The Daily News reported 18th April 2010 that when planning the Kalama wine bottle plant, the Cameron family wanted to make a statement, and they took a high-stakes risk with the most important piece of equipment in the $109 million factory. They wanted to produce colored glass with environmentally friendly technology that would avoid burning coal, natural gas or another polluting fossil fuel. Against the advice of a major glass equipment manufacturer, the Camerons, who had no wine-bottle manufacturing experience, decided to build the largest electric-powered glass melter in the world. Although other factors undoubtedly played into the failure of the plant, the decision to go with a giant, all-electric melter ultimately caused the downfall of the plant, industry sources say.
