How America Works (2021) s03e09 Episode Script
Glass
1
t lo
t long ago, afte
t long ago, after speaking
t long ago, after speaking
to a few tho
t long ago, after speaking
to a few thousand people
in San Antonio at National Auto
Glass Week, which is a thing,
I was presented with the
gift of a tiny windshield.
I'm still not sure what
to do with this thing.
But you'll notice somebody drew
a caricature of my giant head
right there on the glass.
I was very touched by that.
It was just one of the
many things you can do
with this versatile material.
You can temper it.
You can stain it.
You can laminate it.
And you can actually
write on it.
It's kind of incredible.
Here I've written my name right
above my grandfather's name
on this delicious bottle
of noble Tennessee whiskey,
which I could not ship to
you without a glass bottle.
Point being, I can't live
without glass in my life
and neither can you.
Happily, thanks to 100,000
people in the glass industry,
we don't have to.
This episode is all about them.
Because to be
entirely transparent,
they're a critical part
of "How America Works."
[soft music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
From the moment
we wake up in the morning,
we are surrounded by glass.
You check the glass
screen on your phone,
which may or may not remind
you to put on your glasses.
You drink a glass of water,
maybe look out a glass window,
and dress in front
of a glass mirror
all by the time your
day has barely begun.
Now multiply that routine
by more than 300 million
Americans, and yes,
there's a good bit of glass
in these United States.
And thanks to more than
1,000 glass manufacturers
across the country,
another 33,000 tons of it
is made here every single day.
All melted, molded,
annealed and tempered
by companies like
this one, Arc Americas
in Southern New Jersey.
Here, it takes a team
of nearly 400 men
and women to churn out about a
million perfect pieces of glass
per day.
Today, though,
will be different.
Because, thanks to a pretty
sizable last minute order,
they're now charged
with shipping
out a far more
difficult 1.4 million
pieces by close of business.
And getting all that
underway are guys like batch
operator Bob Banfield.
BOB BANFIELD: This is where
everything in the glass
production process begins.
My saying is, you can't make
nothing out of thin air.
It takes raw materials
to make the product.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And since
about 60% of that raw material
is sand, Bob's going to need
about 25 more tons of the stuff
to make today's quota.
But here at Arc
Americas, they don't just
truck in any old sand.
[rousing music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
And here's how
that high quality process goes.
First, your sand is mixed
with other ingredients
like limestone and soda ash.
Then, it's sent into
a furnace and heated
up to more than 3,000 degrees.
Once molten, you've
pretty much got glass that
can be blown, molded,
or otherwise shaped
into any number of items
from windows to water jugs.
But before any of
that can happen,
Bob will first need to
ensure that this sand
gets where it's going.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And
as the last of said sand
makes its way into
said silo, Bob can now
head up to the control
room to mix his next batch
of soon-to-be glass.
But on arrival, it seems there's
already a kink in the system.
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): While Bob
heads for the top of the batch
house, over on the factory floor
the many molds and machines
of Arc Americas are
already churning
out hot glass at a rate of
1,300 pieces per minute.
And since all that automation
requires equal measures
of oversight, there are guys
like operator Lonnie Gilbert
whose job here is to ensure
everything works as it should.
LONNIE GILBERT: There's a
lot to be looked at up here.
You got to keep moving all day.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
At the moment,
Lonnie's overseeing the
production of stemware.
But since today's rush order
calls for three different kinds
of it, they've now come
to the point where it's
time to reconfigure the
whole system for glasses
of a different sort.
And as Lonnie
knows all too well,
that can be a
production all its own.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And as
the last of the previous models
file out of the works, it's time
to start swapping some parts.
So after screwing in
some new components,
Lonnie then turns
focus to what's called
a "PLF,' which will
ensure that each of these
glasses stands up straight.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
While Lonnie moves
on to the next phase of his
overhaul, not far away another
of our Americas team is working
on parts of a different kind
possibly the most
important kind.
Because to make glassware,
you need molds
about 70,000 of them
at this facility alone.
And since those molds are
exposed to near-constant heat
and pressure, there's a job
devoted exclusively to dealing
with all the damage that does.
And that job goes to mold
fitter Clyde Solomon.
CLYDE SOLOMON: One thing
we all had to learn
is they can tear them up
faster than we can fix them.
[laughs]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): Even so,
Clyde does his best to keep up.
Most recently, he's been tasked
with fixing 12 molds that are
used to create
14-ounce pint glasses,
and in so doing have
taken quite a beating.
CLYDE SOLOMON: Right now
I'm seeing a lot of damage.
I'm seeing glass in the molds.
I have to repair them
and get the holes out,
and polish them, and then
put them back together.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
To start, Clyde
will remove any residual
glass that on occasion can
become stuck inside the molds.
When that happens, a few
taps on the workbench
are usually enough to dislodge
it usually, but not always.
I had to put some
fire on this one.
[rousing music]
That should do it.
That's what happens when
you heat it up like that.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): With
the glass out of the way,
Clyde can now get down to the
business of repairing the mold.
But to find out just how
much damage has been done,
he'll first need to
buff away any char,
soot, or other impurities.
And with those now
out of the way,
it's worse than he thought.
Good lord!
[theme music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): It
takes a good bit of glass
to meet the demand
of a growing nation.
And here in the US,
that comes to about
12 million tons per year.
Or to put it another way,
as we are wont to do,
enough to make a
1/4-inch pane of glass
roughly the size of Chicago.
[upbeat music]
It's an annual workload
that keeps the 1,000+
glass manufacturers
of our nation busier
than they have ever been.
Today though, none
of them are quite so
swamped as Arc Americas
in Southern New Jersey.
