Asian Glass AG17-6 Edition

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AG17-6

CAMBODIA:

TIME FOR INVESTMENT 8 1 0 2 r u Yo r e n n a l p r y ea E D I S N I F R EE

Inside: • Low-e coatings technology • NE Asian beverage packaging • Ultrathin in China

PLUS!

news, views, analysis and much, much more!

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Contents: AG 17-6 Regulars

Features

4 Welcome

32 Cambodia: open for investment

Industrial standards take hold in India.

6 Headline News

Openings, closures and industry moves from across Asia.

14 Global View

Our eye on the international arena.

Jahir Ahmed looks at the opportunities presented by this emerging Tiger economy and the investment prospects it presents for ambitious glass-makers…

44 Beverage markets in North Asia

Yogender Malik looks at how the high per capita consumption of container glass in north-east Asia continues to ensure a stronghold for the sector.

18 People and Places

54 Ultrathin prospects for China

24 Batch

60 Ultrathin technology focus

Movers and shakers, ups and downs.

Raw material news and views.

28 Comment & Analysis

AG looks at how rising levels of industrial application are boosting ultrathin glass usage and manufacture within China.

Hannes Spiss of Ove Arup &Partners, UK, discusses some of the technical challenges and aesthetic opportunities for utilising ultrathin glass.

Smart glass options…

54 32 Your favourite magazine is now available at the App Store… download today to see your first sample issue!

Asian Glass: now for mobiles, ipads and androids 2

asianglass AG 17-6

Anaylsis 68 In Focus

Alf Rolandsson and Thim Pettersson discuss how U-values for low-e glass can be standardised and measured in order to establish effectiveness of IGUs in increasingly colder climates.

72 Window

Analysis and insight into China.

76 Refractory Zone

In the last of his exclusive articles for Asian Glass for 2017, P.Carlo Ratto discusses how fused cast makers are facing increasingly challenging circumstances… www.asianglass.com

ENDTOEND Full-Process Excellence

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AG17-6

CAMBODIA: TIM E FOR INVESTMEN

T

arious industrial sectors in India have started the process of notifying mandatory standards for products as “best quality” as they finally believe this is fundamental to pushing economic growth.

Inside: • Low-e coatings technolog y Emphasising upon the importance of quality and standards • NE Asian bevera ge packaging • Ultrathin in Chi na of goods and services, Secretary in the Department of PLUS! news, views, ana lysis and much, muc h more!

Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Ramesh Abhishek, a leading government official, said that to become part of the global value chain, quality should be the best in the world. He said that although the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has developed many mandatory standards but those numbers are relatively “very few”.

Due to this, “we are neither able to enforce such quality standards domestically nor on the imports that come to this country,” he said at the National Quality Conclave organised here by the Quality Council of India. “Now we have also started the process in the right earnest of notifying mandatory standards. Various departments are working on consulting stakeholders for various products and are issuing their quality control orders,” he added.

Abhishek also said that India has only about 150 technical regulations for products, while many other countries like European Union has over 1,500. He also sought cooperation from the domestic industry in this process.

Further, he pitched for an elaborate chain of accredited laboratories for conformity assessments.

There is a need to increase general awareness in industry that enforcement of quality is no longer a option that India has now.

Maintaining high quality and standards for goods and services is important as India is in the process of becoming a major economic power, the secretary said.

In a video message, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said that quality of goods are a key component to drive economic and social development in the country. “Ensuring quality will add value to products… Bringing economic and social core value to the forefront is the major function of quality,” he said.

Speaking at the conclave, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the government is taking steps to improve ease of doing business including scrapping of as many as 1,200 old laws.

India is taking Japanese expertise for high speed train in India as Japan’s quality is one of the best in the world and this would also benefit Indian railways, he said.

He also said that states are taking steps to improve business climate and the DIPP is ranking states on that besides Niti Aayog too is measuring the performance of states on education, health and water management.

“Till you don’t name and shame people, the performance of India will never improve. And therefore this is the only way good governance will become good politics and those civil servants and those politicians who are not delivering should be thrown out or should be voted out,” he added.

Member of Parliament Baijayant Panda too called for improving quality of goods and services in the country.

“Today quality is supremely important,” he said, adding that enforcement of quality standards are important in the backdrop of misleading advertisements covering up poor quality goods.

At last it seems, a government drive to create a more globally preferential image for “made in India”….

