Muncie Coca Cola plant to be built of Owens Illinois glass brick

MUNCIE'S FIRST GLASS

BUILDING ANNOUNCED

Coca-Cola Bottling Company to Erect $25,000 Unit, Using

City-Made Blocks.

The first building of glass brick in this city will be constructed by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Muncie, 200 West Willard St.

Plans for a $25,000 addition that will treble the present capacity of the plant and for the purchase of $20,000 in new equipment were announced today by Elmo A. Funk, president of the company.

Studied by Parent Company.

The addition will be of special interest not only because it will be built of glass brick made here by the Owens-Illinois Glass Company but also because it is being consid­ered by the standardization committee of the Coca-Cola Company as a model plant. Its type of con­struction may be adopted by the company as a model.

Part of the old frame building will be razed and the other part, which was constructed last year, will re­main. The present dimensions of 100 by 20 feet will be increased to 100 by 40 feet. Greater floor space will be provided since the addition will be two stories in height. Be­sides the glass bricks, regular bricks and re-enforced concrete will be used in the construction.

"I am glad that our firm is the first in Muncie to use the new Owens-Illinois glass brick," said Mr. Funk. "I am thoroughly convinced of its merit and hope that in con­structing the addition of this type of material I am starting something that will be adopted by Coca-Cola plants over the United States. Sanitation and lighting reasons were im­portant in the choice of this prod­uct. Being translucent, the blocks will allow 80 per cent of the light striking them to filter through and so assure a bright plant."

Mr. Funk said plans already have been drawn for the new building and that the contract for its construction would be let within the next couple of weeks.

Part of Expansion Program.

The Coca-Cola plant here has in­creased business enormously since Mr. Funk became the owner 18 months ago. Last year to meet the growth of business a two-story frame building was added to the plant and new equipment was pur­chased. The company now finds the enlarged quarters insufficient to keep pace with the business in­crease.

New machinery and the refrigera­tion system to be adopted will be the most modern. Cases of a lighter and improved type already have been added to the equipment.

Apparatus for assuring the purity of the water used in producing Coca-Cola was installed a year ago.

Associated with Mr. Funk in the business are Jesse A. Hiday as vice-president and his brother, Gayland V. Funk as secretary-treasurer. Name of the concern recently was changed from the Coca-Cola Bot­tling Works to the Coca-Cola Bot­tling Company of Muncie, Ind.