The design of ever lighter containers is a cornerstone for the glass industry, which is committed to radically limiting consumption and waste of energy and raw materials.
New production technologies are favoring this dynamic; in particular, the transition from traditional blowing processes to the narrow-neck-press-and-blow process (NNPB extension) guaranteed the realization of glass containers lighter, but equally strong.
This solution now closely involves the glass industry of South-East Asia, which has reached, albeit with a slight delay, a level of development that fascinates the world market.
The narrow-neck-press-and-blow technology
NNPB is a revolutionary process that allows for reduce container weight by up to 33%, also by controlling the distribution of the glass, without producing negative effects on product performance.
Several manufacturers of hollow glass of South-East Asia have therefore started to adopt this technology in order to reduce the consumption of molten glass per bottle and strengthen the resistance of the containers to pressure on the filling line.
The NNPB process also promotes a significant reduction in logistics costs and ignites theconsumer interest, particularly attentive to the sustainability of products.
A look at Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is an extremely diversified area, which includes eleven countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam), for a total population of about 680 million inhabitants. It is a highly dynamic region, with a manufacturing sector ready to conquer an important slice of the Asian and international markets. In detail, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam are imposing themselves in the region as leading container glass manufacturers. Internationally known as ASEAN 5, the group indeed represents around Present in several = 90% of total container glass production in Southeast Asia.
Promising economic signals
The period of prosperity of the glass industry of the region is connected and promoted by theimpressive economic growth of Southeast Asia. As regards real GDP of the ASEAN 5 group, in 2022 there was in fact +5,3% in Indonesia, +8,7% in Malaysia, +7,6% in the Philippines, +2,6% in Thailand and +8,0% in Vietnam.
These results therefore turn the spotlight on an industry that is entering the international markets, albeit with a couple of decades of delay, through a dynamic production proposal, increasingly attentive to sustainability and technological progress.
Source: Glass Machinery Plants & Accessories