Y ou r 2018 yea rpl a nn er F REE IN SIDE

AG Covers_CURR

ENT.indd 2

EDITORIAL Publishing Director Andy Skillen Email: askillen@asianglass.com Direct line: + 44 (0) 208 123 0196

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13/12/2017 12:34

Happy reading…and a happy new year!

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asianglass AG 17-6

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EXHIBITIONS AND CONFERENCES Contact the team on: Email: events@bowheadmedia.com Direct line: + 44 (0) 208 123 0839

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HEADLINE NEWS ASIA Gas supply investment for Linde Taiwan Linde LienHwa has announced investments in production of electronic special gases at two Taiwan facilities - octafluorobutane (C4F8) purification and filling facility in Taichung, and hexachlorodisilane (HCDS) transfill facility in Taoyuan - to enhance its portfolio to meet growing demand from its Taiwanbased and international clients.

Linde LienHwa currently has capacity of over 100 tons of C4F8 per year for use in advanced semiconductor etching processes as well as cleaning production chambers in predominantly oldersized semiconductor tools.

Since the transfill process involves repackaging material into specialized stainless steel vessels while improving the purity and validating the quality, Linde LienHwa's investment in transfilling facility for HCDS is sized to serve both Taiwan and customers throughout Asia. HCDS is used for depositing silicon compounds at very low process temperatures, which is important for making nanoscale electrical insulators in memory and logic processor chips.

During an interview with local media, Linde Electronics' head of Global Electronics Andreas Weisheit and head of Market

Development Paul Stockman pointed out that the company is currently operating in many different value channels. It makes many of the materials in-house.

For some materials, the company purchases them from outside suppliers and purifies them for its clients. It also sources some materials from third-party players and conducts analysis and repackaging-into-container services for semiconductor and electronics clients.

The company has three modes of delivery. Most of its products are produced, purified, and packaged off-site into various sized containers. These range from small-sized gas lecture bottles, to larger gas cylinders, to tube and ISO containers the length of a shipping container.

The materials for the containers are primarily made from stainless steel or aluminum, but can use specialized materials like nickel and alloys to contain more reactive chemicals.

Some of its products are used in such high volumes that its customers use bulk storage tanks located on their sites instead.

Linde LienHwa produces these materials - for example oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide - in ultra-high purity plants off-site, and

transports them in bulk trucks to keep customer tanks topped-up.

Remote monitoring allows the company to optimize deliveries to ensure customers always have adequate supply.

Lastly, nitrogen is used in such high volumes at modern electronic manufacturing plants that it is most economical to produce it onsite, either as a dedicated plant or as part of the network of plants in a science park connected by a common pipeline. Here, production of gaseous nitrogen is continuous, and supply is backedup by storing reserve amounts as liquid. Linde LienHwa and its customers monitor the purity jointly in real time. These on-site nitrogen plants are another way in which Linde LienHwa invests with its customers. Because of the size, cost, and complexity of the plants, planning and construction occur at the same time its customers build their facilities.

This early investment allows customers to have ultra-high purity nitrogen available as soon as the extensive pipework for their plants are put in place.

Linde LienHwa, a joint venture between the Germany-based Linde Group and Taiwan-based LienHwa Industrial, is a manufacturer of bulk and electronic specialty gases

used during the manufacturing of semiconductors, displays, solar panels, LEDs and others. The company has been operating in Taiwan's gas manufacturing and supply industry for over 30 years and has already grown to become a major gas supplier for many electronics players in both Taiwan and China. The company has been increasing its investments in Taiwan. Linde LienHwa moved its global electronics R&D center from the US to Taiwan in 2016. The company expects the R&D center to further enhance the company's development and to provide better quality support to clients. Earlier in 2017, the company also moved its headquarters of Global Electronics from Singapore to Taiwan and reassigned executives to Taiwan to provide better services for their clients in Taiwan and China.

Linde LienHwa said it is not looking to be only a gas material supplier to its clients, but also a trusted partner. With many of its semiconductor clients aggressively advancing into 10nm, 7nm, 5nm, and even 3nm manufacturing processes, and clients from other industries planning to develop new applications, the company has been working closely with all its clients to assist them to achieve their goals.

SMC expands packaging footprint Australia Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. has expanded its footprint in the Australiasian region with the acquisition of Best Bottlers Pty. Ltd., a wine bottling and packaging facility in Victoria, Australia.

This marks the third acquisition in Australia by SMC’s international packaging unit San Miguel Yamamura Packaging International Ltd. (SMYPIL), the group announced in November.