Thanks to a sizable
last-minute order,
they're cranking full-tilt
to make a record 1.4 million
pieces of glass by day's end.
To pull it off, Clyde
Solomon is going
to have to get these
12 glass molds back
out on the production line.
And judging by the
first of them
Good lord!
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
that's going
to be a pain in the glass.
Well, I have a
lot of holes in here
that's got to be taken out.
You got to take it out
a little bit at a time
so it'll stay even.
OK, here we go.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): Even the
smallest of dents can result
in glass that's out of spec.
So Clyde uses a
grinder to smooth out
the mold's interior
wall, before switching
to sandpaper for final polish.
That's a that's a
finished product right there.
And this is what it looks
like when you first start.
So now I go from here to here.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
All Clyde has
to do now is repeat that same
process another 11 times.
But, as he's about to find out,
something a tad more urgent
has just come up on
the factory floor.
Hey, Clyde!
Look, I got to stop you.
They need this in the
hot end right away.
I mean, it's bad.
It might be the worst
one I've ever seen.
Oh, you ain't never lied.
I got to agree with you.
- Yep.
- All right.
- All right.
I got you.
Thanks.
I see knockouts.
I see metal missing.
I see cuts.
And these are all
cut damage inside.
That right there
got to be welded,
because that's mad damaged.
See that right there?
That's bad damage.
[rousing music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): While
Clyde puts a rush on his latest
repair, over at the
batch house operator
Bob Banfield is
having maintenance
problems of his own.
In his case, with a contraption
called a diverter that,
for the moment, has
stopped moving raw sand to
the proper furnace for melting.
So he's headed four
stories up to the very top
of the batch house to try
and get things back on track.
This is the issue
we've got right now.
The skid ain't going
over all the way.
[light music]
The gate has a come
all the way over
to go down this other street.
So you see, there's
a little bit of build
up there on the left side.
Sometimes that's just enough
to prevent it from going over.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Fortunately for Bob,
issues like this
are usually nothing
a scraper and a little
elbow grease can handle.
[upbeat music]
But to be sure, he's
going to need to confirm
that with the control room.
Yo, Rick?
It's still in
automatic, right?
All right, keep
it right there.
I'm I'm about ready to
turn on the air lines.
Let me know if I get
a green indication.
[rousing music]
OK, well, everything
looks good up here.
How's it look down there?
All right, man.
I'm going to button
up and head back down,
and I'll be down in a minute.
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Meanwhile, down on the factory
floor, the three
furnaces of Arc Americas
are already kicking
out 600 pounds
of molten glass per minute.
But to turn that into their
latest order of stemware,
operator Lonnie Gilbert
will first need to swap
some parts on the factory line.
Specifically what are known
as "stem loader tongs,"
which, when hit with a steady
stream of 900 degree glass,
tend to wear out every
eight hours or so.
[rousing music]
And with some 24 new
tongs now in place,
it's time to fire up the
whole production line
and make any final
adjustments from there.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And
with just a few more tweaks,
Lonnie finally starts to see
the kind of glass he's after.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): With
everything now dialed in,
this production line
can churn out stemware
at a rate of 100
pieces per minute,
leaving Lonnie some time
to tidy up his workstation.
[ominous music]
[theme music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): It takes
quite the workforce to bring
glass to the American public.
In all, just under 100,000
men and women, each of whom
will dole out another 700
pounds of glass per day,
and together support an industry
worth $31 billion a year.
[light music]
But getting all that done
can be an uphill battle.
Just ask the folks
at Arc Americas who,
come hell or high ball,
have a rush order to fill
and a record 1.4 million
pieces to put out by day's end.
But down on the factory floor,
mere minutes into his latest
run of stemware
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
operator
Lonnie Gilbert has
heard the familiar sound
of a system malfunction.
A sound that usually
means one of the 100+
hoses that feed these flames
has suddenly come loose.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
When that happens,
it's up to guys like Lonnie
to find the afflicted hose
and get it back in
line with the rest.
[rousing music]
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): When it
comes to glass manufacturing,
there are a lot of moving parts.
Which, as you may
have noticed, can lead
to a lot of mechanical issues.
[glass shatters]
That's why, to do their
job, just about everyone
here has to know their
way around a wrench.
But for the more
advanced maintenance,
Arc Americas always keeps
a specialist on site.
And on this busiest day of days,
that honor goes to production
mechanic Tom Brooks.
TOM BROOKS: I've been
here almost four years.
I did construction, auto
mechanics before this.
I find I settled
in quite well here.
I like it.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
And what's not to like?
You got your triple digit
temperatures, your 100
decibel ambiance, the
sweet, soothing crunch
of glass underfoot.
And in Tom's extra lucky case,
the daily privilege of working
in the basement where all the
trappings of a glass factory
converge at the highest level.
Take one of the
most humid places
you've been and double it.
It's it's pretty humid
down there, hot, loud.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): All that
heat and noise comes courtesy
of three rake assemblies
designed to catch molten glass
discarded from above
and shuttle it back
into production, saving
Arc Americas about 80 tons
worth of product every day.
But doing all that can come
with some serious wear and tear.
So it's up to Tom to ensure that
everything is in working order.
So we're going to take
a look at everything.
Look for any major holes, rips.
Make sure the plow's working.
[upbeat music]
Checking for bearings for
coming apart, loose bolts.
So everything's looking
good on this area
here, so we're going to
continue on down the line.
I'm going to inspect
the next break.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
But midway
through that second
inspection, something
appears to be a little off.
And I'm noticing the cable.
And by the angle of that
cable hanging straight down,
she's broken here.
So we're going to pull
it out and take a look.
Yep.
Yeah, that snapped
off pretty good.
