PPG Industries will expand capacity at its Wichita Falls, Texas, flat glass plant to meet the growing demand for low-emissivity glass and accommodate future generations of energy-efficient, high-perfo…
PPG Industries will expand capacity at its Wichita Falls, Texas, flat glass plant to meet the growing demand for low-emissivity glass and accommodate future generations of energy-efficient, high-performance products, officials announced on 23 December 2004. Mark Orcutt, PPG“s vice president of flat glass, said the company will invest approximately USD 40 million to install a magnetic sputtered vacuum deposition system at Wichita Falls. The system, which applies thin, transparent coatings that enhance the color and optical properties of glass substrates, will enable the Texas plant to make products such as Solarban(TM) 60 solar-control low-e glass, whose coating can help reduce heating and cooling costs of homes and buildings. “PPG was a trailblazer in the development of solar-control glass more than 70 years ago, and our investment in Wichita Falls will expand our company“s ability to supply products with an unsurpassed selection of aesthetic and solar-control capabilities,” Orcutt said. “Architects and builders require energy-efficient glass to meet their customers“ demand as well as increasingly expanding building codes. PPG has the products and the capacity to meet those needs today and into the future.” When the expansion, scheduled for the 1H of 2006, is complete, Wichita Falls will become the fifth PPG facility to make coated glass. The others are Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Evansville, Indiana; Mt. Zion, Illinois; and Salem, Oregon.