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The acquisition was done through SMYPIL’s Australian subsidiary, San Miguel Yamamura Australasia Pty Ltd. Best Bottlers specializes in various formats of contract filling, including still and sparkling wines, cider, readyto-drink and non-alcoholic beverages, including fruit juices.

Earlier this year, SMC’s packaging arm acquired

Barossa Bottling and Portavin, both in Australia.

Best Bottlers is the group’s fifth acquisition in the region serving the wine industry. In the prior years, the packaging group acquired the assets of Endeavor Glass. of New Zealand, and the cork and wine closures business of Vinocor, and Cospak, another major packaging provider.

“As domestic and export

demands grow, we continue to look for synergies and more opportunities for our packaging business. In line with this, we are building a new glass plant in Cavite to be operational by the end of 2018. Other than glass, we also see the potential to grow other packaging formats like cans, plastics, and tolling businesses,” said Ramon S. Ang, SMC president and chief operating officer.

www.asianglass.com

Gujarat Borosil starts new production facility India India’s sole producer of solar grade glass, Gujarat Borosil has commenced operations at its new facility which can produce 2 mm fully tempered solar glass.

The new technology, innovated by Gujarat Borosil, was launched by R Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, who inaugurated the new tempered glass production facility of the company, at Bharuch, Gujarat.

“This 2mm fully tempered glass truly is the next level evolution for solar power. The 2mm glass to glass modules using bi-facial solar cells will make the power output rise by a

staggering 30%. Plus the life of the module itself will increase to 40 years. Both these new features will result in a further drop in the levelised cost of solar power,” according to Gujarat Borosil management.

The 2mm tempered glass is mainly suitable for glass-glass modules, and helps to reduce weight and increase module efficiency. Borosil claims to have the best solar glass in the world with the lowest iron content (76PPM), free from toxic materials such as antimony and arsenic, and the highest resistance to PID – tested by PI Berlin.

The 2mm glass is processed with the latest AEROFLAT aircushion technology, therefore shows no roller waves, white stripes nor pick-ups on processed glass, according to Borosil.

The glass can be manufactured in different textures including Prismatic-Matt and Matt-Matt, and also has high tensile strength and durability, being able to withstand high wind loads in excess of 2,400 Pa and snow loads greater than 5,400 Pa. With this introduction a new generation of frameless photovolataic modules will take shape. Highlighting the new initiative by the company,

PepsiCo India moves towards more glass India In a bid to add healthier packaging options to their products, PepsiCo India has introduced glass bottles that need not be returned, according to a report by Mint.

PepsiCo India has introduced

NEWS IN BRIEF China Triumph International Engineering Co. signed an agreement with Cairo Glassregarding the construction of a 600 t/d float glass production line in Ramadan City, Cairo, Egypt.

Peng Shou, board chairman and president of CTIEC, met with Esmat, board chairman of Cairo Glass, in Istanbul, Turkey. Both parties signed a strategic partnership agreement, and Shou signed a general contract for the project with Esmat.

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non-returnable glass bottles which have a 'twist-and-turn' cap, similar to the plastic bottles, for the zero-calorie carbonated Pepsi Black.

The company will initially introduce the bottles in metro cities and then sell them in other towns. The price of the product will not change even as the cost of packaging for non-returnable glass bottles is higher than polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, which are currently being used.

The new form of packaging will only be for Pepsi Black initially.

According to the report, Pepsi's foray into non-returnable glass bottle packaging is a first for any carbonated beverage maker.

Even though the bottle is nonreturnable, it can still be reused by consumers.

Raj Rishi Singh, director (marketing for Pepsi), PepsiCo India told the newspaper, "Cola is best enjoyed chilled and from a glass bottle. Non-returnable glass bottles also make on-the-

go consumption possible. And these bottles can be re-used at home. This is an experience driven packaging disruption".

Pepsi is also selling the sparkling version of its water brand Himalayan in glass bottles. Himalayan is a joint venture between Tata Global Beverages and Pepsi.

Pepsi's main rival Coca Cola has non-returnable glass bottles in its United States and Maldives markets for different products, but has not introduced the technology in India yet.

News, views and analysis

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Pradeep Kheruka, Vice Chairman says, “ A roof comprising of solar glass panels supported on polymer frame will now become a vert competitive option to a regular roof.”

