[Image above] Credit: Andre Mercier; Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

 

The challenges facing the glass industry are fairly well documented here on the CTT blog. But as a wise woman once told me, never discuss your problems unless you’ve already started thinking about solutions. (See here, here, and here on some of the solutions glass manufacturers are offering to cultivate, train, and retain a skilled workforce.)

Our friends at the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council know well the challenges, but so, too, the opportunities for industry.

According to GMIC executive director Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, the council fields frequent requests for information on everything from existing manufacturers to start-ups, suppliers looking for contacts, manufacturers seeking solution providers, and others looking for specific information about the industry.

Lipetz says that information about the glass manufacturing industry is notoriously difficult to come by—at least, it was.

Similar to what ACerS is doing with industry-driven vehicles like the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation, ceramicSOURCE, and 2015’s inaugural Ceramics Expo, GMIC is addressing this intelligence gap with the creation of a reliable, detailed industry report that simplifies the communication of solutions and innovations, increases the wisdom of managers, reduces the risk of investors, and provides other vital services to the industry.

The GMIC Glass Manufacturing Industry Report, compiled by a GMIC task force, includes detailed data, contacts, and reports organized into the following three sections:

 

Section 1: Industry Data

“The first section contains a wealth of data on the industry; production, sales, market share, capitol expenditures, employment, energy use and cost, recycling, inventory turnover, plant utilization, R&D, operating ratios, and many other metrics,” says Lipetz. “These metrics are organized by the manufacturing segments of flat glass, container glass, specialty glass, fiberglass wool, and glass fiber reinforced polymers. They are also organized geographically. The data is presented in charts, including trends over the last fiver years, and future forecasting. Competitive industries are analyzed and profiles are provided for major companies.”

 

Section 2: Special Section on Emissions Regulations

“The second section contains comprehensive surveys of emissions regulations relevant to glass manufacturing in the U.S. and Europe along with recommended best available techniques.”

 

Section 3: Contact Lists

“The third section contains extensive contact lists, including U.S. glass manufacturers, U.S. factories, and supplier lists.”

The GMIC Glass Manufacturing Industry Report is available in electronic format. For more information on the report, or to order, visit www.GMIC.org.

In more GMIC-glass manufacturing news, abstracts for the 76th Conference on Glass Problems are due in just a few days. The 76th GPC will host engineers, managers, scientists, educators, students and entrepreneurs at this annual industry conference. 

Broad topics of interest for the 76th GPC include:

  • Glass melting
  • Refractories
  • Process control and sensors
  • Modeling
  • Energy and emission
  • Raw materials, batching, and recycling
  • New topics (relevant to glass industries)

 To present, complete the abstract submission form and email it to Donna Banks by January 26, 2015.

Author

Jessica McMathis

CTT Categories

  • Glass
  • Manufacturing
  • Material Innovations