SIDNEY — Stolle Machinery celebrated the completion of the assembly of its 200th Tetrad Conversion System, a machine that makes pop-top beverage can ends, with an open house and tours on June 10 attended by city officials and members of the public.
Mayor Mardie Milligan read a proclamation at the event that declared June 10, 2022, as Stolle Machinery 200th Tetrad System Day in Sidney. Vice Mayor Steve Wagner, City Manager Andrew Bowsher, and City Councilmember Joe Moniaci were also in attendance.
“I encourage my fellow citizens to have a new appreciation for the ecological impact aluminum can recycling has and the part the world-renowned can making equipment produced locally plays in that continuous cycle,” Milligan said in the proclamation.
Aluminum is infinitely recyclable, and 75% of all the aluminum ever made is still in use, making aluminum the best choice for the environment, according to Stolle Machinery’s website. Stolle Machinery also produces the machines that make food can ends and beverage and food cans.
The Ball Corporation plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky bought the 200th Tetrad along with a couple of others. Chris Eaton, the plant production manager, and Micheal Nadon, the plant process superintendent at the Kentucky plant were in attendance to celebrate the event. The Ball Corporation owns 40% of the world’s Tetrads in operation today, according to Erica Paul, the director of operations at Stolle Machinery.
Stolle Machinery invented the Tetrad in 1997, and it is regarded as the “backbone of can-making operations due to their proven productivity and reliability.” Each Tetrad can make 3,000 pop-top beverage can ends per minute, which equates to about 1.5 billion ends per year, and every Tetrad assembled is still in operation today, as stated by Milligan in the proclamation.
Stolle Machinery’s history goes back 150 years, and Ralph J. Stolle incorporated The Stolle Corporation in Sidney in 1961. Stolle was known for perfecting the high speed production method for pop-top beverage ends among other technical processes.