It’s a smooth transition

DUNKIRK — Local leadership at Ardagh Group’s glass container plant in Jay County couldn’t be happier with the transition to new ownership.
“The transition’s going great,” plant manager Kim Pratt told a crowd at Glass Days this Thursday.
Ardagh Group — based in Luxembourg but with roots in the Irish glass bottle industry — acquired the Dunkirk plant in 2014 as part of its acquisition of Verallia North America. It also owns a plant in Winchester that was once part of Anchor Glass.
“Our transition has been very good for us,” said Pratt, noting that Ardagh is committed to the glass container industry and has been successful in securing new customers. Those, she stressed, haven’t been stolen from other glass container companies but have been won back from plastic and aluminum container makers.
The Dunkirk plant is now making 4.2 million glass containers every 24 hours and is working all three shifts 365 days a year.
“We can’t make glass fast enough,” said Pratt.
The company, now in its 126th year in Dunkirk, employs more than 420, drawing its workers from six counties. Jay County is first among those, but she noted that workers commute from as far away as Marion.
“We have been hiring recently,” said Pratt, noting that applications should be made through the WorkOne office in John Jay Center in Portland.
Customers for the plant include Anheuser-Busch, Unilever and R&B Foods. Products are both clear and amber glass and include everything from baby food jars to beer bottles.
Pratt noted that refillable glass milk jugs, beer bottles for Sam Adams Boston Brewery and glass canning jars are among the new product lines that have been introduced. The glass milk bottle used to pour milk over the head of the recent winner of the Indianapolis 500, she said, was made by Ardagh in Dunkirk.
“Glass is infinitely recyclable,” said Chris Swanson, tank manager of finish products.
“I love this town,” said Pratt, noting the company’s long support of Glass Days. Tours were being offered Friday morning at the Dunkirk plant. “I love this plant. We ask that when you shop that you buy your products in glass.”
The Dunkirk plant this week received an Energy Star certification from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Dunkirk and Winchester plants are among six of the company’s facilities to receive Energy Star certification this week from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The four other Ardagh Group, Glass-North America plants to earn the certification are in Bridgeton, New Jersey, Milford, Massachusetts, Madera, California, and Sapulpa, Oklahoma.
To receive Energy Star certification a plant must demonstrate best-in-class energy performance and, on average, perform within the top 25 percent nationwide for energy efficiency when compared to similar plants.
The six facilities have improved energy performance by upgrading and optimizing furnaces, utilizing recycled glass, installing energy-efficient lighting fixtures and repairing air compressor leaks.
“As the only U.S. glass manufacturer to earn the EPA’s recognition, Ardagh Group is committed to producing eco-friendly glass containers for our customers while performing above industry standards,” said John Riordan, president and CEO of Ardagh Group’s North American Glass division, in a prepared statement. “We are dedicated to embracing energy efficient technologies in our manufacturing facilities that help our customers achieve their sustainability objectives.”