O-I Inc. launched a major effort 22 Jan/09 to refocus the rest of the world on its main product - glass. The glass packaging leader has built what it calls an "ideation center" in its world HQ to show clients the benefits of glass, help them design new glass containers for their products, & assist in their consumer marketing efforts. The center is an interactive conference area that brings engineers, designers, & marketers together with O-I's customers to develop new packaging. "O-I wants to really revisit the consumer as far as the benefits of glass, & that's something that we haven't done in a long time", said Kevin Stevens, O-I's VP of sales & marketing for N America. "These are new things for O-I. We've been traditionally an old-line manufacturer & there was not a lot of effort on marketing, innovation, or new product development." The 278/sq-m center has three main sections: a product area to display the company's worldwide products and processes, a "tasting room" to allow clients to continue their meeting in a more relaxed atmosphere, and an interactive conference center with "smart screens" that will allow image manipulations by engineers and designers to collaborate with customers on new designs.