Turnover for the group companies Borosil Glass Works, Gujarat Borosil, Hopewell Ceramics and Klasspack, for the year ended March, was INR 5.57 billion. The company expects it to rise to INR 6.50 billion in the current fiscal.

Nashik-based Klasspack makes laboratory glass and Jaipur-based Hopewell Ceramics, opal tableware under the Larah brand.

NEWS IN BRIEF Construction has started in the village of Vinogradnom near Anapa Russia, for a new full-cycle plant for the production of champagne and sparkling wines. The investor in the project in the Kuban is the wine group of companies "Ariant", which includes LLC "Tspi -" Ariant ", LLC" Kuban-Vino "and JSC agrofirma" Yuzhnaya.

Here the whole spectrum of works will be performed: from processing of grapes, champagne, bottling to packing, storage and sale.

The plant for processing grape with a total capacity of 20,000 tons is planned to be launched by 2020.

Modern equipment will allow the company to produce 22 million bottles a year, of which 6.5 million bottles of champagne and sparkling wines and 15.5 million bottles of standard wine.

AG 17-6 asianglass

7

News

BGC to increase container glass capacity Thailand BG Container Glass Company Limited (BGC), a subsidiary of Bangkok Glass Public Company Limited, is planning to manufacture around 144,000 additional tons of container glass in 2018. To achieve this ambitious objective, the leading Asian container glass manufacturer is building a new factory, Ratchaburi Glass Industry Company Limited, in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. BGC is also making a commitment to innovation by entrusting GPS Glassproduktions-Ser vice GmbH with the installation of IS machines and state-of-the-art technology at its new Ratchaburi factory. IS machine specialist GPS was awarded the contract for this large- scale project with its innovative, tailor-made solutions and comprehensive service portfolio. It will be supplying and commissioning five new hot-end IS machine lines and providing extended post-installation support. This new, ultra-modern and efficiently equipped factory will enable BGC to continue building its leadership in Thailand and in the Asian market.

IS machine expert, GPS Glasproduktions-Service GmbH, offers both module adaptations and all-inclusive solutions to customers. In this project for its longstanding international customer BGC, it is again demonstrating its commitment to being a full-service provider.

A new container glass factory is currently being built in Photharam District, which is located in Thailand’s Ratchaburi Province.

Five new IS machine lines at the Ratchaburi Glass Industry Co. Ltd. factory will commence the heating up for its starting from July 2018. The double and triple gob IS machines at the new facility are entirely GPS-made – from servo feeder up to cross conveyor and stacker, including the control and drive system.

Supplying all the equipment for the new factory is one of the biggest projects that GPS has ever undertaken, and it confirms the robustness of the German IS machine specialist. However,

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will benefit from the long-term support that GPS provides.

“We continue working with our partners after the installation of our IS machines to ensure that the customer doesn’t experience any initial problems with GPS technology. So we’ll be supporting BGC for another twelve months after the IS machines are put into operation there," explained Themann.

TG 4 1⁄4” under glass ready to produce in DG and TG

in a project of this size, the IS machines themselves and the implementation phase aren’t the only important aspects. GPS has to effectively collaborate with the customer, which involves in- depth discussions and idea sharing before the project kicks off, as well as comprehensive GPS Glasproduktions-Service GmbH T +49 201 – 36 00771 W www.gps-essen.com Ruhrglasstrasse 50, 45329 Essen, Germany F +49 201 – 36 00-737 E info@gps-essen.de employee training, start-up support and long-term support.

This overall concept, which is also being applied in the largescale BGC project, reflects the GPS ‘everything under one roof’ philosophy. It was this quality that enabled GPS to secure the contract. The core project phase will be completed by August 2018. It’s an ambitious target considering that the project only commenced in May 2017, but GPS isn’t concerned.

“We’re confident that we can close out the project on time and within budget,” said GPS CEO Rolf Themann.

GPS’s innovative strength and technical excellence have developed strongly since the management buyout almost two years ago. Very soon after becoming an independent company the IS machine expert had a genuine innovation push

and registered numerous new patents. Now GPS is exploiting these strengths in the BGC project. The majority of the IS machines have modern servo technology. They also incorporate new mechanisms and processes such as the Proko gob weight control system. All modules are configured for plant’s specific requirement situation. “We want to help BGC to move forward in its market with our state-of-the-art IS machines.

We always source the optimum technical solution for the customer, whether it’s standard or custom-made,” explained Rolf Themann. The additional production capacity provided by the new factory, plus the use of ultra-modern and efficient GPS technology, will continue BGC as being the market leader.

