MUNCIE, Ind. and PORT ALLEGANY, Pa., Nov. 5, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verallia North America, one of the leading glass manufacturers in the United States, just announced that its Port Allegany, Pennsylvania plant received an ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management Systems certification. This facility produces 1.5 million glass containers per day, including wine bottles and glass jars for food. With this recent accomplishment, the company now operates a total of four plants with current ISO 22000:2005 certifications, including its Burlington, Wis., Henderson, N.C. and Lincoln, Ill. sites.
Verallia North America spent nearly one year preparing its Port Allegany facility and the 275 local employees for the stringent third-party ISO audit. The continuous improvement initiative included employee training, operational process refinement and implementation of ISO-recognized procedural documentation. The Port Allegany plant is a 110-year old, 340,000 square foot manufacturing facility located on 43 acres in McKean County, Pennsylvania. It uses 500 tons of raw and recycled material to produce more than one million glass containers each day. The Port Allegany plant has a long history and legacy of success. Originally founded in 1900 by the Olean Glass Company, the facility changed ownership several times until it was purchased by Saint-Gobain in 1996. The plant began operating under the Verallia brand name in 2010.
"The ISO 22000:2005 certification is a well-earned accomplishment for our Port Allegany, Pennsylvania plant," said Denis Simonin, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Verallia North America's Wine Sector. "As one of the largest employers in McKean County, Port Allegany has made a positive impact on the local economy and community for more than 100 years. Since the plant first started operating in 1900, it also has made significant contributions to the U.S. food and wine markets in terms of producing and delivering millions of high quality glass containers for some of the country's top brands. This new ISO award raises Port Allegany's profile on an international level and demonstrates that this site is capable of meeting the global industry's highest standards for food safety, purity and quality."
Food safety continues to be one of the highest priority issues around the world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) reported that the ISO 22000:2005 certification showed the largest increase, at 34%, across all of its sector-specific categories. As of December 2010, only 18,630 ISO 22000:2005 certificates had been issued worldwide [SOURCE: ISO]. Verallia North America now holds four of these internationally recognized and respected credentials, and is actively pursuing several more at its other glass containers production sites across the country.
Verallia North America has a dedicated team that is responsible for helping the company pursue and maintain the industry's most rigorous third-party accreditations and endorsements. Earning respected international awards and certifications has been integral to Verallia North America's success and puts it in good standing with other highly accountable organizations in the global food supply chain, including those involved in food and beverage production, processing, packaging, distribution, storage and handling. In addition to ISO certifications, some of Verallia North America's facilities are designated as ENERGY STAR® Certified Plants. Other notable industry credentials include the ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award, which was earned by Verallia North America and its parent company, Saint-Gobain, in 2012.
About Verallia North America
Verallia North America, one of the leading glass container manufacturers in the United States, designs, develops and produces glass bottles and jars for the wine, beer, beverage, spirits and food container markets. Verallia North America operates 13 plants and a state-of-the-art distribution center. For more information: www.us.verallia.com.
About Verallia
Verallia, the second largest global manufacturer of glass containers for the food and beverage industry, provides innovative, customized and eco-conscious solutions for approximately 10,000 customers worldwide. Verallia manufactured approximately 25 billion glass bottles and jars in 2011. Verallia's business model is built upon the combination of the strength of its worldwide network (industrial presence in 14 countries, commercial presence in 47 countries, and six R&D and innovation centers) and the proximity maintained with customers by its approximately 15,500 employees. In 2011, Verallia had net sales of 3.6 billion Euros. For more information: www.verallia.com.
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