APIC ’08: Asahi Glass considering high end glass

27 May 2008 02:38  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Japanese largest glass maker, Asahi Glass Co (AGC) was considering making high-end and luxury glass to make up for low margins from its traditional float glass business, a company source said late on Monday.  

“AGC is moving towards the production of luxury glass such as low emission glass. This type of glass is not a huge sector in Japan yet but the margins are better compared to float glass,” the source said ahead of the Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) in Singapore which started on Tuesday. 

“Float glass prices in Japan have dropped by half in the past ten years due to an oversupply in Japan. The construction sector is also not doing well in Japan, resulting in less float glass used,” added the source.

Further depressing margins for the glass maker was the first year of negative growth for Japan’s car sector which utilises float glass for vehicle windscreens.

“Japan makes 10m cars annually and if this sector does not do well, we will be affected,” said the source.

AGC has a planned utilisation of 250,000 tonnes of soda ash for 2008.

Soda ash is used to make float glass and consumer goods such as bottles, detergents and shampoos.

ICIS and The Chemical Daily have produced an official 84-page special publication on Asian petrochemicals for the APIC event

 

http://cde.cerosmedia.com/1P48274c3a2cd06012.cde

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By: Hong Chou Hui
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