Virginia Tech Targets Glass Bottles for Expanded Packaging Program
As part of an effort to expand Virginia Tech’s packaging program, professors there toured O-I’s Winston-Salem, NC glass manufacturing plant and the nearby Miller Brewery in Eden, NC, where the amber glass bottles go for filling.
“It’s exciting that an expanded packaging curriculum is underway at Virginia Tech,” says Rick Bayer, GPI’s Academic Subcommittee Chair. “These tours are the start of building an understanding of glass packaging and a relationship with the school.”
“We learned a lot, and hope to take our students in the fall to the same two facilities,” says Virginia Tech Professor Robert Bush from his Blacksburg, VA campus. “We want to expose them to glass, and get them excited to perhaps do an internship in the industry.”
To build a comprehensive packaging program, Virginia Tech has hired two new faculty, is offering several new courses, and has proposed a packaging degree. “We’re really pleased with the level of enthusiasm for what we are trying to do from the glass industry,” says Bush. Also in the works is a lab for teaching and research, which will include glass containers.
“I’ve been in a lot of manufacturing facilities, but glass is a unique material in the way it is handled and processed and I found it fascinating to see how all that worked,” says Bush. “And the scale and speed of bottling—9 million barrels of beer annually—is also really quite impressive. There was much more automation and robotics than I’ve seen in other plants.”
O-I Winston-Salem has agreed to host a tour for the students in the fall. “This is the third plant I’ve worked in where I’ve been able to work with Rick to support glass education,” says Lloyd Taylor, O-I Winston-Salem, NC plant manager. “I like introducing the next generation to glass, and they may eventually be in a position to make a decision to choose glass for product packaging.”
Bayer has already lectured in the Spring semester principles of packaging course, and plans to lecture in some of the new courses in Fall 2011. “I’m hoping also to get Rick in front of our industrial design students,” says Bush. “They take our minor in packaging and that would be a good group for him to talk to.” The approval process for the standalone packaging degree is expected to take a year.
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About the institute
The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) is the trade association representing the North American glass container industry. Through GPI, glass container manufacturers speak with one voice to advocate industry standards, promote sound environmental policies and educate packaging professionals. GPI member companies manufacture glass containers for food, beverage, cosmetic and many other products. GPI also has associate members that represent a broad range of suppliers and closure manufacturers.