The very latest technology facilitates growth, improves efficiency and ensures the profitable future of the container glass sector.

However, for this to happen, the factory personnel need the necessary technical knowhow. That’s where GPS’s fullservice support comes in. To provide the machine operators with the best possible training before the IS machines are commissioned, GPS sets up a training station that is used both for training and testing purposes. BGC additionally

Innovation and stability In a complex project such as the equipment of a new production facility, innovation and technical excellence aren’t the only things that count. “This kind of a large-scale project involves a lot of coordination.

There are fundamental decisions to be made, such as the choice of machine and the level of technology. Our customers trust us to draw on our vast experience and help them make those decisions,” said Rolf Themann, describing the project framework.

A giant in the making

BGC is one of the leading and most advanced manufacturers of container glass in Asia. Established in 1974, the company today operates five glass container factories with a combined production capacity of 3,335 tons per day. That corresponds to around 12-17 million glass bottles. BGC isn’t just the largest container glass manufacturer in Thailand, but also in the entire ASEAN region. It manufactures glass packaging products for the domestic and international food & beverages markets and also offers a range of other packaging materials.

Recently, Bangkok Glass Public Company Limited, the parent company of BGC, has expanded its business in float glass industry under BGF brand for construction and automotive industry aiming to be the Total Glass Solution provider.

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The small number of moveable parts leads to lower mechanical wear, which is in addition to the out-standing maximum acceleration of 16 m/s² and a top speed of 300 m/min one of the drive technology’s advantages. The SprintCut is especially suitable for cutting of large, high-quality glass sheets with various coatings.

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best in glass processing

News

BGF launches glass panel factory Thailand BGF (or BGF Glass Co Ltd), a manufacturer and distributor of float glass panels operating under Bangkok Glass (BG), has commenced production at its first glass production factory.

BGF Kabinburi Glass is located in Srimahaphote, Prachinburi, covering an area of 150 rai and has a production capacity of 219,000 tonnes per year. The factory’s construction budget of Bt5 billion is expected to expand the business to meet the demands of both domestic and Asean countries.

Begun in 2014, BGF is now Thailand's only glass manufacturer, aiming to be the “total glass solutions provider,” said Somporn Temudomsomboon,

senior executive vice president for group production.

The BGF Kabinburi Glass factory is the company’s first factory with production capacity of 219,000 tonnes per year and a construction budget of around Bt5 billion.

The factory is a cooperation with their global partner, Glas Trösch Holding AG, a major manufacturer of glass products and float glass from Switzerland. Their team developed an advanced technology and modernised production processes.

“BGF is the first company in the Thailand to introduce production technology of hard coated glass,” said Somporn.

“BGF also implements glass

quality inspection technology that measure the thickness and scans for any contamination in the glass before delivery to the customers. Customers can trust the quality and the standard of our products."

Thailand's glass industry has an annual growth of 5-7 per cent with the total market value of Bt12 billion. Imported glass accounts for 20 per cent or Bt2.4 billion of the total market value.

“This shows that there is an inadequate glass production in the country to meet market demand,” said Somporn. “BGF, therefore, is a new manufacturer who is well equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing technology and has strong business strategies.

BGF is ready to become a major glass manufacturer for Thailand and Asean.”

Chokchai Srisoonthorn, general manager of BG Float Glass Co Ltd noted that BGF would begin producing clear glass panels. “We will be the first in the country to use innovative technologies … including a quality control system by camera scanning. There are also other technologies that were codeveloped with Glas Trösch, making our factory highly efficient in glass production, which also adds value and variety of our glass products.” Their products include tempered glass, laminated glass and energy-saving glass or “BGF Natural Cool”.

modernised and feature fully automated inspection capabilities at Incheon and Onyang.

High performance inspection, a reduction of spare parts inventories, reduced operating costs and the Smartline’s digitalisation capabilities were

essential elements of Kumbi’s purchasing decision.

The SmartLine was manufactured entirely at Heye’s Obernkirchen factory in Germany, while Kumbi’s operational team was trained both at the Heye cold end training centre and at neighbouring glassworks.

Kumbi opts for Heye South Korea The country’s glass container manufacturer Kumbi Corp has installed Heye International’s latest SmartLine check inspection equipment at its Incheon and Onyang manufacturing sites.

