Asahi Glass Co. intends to increase the prices of construction flat glass and related products by 10-20% from 1 January 2008 to reflect higher material and fuel costs.
The wholesale price of flat gla…
Asahi Glass Co. intends to increase the prices of construction flat glass and related products by 10-20% from 1 January 2008 to reflect higher material and fuel costs. The wholesale price of flat glass in Tokyo is around JPY 1,180 per sq. meter, relatively unchanged since the end of 2001. The industry leader may encounter resistance from homebuilders, with housing demand under pressure from stricter building standards. In June 2006, three major glass manufactures announced plans to raise prices, but they failed to have gain acceptance among customers because of inflows of cheap imports. The effect of higher material and fuel prices is beyond the company“s ability to absorb through such efforts as cost cutting in other areas, said an Asahi Glass official.