Pierre and Christiane Riou founded the Riou Glass Group in 1979 in Normandy, France. From a small family business, the group has grown into a European leader, processing nearly 100,000 tonnes of glass every year across 23 sites in France, Italy and Belgium.
Taking Riou Glass across oceans
In 2010, Pierre Riou started his adventure into the Indian Ocean market by acquiring Soremir, a leading glass products and blinds company on the island of Réunion. This marked the first step in bringing the quality of Riou Glass to new horizons.
In 2023, a new chapter in the journey began – the creation of Riou Ocean Glass in Mauritius, which aims to supply a broader range of high-quality, processed glass products. This strategic location at the crossroads of continents opened doors to a wider regional market, stretching from Réunion, Madagascar and Mayotte to Eastern and Southern Africa, the Middle East and even Australia.
Today, the company has a dedicated team of 60 people, 95 percent of them Mauritian. Trained at Riou Glass factories in France, they bring world-class expertise and top glass processing knowledge to these markets.
Equipment from a reliable supplier
To meet the growing regional demand for superior products, Riou Ocean Glass chose the Glaston RC Series for tempering.
“I have known Glaston for over 40 years, since the early days of my career in the glass industry,” Riou said. “We chose Glaston again for its excellent value for money. These machines perfectly meet our requirements in terms of performance and reliability.”
The group operates several other Glaston machines across its global facilities.
“Here in Mauritius, we now have two Glaston machines, which allow us to ensure high-quality production and respond quickly to customer needs,” he added.
In addition to the RC Series tempering line, the company has a spacer bender for insulating glass production, ordered around the same time.
Continuing growth into new markets
With Glaston technology now part of its operations, Riou Ocean Glass is well-positioned to continue growing its production capabilities, developing local expertise and delivering innovative, high-quality glass solutions across the Indian Ocean region and beyond.
“For anyone thinking about this type of investment, we would definitely recommend Glaston,” Riou said. “The quality of their equipment and the professional support make all the difference.”