The SmartLine device includes Heye’s latest cold end

equipment innovations, including a high speed outfeed belt, multi servo drives, high precision check detection and multi-point non-contact thickness detection.

The equipment replaces existing inspection machines at Kumbi’s two factories, which have been completely

Sisecam opts for XPAR hot end technology Turkey Turkey-based container glass manufacturing firm, Şişecam Glass Packaging is installing new XPAR Vision Hot End technology in its facilities in Yenisehir, Eskisehir and Mersin.

The installation of XPAR Vision IGC (InfraRed Gobweight Control) systems at their blowblow production lines will allow the packaging firm to expand the control of the forming process by automatic closed loop control of the weight of the gobs, undertaken by IGC. Designed as an add-on to XPAR Vision’s IR camera systems, the IGC will help container glass manufacturers to improve increases the glass-formingprocess capabilities.

Sisecam Eskisehir plant

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production manager Cengizhan Göçer said: “We have installed XPAR Vision IGC systems for Gob Weight Control in several blowblow production lines and we are appreciated to their performance.

“For our most important customers we decided to install more automatic control systems to increase the stability and repeatability of the bottle forming process.”

Sisecam said that the technology would help extend the control of the forming process by automatic closed loop control of the weight of the gobs which is performed by IGC. Additionally, the XPAR Vision’s technology will allows the plant’s operators to benefit from the automated closed loop to

regulate stable weight of the bottles produced, providing less than 0,3% accuracy of the bottle weight, the firm noted.

Sisecam Glass Packaging group production vice-president Mustafa Çetiner: “The Hot End systems from XPAR Vision help us to increase our performance in terms of quality and output. The technology allows our operators and specialists to continuously reduce the variations in the forming process.”

Sisecam Glass Packaging manufactures glass packaging with various volumes and colors for the food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics sectors.

The news comes shortly after the company announced that it

is to build a 410t/d furnace at its Eskişehir glass packaging factory in Turkey. When finished, this will increase the annual production capacity of glass packaging in Turkey to approximately 1.2 million tonnes by launching the new furnace that will be equipped with new technology in accordance with Industry 4.0 and have a production capacity of 150 thousand tonne per year.

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14/12/16

09:04

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, Tomorrow s Technology Today

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Bohle: our first choice supplier.“

The world’s leading glass companies come to FIC with their electric boost/heating projects E-glass Installations up to 3,500kW in oxy-fired furnaces for

extra tonnage, improved glass quality and no strand breakages.

Container glass Various installations in flint and coloured glasses, up to 2,500kW, for increased output and quality.

Float glass Boosting installations, from single-zone 1,000kW to 3-zone 6,000kW designs, to increase clear output, maintain tinted output, save energy and reduce emissions. Multiple bubbler installations.

Display glass Numerous installed power projects, up to 1000kW for TFT/LCD glasses - using tin oxide electrode blocks for exceptional glass quality.

Electric furnaces New designs for most glasses, including

opal. Complete technical back-up for melting quality improvement from raw materials through to forehearth and all operational problems. Troubleshooting service on all existing furnace designs.

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Silberschnitt® cutting wheels are available in a wide variety of different dimensions, cutting angles and grinds.

The cutting wheels are available in tungsten carbide and also in PCD. The Silberschnitt cutting wheels from Bohle are accurately manufactured with high precision machinery and deliver excellent cutting results and long service life.

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News

Jeddah Tower gets Guardian cladding Saudia Arabia Developers of Jeddah Tower – what will be the world’s tallest building – have selected Guardian Glass to supply the façade glass for the project’s over onekilometer-high landscape.

Guardian Glass is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of float and highperformance energy-efficient coated glass products.

Jeddah Tower (also known as Kingdom Tower) is an unprecedented project that dares to go beyond the one-kilometer threshold.

The over $1.2billion USD (£800million) supertall building structure, to be completed in 2019, will cover an area of 5.3 million square meters and include 439 apartments, 200 hotel rooms, 59 elevators and 2,205 parking spaces.

It is set to break new world records for tallest building, highest occupied floor, highest architectural top, highest tip and highest sky terrace.

Guardian Glass will provide more than 400,000 square meters, the area of approximately 55 football fields, of aesthetic and functional glass panels that meet the iconic landmark’s complex energy and performance requirements.

The glass chosen for the massive structure is a custommade, double-pane glass system combining Guardian Glass’ popular SunGuard® Silver 20 and SunGuard® Neutral 60 coated glass products. The robust technology is made to withstand a 2.5-meter radius sway without breakage or leakage.

