Mexican glass maker Vitro is to increase furnace capacity at its Vidriera Queretaro Plant with a US$50M investment. Once made, the conversion will make the furnace the largest of its kind in Latin America and will increase container production capacity by 9%. The company has spent US$120M in the past three years on major repairs on its three Vidriera Queretaro furnaces to increase capacity and extend its useful life. J Z Luque, Vitro VP (Soda-Lime Glass Containers) said: "The production capacity of the plant is 250/tpd, now that the VQ1 furnace has expanded, its capacity is 440/tpd and it can still grow, given that this furnace has the capacity to melt over 500/tpd." The decision to increase production capacity for containers was a result of the market situation. Its operation creates jobs for 280 staff. Eduardo Servin Coss, Vidriera Queretaro Plant Manager, said: ""85% of this plant's production is used for the domestic market, while 15% is for exports."
