Piesau. An unusual picture in recent months at HEINZ-GLAS in Piesau: glass production has been at a standstill since March. Exactly six months ago, the gas furnace that had been in use up to that point was drained, demolished and replaced by a new, climate-friendly and fully electric glass melting furnace during the multi-month conversion phase. On 16 September, the new electric glass melting furnace, which can melt 70 tonnes of glass per day, was officially inaugurated. The HEINZ-GLAS Group has invested around 17 million euros in this first sub-project for the transformation of the production site. CO2-exempt electricity replaces the fossil fuel gas here. At the headquarters in Kleintettau, both glass melting furnaces are already running on electricity.
In the following years, further production processes are to be converted to fossil-free energy sources such as green electricity and green hydrogen.
With the tempering process starting in mid-September, glass bottles can be produced in Piesau as usual again from October onwards. The HEINZ-GLAS Group currently employs around 280 people at the Piesau site.
In addition to numerous employees, the external companies involved were also guests at the celebratory furnace inauguration on 16 September. With a toast and a short prayer, the new glass furnace was christened ‘Edith’.
CEO and owner Carletta Heinz laid the last stone before the topping-out tree was attached to the brand-new glass melting furnace. HEINZ-GLAS would like to thank everyone who was directly and indirectly involved in the construction of the furnace, and especially the Piesau staff for their patience over the past six months.
‘With the commissioning of the new electric glass melting furnace, we have now taken another important step in the direction of electrification and fossil-free production. This is a clear sign that we are sticking to our goal of establishing the world's first fossil-free melting glassworks here at the Piesau site. We are now looking forward to the start of production and would like to thank all our colleagues for their commitment and patience,’ said Carletta Heinz (CEO & owner), Christian Fröba (COO) and plant manager Reiner Bock.