We're going to have
to replace this cable.
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): While
Tom digs in for an extended stay
in the basement, back
up on the factory
floor another of Arc Americas
team is conducting inspections
of a different kind.
Because there's not
much point in creating
more than a million
pieces of glass today
if they're not up
to company standard.
So every step of
the way, they'll
be measured, tested,
and otherwise evaluated
by a series of checkpoints
and more importantly, a team
of quality control specialists.
And at the forefront of
that effort are QC crew
leaders like Annette Young.
ANNETTE YOUNG: And this is the
[imdistinct] 16-ounce glass.
Right now I'm gauging
the height to make sure
that the height is correct.
If it doesn't go in here,
that means it's over-height.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
On any given shift,
Annette will subject
some 1,500 pieces
to her battery of tests
and as you'll see,
there are quite a few.
But for now, let's
focus on rim dimensions.
Take it away, Annette.
This will gauge
the rim of the glass
to make sure that the rim is
not out of shape or defective.
[techno music]
Now, this gauge
doesn't fit this class.
It is clearly out of shape.
This is a reject.
It's rocking, and
it's out of shape.
I will give this
to the controller
and let him know that he's
got a defective blast.
[rousing music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
It's never
great to learn that you've just
made dozens of unusable glasses
and wasted an hour of
your precious time.
But with over 34
years on the job,
Annette has developed
her own subtle way
of breaking that news
right between the eyes.
Right now you have
rocker bottoms and you
have out-of-shape rims running.
Will you let the hot end know?
(SINGING) This is
how America works.
[theme music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
When most of us
hear the word "glass,"
what do we think?
A beverage container?
A window?
Maybe something to break
if there's an emergency,
or a Jewish wedding?
That's all well and good.
But to be perfectly
transparent, it's
only scratching the surface
of what glass can do.
In the right hands, this stuff
has the power to stop bullets,
frame our most
cutting-edge architecture,
or show us galaxies millions
of light years away.
And that's just to name a
few of the modern miracles
made possible by glass.
But make no mistake, the world
needs your more common glass
products, too.
Which is why in
Southern New Jersey,
the men and women of Arc
Americas work 24/7 to make sure
those items are kept
in steady supply.
And with a rush order
to fill by day's end,
they're cranking double time
to create another 1.4 million
pieces for the American public.
Which, for batch
operator Bob Banfield,
means it's time to mix and send
another round of raw materials
to the furnaces for melting.
This is the weighing and
mixing process right here.
And the back scales draw
from the silos above me,
above my head.
Once everything's
weighed up, everything
is discharged into the
mixing, then get delivered
by conveyors to the furnaces.
So the batches are
continual, one after another.
It doesn't stop.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
But like everything
here, a system this
complicated requires
near-constant oversight.
And judging by this
screen, Bob's attention
may soon be needed
in the mixing area.
I've got a large
gap between batches,
so I know something's
wrong upstairs.
I didn't throw an
alarm yet, but I'm
just staying ahead of the game.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): Bob's
been around long enough to know
that a gap in the batches
more often than not
means there's a clog
somewhere in the works.
And on heading upstairs
to investigate,
it doesn't take long to find it.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
With the clog now cleared,
theoretically anyway,
all that's left
is to return to the
control room to see
if the batch gaps have gone.
Now, this batch is
just about complete.
This scale just about
completed its way.
And this the previous
batch is still going here,
so I know I'm close.
If the batches are close,
then I know I'm good.
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Meanwhile, on the other end
of the production process,
quality control crew leader
Annette Young has
left the factory
floor to conduct some
more in-depth testing
on today's order.
So with another 50
test subjects in tow,
she's come here to Arc
America's resident lab.
We do try to make
good quality wear,
and this lab right here will
tell us if it's good or not.
So now I'm getting
ready to go annealing.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
What's annealing?
Well, when molten
glass is stamped out
in rapid succession,
the resulting pieces
are incredibly
stressed to the point
that they can crack, or even
explode, without warning.
So to prevent that, they're
run through a kind of kiln
which removes
those stress points
for a far more sturdy glass.
But to make sure that process
actually works as intended,
Annette will need to
subject them to what's
known as a scratch test.
I will scratch it with a
circle and an X in the middle.
See?
You hear it snapping?
This glass is
automatically breaking.
This is bad annealing.
So now I take the water
and I put it in each glass.
And when I put this water
in here, if it's good,
it will not break.
That ware that
annealing is bad,
so I didn't even get a
chance to put the water
in it before it broke.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): The
remaining glasses, however,
seem to be holding
together just fine.
As for the ones that
didn't make the cut,
Annette will once again
inform the factory that they
still have some work to do.
Hey, fellas.
Annealing on the
21 is still bad.
Yes.
We will keep checking
this every half hour
until the annealing is good.
[rousing music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
While Annette gets back
to her rounds, somewhere below
in Arc Americas basement,
production mechanic
Tom Brooks has found
a faulty piece of his own.
In his case, a 1-inch cable that
was pulling this rake assembly,
but in the process reached
its breaking point.
So having procured
a fresh cable,
along with a second
set of hands,
he should now have
everything he needs to get
the rake back up and running.
There are two clamps right
there that hold the cable on.
So we'll remove them to
be able to get it off,
and then we'll wrap
the new one three
times, slip it through that
hole, and then re-clamp it.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And, as
always, time will be a factor.
Because with molten products
still raining down from above,
Tom and his helper have just
precious minutes to complete
the repair before the
glass buildup becomes
more than this rake can handle.
I'm gonna put
the new cable in.
I'm going to put one cable
clamp just to hold it so there's
not going to be any tension.
All right.
