Agr International Inc. began supplying material expertise and quality control test equipment to the glass bottle manufacturing industry in 1936. Since then, Agr has supplied customers in over 120 countries with statistical laboratory and 100 percent of production online inspection equipment.

During the 1980s, Agr expanded its product line to provide PET plastic bottle manufacturers (pop, water, juices, etc.) with equipment to perform many of the same quality inspections done in the production of glass bottles for decades.

In 2000, Agr International acquired TopWave Industries of Helsinki, Finland, to complement the plastic bottle laboratory inspection equipment line. Agr acquired Reiner Franke Gmbh of Duesseldorf, Germany, in 2004 to supplement its online glass bottle inspection equipment offering.

This year, Agr plans to expand its research and testing laboratory business to existing European customers by expanding one of its non-U.S. companies.

Agr has offices in Munich and Leese, Germany; Montecchio, Italy; Berchem, Luxembourg; Madrid, Spain; Krakow, Poland; Mexico City, Mexico; and Hong Kong, China.

Recently, Agr began working on a confidential custom engineering project to provide an online quality control inspection system to a non-bottle segment of the glass packaging market. While providing this customer with online quality control equipment for the first time, Agr will be developing new technologies, adding a new facet to its glass-packaging portfolio.

Looking further into the future, Agr must look at itself not as a container inspection company, but rather, a packaging inspection company.

By simply walking through the grocery stores, we can see that foods and drinks once found exclusively packaged in glass and plastic containers are now showing up on the shelves in stand-up pouches, bags and tubs.

It is these new packages, made possible by advancements in plastic film and forming technology, that are today's cutting edge package and tomorrow's business for Agr.