The German company specialized in batch and cullet plants Zippe Industrieanlagen GmbH has opened a new subsidiary to cover the US and Canadian markets. Zippe North America, Inc. is located in Moon Tow…
The German company specialized in batch and cullet plants Zippe Industrieanlagen GmbH has opened a new subsidiary to cover the US and Canadian markets. Zippe North America, Inc. is located in Moon Township, near Pittsburgh, PA, and is exclusively represented by Ron D. Argent, president and CEO of Argent Enterprises, Inc. The inauguration of Zippe North America was announced at a press conference given by the company at Glassman America 2000, held recently in Pittsburgh, US. Dr. Bernd-Holger Zippe, president of Zippe Industrieanlagen, said that the company had already been active in North America for over 15 years, and that it perceived a demand for more sophisticated, automated equipment in the area of batch and cullet treatment. The decision to create a subsidiary for North America comes from a desire to strengthen its presence in the area, with the aim of trying to become one of the leading suppliers of batch and cullet systems to the US and Canadian glass industries. Although the number of plants installed by Zippe in North America is relatively small, the company has nevertheless worked for many US glassmakers, supplying their plants in other countries. Dr. Zippe pointed out that Ron D. Argent, who has many years of experience in the glass industry, would be acting in close contact with both himself and Dipl. Ing. Horst Moser, sales director. He also underlined the importance of offering turn-key projects, engineering, procurement and site management contracts and assistance from an American company, with German high technology. Dr. Zippe also announced that some projects in float glass, TV glass and fibre glass production in North America were on the agenda for the next 2 years. Based in Wertheim, south-west Germany, Zippe Industrieanlagen GmbH is represented in 28 countries around the world and, in its 80 years of activity, has supplied 270 complete batch systems worldwide. Turnover for 1999 came to DM 50 million, 80% of which from exports. Recent projects include a supply contract with Vetrotex America, which began in February 2000; with Saint-Gobain Emballage (for a cullet system and recycling plant); and two contracts with Saint-Gobain Vitrage, one in South America and the other in Germany (Vegla). Zippe has also supplied Rayen Cura in Argentina, BSN, Philips“ TV glass production facilities and Lax and Shaw in the UK, and a TV glass plant in China. In India, Zippe supplied Schott and Hindusthan Sanitary Glassware (with a third batch plant) while, in Mexico, Zippe recently supplied Nueva Fanal, the producer of glass beer bottles for Corona.