On 9th July local & regional politicians, together with press & media, were invited to attend the "topping out" of Stolzle-Union's new amber furnace at Hermanova Hut, Czech Republic. Dr Cornelius Grupp, together with Group CEO Johannes Schick had the honour of inserting the final stone of the furnace into place. "Completing a rebuild of this scale within six and a half months was an immense challenge," said Dr Grupp. "The project's success was due to the excellent collaboration between the staff of Stolzle-Union, the Austrian headquarters, & all the suppliers & subcontractors." With the reconstruction of the glass factory, the opportunity was taken to expand the whole production site through the acquisition of adjacent land & to enhance production capacity with two additional lines. Production began on 27 July with 4 (of 6) lines operating. Full capacity is planned by autumn.