Guardian Glass Middle East & Africa General Manager Mohammad Al Ibrahim said, “The unprecedented size and height of the Jeddah Tower required us to carefully work with the business team to select a glass system that offers a balance between energy savings and light transmission. For that reason, we have combined two of our most popular and reliable

Glaston seals SYP furnace deal China Glaston has closed a deal for an FC Series double-chamber tempering furnace to Shanghai Yaohua Pilkington Glass Group Co., Ltd (SYP Group).

The machine will be delivered to the customer in spring 2018.

SYP Group, established in 1983, is one of China’s biggest glass manufacturers in the architectural segment.

Through on-going research and development, SYP Group strives for continuous manufacturing improvements in areas related to high performance, energy efficiency, safety and sustainability, offering products such as Low-E coated glass, solar power systems and energy-saving insulated glass units.

As demand for high quality glass is growing in China, SYP Group chose the FC furnace for its stability and advanced technology.

“As quality requirements are

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Guardian SunGuard products that we are confident will offer the best performance without compromising aesthetics.”

As a high-performance, solarreflective coated glass, the exterior SunGuard® Silver 20 pane will help block daytime heat yet allow for abundant natural light and provide a luxurious silver-green aesthetic. The interior pane, with SunGuard® Neutral 60, will help protect against indirect nighttime heat.

The skyscraper’s unique, circular, glass-floored sky terrace, located more than 610 meters (2,000 feet) above ground level, will also be supplied by Guardian Glass. Once completed, the new world’s highest sky terrace will overlook the Red Sea. Jeddah Tower Project Director John Zerafa of United Arab Aluminium Co. (UACC) said, “Guardian Glass was specified

by Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architects. I have worked on the Burj Khalifa, and the Guardian

Glass team was there every step of the way, from glass manufacturing to technical support. Guardian Glass provides more value in comparison to other glass suppliers.”

“Our commitment to a project extends well beyond the production and supply of glass through processing, fabrication and cladding until the project is complete,” added Merritt Gaunt, Vice President, Middle East and Asia, Guardian Glass. “We are pleased to be the supplier of choice for this landmark project.”

The glass will be manufactured at the Al Jubail Guardian plant, then delivered to UAAC factor y in Jeddah, where the glass will be processed into double glazed units, structurally glazed to the frame with high-per formance secondar y structural sealant applied. The fully assembled curtain wall system will then be delivered to site for installation.

AGC opts for Nishal hydrogen India

tightening, SYP needed a new tempering furnace with latest technology for capacity, energy efficiency and optical quality of the end product.

"The new FC Series furnace includes also the iLooK Distortion and Anisotropy online glass quality measurement system and the furnace meets all the tempering requirements that SYP was looking for,” says Frank Zhang, SVP, Sales and Service, Asia of Glaston Corporation.

“After much thought, we finally chose the Glaston FC Series furnace, and we believe this will be another breakthrough for our already long-term cooperation,” says Ms. LU Ming Hong, Vice President of SYP Group.

During the last 22 years, Glaston has provided SYP with 22 high quality tempering furnaces for glass used in stateof-the art buildings

Nishal, a leading industrial gas supplier in India recently commissioned a hydrogen plant capable of supplying high purity gas to Asahi India Glass Limited, a leading manufacturer of float glass in the country.

The facility, designed to ensure uninterrupted supply of the gas, started supplies in October. The gas, utilised in the tin bath, is extremely vital element in the manufacturing of glass.

Nishal, a leader in supplying hydrogen gas via cascade trolleys also offers integrated on-site hydrogen gas generation solutions through technology tie ups with leading technology providers for manufacturing hydrogen through reforming and electrolysis process. These plants are offered on BOO (BuildOwn-Operate) basis to cater to customers need for reliable, low cost, ultra high pure hydrogen gas.

The company owns and operates these facilities as per the safety standards supplying high purity hydrogen gas through pipeline under long term gas supply contracts with the customers across various industries.

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Losing sleep about your glass plant?

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I know the pressure that the glassmaker is under: time, productivity, quality, just to name a few. But the one thing glassmakers can be assured of, is HORN’s service and support. An important element of our mission is to relieve the pressure on glassmakers in every way possible. From cutting-edge technologies helping boost productivity, to innovative concepts like ecofurbish®: the affordable, ecological and economical optimization of glass plants. So, whether you need a complete turn-key glass plant or a single burner or even a spare part, visit www.hornglass.com or contact me – I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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News

Global View

Deposit system to reduce glass waste BELARUS The amount of garbage in Belarus is planned to be reduced thanks to a deposit system for collecting empty containers. This has been stated by the co-chairman of the Union of Legal Entities "Republican Confederation of Entrepreneurship" Victor Margelov.

