American Glass Research to establish new Testing Laboratory in Delft, Netherlands

Agr International is setting up a new testing laboratory in Delft, Netherlands, which will, according to the company, benefit European customers.

Agr International has announced plans to establish a new testing laboratory in Delft, Netherlands. This lab will be part of Agr’s American Glass Research division. The laboratory is slated to open and be fully operational in October 2017.

The creation of this facility is part of Agr International’s global expansion and commitment to its customers, and particularly intended to provide European glass manufacturers and fillers with better access to American Glass Research services.  The new location will offer flexibility and reduced turnaround times on projects, lower shipping cost with relation to samples and the availability of American Glass Research expertise within the local time zones.

The new lab will provide many of the same services currently offered by American Glass Research in their Butler, PA, US facility that are geared toward solving breakage issues, evaluating container designs and improving both the manufacturing and filling processes. Some of the services to be available initially at the Delft site include:
* Performance testing of glass packaging
* Proof-of-design testing
* Fracture diagnosis
* Dimensional evaluation
* Analysis of label, decoration and closure issues
* Evaluation of coating performance and analysis of coating issues
* Audit of glass plant operations
* Filling line audits
* Glass technical consultancy

In addition to providing European glass manufacturers and fillers with a range of testing and evaluation services, the new office will also offer a complete schedule of training seminars taught by the American Glass Research staff.

The new Delft facility will encompass 5,500 square feet of laboratory and office space.  Nearly 70% of the facility will be dedicated to the fracture analysis, measurement and testing laboratory.  The lab will house new, modern testing equipment, microscopes and measurement equipment.
The Delft testing laboratory will be headed by Peter de Haan, AGR Senior Scientist, and a Dutch national, who is returning to the Netherlands following several years at the American Glass Research Butler, PA, US facility. De Haan and his team of technicians have well over 40 years of experience in the glass industry, and they will have full access to American Glass Research resources worldwide.

American Glass Research is a division of Agr International, Inc. In addition to the American Glass Research operations, Agr International develops and manufactures a full line of laboratory, on-line quality and process management devices for containers and similar products for the glass and packaging industry. The Agr headquarters and main manufacturing facility is located in Butler, PA, US.