He's going to start running
it, and the top cable
is going to start spooling on.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): But while
re-spooling the new cable
Oh!
Joe!
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Tom spots a new problem.
[bleep] the other
cable come off.
[ominous music]
[theme music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): It's
easy to take everyday things
like glass for granted.
I mean, we've been using
the stuff for one thing
or another for the
past 6,000 years.
And along the way,
we've also come to learn
that it has a lot
of useful properties
that other materials don't.
It's weather resistant.
It's rust-proof.
It can transmit light
or conversely, it can
block electricity.
But among the more
unique qualities of glass
is the fact that it exists in
a state of constant motion.
Not that you can see
it with the naked eye.
But on a microscopic
level, glass molecules
are endlessly shifting and
jostling against one another
making it neither a solid nor
a liquid, but rather something
in between.
Anyway, that's probably common
knowledge to the men and women
of Arc Americas, who here
in Southern New Jersey
are putting their mastery
of all things glass
to the ultimate test.
The goal, get a record 1.4
million pieces of the stuff
out the door by day's end.
But down in the basement, that's
not going as well as hoped.
Because to keep glass scraps
from filling the room,
each of these rake
assemblies must also remain
in a state of constant motion.
And while attempting to replace
a cable on one of them
Yo!
[bleep]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Tom Brooks
has hit a bit of a setback.
It's pulled back over itself.
So we'll have to go down.
We're going have to pull that
plow manually to the other end
so we can get a lot of
slack in that top cable
so we can slip that
back over the drum.
[upbeat music]
Luckily we called
that when we did,
so it's easy fix to
get back on track.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
But there's still
one step left to this repair
tensioning the new cable.
And unfortunately for Tom, that
can only be done from here
above a 180 degree water
trough with hot glass
crashing down, left and right.
And here's the fun part
when they start gobbing off
and sending off wares that
they're not going to use,
you start getting the
hot splashes on you.
Now I'm going to cut
the excess cable off
and we'll be finished
up here on this part.
[rousing music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
And with the new cable
securely in place,
all that remains
is to fire this rake back
up and see how she runs.
My partner's getting
the electrical cabinet
ready to run it.
When I tell him go ahead,
he'll run it down for me.
I'll signal him when to stop.
So we're ready to
ready to run it back.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): But
as Tom's about to find out,
this rake may have its
work cut out for it.
See that glowing wad
of glass down there?
Yeah, those are not good.
[indistinct yelling]
They got a boulder!
[bleep]
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Meanwhile, back upstairs,
quality control crew
leader Annette Young
is once again on the
move and on the lookout
for defective glass.
To that end, she's come here
to inspect some stemware one
of the more intricate designs,
and also one of the more
prone to showing flaws.
Sometimes we run bent
stems, out of shape
rims, and unlevel feet.
Sometimes they have
[indistinct] glass on the rim
or the inside of the bowl.
So we have to inspect to make
sure that we have good ware
so that our customer
receives good ware.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): But
when belting out 100 classes
per minute, the odd
imperfection is bound
to come up sooner or later.
And it seems Annette has
found her first on the line.
This glass is a bad glass.
The glass is
off-center right here.
And the bowl, when I turn it,
I can see it's really pooled.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And
when there's one bad glass
in the bunch, it
follows that more might
have come from the same mold.
So Annette will also have to
check a pallet that was packed
from this line to see if
any more of this order
has been compromised.
And what do you know?
This glass is an
uneven cut glass.
As I turn it, you will see
the rim go slightly up.
This is a minor defect.
So with this pallet, if I find
three, I can block this pallet.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
It's not ideal,
but it's certainly better than
shipping sub-par product
and apparently, this pallet
has no shortage of that.
There's another one.
I found three uneven
cut wine glasses.
That exceeds our limit sample,
so this pallet will have to be
blocked and sent to reselect.
[light music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): When
Annette raises the flag
on her latest batch of bad
glass, not far away mold fitter
Clyde Solomon is taking measures
to prevent those kinds of flaws
altogether.
Because to make perfect
pieces you need perfect molds,
and right now this one
could still use some work.
CLYDE SOLOMON: See the
knockouts right here?
What I mean by a knockout
is this right here.
See, metal is missing.
So now I have to weld them.
[rousing music]
That's how you fix knockouts.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And
with these particular knockouts
now filled in, all Clyde
has to do is clean them up.
But once you
fill in that hole,
you've got to take
the excess weld away.
See here?
This is where I welded at.
So now I take that down.
Now I've got to turn it over.
Now I've got to take the
weld out from the inside.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): From
there, it's just a matter
of polish and repeat
until this mold is
once again ready for service.
Hey, Clyde.
Hey, boss.
You're right on time.
- It's done?
It's done.
Oh, man!
Excellent job.
Thank you.
Yes, boss.
[upbeat music]
I got that bad mold done.
Now I can get back
to my original plan.
I got these molds to get
done, and then I'll be done.
[light music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
It's late afternoon
here in Southern New Jersey.
Close to quitting time for
the day shift of Arc Americas
who, despite a long line
of snafus and setbacks,
have nearly completed their
rush order for a record 1.4
million pieces of glass.
But before the last of
those glasses can be cast,
Clyde Solomon here will first
need to finish cleaning up
the 12 molds required to do it.
And fortunately for him, he's
already in the homestretch.
All right.
I'm going to put
these molds together,
and then I'll finally
be done for the day.
These are the push ups that you
put back inside of the mold.
They all got numbers on them.
Like, this in 71
it's a 71 mold.
So I put it in, and then
I find 71 mold here.
Then I tighten it back up.
That's done.
This is what it this is what
it looks like when it's done.
