Şişecam Unveils 'Plant of the Future' Platform at Glasstec 2024 Fair

Şişecam, the only global company operating in all fundamental areas of glass, introduced its Plant of the Future platform at Glasstec 2024. This platform, established with a vision of digitalization and sustainability, aims to foster collaboration and innovation in the industry by combining Şişecam's nearly 90 years of expertise with the capabilities of suppliers and technology providers. The Plant of the Future will operate on a call-based open innovation model, turning innovative ideas into tangible solutions to add value to the sector.

Şişecam's CEO, Görkem Elverici, remarked on the platform: "There are many suppliers in our industry offering innovative solutions. As the only global player operating in all fundamental glass areas with approximately 60 furnaces, we believe it is essential to work with our partners to envision, design, discover, develop, and implement the solutions of the future. In our rapidly changing world, industries that operate using traditional methods need to adapt to this change. The Plant of the Future will not only transform Şişecam’s production operations and processes but also provide significant opportunities to advance the industry. With the contributions of our partners, this initiative could become a service model in the near future, building a future-ready industry. This platform will support our progress toward operational excellence, optimization, digitalization, and sustainability by producing practical, well-designed, and innovative solutions. Through this, we will achieve collective growth for all our stakeholders by growing within our ecosystem, which we envision, design, implement, and operate together. We must anticipate the needs of tomorrow today, and that is why we are determined to build the future of the glass industry from this day forward. I invite all our business partners to join us in this significant transformation, as the key to growth lies in the collaborations we establish."

Initially, the Plant of the Future platform will focus on glass packaging and flat glass production operations and processes. Şişecam plans to test development projects presented in these focus areas at its facilities where capacity gaps can be created, and will rapidly disseminate successful solutions across its production network. The projects emerging from the Plant of the Future will not only open up the development of Şişecam's production operations and processes, but also pave the way for all stakeholders in the glass industry. Şişecam aims to develop this expertise as a "service model" and extend it to other sectors within its portfolio, particularly the soda ash industry, where it ranks among the top three producers globally.