History
Opened in 1936 by Dr. Frank W. Preston, Preston Laboratories, which would later become Agr International, Inc., began as a company that provided technical support and research services to the glass industry. Dr. Preston and his staff developed many techniques for analyzing the strength and performance of glass containers. Their work set the standards that are still used today for the production of glass containers around the world.
In 1961, Preston Laboratories officially became American Glass Research when it was purchased by a group of long-time associates. In addition to testing and research, the company began the manufacture of testing and quality control equipment for the glass container industry.
Later in that decade, the portfolio of equipment was further expanded with the introduction of a revolutionary new device, the OLT on-line thickness measurement system. The OLT, directly integrated into the manufacturing line, provided container manufacturers with the ability to monitor material distribution on every container produced, making it possible for manufacturers to produce safe and lighter weight containers with a high level of confidence. Versions of the OLT are currently in operation on hundreds of manufacturing lines around the world today.
Following the introduction of the OLT, American Glass Research experienced a period of considerable growth, during which its portfolio of products was greatly expanded to include a wide assortment of laboratory, on-line and sampling test systems for glass containers. This time of growth enabled American Glass Research to become one of the leading suppliers of quality control equipment to the world-wide glass industry.
By the late 1980s, American Glass Research had begun producing equipment for the plastic container industry. In light of this diversification, the company was reorganized and changed its name to Agr International, Inc. The research portion of the company retained the name American Glass Research and still remains an integral part of Agr's commitment to the glass container industry.
In the fall of 2000, Agr purchased TopWave Industries, a manufacturer of laboratory testing devices for the plastic container industry. This progression led to a significant expansion of Agr's offerings for plastic containers.
Over the last ten years, Agr has introduced a number of technical innovations to the packaging industry including PETWall®, the first in-the-blowmolder material distribution measurement system and the Process Pilot® closed-loop control system for hands-free management of high-speed PET blowmolding systems.
Agr International is committed to be the industry leader in quality assurance solutions. Along with American Glass Research, Agr continues to provide manufacturers with the tools and resources they need to manage the quality and performance of containers.
