FUTRONIC Glass giant at the summit in Brazil
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RETROFIT PROJECTS
Retrofit projects
FUTRONIC
Glass giant at the summit in Brazil
Verallia Brazil has relocated its glassworks from the Água Branca
district of downtown São Paulo to the outskirts of Jacutinga –
a small town in a landscape marked by mountains. The new
plant’s three production lines currently manufacture around
one million bottles a day for the domestic beverage industry.
futronic supplied the controls and drives and was involved from
the outset. Even for a glass giant like Verallia, this was an unusually
large and complex project.
What is probably Brazil’s most modern
glassworks now stands where a mountain
crest once proudly dominated the hilly
landscape surrounding Jacutinga
64 glass machinery plants & accessories 2/2021
V
erallia is one of the biggest
container glass manufac-
turers in the world – a
global player by any definition.
The company employs around
10,000 people and is made up of
32 glass production facilities in
11 countries throughout Europe
and Latin America. In 2019,
the Group reportedly achieved
turnover of EUR 2.6 billion. In
short, it’s a mammoth organisa-
tion, where things are constantly
on the move. There’s always
something being extended, con-
verted, replaced or modernised
somewhere at one of the numer-
ous manufacturing facilities. almost five kilometres of pipe-
Verallia has specialists for this THE REGION’S PRIDE lines were laid. The new Verallia
purpose – indeed whole depart- This construction project of works, which was inaugurated in
ments with experienced project almost biblical proportions is doc- July 2019, provides around 270
managers who accomplish even umented in a video. The scenes direct and 90 indirect jobs for
the most complex missions ably. it depicts are more than a little the local population.
Nevertheless, the Jacutinga pro- reminiscent of ‘Fitzcarraldo’, the
ject turned out to be a monu- Werner Herzog epic film from ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
mental task, even for Verallia. 1982, in which the protagonist MADE IN GERMANY
of the same name – played by Verallia invested something like
MOUNTAIN MAKES WAY FOR Klaus Kinski – dreams of build- EUR 77 million in the new plant –
A NEW GLASS PLANT ing a lavish opera house in the and in state-of-the-art technology
Verallia Brazil has its head- middle of the virgin Amazon rain to match. “Our new factory com-
quarters in the São Paulo met- forest. Fitzcarraldo, obsessed plies with even the strictest safety
ropolitan area. For many years, by his grand vision, forces his and environmental regulations,”
one of this huge country’s three indigenous crew to haul an old Messina emphasises. Verallia sets
Verallia glassworks was locat- steamship over a mountain. itself high standards and the pro-
ed just a stone’s throw away in Fortunately, there was none of duction shop is no exception. Two
an industrial park in the city’s this madness to be witnessed at complete lines were transported
Água Branca district. During the construction site in Jacutinga. from Água Branca to Jacutinga in
the early tens of this century, it On the contrary: Brazil’s – if connection with the move. A new,
became clear that capacity for not the entire South American German-built IS machine from
production and growth would continent’s – most modern glass- Heye International is also installed
soon be exhausted, with no more works was systematically charted there. The two existing systems
local reserves available. There out and completed in a mere were modernised by futronic as
appeared to be no other option 26 months and Carlos Messina, part of an extensive retrofit.
but to build a new plant. The Verallia Jacutinga’s Project The retrofit project was pre-
question was, where? It didn’t Director, admits that: “we at pared by experts at Verallia
take long to find the ideal spot Verallia – and literally the whole and futronic well in advance.
– on the outskirts of the small region – are very proud of it.” “I was invited to the first meet-
town of Jacutinga in the state of In May 2017, an army of exca- ing with Verallia representatives
Minas Gerais, some 200 kilo- vators, bulldozers and trucks in São Paulo in spring 2017,”
metres north of São Paulo. The moved in to remove about 630 recalls sales engineer Marc
area surrounding Jacutinga is tons of earth and create a gigan- Meersschaut, who is responsi-
quite hilly, though, and graded tic graded area for the new plant ble at futronic for business with
land is a rarity. The management to stand on. All in all, around South America. Eduardo José
therefore decided to move half a 30,000 tons of concrete and M. da Fonseca, the project man-
mountain in order to make space 1200 tons of steel were used. ager at Verallia who also over-
for the new plant. 164 kilometres of cables and sees technologies and processes
glass machinery plants & accessories 2/2021 65
RETROFIT PROJECTS
Retrofit projects
at all Verallia Vidros plants, was years now. In spite of that, “The
similarly in on the negotiations new plant in Jacutinga was an
from the start. The two of them unusually large and complex
spoke to each other regularly on project even by our standards,”
the phone during the months Meersschaut adds. “That’s the
that followed, discussing various reason we’re particularly proud
details as well as specific safety of the contribution we had the
features. Meersschaut eventually privilege of making.”
took a second trip to São Paulo Of course, he’s also hoping to
to wrap up the contract. The get a chunk of the pie whenever
controls and drives for the three more refurbishments or expan-
production lines were shipped sions are planned in the future.
and put into operation at the The three production lines cur- Marc Meersschaut,
end of June 2019. Only days rently manufacture around one futronic Sales Manager
later, the complete plant went million bottles a day for beer,
productive. wine and spirits. Yet the market
is growing – and in Brazil, too,
BUILT FOR THE FUTURE there is a noticeable trend away
“A project on that kind of from plastic packaging in favour
scale can only succeed if you of glass. It goes without say-
bring in the best of the best to ing that the new plant is geared
help you – competent partners to this growth potential. The FUTRONIC GMBH
who you can rely on absolute- present factory buildings have
ly from day one,” da Fonseca enough space for three more lines Tolnauer Strasse 3-4 y
stresses. “That’s why we went and preliminary talks are already D-88069 Tettnang
- German
3070
straight to futronic, to get the under way with futronic, amongst Tel.: +49-7542-5
30770
specialists from Lake Constance others. Additional capacity exists Fax: +49-7542-5
ic.de
E-mail: info@futron
on board.” The two partners as well in the outdoor areas.
know each other and they hold “The Verallia plant in Jacutinga”, www.futronic.de
one another in high regard – in Meersschaut concludes, “is built
fact, they have done for many for the future.”
66 glass machinery plants & accessories 2/2021
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