Company profile: Forglass

Batch house supplier that focuses on top quality workmanship Polish company Forglass recently completed the batch house modification at the Stölzle Flaconnage plant in Knottingley, UK. Forglass CEO Piotr Knast discusses the installation and provides an insight into the company.

Congratulations on your recent batch � Forglass recently com- Did the Knottingley installation require house modification at Stölzle Knotting- pleted a batch house instal- any particular challenges or was it a ley site. Can you tell us a little bit more lation at Stölzle Flaconnage straightforward job? about the equipment and why, in your in Knottingley, UK. The scope of delivery included two return parallel opinion, Stölzle chose you to do the transport lines for five cullet lines, including two job? colouring ones, together with a batch house. We Thank you. At the bidding stage, we made a simple have designed, manufactured, and installed the yet exceptionally functional 3D model of the equipment with controls and visualisation. plant, and such a model enabled ourselves and It was a challenge because solutions would Stölzle engineers to find the optimal solution to have to be adjusted to existing buildings, and the satisfy their requirements. deadline was short. Each plant has its own characteristics, and you However, there were a few things that made our cannot just apply a common solution. You have job easier, such as very good cooperation with the to make an effort to listen carefully to what the client – I do hope they are still reading. customer is saying. I believe we made it. Using limited financial resources, we delivered a world- Why should manufacturers con- class batch house. sider Forglass when it comes to sourc- As for tools, I would narrow them down – ing new equipment for their factories? excluding standard ones – to communication We formulate our role in a simple way: we need workshops, which means listening to a customer, to assist our customers to earn money, so they are and the aforementioned 3D model. able to share some of their profits with us. First, we need to find a solution matching the actual needs Have you worked with Stölzle before? of a customer, and ask ourselves: what would we I’ve known Stölzle for more than 15 years. This invest our money in if we were glass manufacturer? company is an important customer, developing as We focus on simple solutions and top quality fast as our cooperation. workmanship, which is easier to sustain as we We intend to keep that cooperation for as long as it is possible – I do hope they are reading. Continued>> www.glass-international.com 14

Glass International November 2016

Company profile forglass.indd 1 16/11/2016 12:06:22 Company profile: Forglass

Batch house supplier that focuses on top quality workmanship

perform all production at our own facilities. � Forglass ensures all In view of these programmes I believe we are As well as maintaining 24-hour operation in the equipment supplied is to putting in place structures that will allow us to glassworks, we also ensure the equipment to be specifications. look to the future with a firm feeling of security. supplied is to specifications. This is achieved by designing and manufacturing When talking to glass manufacturers, scraper conveyors, bucket conveyors and so on at have you noticed any particular recent in-house facilities. trends such as environmentally friendly equipment or emissions reductions? Can you tell me a little about the Of course theses two points are important to company’s history? the industry and we will work closely with them Four years ago we merged three companies which and listen to their ideas, but European laws will had worked independently for glass works for 20 probably dictate any progress. years, which has enabled them to complement each other, to offer comprehensive solutions at a Where is Forglass’ strongest different level, and to change reality. geographical region? This plan succeeded. Each of the companies is As of today, the whole of Europe is our sales market, now a single department: Automation, Mechanical however, we do not set any geographical limits, we and Ceramics Construction. are prepared to consider and take all opportunities In the meantime, we’ve been graced by a group to offer our high class and cost effective services. of experienced engineers and smaller companies Of course we have to take into account possible that liked our concept, and subsequently affected financial limitations that can apply to ourselves the way we built our company. and potential customers. Being fully aware of facts, I am bound to say that today we are a large, experienced and hard- How strong is the Polish glass industry working team, and we are open to changes and and does it have a rich glass heritage? challenges as all our history comprises of changes. Of course the Polish glass unfortunately does not We have implemented a training programme have its own Murano or even Bohemian glass for young graduate engineers of the future, which tradition, but the glass industry in Poland is includes both in-house training and in the glass quite strong. Due to an acquisition process in the plants. This means there will be well-trained and 1990s we now have most of the international glass experienced engineers to continue offering the producers in Poland. industry the service it requires. These young engineers also bring new ideas, from which we can learn and improve. Continued>> www.glass-international.com 15 Glass International November 2016

Company profile forglass.indd 2 16/11/2016 12:06:28 Company profi le: Forglass

These include O-I, Ardagh, Saint-Gobain, � A batch house control Stölzle, (now NSG) and Guardian. panel. Thanks to that, Polish glass factories have the latest in production line confi guration. The best production fi gures among other factories in the group are a result of Polish worker and engineers’ skills. Poland is in 6th or 7th position in in EU. The Polish glass industry means not only massive scale production of container, fl oat or glass wool but also beautiful and unique always be ready to solve any issues on good terms and houseware glass, especially hand made. and in good time. You can fi nd such products on the shelves of A company that will know a lot about its many respectable stores. Unfortunately it is still customers, a trusted company that will promptly quite often the case that items designed by Polish deliver the best solution in respect of both technical artists, made by Polish craftsman in Polish glass and economic terms. Obviously, our core business factories, such as at Krosno, is offered under. will be glass furnaces and batch houses. It will all Now it is only made outside of production sites be possible due to exceptional staff. but the situation is changing for the better. The I believe that the Forglass company will have a Made in Poland label means excellent quality at a broad impact on the quality of services provided reasonable price. by other companies.

How would you like to see your compa- How many staff do you have and how ny evolve over the next fi ve to 10 years? many offi ces/plants? Thank you for that question – it will be a pleasure We currently have 200 staff in our glass furnaces to answer. and batch house divisions. I project Forglass as a fi rst class partner for a We have representatives in the UK, France and number of regular customers, and receptive to Tunisia as well as our Polish plant and offi ces. � any potential customers, yet without any strong urge to conquer a whole world. I think we will be a *CEO, Forglass, Krakow, Poland normal company with normal people, which will www.forglass.eu

Pictured Left to right: Steve Harris Global Sales Manager - Glass Tracy Merrill UK Customer Services Iwona Szkoda-Giannaki Head Chemist - Glass Mo Farah Production Manager - Glass Michal Bochen Sales Manager - Glass

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Glass International November 2016

Company profile forglass.indd 3 16/11/2016 12:06:32