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Advertorial: HFT
After 75 years, global design/build engineering, procurement and construction leader HFT remains focused on the future From glass furnace design to its current position as a leader in EPC in the glass industry, a lot has changed for HFT as it celebrates its 75th anniversary.
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It’s all about perspective. Seventy-five years may seem like a very long time … or, it may seem like just the beginning. For the company founded in 1947 by Henry F. Teichmann – known throughout the global glass industry as HFT – it’s clear the latter is true. Because, HFT is just getting started. “When I first came to HFT, 34 years ago, I couldn’t possibly have predicted where we’d be at our 75th anniversary,” says HFT President and CEO Mark F. Piedmonte. “Now, we’ve succeeded in navigating drastic technology changes during the past several decades, so as we move forward our challenge is to continue evolving and growing as our industry and the world do the same.” In 1947, the company’s primary focus was container glass furnace design. But a lot can change in three quarters of a century – and for HFT, it certainly did. Today, the company is among the world’s leading EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) contractors. HFT’s expert glass team offers a combined 500+ years of experience in the turnkey design-build of world-class glass manufacturing facilities and glass process lines. HFT evolved from its container glass beginnings, to serving worldwide glass markets including float glass, rolled solar glass, container glass, fiberglass, tableware, pharmaceutical glass, sodium silicate, specialty glass and pressware. With more than 300 turnkey production lines delivered across 47 countries, the company takes great pride in its reputation and will continue improving
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and innovating to align with evolving client expectations. To further supplement its project execution capabilities, HFT incorporates in-house proprietary furnace designs. HFT’s furnace technology includes oxy-fuel furnaces up to 600MTPD in operation for float and container glass, and regenerative air-fired furnaces up to 1,000 MTPD. Given ever-evolving compliance requirements, HFT is constantly challenged to be on the leading edge of technology. To that end, the company is currently working on an oxy-fuel float glass furnace design for melting over 800 MTPD. This brings some unique challenges. HFT will be drawing on its oxy-fuel float experience to mitigate risk, meet (and exceed) client expectations and deliver a quality and highly sustainable solution that will live up to the production demands of a large footprint oxy-fuel furnace while maintaining the expectation of furnace life. Going a step further, by incorporating its power generation group, HFT is able to offer leading-edge, sustainable solutions that includes the use of alternative energies, waste heat recovery, onsite solar generation, and other green solutions. HFT supports all stages of a turnkey project – from project feasibility reviews, FEED (front end engineering and decision) and securing financing options, to preconstruction, equipment and materials procurement, as well as design-build general contracting, project management, project execution, commissioning and startup.
The co-ordination between process line and site buildings is always a key driver for a successful project. HFT brings together 500+ years of combined glass project and glass plant operational experience to ensure that all projects are approached diligently with a succinct understanding of the glass manufacturing process. HFT combines its glass production expertise with site, civil, buildings, and utilities to deliver a comprehensive, fully integrated and true single source project solution. In addition to its global headquarters in suburban Pittsburgh, HFT has regional offices in the United Kingdom, China, the Philippines, Singapore, and St Croix. It’s all quite different from the days when one family directed the entire operation. “The name of the company still says a lot about who’s most responsible for its 75 years of success,” says HFT President and CEO Mark F. Piedmonte. “Henry Teichmann, Sr., Henry Teichmann, Jr.,
A HFT team oversees batch mixing at Hsinchu Glass During HFT’s 20th anniversary celebration in 1967,
Works, Inc. in Taiwan on the early 90s.
Archie McIntyre (left), Henry Teichmann, Jr. (2nd from left), and Newton Teichmann (2nd from right) Sheet glass, being drawn directly
pose with colleagues.
from the furnace during HFT’s early days.
Continued>>
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Advertorial: HFT
65 Glass International September 2022
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Advertorial: HFT
and Newton Teichmann all worked tirelessly to establish a world class engineering firm during the Pittsburgh’s industrial heyday. They set the standard of excellence that enabled us to survive, and then thrive. It’s that same standard we still pursue today.” Of the more than 2,100 projects HFT has completed, a particular milestone was the expansive, 2015-2016 redevelopment of an existing Mt. Zion, IL production site for long-time customer Fuyao Glass America. Complex and fraught with multiple risks, the project ultimately was completed both on time and on budget. Certainly, like companies the world over, HFT needed to overcome a slew of difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. “That was a harrowing time within our industry, and we’re still dealing with multiple repercussions,” observes Chief Financial Officer Jordan Baker. “For example, there have been dramatic changes within the global supply chain and we’re also experiencing a renewed interest in localization. Growth will eventually come from this, and I’m also proud to note our company weathered the storm without layoffs or deferrals. We kept the entire HFT team intact, and that’s made us an even stronger company now.” One moment early in the pandemic stands out for Sam Leaper, the company’s director of Glass Business Development. “We’d changed ownership in February 2020, and the lockdowns came into force just a month later,” Leaper recalls. “We were engaged in rebuilding a
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pharmaceutical glass facility, and suddenly many of our employees were working from home, unable to actually go anywhere. We really needed to think on our feet, since this was entirely new. And then, there was an on-site outbreak of COVID. We needed to come up with a slew of creative solutions to keep everyone safe, while keeping the project underway.” Leaper notes that HFT has since completed a further four rebuilds for this client and is looking forward to more in the near future. One repercussion of the pandemic that seems to be impacting nearly every company and organization, wherever it operates, is a significant narrowing of the talent pipeline. It is a major issue in 2022, and one HFT is addressing in various ways, including the recruiting of young engineers through relationships with several leading universities in the northeastern U.S. “A big challenge right now is finding appropriately educated, skilled individuals to sustain the continued growth that HFT is enjoying,” says Kevin Yung, chief revenue officer. “We need to meet aggressive sustainability goals while innovating on a consistent, ongoing basis. To be successful, we need the right people. And they’re not easy to find.” Chief Operations Officer Brad Hall sees the situation as an intense competition. “HFT is on the lookout for talent,” says Hall. “As a result, growing talent internally – along with careful planning for succession – is now the key to any organization’s success. There’s simply a
shortage of qualified workers, and we’re committed to ensuring we attract and retain the specific individuals we need.” When celebrating 75 years of history, it’s natural to also look ahead and ponder what the future may bring. One key trend HFT is watching closely is the localization of glass manufacturing, in response to concerns about overall transport costs. Being as near as possible to customers is essential, and that suggests an expanding role for HFT Europe, which is headquartered in the U.K. Chief Financial Officer Jordan Baker certainly emphasizes geography when he peers forward in time. “What I envision when projecting a decade or so ahead is a company that’s more diverse in terms of the projects we complete,” Baker says. “I believe HFT’s major projects will be more evenly distributed around the globe, with a closer balance between the North America, U.K. and Europe, Middle East, and Africa.” To Yung, it is clear technology will dictate the nature of the future – even looking ahead 75 years, to the company’s 150th anniversary. “Even in 2097, consistent steps forward in melting and production processes will be essential,” says Yung. “More than anything else, advances of this sort will enable us to dramatically streamline project capital requirements and the total cost of ownership. And that could very well transform our industry.” For his part, Piedmonte is optimistic about HFT’s future. “From the beginning, this company has consistently evolved to meet and exceed the needs of its clients,” he says. “That certainly won’t change. We’re strongly committed to becoming even more global, to refining and expanding the capabilities we offer, and to ensuring that our first-time customers always become repeat customers. From my perspective, the sky’s the limit.”
HFT, McMurray, PA, USA www.hft.com