You put it back in here.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And
with that, all that's left
is to repeat the process.
t lo
t long ago, afte
t long ago, after speaking
t long ago, after speaking
to a few tho
t long ago, after speaking
to a few thousand people
in San Antonio at National Auto
Glass Week, which is a thing,
I was presented with the
gift of a tiny windshield.
I'm still not sure what
to do with this thing.
But you'll notice somebody drew
a caricature of my giant head
right there on the glass.
I was very touched by that.
It was just one of the
many things you can do
with this versatile material.
You can temper it.
You can stain it.
You can laminate it.
And you can actually
write on it.
It's kind of incredible.
Here I've written my name right
above my grandfather's name
on this delicious bottle
of noble Tennessee whiskey,
which I could not ship to
you without a glass bottle.
Point being, I can't live
without glass in my life
and neither can you.
Happily, thanks to 100,000
people in the glass industry,
we don't have to.
This episode is all about them.
Because to be
entirely transparent,
they're a critical part
of "How America Works."
[soft music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
From the moment
we wake up in the morning,
we are surrounded by glass.
You check the glass
screen on your phone,
which may or may not remind
you to put on your glasses.
You drink a glass of water,
maybe look out a glass window,
and dress in front
of a glass mirror
all by the time your
day has barely begun.
Now multiply that routine
by more than 300 million
Americans, and yes,
there's a good bit of glass
in these United States.
And thanks to more than
1,000 glass manufacturers
across the country,
another 33,000 tons of it
is made here every single day.
All melted, molded,
annealed and tempered
by companies like
this one, Arc Americas
in Southern New Jersey.
Here, it takes a team
of nearly 400 men
and women to churn out about a
million perfect pieces of glass
per day.
Today, though,
will be different.
Because, thanks to a pretty
sizable last minute order,
they're now charged
with shipping
out a far more
difficult 1.4 million
pieces by close of business.
And getting all that
underway are guys like batch
operator Bob Banfield.
BOB BANFIELD: This is where
everything in the glass
production process begins.
My saying is, you can't make
nothing out of thin air.
It takes raw materials
to make the product.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And since
about 60% of that raw material
is sand, Bob's going to need
about 25 more tons of the stuff
to make today's quota.
But here at Arc
Americas, they don't just
truck in any old sand.
[rousing music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
And here's how
that high quality process goes.
First, your sand is mixed
with other ingredients
like limestone and soda ash.
Then, it's sent into
a furnace and heated
up to more than 3,000 degrees.
Once molten, you've
pretty much got glass that
can be blown, molded,
or otherwise shaped
into any number of items
from windows to water jugs.
But before any of
that can happen,
Bob will first need to
ensure that this sand
gets where it's going.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And
as the last of said sand
makes its way into
said silo, Bob can now
head up to the control
room to mix his next batch
of soon-to-be glass.
But on arrival, it seems there's
already a kink in the system.
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): While Bob
heads for the top of the batch
house, over on the factory floor
the many molds and machines
of Arc Americas are
already churning
out hot glass at a rate of
1,300 pieces per minute.
And since all that automation
requires equal measures
of oversight, there are guys
like operator Lonnie Gilbert
whose job here is to ensure
everything works as it should.
LONNIE GILBERT: There's a
lot to be looked at up here.
You got to keep moving all day.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
At the moment,
Lonnie's overseeing the
production of stemware.
But since today's rush order
calls for three different kinds
of it, they've now come
to the point where it's
time to reconfigure the
whole system for glasses
of a different sort.
And as Lonnie
knows all too well,
that can be a
production all its own.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And as
the last of the previous models
file out of the works, it's time
to start swapping some parts.
So after screwing in
some new components,
Lonnie then turns
focus to what's called
a "PLF,' which will
ensure that each of these
glasses stands up straight.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
While Lonnie moves
on to the next phase of his
overhaul, not far away another
of our Americas team is working
on parts of a different kind
possibly the most
important kind.
Because to make glassware,
you need molds
about 70,000 of them
at this facility alone.
And since those molds are
exposed to near-constant heat
and pressure, there's a job
devoted exclusively to dealing
with all the damage that does.
And that job goes to mold
fitter Clyde Solomon.
CLYDE SOLOMON: One thing
we all had to learn
is they can tear them up
faster than we can fix them.
[laughs]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): Even so,
Clyde does his best to keep up.
Most recently, he's been tasked
with fixing 12 molds that are
used to create
14-ounce pint glasses,
and in so doing have
taken quite a beating.
CLYDE SOLOMON: Right now
I'm seeing a lot of damage.
I'm seeing glass in the molds.
I have to repair them
and get the holes out,
and polish them, and then
put them back together.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
To start, Clyde
will remove any residual
glass that on occasion can
become stuck inside the molds.
When that happens, a few
taps on the workbench
are usually enough to dislodge
it usually, but not always.
I had to put some
fire on this one.
[rousing music]
That should do it.
That's what happens when
you heat it up like that.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): With
the glass out of the way,
Clyde can now get down to the
business of repairing the mold.
But to find out just how
much damage has been done,
he'll first need to
buff away any char,
soot, or other impurities.
And with those now
out of the way,
it's worse than he thought.
Good lord!
[theme music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): It
takes a good bit of glass
to meet the demand
of a growing nation.
And here in the US,
that comes to about
12 million tons per year.
Or to put it another way,
as we are wont to do,
enough to make a
1/4-inch pane of glass
roughly the size of Chicago.
[upbeat music]
It's an annual workload
that keeps the 1,000+
glass manufacturers
of our nation busier
than they have ever been.
Today though, none
of them are quite so
swamped as Arc Americas
in Southern New Jersey.
Thanks to a sizable
last-minute order,
they're cranking full-tilt
to make a record 1.4 million
pieces of glass by day's end.
