The inflexibility of glass production equipment can prove a problem for tableware producers when changing orders results in the need to change the production mix. Although packaging and mould equipment suppliers can provide quick response to these market shifts, through the use of common mould baskets and short lead times for graphic changes, glass manufacturers are limited by the difficulty in rapidly switching the press from one product to another to meet changing demand. At the Glassman Asia show recently held in Bangkok, Lynch Machinery launched a machine which attempts to meet the demand for a flexible production line, incorporating a number of recent developments. The OnePress system uses a series of common elements to build the press allowing the complete range of tableware to be produced from one basic platform.
