The third furnace at the Nigel production facility is expected to begin operations in late 2023
Ardagh to add a third furnace to expand glass capacity of its production facility in South Africa. (Credit: Ardagh Group)
Ardagh Glass Packaging – Africa (AGP – Africa), a part of the Ardagh Group, announced plans to add a third furnace (N3) to expand the glass capacity of its Nigel production facility in Gauteng, South Africa.
The latest investment announcement follows the recently commissioned Nigel 2 expansion and will further ramp up the facility’s capacity of glass packaging to support the present and projected growth in demand in the upcoming years.
Ardagh said that the N3 furnace will be a copy of the N2 expansion that was finished earlier this year and will also include a new furnace and more production lines.
Additionally, it will significantly improve energy, water, and environmental efficiency, which will eventually support AGP – Africa’s effort to decarbonise the glass-making process and cut emissions.
The group said that the expansion plans will generate more job opportunities and enhance ancillary supply-chain benefits in the region. The investment will also support the government’s ambitions for economic recovery in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
The third furnace at the Nigel production facility is expected to be commissioned in late 2023.
Ardagh said that the expansion plans are underpinned by long-term customer contracts and align with the group’s pledge to invest in the expansion of the South African glass industry.
The Nigel production facility will be the biggest glass container production facility on the African continent and in the AGP – Africa network once the latest expansion is finished, the company claimed.
In September 2022, the packaging and labelling company partnered with B&B Studio and Belvoir Farm to design a new glass bottle design for Belvoir Farm’s new drinks range.