The world's first servo-assisted 10-section quadruple gob glassmaking machine has been installed at Rockware's Headlands factory in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, where it has significantly raised output to accommodate increasing demand from the company's beer producing customers.
The machine's installation is part of a £25m investment at the site, which has also seen the delivery of a new furnace, offering improved energy efficiencies and reduced emissions.
Other key elements of the spend include new production management software, which analyses production trends and allows for acute tracking of fluctuations as well as rapidly identifying potential problems, a new inspection and conveyor system and palletising and stacking equipment.