O-I Glass and Germany’s Krones have signed a strategic collaboration agreement, which they say aims to elevate glass by enabling them to innovate together for the growing glass market.
With the agreement, the two companies are combining O-I’s specialised knowledge of glass, with Krones’ leading competence in manufacturing machines and filling lines for the food and beverage industries.
Focus areas under the agreement include improvements in glass filling and packaging line speed and efficiency; enhanced agility and flexibility of responding to market trends; development of innovative and sustainable glass systems; and advancements in digital solutions such as direct-to-glass digital printing technology.
Andres Lopez, president and CEO at O-I said: “For O-I, glass is the preferred packaging solution in a world that increasingly values health, premium products and the environment. Not only does it maintain the integrity of the products and protects the environment, as customers and consumers intend, but it also offers magnificent opportunities for establishing brands and implementing sustainable solutions. This agreement is the first step that O-I and Krones are taking together in order to offer clients completely integrated, end-to-end solutions in the future.”
Christoph Klenk, CEO of Krones said: “In production facilities all over the world, the products of O-I and Krones are already encountering each other. So it was absolutely logical to improve still further the compatibility of Krones’ complete lines and the glass containers from O-I.
O-I is the world’s biggest glass manufacturer, with revenues of US$6.7bn in the past financial year. In July, it sold its ANZ glass manufacturing operation to Visy for $932m.
Krones is a member of the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA).