To pull it off, Clyde
Solomon is going
to have to get these
12 glass molds back
out on the production line.
And judging by the
first of them
Good lord!
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
that's going
to be a pain in the glass.
Well, I have a
lot of holes in here
that's got to be taken out.
You got to take it out
a little bit at a time
so it'll stay even.
OK, here we go.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): Even the
smallest of dents can result
in glass that's out of spec.
So Clyde uses a
grinder to smooth out
the mold's interior
wall, before switching
to sandpaper for final polish.
That's a that's a
finished product right there.
And this is what it looks
like when you first start.
So now I go from here to here.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
All Clyde has
to do now is repeat that same
process another 11 times.
But, as he's about to find out,
something a tad more urgent
has just come up on
the factory floor.
Hey, Clyde!
Look, I got to stop you.
They need this in the
hot end right away.
I mean, it's bad.
It might be the worst
one I've ever seen.
Oh, you ain't never lied.
I got to agree with you.
- Yep.
- All right.
- All right.
I got you.
Thanks.
I see knockouts.
I see metal missing.
I see cuts.
And these are all
cut damage inside.
That right there
got to be welded,
because that's mad damaged.
See that right there?
That's bad damage.
[rousing music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): While
Clyde puts a rush on his latest
repair, over at the
batch house operator
Bob Banfield is
having maintenance
problems of his own.
In his case, with a contraption
called a diverter that,
for the moment, has
stopped moving raw sand to
the proper furnace for melting.
So he's headed four
stories up to the very top
of the batch house to try
and get things back on track.
This is the issue
we've got right now.
The skid ain't going
over all the way.
[light music]
The gate has a come
all the way over
to go down this other street.
So you see, there's
a little bit of build
up there on the left side.
Sometimes that's just enough
to prevent it from going over.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Fortunately for Bob,
issues like this
are usually nothing
a scraper and a little
elbow grease can handle.
[upbeat music]
But to be sure, he's
going to need to confirm
that with the control room.
Yo, Rick?
It's still in
automatic, right?
All right, keep
it right there.
I'm I'm about ready to
turn on the air lines.
Let me know if I get
a green indication.
[rousing music]
OK, well, everything
looks good up here.
How's it look down there?
All right, man.
I'm going to button
up and head back down,
and I'll be down in a minute.
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Meanwhile, down on the factory
floor, the three
furnaces of Arc Americas
are already kicking
out 600 pounds
of molten glass per minute.
But to turn that into their
latest order of stemware,
operator Lonnie Gilbert
will first need to swap
some parts on the factory line.
Specifically what are known
as "stem loader tongs,"
which, when hit with a steady
stream of 900 degree glass,
tend to wear out every
eight hours or so.
[rousing music]
And with some 24 new
tongs now in place,
it's time to fire up the
whole production line
and make any final
adjustments from there.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And
with just a few more tweaks,
Lonnie finally starts to see
the kind of glass he's after.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): With
everything now dialed in,
this production line
can churn out stemware
at a rate of 100
pieces per minute,
leaving Lonnie some time
to tidy up his workstation.
[ominous music]
[theme music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): It takes
quite the workforce to bring
glass to the American public.
In all, just under 100,000
men and women, each of whom
will dole out another 700
pounds of glass per day,
and together support an industry
worth $31 billion a year.
[light music]
But getting all that done
can be an uphill battle.
Just ask the folks
at Arc Americas who,
come hell or high ball,
have a rush order to fill
and a record 1.4 million
pieces to put out by day's end.
But down on the factory floor,
mere minutes into his latest
run of stemware
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
operator
Lonnie Gilbert has
heard the familiar sound
of a system malfunction.
A sound that usually
means one of the 100+
hoses that feed these flames
has suddenly come loose.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
When that happens,
it's up to guys like Lonnie
to find the afflicted hose
and get it back in
line with the rest.
[rousing music]
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): When it
comes to glass manufacturing,
there are a lot of moving parts.
Which, as you may
have noticed, can lead
to a lot of mechanical issues.
[glass shatters]
That's why, to do their
job, just about everyone
here has to know their
way around a wrench.
But for the more
advanced maintenance,
Arc Americas always keeps
a specialist on site.
And on this busiest day of days,
that honor goes to production
mechanic Tom Brooks.
TOM BROOKS: I've been
here almost four years.
I did construction, auto
mechanics before this.
I find I settled
in quite well here.
I like it.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
And what's not to like?
You got your triple digit
temperatures, your 100
decibel ambiance, the
sweet, soothing crunch
of glass underfoot.
And in Tom's extra lucky case,
the daily privilege of working
in the basement where all the
trappings of a glass factory
converge at the highest level.
Take one of the
most humid places
you've been and double it.
It's it's pretty humid
down there, hot, loud.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): All that
heat and noise comes courtesy
of three rake assemblies
designed to catch molten glass
discarded from above
and shuttle it back
into production, saving
Arc Americas about 80 tons
worth of product every day.
But doing all that can come
with some serious wear and tear.
So it's up to Tom to ensure that
everything is in working order.
So we're going to take
a look at everything.
Look for any major holes, rips.
Make sure the plow's working.
[upbeat music]
Checking for bearings for
coming apart, loose bolts.
So everything's looking
good on this area
here, so we're going to
continue on down the line.
I'm going to inspect
the next break.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
But midway
through that second
inspection, something
appears to be a little off.
And I'm noticing the cable.
And by the angle of that
cable hanging straight down,
she's broken here.
So we're going to pull
it out and take a look.
Yep.
Yeah, that snapped
off pretty good.
We're going to have
to replace this cable.
