Glass containers (3) are taken to a high temperature in an annealing furnace (7) and removed from the annealing furnace belt (5) by grips (16) of a gripping device (12). The gripping device (12) is then moved by a handling device (13) first vertically upwards, then horizontally above a fluidized bed (18) and then downwards into the fluidized bed in order to coat the glass containers (3) with a powder; it is then taken upwards out of the fluidized bed (18) and finally moved horizontally over a conveyor belt (22). There, the glass containers (3) are released from the gripping device (12) and set down on the conveyor belt (22) which takes the powder-coated glass containers (3) through a second curing region (27) in which the powder is cured to form a substantially duroplastic layer.