Saint-Gobain Glass India, the largest float glass producer in the country, is making a strategic shift to value-added performance glasses as demand for glass falls. B Santhanam, president, flat glass,…
Saint-Gobain Glass India, the largest float glass producer in the country, is making a strategic shift to value-added performance glasses as demand for glass falls. B Santhanam, president, flat glass, South Asia, and managing director of Saint-Gobain Glass India Ltd, said demand for glass had fallen 2% to 3% from over one million tonnes in 2008. The slowdown in the construction and automotive sectors is expected to further reduce demand. However, the silver lining has been the jump in value terms. Saint-Gobain, which has two float glass lines and four other units for products at Sriperumbudur, has set up three platforms for temperable solar controlled products, temperable solar controlled and low emission products, and advanced high selective glass, which lets in light and keep out heat. From these platforms, the company will make about 30 different products. Two of them, to be launched shortly, are Bioclean and Aquaclean self-cleaning coated glass that can be used for facades. Market studies and seed marketing of sunban products were under way and many new products would be in the market in 2009, he said. Some of them would be showcased at Glass Technology India, 2008 in New Delhi from 5-7 December. Mr. Santhanam said the glass product manufacturing and marketing, including exports, could be developed into a world-class industry on the lines of the auto components sector. From very low levels, the auto parts industry has gained global recognition and quality in less than two decades. The potential for glass products in India and on export markets like the West Asian countries was immense, he said. Manufacturers should be able to develop new segments, explore new markets and develop capability to handle high energy-efficient solar control products. One of the major challenges for the glass industry in India has been production capacity exceeding demand. Per capita consumption of glass in India has been very low at 0.75 kg against the world average of 8 kg. In China, it is close to 15 kg. Raw glass capacity in India is expected to rise by 30% in 2009 with the comissioning of two float lines in Gujarat and Uttaranchal. Saint Gobain is setting up a glass manufacturing project at Bhiwadi in Rjasthan with plans for commissioning in 2010. This will take its total capacity to 7.5 million tonnes. Concrete steps including policy initiatives from the government were necessary to push up market demand for glass and glass products, Mr. Santhanam said. Glass consumption could increase if there were a stronger regulatory environment and building codes mandating the use of safe and energy efficient glass in buildings. Municipal corporations and metro development agencies could play a vital role in this. The Central and State governments could invest in innovation programmes to make all government buildings energy-efficient. Mr. Santhanam expects the huge investments proposed for solar photovoltaic panel manufacture by leading players in Chennai and other centres to be a boon to the glass industry in the coming years.