Central Glass is setting up a plan to boost sales of its chopped-strand glass fiber as reinforcement for thermoplastics to make electronic components and automobile parts since it seems that Japan“s …
Central Glass is setting up a plan to boost sales of its chopped-strand glass fiber as reinforcement for thermoplastics to make electronic components and automobile parts since it seems that Japan“s electronics industry is on the mend. Prospects for the glass manufacturer“s glass fiber business in had been slow since the end of 2008, but prospects for a see an 80-90% recovery by the end of 2009 are starting to emerge for the electronics industry and related businesses. Central Glass therefore plans to take the sales contribution of its glass-fiber business to almost 50% of its overall sales, from the present 30%, by concentrating on fiber-reinforced thermoplastics for electronic applications, despite the 33% drop in the market for fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, damaged by the global economic crisis. Central Glass is the only manufacturer of both glass fiber and glass wool in Japan. The company“s overall glass-fiber/glass-wool sales totalled JPY 5.8 billion (USD 61 million) in fiscal 2008, and sales for fiscal 2009 are forecast at JPY 6.3 billion, with about two-thirds from its business in glass fiber. Electronic components and automobile parts presently account for more than 60% of the market for fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, and this percentage is expected to rise.