Verallia has recently invested almost US$ 200M at its Mendoza plant in Argentina. Dedicated to the production of bottles for still and sparkling wines, the factory sites at the heart of the successful Mendoza wine region and is an important partner in the continued success of local wine exports throughout the world. Founded in 1947, the factory has undergone a series of major transformations in the past two decades. Prior to the introduction of IS forming technology in the early 1990s, the management team had operated rotary forming machines served by one melting tank. Now, the once tiny Mendoza glassworks has emerged as an important regional hub, operating the latest manufacturing technology while employing a workforce of 370 people and more than 120 subcontractors. Having added a second melting furnace in 2000, a third was built at a cost of US$ 70M in 2012, increasing the sites manufacturing capacity by between 40-50% to accommodate expanding customer demand. A team of Verallia technical experts was responsible for designing and building the new end-fired tank, which uses natural gas to melt the glass.
