STO invests millions in Yorkshire furnace

The 150-tonne furnace, which is situated at the firm’s Knottingley, Yorkshire factory, helps secure the plant’s future, according to sales director of perfumery and personal care Mark Devonald Smith.

“Without the new furnace, the future of the factory had to be in doubt. Now we know it is guaranteed a highly successful part in the UK’s manufacturing output,” he said.

Devonald Smith described the furnace’s construction as “a logistical nightmare”. He said: “All production had to be closed down and the opportunity was taken for incorporating that part of the factory into the site rebuild, which is currently being undertaken.”

Investment in the furnace was given the green light in June 2009, during a year when major investments in British manufacturing were thin on the ground.

The furnace is now in full production and all five STO lines are back in operation. The IS machines operate with a combination of double and single gob and produce between 55,000 and 100,000 bottles per machine per day. The factory’s annual capacity is 81m units.

“The whole operation has been a team effort,” Devonald Smith added. “And it has generated a fantastic spirit amongst the whole company.

STO is a member of Stölzle Glass Group, which has production sites in Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic.

In August last year, STO announced it had added a new 100ml oval bottle to its standard range for the perfume market.

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