How can energy and water consumption in glass production be reduced without compromising process reliability or plant availability? The ONI Group will present its answers to this question for the first time at glasstec 2026 in Düsseldorf. The focus will be on solutions for waste heat recovery, energy-efficient process cooling and resource-efficient water management, as well as reliable utility supply for critical production processes.

Energy Efficiency Meets Supply Reliability

The glass industry faces a particular challenge: energy-intensive production processes offer significant potential for efficiency improvements. At the same time, cooling, water, HVAC and other utility systems must remain reliably available. Once a glass melting furnace has reached operating temperature, disruptions in downstream processes can quickly have far-reaching consequences. Reliable utility supply and high plant availability are therefore among the key requirements of modern glass manufacturing facilities.

ONI therefore combines energy and resource efficiency with a high level of supply reliability. One key approach is to recover process waste heat that has previously gone unused. This heat can, for example, be used to heat adjacent production and service areas or to condition make-up air and production hall air. In this way, surplus heat becomes a valuable energy source that can reduce primary energy consumption and, consequently, operating costs.

Water management also offers considerable potential for savings. Closed-loop water systems, demand-based water treatment and water recovery concepts help reduce freshwater consumption and use resources more efficiently.

Centralised, Future-Proof Utility Supply

Another key focus at glasstec will be modular utility centres. These combine cooling, heating, ventilation, compressed air and water systems within a coordinated overall solution. A high degree of prefabrication enables short project lead times and reduces on-site installation work. Individually designed redundancy and backup concepts ensure that critical utilities remain available even during maintenance work or system failures.

For the production of laminated and safety glass, ONI will also present solutions for airflow management, air conditioning and cleanroom technology. Controlled temperature and ambient conditions — for example, during the storage of PVB interlayers and during the glass lay-up and lamination processes — help ensure consistently high product quality.

Making Energy and Resource Efficiency Economically Viable

At glasstec, ONI will demonstrate how building services, process utilities and water systems can be intelligently integrated and what benefits this can deliver for glass manufacturers. The focus is on identifying and economically exploiting potential energy and water savings without compromising plant availability, process reliability or product quality.

glasstec 2026 | Düsseldorf | Hall 13 | Stand D60

About ONI:

ONI-Wärmetrafo GmbH has been developing integrated solutions for industrial building services, process utilities and water technology since 1983 — from engineering and design through supply and commissioning to 24/7 service. Its core competencies include industrial cooling and chilled water supply, ventilation, air-conditioning and cleanroom technology, process temperature control, water treatment and the recovery and utilisation of industrial waste heat.

The ONI Group employs more than 480 people and serves over 6,400 customers in 70 countries.