Saint-Gobain's Automotive Glass Business (Sekurit) Strengthens Its Presence in China
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PARIS, May 10, 2011 - Saint-Gobain Sekurit, the third largest manufacturer of automotive glass in China, announced the construction of its second Chinese automotive glass plant in the Shandong province of Qingdao, close to the Group's flat glass production site (float).
This investment of approximately EUR50million will be implemented in three phases between now and 2014. The first manufacturing line will come on stream mid-2012.
As the market grows, the plant will gradually increase its production capacity and be able to supply, from 2014, all glass car-sets to equip 1.5 million vehicles a year, thus doubling Saint-Gobain Sekurit's current production capacity in this country.
With this second leading-edge plant, boasting the latest environmental and energy-saving technology, Saint-Gobain Sekurit, world number two for automotive glass, will reinforce its positions to competitively serve the carmakers present in China.
As the largest car-making country, China alone represents one quarter of the world's total production and presents significant growth potential for the years to come.
This investment in China marks a new step in the Group's growth strategy in Asia and emerging countries where the Flat Glass activity is aiming to achieve 45% of its turnover by 2015, compared to 41.5% in 2010, and where it plans to earmark two thirds of its capital expenditure in the five years to come.
Saint-Gobain's Flat Glass business in China
European leader and world number two, Saint-Gobain's Flat Glass activity has locations in 40 countries. In China, it currently has an automotive glass processing plant and a modular products facility in Shanghai, 11 pre-mounting sites across the country and two floats in Qingdao and Nanjing.
About Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, designs, manufactures and distributes building materials, providing innovative solutions to the challenges of growth, energy efficiency and environmental protection. With 2010 sales of EUR40.1 billion, Saint-Gobain operates in 64 countries and has nearly 190,000 employees.
For more information about Saint-Gobain, please visit www.saint-gobain.com.
