is increasing at Kelman Bottles LLC in Shaler, Pennyslvania. The firm, formerly Glenshaw Glass Co., has increased its output to 220 tons of glass per day at its plant to meet what owner William Kelman says is a “significant demand” for glass containers. “Demand is coming from the food and beverage industries, which have seen a number of glass producers cease operations in recent years”, Mr. Kelman said. “The glass companies remaining are benefitting from the reduced number of domestic suppliers”. Kelman customers range from the largest breweries and wineries to local independent producers, the company said, including Iron City Brewing Co. in Lawrenceville. Kelman resumed production in January 2007 at the now 113-year-old company that was most recently among the holdings of businessman John Ghaznavi. In March 2007, about 45 people worked at the plant. There are now more than 100. Kelman“s management company paid USD 3.8 million to purchase the 500,000-square-foot (46 451.52 square meter) plant and 25-acre (10 hectare) property after Glenshaw Glass ran into financial difficulties. It defaulted on loans after flood damage to the plant from remnants of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. Mr. Kelman restarted operations with one furnace, but he plans to restore two others and create 120 jobs, he said. The plant had employed more than 350 people when it was closed in 2004 by Mr. Ghaznavi, who is no longer involved in the glass industry but still has other business interests in the Pittsburgh area. “Having acquired a shuttered glass plant, our initial focus was to bring in orders and get the plant making bottles again”, Mr. Kelman said. “Our team has been successful in doing both”.