In August Quinn Glass started the implementation of new cold end equipment designed specifically to handle next generation Spirit containers. With taller profiles and higher centres of gravity, the traditional cold end equipment would not have supported the handling and output required.
The new equipment, designed and installed by All-Glass, was completed in late September and began operating in earnest on the 30th October after a few weeks commissioning and training.
The equipment includes robots picking and placing containers at the end of the lehr exit, traditional accumulation tables were replaced with indexing tables and the cold end conveyor systems and separators were upgraded to allow a continuous flow to the palletisers.
The investment of £2.5m on C side represents a continuation of the investment plan that has seen an upgrading of the EP and a refurbishment of the regenerator on F furnace.
The EP, Electrostatic Precipitator, is the filtration equipment immediately prior to and including the chimney stack. Upgrading this equipment cost £850k and was completed in August. The upgrade included the addition of an additional field that would filter the furnace gases further, and also a water cooling system to ensure the system operates at the optimum level.
The work on the regenerator on F side was completed in October and involved the replacement of the cruciforms and a renewal of the bricks at the back of the regen. Annually, during their life, furnaces lose efficiency and so this work, undertaken by Sorg at the cost of £1.9m, will help bring the efficiency of this furnace back to an 'almost new' state.
With the continued investment in our Lean programme and the imminent sign off of the Bag in box line for the filling hall in Elton, investment plans to support the continued growth forecasted in our Vision 2016 plan are well underway.