During his recent trip to the US, British Glass CEO Dave Dalton promoted cutting edge research and development taking place in the UK, showcasing the latest developments in a pioneering virtual reality system for the container glass sector that features a fully functioning three-section IS machine, with the purpose of providing a safe environment for the training of new employees.
Alongside Glass Technology Services Ltd’s Chris Sorsby, Dave visited the Glass Problems Conference in Columbus, Ohio to demonstrate the system, before a trip to Owens-Illinois headquarters in Perrysburg, Ohio for a showcase in front of 14 members of senior management. Dave then travelled to Sonoma, California as a keynote speaker at the Glass Packaging Institute’s annual meeting which was attended by 50 senior glass industry executives from around the world. While at the conference Dave was able to give an insight into the UK glass market and gave a presentation on developing the US workforce.
Reflecting on his trip, he said: “It was a very worthwhile trip for us as we got to meet with important people in not just the American glass market, but in the glass sector as a whole.
“From the most elevated ranks such as directors and presidents right down to the decision making people in factories who manage processes, we were able to show them just what the UK glass industry is capable of.
“We believe we have something that is special and unique here and I’m very proud that we had the opportunity to showcase it to a new and truly vast audience.”