The Glass Manufacturing Industry Council

is a Trade Association of the Glass Industry

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Recently Published

The Shining Inferno - A Symposium on Glass Raw Materials 

Christopher Hoyle, Vice President - Technical Director, Toledo Engineering Co., Inc. - Symposium Chair

Presented by the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council

From crystal-clear containers to the skin of a new high-rise office building, glass is a transparent, uniform and attractive material. It may not be obvious that its origin is a shining inferno where a mix of various minerals dug from the ground, perhaps collected from several continents, have been fused into a new entity. This symposium details the state of the art technologies as well as the challenges to glass manufacturers in selecting and processing raw materials for glass production.

Life cycle analysis of glass as a material that competes in our society with other materials is giving new attention to our raw materials. Major suppliers of minerals will be discussing the competing market forces involved in making best use of our mineral deposits, while keeping the costs to the glassmaker reasonable. Increasing quality demands on the glass, applies pressure for increasing purity of our raw materials and increasing beneficiation of what we can dig out of the ground. New glass products, including solar cells, make it critical to reduce trace contaminants such as iron oxide or minimize their effect. Possible use of alternate materials can help reduce energy usage and the carbon footprint of our glass plants. The logistics of collecting the hundreds of tons of raw materials needed each and every day will be discussed. New environmental restrictions are also forcing us to reconsider the choice of raw materials we have traditionally used.

This is an opportunity for members of the glass industry to discuss new ideas, and rethink old approaches with informed experts.

To view speaker bios, abstracts and presentations visit our Publications Page or click here

Waste Heat Management in the Glass Industry

Session 1: Waste Management Applied to Process Inputs

Session 2:Waste Heat Recovery Boilers

Thursday October 21, 2010

The GMIC, Glass Trend, and TNO are collaborated to introduce a number of existing and potential approaches to Waste Heat Management to the glass industry through a one-day workshop in Columbus, Ohio.

Waste Heat Management has been identified as one of the most significant opportunities for reducing costs, energy usage, and emissions in the glass industry today.  Yet, for a number of reasons, besides numerous combustion air preheating technologies in place in the United States today, minimal use is being made of existing or developing approaches to recover waste heat and use it for other beneficial purposes.

Presentations were given by experts from Europe, the United States, and Asia that discussed  a variety of solutions that may be relevant to glass companies seeking answers to some of their longstanding sustainability issues.

To review the workshop scheduled click here.  To review the list of abstracts and speaker bios click here.

To order your copy of the WHM Workshop Proceedings CD click here.  Cost of the workshop proceeding CD is $35.00 for GMIC members and $55.00 for non-members. 

GMIC Energy Efficiency Workshop

Energy Efficiency in Glass Melting - Various Approaches to Energy Efficiency in Glass Furnaces

November 15, 2009

Energy Efficiency (EE) in glass melting operations continues to be of major interest to our industry!  For the second time in three years the GMIC workshop held at the conclusion of the Glass Problems Conference in Columbus, Ohio, focused on various approaches to improve the Energy Efficiency in glass furnaces.  Around 100 attendees hear 8 speakers from 4 countries presenting their ideas and experience with reducing energy. 

For more information on this workshop click here to see abstracts and speaker bios.

To order the Energy Efficiency Workshop CD download the linked order form and email it to Executive Assistant Donna Banks at: dbanks@gmic.org.  (Tel: +1-614-523-3033) or fax it to (+1-614-818-9485) Cost, including international postage is: $25.00 for GMIC members, and $35.00 for non-members.

Building a Sustainable Global Glass Industry Workshop

Safety - It's Too Important to be Proprietary and Alternative Energies - Addressing Rising Prices and Carbon Constraints - Two Part Workshop -

November 6, 2008

These special workshops preceded and followed the 2008 Glass Problems Conference.  Each CD contains workshop presentations in PDF format.  Click here for details and to information on how to order your CD or visit our Publications page.  Contact GMIC for pricing.

Glass Industry Sustainability

Study Published

The GMIC, with support from the DOE, has published the results of a survey conducted with U.S. and European glass industry executives.  The “Sustainability Study of U.S. and European Glass Industry – Carbon Constraints and Energy” included input from 7 U.S. and 5 European leaders.  The survey and study were carried out by Dr. Warren W. Wolf Jr., an industry consultant and former Vice President of Technology at Owens Corning and former President of the American Ceramic Society.  It identifies the primary strategic concerns held by some of the leading glass companies on both sides of the Atlantic regarding the likely impact of the climate change factors we are facing and expected increases in energy costs and reductions in availability of traditional fossil fuels.  Similarities and differences are highlighted.  The GMIC is initiating discussions with its counterparts in other countries to consider these issues.  Input from all is welcome!  Our long-term success and sustainability may well depend on our ability to work in concert globally to optimize our operations and our positive impact on the emissions and energy use through increased use of glass products in their many forms. Read more......

Glass Industry People

Phoenix Award Winners

2011 - Juan Rafael Silva Garcia - FEVISA Group

2010 - Dr. Delbert E. Day, Curators’ Professor Emeritus, Missouri University of Science and Technology and Chief Technical Officer of Mo-Sci Corporation

2009 - Javier Gutiérrez Martínez de Compañón, Director General” of European Glass Maker Vidrala

For additional information visit www.phoenixawardcommittee.org

Available for Download

Technical and Economic Assessment (TEA) Available at GMIC

-October 2004

The long-awaited overview of the glass industry has been published and is available from the GMIC.  "Glass Melting Technology: a Technical and Economic Assessment", was first distributed at the recent Glass Problems Conference in Columbus, Ohio.  Written by Phil Ross and Gabe Tincher, and edited by Margaret Rasmussen, the document outlines the major technical and economic challenges that face the U.S. glass industry.  It provides substantial data to suggest how these challenges might be met to fortify glass manufacturing by addressing broad industry concerns as well as concerns that face individual industry segments.  You can order the TEA from the GMIC by sending a check made payable to GMIC for $15 add $6.50 for shipping n the U.S. and $13 for shipment to non-U.S. addresses. 

You may download the entire document free of charge by clicking here.