Encirc invests £40m in world’s largest glass container furnace

The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP – Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – has opened Encirc’s record-breaking new furnace at its facility in Elton, Cheshire.

During his visit to the glass container manufacturer and bottler, the Business Secretary toured Encirc’s industry-leading factory, where he announced the official firing of what is now the largest glass container furnace in the world. The new 40-million-pound, 206m² industrial oven was built in record time.

Investment at Elton: Encirc has invested £40m in what is the largest glass container furnace in the world / Picture: Encirc

Encirc, which is celebrating its 20^th year of operation, was acquired by Spanish-based glass company, Vidrala, in 2015. Its new furnace is expected to boost Elton’s melting capacity by around 100 tonnes per day.

Based out of two state-of-the-art facilities in Elton, Cheshire and Derrylin, Northern Ireland, Encirc is responsible for producing around a third of all glass containers in Britain and is considered to be the most sustainable manufacturer of its kind. The business employs more than 1,200 people and is renowned in the industry for its forward-thinking approach to sustainability and use of innovative production processes.

The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, said: “Encirc is a brilliant example of the UK’s modern Industrial Strategy in action. Innovation and new sustainable techniques to boost business productivity are crucial for our future economic strength and today’s opening is another demonstration of the strength of the UK’s manufacturing sector.”

Business Secretary, Greg Clarke toured Encirc’s industry-leading factory, where the new furnace is expected to boost Elton’s melting capacity by around 100 tonnes per day / Picture: Encirc

Adrian Curry, Managing Director, Encirc, added: “We were delighted to welcome The Rt Hon Greg Clark to our Elton plant. At a time when some are uncertain about the outlook of UK manufacturing, the investment in our new furnace represents a very strong commitment to our future by our Spanish-based parent company.

“We pride ourselves on using the latest technology which not only minimises our impact on the environment, but also helps increase efficiency in our supply chain. This new furnace will significantly increase our capacity to manufacture sustainable packaging, while our new railhead is reducing our road transport needs by one million kilometres per year, helping us cut annual carbon emissions by 245,000 kg.”

Glass Futures, a non-for-profit organisation, which supports excellence, innovation and training in the glass industry facilitated the visit to Encirc’s plant. Richard Katz, Director of Glass Futures, concluded: “We were really pleased by the Secretary of State’s visit and we’re sure he was impressed by Encirc’s investment which demonstrates the positive future for the glass industry in the UK. By bringing the best research and industry brains together, Glass Futures, with Government support, will substantially contribute to achieving the UK’s environmental targets.”