Vetropack Nemšová increased its turnover by more than 8 percent in 2008

Thanks to its new products and increase in product productivity, the glassworks managed to increase its turnover by 8.2 % to SKK 1.75 billion (€ 58.25 million). The company sold a total of 469 million glass containers while 42 % of production was exported.

"The introduction of new products in the alcohol and wine segments meant a significant increase in home demand. We managed to strengthen our position on the home market and also by the increased capacity we helped to satisfy the requirements of the foreign customers of our affiliated glassworks in the Vetropack Group," stated Gregor Gábel, executive of Vetropack Nemšová. The glassworks sold 469 million glass containers last year, which is 3 % more than in the previous year. The greatest increase came in the alcohol and wine glass bottle segment, particularly due to the introduction of new nonreturnable glass containers to the market. On the other hand, the introduction of new returnable bottles in the beer segment resulted in a significant fall in the sale of beer bottles on the home market. In the food segment sales remained stable in comparison with the previous year. One of the new products of last year was a new bottle for distilled fruit liquors for the company St. Nicolaus, or the new returnable Vinea 0.25 l bottle for the company Kofola.

In 2008 the glassworks invested a total of SKK 282 million into the increase in product productivity and improvement of the environment. In May a new glass 10-station IS-machine was put into operation which increased both productivity and overall production. Indoor warehouses were constructed for finished products with an area of 7 519 m2 and at the end of the year a new state-of-the-art line was completed for the new cullet treatment plant (SKK 170 million). Vetropack Nemšová has two energy-saving glass furnaces with the latest glass melting technology and is very well prepared to continue strengthening its position on the market. In 2009 Vetropack Nemšová will complete a further major investment into environmental protection - the construction of an electrical filter and a new state-of-the art boiler room.

Vetropack Nemšová produces about 200 types of glass containers while among the biggest customers on the home market in 2008 were traditionally the producers of spirits with the biggest share on the market as well producers of wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages and vegetable and fruit processors such as the companies St. Nicolaus, Heineken, Coca Cola, Vitis Pezinok, Hubert Sereď, GAS Familia, Novofruct or Snico. Among the most important export markets are the markets of Eastern Europe such as Hungary, Poland and Russia.

Vetropack Nemšová, where 369 people were working at the end of 2008, is a subsidiary of the Swiss group Vetropack Holding AG, a leading glass container manufacturer in Europe. The group recorded very good results in 2008. Its turnover in 2008 exceeded the figure of the previous year by 7.5 % and reached 752 million Swiss francs. The group sold 4.4 billion glass containers. Its consolidated profit fell due to the negative currency exchange to 78.5 million Swiss francs. In 2008 Vetropack invested a total of 97 million francs into equipment and into making production more efficient.

Vetropack holds an excellent position on the rapidly growing East European market with production plants in Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. At the end of 2008 there were 3 056 employees working in the group.