After attending glasstec and listening to feedback from customers and partners, Special Shapes Refractory Company (SSRC) is responding by expanding its international presence to offer consistent pricing, rapid turnaround and innovative solutions to glass manufacturers in Europe, South America, Mexico, Central America and beyond.
Personnel changes
To meet the demand for these services, SSRC has restructured the Sales Team and promoted Andrew Pea to the role of Director of International Sales and Business Development.
"SSRC will be successful in our efforts due to the stable fuel prices in the United States, nimbleness of the company, competitiveness of the USD versus other currencies, and increased demand within the glass industry," says Pea.
Further efforts
SSRC has created a partnership with REFMON to provide more cohesive refractory solutions for the glass market. REFMON is dedicated to producing feeder-expendables and fulfill customized demands. They have provided solutions to over 50 countries and are dedicated to produce wear-protection linings to batch-houses, cullet transportations, and gob chutes.
Additionally, it has expanded the international team and Trusted Partners with local sales agents in Mexico/Central America with ONTAL and in South America with Fábio Bernardo. These partnerships will provide glassmakers with local stock supplies, quicker response time and more solutions for refractories. Now, SSRC is better positioned to meet the needs of glass manufacturers around the world.
With the increased demand for pre-cast shapes SSRC has also made internal changes to increase output, improve quality, create innovative solutions, and decrease lead times. In 2021 a monolithic plant was built to allow SSRC to control its incoming raw materials. The plant has led to higher quality finished goods, reduced costs for customers, and decreased lead times for pre-cast shapes. Over the next year, SSRC will add one additional furnace to their Bessemer facility to increase their production capacity. The additional furnace will allow them to increase the number of channels, forehearth superstructures, and monolithic materials for the European, Mexican, and South American regions.
