Verallia Portugal recently celebrated 30 years in Portugal
Verallia Portugal recently celebrated 30 years in the country with a special event for customers, partners and the local authorities in its Figueira da Foz plant.
Verallia Portugal has celebrated its 30th anniversary by gathering together customers, partners and the local authorities in its Figueira da Foz plant. The occasion also to celebrate Verallia’s success on the Portuguese market where the business is today in pole position.
“Inside the Group, Verallia Portugal perfectly embodies the values of Verallia, especially professional commitment and customer service. I am proud of Verallia’s teams and warmly thank our customers for their loyalty,” stated Jean-Pierre Floris, chairman and CEO of Verallia during the event.
In Portugal, Verallia has around 250 employees. Its headquarters, factory and product development centre are located on the Atlantic coast, in Figueira da Foz, between Porto and Lisbon.
With its two furnaces, the business produces daily over 2 million bottles and jars for still wines (including the famous ports), sparkling wines, beers, spirits, soft drinks and food.
Verallia Portugal serves local and international customers. The business stands out for its remarkable knowledge of the Portuguese market and the close relations it has nurtured with its customers over the last 30 years.
Thanks to its product development centre, Verallia Portugal is able to offer its customers responsive services for their creations. The company also organizes the Verallia Design Awards (http://www.criatividade-verallia.pt/edicao2017), a design contest aimed at sensitizing Portuguese students on using glass as a material. Run in Portugal for the last 4 years, the competition has this year attracted more than 87 projects.
In 1987, the Spanish company Vicasa – at the time a Saint-Gobain subsidiary – acquired the installations of Vidreira da Fontela glassworks closed since 1982 and renamed the company Saint-Gobain Mondego. Operations started up again the same year. The factory increased its production capabilities in 1991, installing a second furnace. At the same time, it managed to reach the best industry standards. This level of excellence was confirmed by the series of certifications obtained: ISO 9001 for quality in 1996, ISO 14001 for the environment in 2002, and OHSAS 18001 for health and safety in 2004.
In 2006, the first furnace and all its production lines were completely rebuilt and modernized. The factory installed an electrostatic precipitator (ESP electro-filter), an advanced environmental technology for which it is pioneer on the Portuguese market. From 2008, the second furnace and its installations were in turn replaced by state-of-the-art technology. In two years, over EUR 60million were invested to make the Figueira da Foz site a leading-edge plant in the glass packaging sector.
In 2010, Saint-Gobain combined all its glass packaging activities under the brand Verallia. In 2015, Verallia became an independent business. The company changed its name from Saint-Gobain Mondego to Verallia Portugal.
In 2016, the European Commission recognized Verallia’s environmental best practices in Portugal by awarding it the EMAS certification (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme), granting Verallia once again pioneer status on the Portuguese domestic market. The business has also obtained the energy certification ISO 50001.