Tradyglass, a company specialising in beer glass decoration, has unveiled its new production plant in Soignies as the company celebrates its 15th birthday.
Founded by Frédéric Willems 15 years ago, Tradyglass today employs 35 staff and is equipped with cutting-edge tools, such as a digital decoration line worth €2.5 million. Willems started the company after working at Durobor, a large glassware company which went bankrupt in 2019.
Tradyglass does not manufacture the glasses in-house (unlike Durobor) but instead focuses on decorating glasses and bottles for most Belgian breweries and many international ones, with a subsidiary located in Beaune, Burgundy. In 2019 it started producing reusable plastic glasses, almost indistinguishable from traditional ones. Referred to as "alterglass", these products currently makes up 5% of total business, but this is set to grow.
"Its production is significantly less energy-intensive and this type of glass is more durable than a traditional one," said Gilles Willems, sales manager for the division. The copolyester glasses are often used at events like Christmas markets.
Credit: Belga
The 15th anniversary of the family-run company coincides with a €12.5 million investment in a new operational site housing a digital decoration machine that is unique in Belgium. This machine "offers decoration possibilities that cannot be achieved with the traditional enamel screen printing process," noted Margaux Willems, the sales director.
Employing 35 people today – some of whom were hired when Durobor went bankrupt. Its first client was Orval, a distinguished brewery that provided a sound endorsement which has since attracted other brewers, who are now the main clients of Tradyglass.
