OI Glass University

Last week I attended the three day Glass University given by OI in Perrysburg, Ohio. This class is given four times a year. If you are at all involved with the purchasing of or creation of glass packaging, I highly recommend this class. 

 The first two days are all classroom, and the third day are spent visiting their glass plant in Charlotte, MI.

I learned that glass in this country, is grossly under-recycled and according to OI, for every 10% of recycled glass that makes it back into the furnace, energy use drops 2-3%. This is important because the furnaces run at about 2800° 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

During the glass they reviewed new Product development, Sustainability issues, Raw Materials & Furnace Operations, the Forming Process, Surface treatments, strength, inspection and Handling requirements. Alot of materials for three days. 

Glass does certainly have weight, breakage and other issues, but the purity of glass and its unique ability to protect the product and not impart any flavors into the product can not be ignored. Also - Glass is still #1 in premium perception with consumers. I see glass coming back in a big way and the folks in Charlotte are very proud of their newly designed glass baby bottle in that will be hitting the market soon.

The only thing I would have liked is more time at the factory. They took us to the furnaces, allowed us to look inside (through a welding mask), then the glass forming machines and right down the line right to the end where they ship product. Here is a video from the Discovery Channel showing a quick overview of the glass making process. (Not sure if it is an OI location)

If you have any interest in attending the OI Glass school contact Karen.Harwood@us.o-i.com