It all started in 1860, when a glassmaking plant was built in a small town that goes by the name Hrastnik. It took a little more than a decade of growing until it became one of the largest glassworks in then Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

Driven by innovation from the start, the company introduced a new way of heating the glass furnace. Instead of coal, they started using coal generated gas, which was the most modern technology in the Austro-Hungarian empire at the time.

By the end of the century, the glassworks specialised in three glass product lines – glassware, packaging and lighting glass, while the manual production gave way to industrial processes using presses and semi-automatic machinery.

Production had already begun prior to the official opening, with early shipments of glass products.

A new shareholder invested in growth, adding a second furnace and building a power plant to support production.

Production had already begun prior to the official opening, with early shipments of glass products.

After wartime interruptions, the factory resumed full operations, expanded capacity, introduced new technologies, and broadened its product range.

Production restarted after WWII, reaching pre-war levels and becoming a key player in glass container production.

The company introduced the first automated machine for small packaging glass products which produced bottles up to 250 ml.

Year 1977 marks the introduction of the first electronically controlled automated machine. At the time packaging became the dominant segment.

The factory began operating as Srpska Fabrika Stakla (SFS) during a period of economic and political instability.

The packaging glass product line was moved to a brand-new plant, built according to the standards of the best available technique for the industry following EU recommendations.

To meet the demands and extend our portfolio of glass packaging products, perfumery and cosmetics segment was reintroduced.

With the transition towards industry 4.0, automation and digitalization of processes becomes the focal point of further development.

We have specialized our sales portfolio of glass packaging in the premium packaging glass program.

Paraćin

Participation in the H2GLASS project, within which the first test production of hydrogen-powered premium segment bottles took place.

At the end of 2024, we launched one of the most important sustainability projects – the hybridisation of the regenerative furnace (BEAR), which sets new standards in industrial decarbonisation.
The hybrid furnace, which can use clean electricity instead of fossil fuels to heat glass, will contribute to a drastic reduction in the carbon footprint while maintaining the highest level of glass quality.
The new technology enables more than a 50% reduction in natural gas consumption for melting compared to the best available technologies (BAT), thus representing a significant step towards the decarbonisation of the European glass and energy-intensive industries.