French packaging firm Verallia has invested around €20 million in ‘completely modernising’ its production plant in Oiry, north-eastern France.
The Oiry facility produces bottles for the champagne and sparkling-wine market, and the new-look site was inaugurated by Jean-Pierre Floris, chairman and CEO of the Verallia group.
Large Bottles
The site, which employs 160 people, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015, and it is capable of producing 550,000 bottles a day. As well as producing bottles for the sparkling-wine market, the business also manufactures very large bottles, including the 15-litre Nabuchodonosor variety.
“The champagne bottle is certainly the most demanding glass bottle, in terms of quality, and we take pride in being the leader on this market,” said Floris. “This investment enables us to offer better quality, better design capabilities, and better customer service.”
Working Conditions
More than 15% of the total investment from Verallia was designated towards improving the working conditions for the plant’s teams, with a special focus on improving workstation ergonomics and lighting.
More than 200 people attended the inauguration of the new facility, including representatives from Verallia’s two equity funds, Apollo and Bpifrance.
Verallia produces around 16 billion glass bottles and jars at its global facilities each year. The company achieved a turnover of €2.4 billion in 2015.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
