Green Energy for High-Grade Reflective Glass Beads

28 April 2022 – The new SWARCO Global Glass Beads Technology Center in Neufurth near Amstetten, Austria, is setting new standards in technology. The innovative melting technology used in glass bead production achieves extremely efficient results with minimal energy consumption. Products such as SWARCO SOLIDPLUS & SWARCO DURALUX premium reflective glass beads used primarily for road markings, or PLUS9BEADS high-index glass beads, which were developed especially for airport markings, benefit from this. This also applies to the shaping of the glass beads. The electricity needed mainly comes from Austrian hydroelectric power plants, and other sustainable energy sources. “We deliberately concluded long-term energy contracts to be able to manufacture our products sustainably with renewable energy. “In this way, we also achieve long-term resilience to transregional influences,” explains Peter Tomazic, Vice President Region Europe at SWARCO Road Marking Systems.

Raw Material Efficiency and Smart Recycling Cycles

At the new SWARCO site, the sustainable design of the production processes extends beyond energy supply. All raw materials are used as efficiently as possible to avoid waste of resources. In addition, waste heat from the glass melters is recovered to heat buildings. Even dust particles from the filtering systems are recycled directly at the plant. “Just like our high-quality glass beads, energy processes and material flows at SWARCO Road Marking Systems are well-designed, too,” Peter Tomazic says proudly.

High Quality and Continuous Improvement

In addition to the use of green energies and technologies, the focus is also on research and development. “When we were building the SWARCO Global Glass Beads Technology Center and setting up the machinery and equipment, we were able to implement all the developments of the last years. We managed to automate many process steps, and control and monitor them in a better way,” Peter Tomazic explains. This enhances the quality of the products, increases the availability of machinery and equipment, and improves product availability for customers. The Center of Competence (CoC) – SWARCO Road Marking Systems’ globally connected R & D department – continuously works to optimize products and production processes, making them even more sustainable and preparing them optimally for challenges of the future, such as autonomous driving.