USINE VERRE VERTThe Belgian glass industry reached great heights in the 19th century. At that time,

USINE VERRE VERTThe Belgian glass industry reached great heights in the 19th century. At that time, Belgium was the largest exporter of glass in the world. This glass factory was founded during the height of that glass industry in 1868 as the “S.A. des Glaces et Verreries du Hainaut”. The company quickly flourished, thanks in part to the technological progress of engineers such as Martin André Opperman, who remained at the forefront of technology. In 1875, the young German engineer installed a basin furnace here, of which he was one of the inventors. In 1920, several glass factories in the region came together to form the “Union Commerciale des Glaceries Belges”, which would later become “Les Glaces de Charleroi”. About ten years later, in 1930, the “Union des Verreries Mécaniques de Belgique - UNIVERBEL” was born. Other mergers took place and it was in 1961 that the major Belgian glass producers joined forces under the name “Glace et Verre de Belgique - GLAVERBEL”. In 1981, the Japanese giant of the glass industry Asahi Glass Group (AGC) bought the GLAVERBEL. At this site, the company focused its activities on the production of glass for solar panels, but the company increasingly faced competition from China, ultimately losing out to AGC and closing its doors for good in 2014. Currently, the 27-hectare site is owned by a private company that intends to convert the buildings into a village for SMEs, where several companies can establish themselves.  -- source link
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