PPG Dedicates New Oxygen-Fuel Glass Melting Furnace at California Plant
20 July 2000
PPG Dedicates New Oxygen-Fuel Glass Melting Furnace at California Plant
FRESNO, Calif. - PPG Industries dedicated its new oxygen-fuel melting furnace today at its Fresno flat glass plant by recognizing the "benchmark" level of government and labor collaboration that enabled the company to keep the plant open.Early this year, PPG completed a $40 million project to install what one executive described as the world's most advanced glassmaking technology -- a 100-percent oxygen-fuel glass melting furnace -- to reduce air emissions.
"Our initial sense of the NOx (nitrogen oxides) emission levels we are achieving is that we will operate well within the new lower limits" set by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District rules, said Dennis V. diDonato, director of flat glass production. "I believe this facility is the most environmentally friendly flat glass manufacturing plant in California by a significant margin."
The PPG facility is the first flat glass manufacturing plant on the West Coast to have the energy-efficient oxy-fuel system. The technology involves using oxygen instead of air in the combustion process for melting raw materials. "It is a breakthrough in terms of its ability to significantly lower NOx emissions by minimizing the available nitrogen," diDonato said.
According to diDonato, PPG faced a "significant make-or-break" decision when the new air pollution requirements were enacted in 1998. To keep the Fresno plant open, PPG would have to invest in equipment to reduce NOx emissions, and needed tax and other government incentives to help offset the cost.
Dan Green, Fresno plant manager, described the local, county and state collaborative efforts that resulted in new state legislation and city and county resolutions that put the plant in the City of Fresno Enterprise Zone, making it eligible for tax and other incentives. The PPG plant is about a mile outside the city limits.
"The fact that we are here today is a testament to the unbelievable exceptional cooperation we received from everyone," Green said. "With the groups of people as diverse and encompassing ... that were involved in getting us to where we are today, this collaboration among government, industry and labor has to have set a new benchmark in terms of cooperation."
In addition to the government officials, Green thanked the United Steelworkers of America, which represents production workers at the Fresno plant, the California Labor Federation AFL-CIO and Central Labor Council of Fresno, for their support throughout the legislative process.
Jeff Gilbert, PPG vice president for government affairs, commented on what he called "the courage" of Fresno's elected officials "to do what's right for the region and its people."
He thanked everyone in attendance for all that was done to keep PPG in Fresno "on behalf of the entire management team at PPG Industries as well as our more than 30,000 employees worldwide."
Both Green and diDonato also recognized the role of customers.
"We have made the right decision staying here in Fresno," diDonato said. "With the dedication of our PPG people in the Fresno plant and the support of the community and government leaders, we can continue to be the kind of company our customers want, able to provide the service, product quality and process technology they value. Having that capability was a key factor in the decision to rebuild the furnace as an oxy-fuel process ...
"Thanks to everyone, the PPG Fresno flat glass plant once again is beginning a new chapter, well-equipped to accept the challenges of the 21st century with the best people and best technology to meet our customers' needs."
PPG began fabricating safety glass in Fresno in 1966, and its sheet glass plant was in full production by 1967. The plant was converted to float glass technology in 1977, and today employs about 260 people. Glass made at Fresno is used in construction applications, and the plant supplies PPG's Salem, Ore., facility, where energy-efficient low-emissivity coated glasses are fabricated. The Fresno plant also has glass tempering operations to serve PPG's window and door and commercial trade customers in the Western United States and Canada.
PPG is North America's largest producer of flat and fabricated glass. The company is also a major global producer of automotive, industrial and packaging coatings; continuous-strand fiber glass, and industrial and specialty chemicals, as well as a leading North American producer of decorative and maintenance paints. PPG's 1999 sales were $7.8 billion.