A former steelworks in Rotherham is set to be the home of a global centre of excellence in glass.
A new £20m global centre of excellence in glass is to be built in Rotherham. The Glass Futures project will be developed at the Magna visitor centre and at its heart will be a furnace producing 30 tonnes of glass per day for windows, bottles and fibre glass.
The Glass Futures project will bring together world experts to carry out research into energy and emissions reduction, glass formulation and new high-tech products. Work on the project is expected to start later this year and, when fully operational, the facility will employ around 100 people.
The development is the idea of the British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation in Sheffield and is backed by a consortium including two of the world’s largest glass manufacturers, as well as Siemens and Leeds University.
John Silker, the chief executive of Magna, said: ‘This is an incredibly exciting project to be part of. As a former steelworks we are very much at the heart of industry in South Yorkshire and so we are thrilled to host this centre of international importance.’
Magna is housed in the former Templeborough steelworks near junction 34 of the M1 and is an award-winning visitor attraction, with more than 100 hands-on exhibits designed to explore the four elements of air, water, earth and fire.
Richard Katz, director of Glass Futures, a not for profit company, said: ‘We are very excited to be working with the team at Magna, which is the perfect venue for this project being at the heart of the Advanced Manufacturing Investment District and part of science education.’
Dave Dalton, chief executive of British Glass, one of the partners, said: ‘The glass industry has amazing potential for growth and, by bringing academics, manufacturers and technology companies together we can grasp that potential and bring real benefits to the UK economy.
‘I look forward to seeing the technical leaps and competitive improvement this facility will enable and I am excited to see it coming to fruition so close to the heartland of glass manufacturing, here in Yorkshire.’
