Anheuser-Busch to sell Longhorn Glass to bottle and can expert Ardagh Group

Ardagh Group is a metal and glass packaging expert. In North America and Europe alone, Ardagh operates 33 glass manufacturing facilities, employing over 11,000 people. Globally, it boasts sales of approximately $7 billion. The brand makes a zillion types of can and bottle options for beverage alcohol makers with a big focus on both craft and macro beer. Its footprint will soon get bigger. It was just announced that Anheuser-Busch (A-B) has an agreement to sell its Houston-based Longhorn Glass manufacturing facility to longtime partner Ardagh Group.

From the press release:

“This agreement with Anheuser-Busch further strengthens the longstanding and highly collaborative relationship between our companies, across both glass and metal packaging,” said Paul Coulson, Chairman and CEO, Ardagh Group. “Ardagh is committed to the long-term future of Longhorn and looks forward to welcoming Anheuser-Busch employees in Houston to the Ardagh team to continue to serve demand for sustainable glass packaging.”

Of course, Ardagh works with breweries big and small. Watch that video above. It details how subsidiary Ardagh Group Glass-North America serves all types of customers with a personal touch, producing eight billion glass containers throughout the United States and the world every year. The company doesn’t just sell bottles and cans. It offers services in packaging design, filling line efficiency and sustainable development. It also supports glass containers throughout the supply chain, ensuring vessels run seamlessly through the filling process and end up as high-quality filled beer products.

It’s the company’s Vision4Glass process that brings knowledge of advanced glassmaking techniques and aesthetic sensibility to every project big or small. Ardagh’s product design team’s portability allows it to work with customers anywhere, and after a design is completed, the company offers photo realistic renderings and a selection of prototype models to bring the package to life. That’s on top of 3D modeling software, a finite element analysis process, excellent sculpture embossing software and a development machine that allows for samples and smaller runs.

Here are some other articles about Ardagh working with craft alcohol makers.