Linde and O-I Partner to Install OPTIMELT® TCR Technology at Holzminden, Germany, Plant to Improve Efficiency and Reduce Emissions
Rhea-AI Summary
O-I Glass (NYSE: OI) and Linde have announced a partnership to install Linde's proprietary OPTIMELT™ TCR technology at O-I's container glass plant in Holzminden, Germany. The technology is expected to significantly reduce fuel consumption and Scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions by recovering waste heat from glass furnace flue gas to preheat and reform natural gas feed, decreasing fuel consumption by approximately 30%.
The implementation includes the installation of an advanced Centrifugal VITRON® VPSA plant to produce oxygen for the furnace, incorporating Linde's latest technology to improve power efficiency and reduce environmental footprint. The OPTIMELT™ TCR technology is compatible with various fuels, including low-carbon hydrogen or hydrogen-natural gas blends.
O-I Glass, a global leader in glass packaging with 69 plants across 19 countries and approximately 21,000 employees, reported revenues of $6.5 billion in 2024.
Positive
- Implementation of OPTIMELT TCR technology expected to reduce fuel consumption by 30%
- New VITRON® VPSA plant installation to improve power efficiency
- Strong revenue performance of $6.5 billion in 2024
- Technology compatibility with future low-carbon fuels including hydrogen
Negative
- None.
Insights
The partnership between O-I Glass and Linde to install OPTIMELT™ TCR technology at the Holzminden plant represents a significant efficiency upgrade with tangible operational benefits. The projected 30% reduction in fuel consumption addresses one of the most substantial cost centers in glass manufacturing – energy usage for melting operations.
This implementation serves dual purposes: enhancing cost structure while reducing environmental impact. Glass manufacturing is energy-intensive, with furnaces operating continuously at extreme temperatures. Any meaningful reduction in energy consumption directly improves margin potential, particularly valuable during periods of energy price volatility in European markets.
The complementary VITRON® VPSA oxygen plant installation further optimizes the manufacturing process, as oxygen-enriched combustion improves thermal efficiency and reduces emissions. This technology stack positions the Holzminden facility with a competitive advantage in production efficiency.
What's particularly noteworthy is the technology's compatibility with hydrogen and hydrogen blends. This future-proofs the investment against potential regulatory changes and carbon pricing mechanisms in Germany and the broader EU, where decarbonization mandates continue to tighten.
While representing just one of O-I's 69 global plants, this implementation could serve as a proof-of-concept for broader deployment across their manufacturing network, potentially creating a multiplier effect for the efficiency gains if successful.
This partnership aligns perfectly with the industrial decarbonization imperative facing energy-intensive manufacturers. For O-I Glass, with $6.5 billion in 2024 revenue, reducing Scope 1 emissions at the furnace level addresses their most carbon-intensive process while simultaneously improving economics – the ideal combination for sustainable business transformation.
The technology implementation supports O-I's downstream customers, who increasingly factor supplier emissions into their own carbon accounting. Consumer brands using O-I packaging can reduce their Scope 3 emissions, creating a ripple effect through the value chain and potentially strengthening O-I's customer relationships.
The nearly three-decade relationship between O-I and Linde suggests strong implementation potential, minimizing execution risk for this project. While the financial terms remain undisclosed, typical industrial efficiency projects with 30% consumption reductions deliver compelling ROI, particularly in the European energy context.
This initiative demonstrates O-I's proactive approach to emissions reduction rather than reactive compliance, positioning them ahead of regulatory curves. However, this single-plant implementation represents a relatively modest step given O-I's global manufacturing footprint. The true strategic value will emerge if this technology becomes their standard approach for furnace operations across their network.
For investors focused on operational efficiency and ESG improvement, this partnership signals management's commitment to addressing both dimensions simultaneously rather than treating sustainability as a cost center.
Danbury, Connecticut/Perrysburg, Ohio, March 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- O-I Glass, Inc. (“O-I Glass” or “O-I”) and Linde today announced plans to install Linde’s proprietary OPTIMELTTM Thermochemical Regenerator (TCR) technology at O-I’s container glass plant in Holzminden, Germany. This collaboration is expected to significantly reduce both fuel consumption and fuel-based Scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions for O-I, a global leader in glass manufacturing.
Linde offers a broad range of technologies, including the patented OPTIMELTTM TCR technology, to help glass manufacturers increase the energy efficiency of their melting operations. This unique technology recovers waste heat from glass furnace flue gas to preheat and reform the natural gas feed. This decreases fuel consumption of the melting process by approximately
“Linde has provided innovative oxygen and burner technology to the glass industry for more than three decades. We offer a broad range of leading-edge technologies to help glass manufacturers increase energy efficiency and substantially reduce Scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions,” said Dr. Amitabh Gupta, Vice President Technology, Linde. “We are proud of our almost 30-year track record of supplying oxygen to O-I and look forward to expanding our relationship by providing this cost-effective solution to help O-I decarbonize.”
Randy Burns, Chief Administrative & Sustainability Officer for O-I, commented, “We continue partnering with innovators and strategically deploying leading-edge technologies to improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. In addition to supporting O-I’s objectives, this will help our customers in their own decarbonization efforts”.
In addition, O-I has commissioned Linde to install an advanced Centrifugal VITRON® Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) plant at the Holzminden plant to produce a steady supply of oxygen for the furnace. As part of Linde’s ECOVAR® small on-site portfolio, the VITRON® plant incorporates the latest proprietary Linde technology to significantly improve power efficiency, lower noise emissions, and further reduce the environmental footprint for O-I and for multiple global customers in the glass industry.
About O-I GLASS
At O-I Glass, Inc. (NYSE: OI), we love glass, and we are proud to be one of the leading producers of glass bottles and jars around the globe. Glass is not only beautiful, it is also pure, healthy, and completely recyclable, making it the most sustainable rigid packaging material. Headquartered in Perrysburg, Ohio (USA), O-I is the preferred partner for many of the world’s leading food and beverage brands. We innovate in line with customers’ needs to create iconic packaging that builds brands around the world. Led by our diverse team of approximately 21,000 people across 69 plants in 19 countries, O-I achieved revenues of
About Linde
Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2024 sales of
The company serves a variety of end markets such as chemicals & energy, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and mining. Linde's industrial gases and technologies are used in countless applications including production of clean hydrogen and carbon capture systems critical to the energy transition, life-saving medical oxygen and high-purity & specialty gases for electronics. Linde also delivers state-of-the-art gas processing solutions to support customer expansion, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions.
For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit linde.com.
O-I Glass Jim Woods james.woods@o-i.com Linde plc Christine Spohn Christine.spon@linde.com
FAQ
How much fuel consumption reduction will O-I Glass achieve with the new OPTIMELT TCR technology?
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