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): While
Tom digs in for an extended stay
in the basement, back
up on the factory
floor another of Arc Americas
team is conducting inspections
of a different kind.
Because there's not
much point in creating
more than a million
pieces of glass today
if they're not up
to company standard.
So every step of
the way, they'll
be measured, tested,
and otherwise evaluated
by a series of checkpoints
and more importantly, a team
of quality control specialists.
And at the forefront of
that effort are QC crew
leaders like Annette Young.
ANNETTE YOUNG: And this is the
[imdistinct] 16-ounce glass.
Right now I'm gauging
the height to make sure
that the height is correct.
If it doesn't go in here,
that means it's over-height.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
On any given shift,
Annette will subject
some 1,500 pieces
to her battery of tests
and as you'll see,
there are quite a few.
But for now, let's
focus on rim dimensions.
Take it away, Annette.
This will gauge
the rim of the glass
to make sure that the rim is
not out of shape or defective.
[techno music]
Now, this gauge
doesn't fit this class.
It is clearly out of shape.
This is a reject.
It's rocking, and
it's out of shape.
I will give this
to the controller
and let him know that he's
got a defective blast.
[rousing music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
It's never
great to learn that you've just
made dozens of unusable glasses
and wasted an hour of
your precious time.
But with over 34
years on the job,
Annette has developed
her own subtle way
of breaking that news
right between the eyes.
Right now you have
rocker bottoms and you
have out-of-shape rims running.
Will you let the hot end know?
(SINGING) This is
how America works.
[theme music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
When most of us
hear the word "glass,"
what do we think?
A beverage container?
A window?
Maybe something to break
if there's an emergency,
or a Jewish wedding?
That's all well and good.
But to be perfectly
transparent, it's
only scratching the surface
of what glass can do.
In the right hands, this stuff
has the power to stop bullets,
frame our most
cutting-edge architecture,
or show us galaxies millions
of light years away.
And that's just to name a
few of the modern miracles
made possible by glass.
But make no mistake, the world
needs your more common glass
products, too.
Which is why in
Southern New Jersey,
the men and women of Arc
Americas work 24/7 to make sure
those items are kept
in steady supply.
And with a rush order
to fill by day's end,
they're cranking double time
to create another 1.4 million
pieces for the American public.
Which, for batch
operator Bob Banfield,
means it's time to mix and send
another round of raw materials
to the furnaces for melting.
This is the weighing and
mixing process right here.
And the back scales draw
from the silos above me,
above my head.
Once everything's
weighed up, everything
is discharged into the
mixing, then get delivered
by conveyors to the furnaces.
So the batches are
continual, one after another.
It doesn't stop.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
But like everything
here, a system this
complicated requires
near-constant oversight.
And judging by this
screen, Bob's attention
may soon be needed
in the mixing area.
I've got a large
gap between batches,
so I know something's
wrong upstairs.
I didn't throw an
alarm yet, but I'm
just staying ahead of the game.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): Bob's
been around long enough to know
that a gap in the batches
more often than not
means there's a clog
somewhere in the works.
And on heading upstairs
to investigate,
it doesn't take long to find it.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
With the clog now cleared,
theoretically anyway,
all that's left
is to return to the
control room to see
if the batch gaps have gone.
Now, this batch is
just about complete.
This scale just about
completed its way.
And this the previous
batch is still going here,
so I know I'm close.
If the batches are close,
then I know I'm good.
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Meanwhile, on the other end
of the production process,
quality control crew leader
Annette Young has
left the factory
floor to conduct some
more in-depth testing
on today's order.
So with another 50
test subjects in tow,
she's come here to Arc
America's resident lab.
We do try to make
good quality wear,
and this lab right here will
tell us if it's good or not.
So now I'm getting
ready to go annealing.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
What's annealing?
Well, when molten
glass is stamped out
in rapid succession,
the resulting pieces
are incredibly
stressed to the point
that they can crack, or even
explode, without warning.
So to prevent that, they're
run through a kind of kiln
which removes
those stress points
for a far more sturdy glass.
But to make sure that process
actually works as intended,
Annette will need to
subject them to what's
known as a scratch test.
I will scratch it with a
circle and an X in the middle.
See?
You hear it snapping?
This glass is
automatically breaking.
This is bad annealing.
So now I take the water
and I put it in each glass.
And when I put this water
in here, if it's good,
it will not break.
That ware that
annealing is bad,
so I didn't even get a
chance to put the water
in it before it broke.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): The
remaining glasses, however,
seem to be holding
together just fine.
As for the ones that
didn't make the cut,
Annette will once again
inform the factory that they
still have some work to do.
Hey, fellas.
Annealing on the
21 is still bad.
Yes.
We will keep checking
this every half hour
until the annealing is good.
[rousing music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
While Annette gets back
to her rounds, somewhere below
in Arc Americas basement,
production mechanic
Tom Brooks has found
a faulty piece of his own.
In his case, a 1-inch cable that
was pulling this rake assembly,
but in the process reached
its breaking point.
So having procured
a fresh cable,
along with a second
set of hands,
he should now have
everything he needs to get
the rake back up and running.
There are two clamps right
there that hold the cable on.
So we'll remove them to
be able to get it off,
and then we'll wrap
the new one three
times, slip it through that
hole, and then re-clamp it.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And, as
always, time will be a factor.
Because with molten products
still raining down from above,
Tom and his helper have just
precious minutes to complete
the repair before the
glass buildup becomes
more than this rake can handle.
I'm gonna put
the new cable in.
I'm going to put one cable
clamp just to hold it so there's
not going to be any tension.
All right.
He's going to start running
it, and the top cable
is going to start spooling on.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): But while
re-spooling the new cable
Oh!
