Glass packaging manufacturer Stoelzle is set to complete a rebuild and restart operations at its Knottingley facility in December after a fire ripped through the site.
On the evening of Saturday 12 July 2025 a fire occurred at the Stoelzle Flaconnage facility. Emergency services responded swiftly, and all employees were safely evacuated, with no serious injuries. The incident caused significant damage to the furnace and key production equipment.
Following the fire, Stoelzle activated its Business Continuity Plan and began reallocating production across sister facilities in Europe. Group-wide efforts have focused on supporting the recovery of the Knottingley site to enable a return to full-strength operations in December.
Dr. August Grupp, CEO, Stoelzle Glass Group, said: “The rebuild was more than a repair. It showed the spirit of our people and the strength of our organization. Within weeks, our team turned disruption into momentum. With operations resuming in December 2025, we move forward stronger, more connected, and more committed than ever to our customers.”
The rebuild centers on a new state-of-the-art furnace from Horn. Its optimised control
and cooling systems improve energy use and environmental performance. Forming is
provided by Emhart new IS machines, allowing for enhanced process stability, faster
job changes, and overall improved efficiency.
“The implementation of the new equipment and technologies significantly increase
stability and yield,” says Thomas Riss, CEO, Stoelzle Flaconnage. “We extend our
sincere thanks to the entire Stoelzle team and to all external partner companies
involved, such as Horn, Emhart Forglass, Havercroft as well as to the local authorities
for their strong and continuous support.”
At the cold end, the inspection area has been refreshed and revalidated. A mix of
new and existing systems remains in operation. With only minimal fire impact, work
focused on targeted upgrades. The decoration department was likewise only lightly
affected. Equipment remains operational with incremental improvements, and
standard processes such as lacquering, screen printing, and hot foil, continue as
planned.
Following furnace heat-up and hot commissioning, and the subsequent cold and hot
testing, the site remains on track to restart operations on 22 December 2025.
