After the first trial production of glass packaging from the new furnace was launched on May 7, 2024, at the SFS plant in Paraćin, domestic Serbian customers have already received their first ordered products in recent days. The optimal production capacity of the furnace is 270 tonnes per day, and currently, approximately 350 pallets are being filled daily on three production lines. In the coming months, production capacities will further increase due to automation.
After the international glass group Vaider Group took over SFS Paraćin at the end of 2022, it was first necessary to completely halt production due to the obsolescence of the old furnaces, followed by a year and a half of renovation work and the implementation of strategic investments worth EUR 50 million for the modernization of production, with the support of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.
Upon the successful completion of the first investment cycle at the beginning of May 2024, SFS Paraćin successfully started the first trial production of glass packaging from the new furnace. “We have introduced new technologies, which our employees quickly adopted, which was not taken for granted, as this involves fundamentally more advanced technology and processes than those that existed at SFS Paraćin for decades,” said Mr. Peter Čas, General Director of SFS Paraćin and of the Vaider Group.
The AIS production machines at SFS Paraćin are the most advanced machines of their kind in the world – such developed devices have not yet been put into operation anywhere else – and they enable the production of over 300 bottles per minute. The plant can produce a wide range of glass packaging – from small bottles of just 10 ml to large jars and bottles of 2.5 litres and more. SFS Paraćin can recycle 200 tonnes of glass daily, with most of the raw materials coming from Serbia.
Vaider Group’s goal is to become one of the leading European groups in the field of high-quality glass packaging and to provide clients with top products, services, and support, which is why it remains committed to realizing the announced investments in both the employees at SFS Paraćin and the development of production and other processes, thereby further contributing to the revival of the glass industry both in Paraćin and throughout Serbia.