Joe!
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Tom spots a new problem.
[bleep] the other
cable come off.
[ominous music]
[theme music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): It's
easy to take everyday things
like glass for granted.
I mean, we've been using
the stuff for one thing
or another for the
past 6,000 years.
And along the way,
we've also come to learn
that it has a lot
of useful properties
that other materials don't.
It's weather resistant.
It's rust-proof.
It can transmit light
or conversely, it can
block electricity.
But among the more
unique qualities of glass
is the fact that it exists in
a state of constant motion.
Not that you can see
it with the naked eye.
But on a microscopic
level, glass molecules
are endlessly shifting and
jostling against one another
making it neither a solid nor
a liquid, but rather something
in between.
Anyway, that's probably common
knowledge to the men and women
of Arc Americas, who here
in Southern New Jersey
are putting their mastery
of all things glass
to the ultimate test.
The goal, get a record 1.4
million pieces of the stuff
out the door by day's end.
But down in the basement, that's
not going as well as hoped.
Because to keep glass scraps
from filling the room,
each of these rake
assemblies must also remain
in a state of constant motion.
And while attempting to replace
a cable on one of them
Yo!
[bleep]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Tom Brooks
has hit a bit of a setback.
It's pulled back over itself.
So we'll have to go down.
We're going have to pull that
plow manually to the other end
so we can get a lot of
slack in that top cable
so we can slip that
back over the drum.
[upbeat music]
Luckily we called
that when we did,
so it's easy fix to
get back on track.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
But there's still
one step left to this repair
tensioning the new cable.
And unfortunately for Tom, that
can only be done from here
above a 180 degree water
trough with hot glass
crashing down, left and right.
And here's the fun part
when they start gobbing off
and sending off wares that
they're not going to use,
you start getting the
hot splashes on you.
Now I'm going to cut
the excess cable off
and we'll be finished
up here on this part.
[rousing music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
And with the new cable
securely in place,
all that remains
is to fire this rake back
up and see how she runs.
My partner's getting
the electrical cabinet
ready to run it.
When I tell him go ahead,
he'll run it down for me.
I'll signal him when to stop.
So we're ready to
ready to run it back.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): But
as Tom's about to find out,
this rake may have its
work cut out for it.
See that glowing wad
of glass down there?
Yeah, those are not good.
[indistinct yelling]
They got a boulder!
[bleep]
[upbeat music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
Meanwhile, back upstairs,
quality control crew
leader Annette Young
is once again on the
move and on the lookout
for defective glass.
To that end, she's come here
to inspect some stemware one
of the more intricate designs,
and also one of the more
prone to showing flaws.
Sometimes we run bent
stems, out of shape
rims, and unlevel feet.
Sometimes they have
[indistinct] glass on the rim
or the inside of the bowl.
So we have to inspect to make
sure that we have good ware
so that our customer
receives good ware.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): But
when belting out 100 classes
per minute, the odd
imperfection is bound
to come up sooner or later.
And it seems Annette has
found her first on the line.
This glass is a bad glass.
The glass is
off-center right here.
And the bowl, when I turn it,
I can see it's really pooled.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And
when there's one bad glass
in the bunch, it
follows that more might
have come from the same mold.
So Annette will also have to
check a pallet that was packed
from this line to see if
any more of this order
has been compromised.
And what do you know?
This glass is an
uneven cut glass.
As I turn it, you will see
the rim go slightly up.
This is a minor defect.
So with this pallet, if I find
three, I can block this pallet.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
It's not ideal,
but it's certainly better than
shipping sub-par product
and apparently, this pallet
has no shortage of that.
There's another one.
I found three uneven
cut wine glasses.
That exceeds our limit sample,
so this pallet will have to be
blocked and sent to reselect.
[light music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): When
Annette raises the flag
on her latest batch of bad
glass, not far away mold fitter
Clyde Solomon is taking measures
to prevent those kinds of flaws
altogether.
Because to make perfect
pieces you need perfect molds,
and right now this one
could still use some work.
CLYDE SOLOMON: See the
knockouts right here?
What I mean by a knockout
is this right here.
See, metal is missing.
So now I have to weld them.
[rousing music]
That's how you fix knockouts.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And
with these particular knockouts
now filled in, all Clyde
has to do is clean them up.
But once you
fill in that hole,
you've got to take
the excess weld away.
See here?
This is where I welded at.
So now I take that down.
Now I've got to turn it over.
Now I've got to take the
weld out from the inside.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): From
there, it's just a matter
of polish and repeat
until this mold is
once again ready for service.
Hey, Clyde.
Hey, boss.
You're right on time.
- It's done?
It's done.
Oh, man!
Excellent job.
Thank you.
Yes, boss.
[upbeat music]
I got that bad mold done.
Now I can get back
to my original plan.
I got these molds to get
done, and then I'll be done.
[light music]
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER):
It's late afternoon
here in Southern New Jersey.
Close to quitting time for
the day shift of Arc Americas
who, despite a long line
of snafus and setbacks,
have nearly completed their
rush order for a record 1.4
million pieces of glass.
But before the last of
those glasses can be cast,
Clyde Solomon here will first
need to finish cleaning up
the 12 molds required to do it.
And fortunately for him, he's
already in the homestretch.
All right.
I'm going to put
these molds together,
and then I'll finally
be done for the day.
These are the push ups that you
put back inside of the mold.
They all got numbers on them.
Like, this in 71
it's a 71 mold.
So I put it in, and then
I find 71 mold here.
Then I tighten it back up.
That's done.
This is what it this is what
it looks like when it's done.
You put it back in here.
MIKE ROWE (VOICEOVER): And
with that, all that's left
is to repeat the process.