Shandong Sanjin Glass Machinery Co., Ltd. was founded in 1959, formerly known as Shandong Province Light Industry Machinery Factory. The company primarily provides globally leading automated production lines and glass container forming equipment solutions for the glass container industry. China’s first glass container machine was developed here, making it a pioneering enterprise in China’s glass container equipment sector. It is also recognized as a High-Tech Enterprise of Shandong Province and a Shandong Manufacturing Single Champion Enterprise. In 2011, the company formed a joint venture with Emhart, a subsidiary of Bucher Industries of Switzerland, and in April 2018 it became a wholly owned subsidiary. By the end of 2018, Bucher Group had invested a total of RMB 632 million in Shandong Sanjin through equity acquisitions and capital increases.

Bucher Industries employs more than 13,000 people worldwide. In addition to glass container equipment, the group also manufactures agricultural machinery components, hydraulic drive systems, and municipal cleaning vehicles. Sanjin’s main products include IS (Individual Section) glass bottle forming machines, mesh belt annealing lehrs with various combustion types and specifications, advanced feeders, forehearths, bottle pushers, transfer machines, oil-spraying robots, glass container inspection machines, hot- and cold-end coating machines, and complete automatic control systems for bottle production lines, as well as gypsum board building material machinery. In 1967, the company produced China’s first IS machine, and in 2004 it achieved a breakthrough with its first complete IS machine export. Today, its flagship IS machines hold more than 60% of the domestic market share. The globally advanced NIS full-servo IS machine signed in 2019 represents a high level of development in both China and the global glass container industry.

With the comprehensive implementation of global plastic restriction policies, glass containers are expected to become the optimal alternative to plastic packaging materials. Amid the ongoing advancement of supply-side structural reforms and strict environmental governance, along with tighter industry access standards, China’s lightweight glass bottle standards are under development, and a new version focusing on lightweighting was scheduled for completion in 2020.

Meanwhile, as Chinese glass container manufacturers proactively invest in lightweight technologies and smart factory development, the market is expected to move toward greater scale and specialization. High-efficiency, energy-saving, stable, and reliable IS machines will become the preferred choice for users. Automation, intelligent control, multi-section, multi-gob IS machines, lightweighting, and narrow-neck press-and-blow technologies have become key industry development directions. Currently, Sanjin is significantly ahead of its competitors in glass bottle lightweighting. The company has successfully introduced internationally advanced technologies in China, including NNPB (Narrow Neck Press and Blow), PPC (Plunger Position Control), and FPS (Flow Proportional Valve System), enabling a 25–30% weight reduction in standard beer bottles and contributing to China’s green and sustainable development.