"The introduction of a deposit system is a question that can not be translated into money, where our children will live? In the mountains of garbage? A glass bottle is a material that does not decompose at all, that's why glass should not fall on landfills in principle! There is a positive experience of the USSR, where the bottle was wrapped up more than 8 times before turning into cullet, and we buy a disposable,

beautiful, often imported bottle, which is dirty and unsuitable for re-use, then the bums are collected as cullet, no more than 10% is used again " he is quoted as saying.

V.Margelov reminded that earlier an empty bottle could be handed over for 12 kopecks, which is several times more expensive than the cost price.

"This was a pledge price, with the introduction of it now, drinks in glass containers will rise in price only once, until the buyer gives up the packaging and returns the overpaid." You did not give up - you reward those who take it out of the trash. bonus 15%, "- he said.

As UNN reported, Belarus

can get ahead of Ukraine in introducing a deposit system for collecting bottles.

With the same declaration of intentions to introduce this system, Belarus has moved far more than Ukraine. First of all, the need to introduce such a system has been introduced by a separate item into the Belarusian National Agency for Waste Management. In addition, the government is actively working to create an infrastructure for the effective launch of the system.

Meanwhile, Ukraine "grazes the back". The bill registered by a group of people's deputies is still not considered, and all the recommendations of Germany on the need for this

kind of environmental protection are unrequited. Recall, the deposit (collateral) collection system successfully operates in Sweden, Germany, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Estonia. For example, in Norway, thanks to this system, 95% of containers are collected, in Finland - 93.3%, and in Denmark - 89%.

The principle of the deposit system of collecting tare is that when you deliver the packaging in a special machine - it returns some of the money paid when buying a drink. The more bottles are surrendered - the more tare can be reused or recycled. This, in turn, reduces the amount of debris that settles in the oceans and landfills.

Xinyi to invest in float plant?

CANADA Xinyi Glass Holdings plans to invest $450 million into a large float glass plant to be located in Ontario, Canada. It will be the company’s first North American manufacturing facility, and Canada’s first operating float glass plant since Owen Sound’s PPG glassmaking plant closed in 2008.

The announcement was made at the end of November by Ontario

Premier Kathleen Wynne.

She signed an agreement in principle with the company earlier this week. The plan is expected to create 400 new jobs in Ontario.

Wynne made the announcement in Nanjing, China as part of a series of agreements between Chinese organizations and the Canadian province exceeding $1 billion.

“Much like Ontario, Nanjing is a leader in innovative technology.

The partnerships we’ve created today reinforce our shared commitment to collaboration, ensuring our businesses can continue to innovate and grow in a rapidly changing global economy,” says Wynne.

“The signings in Jiangsu build on the success of previous

missions and are a testament to the strength of our economic and cultural partnership over the past 30 years,” says Michael Chan, minister of international trade.

“Through Ontario’s Global Trade Strategy, the province continues to create the right conditions for businesses to succeed at home while helping them start or scale up their export capacity.”

Corning looks for pharma glass growth UNITED STATES Corning says it is planning to increase manufacturing capacity for its Valor Glass packaging technology to take advantage of a multi-billion dollar industry.

In August, Corning launched Valor Glass which had been tested as a packaging solution for injectable drugs in vials and cartridges through collaborations with Big Pharma firms Pfizer and Merck & Co. The glass is being supplied through contracts with Italy-based Stevanato Group and Germanyheadquartered Gerresheimer,

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but speaking at the Credit Suisse 21st Annual Technology, Media & Telecom Conference recently, Corning CFO Tony Tripeny said it will soon up capacity. “[Corning is] in the process of finalising plans for manufacturing capacity and we will be announcing more details in the coming months,” he told investors.

He described Corning’s Valor Glass as “a revolutionary breakthrough in pharmaceutical glass packaging technology,” which improves pharmaceutical manufacturing by “dramatically

reducing particle contamination, breaks and cracks by significantly increasing throughput.”

As such he said it represents “an outstanding opportunity” for Corning to build on its base life sciences business and build a “new long-term multibillion-dollar franchise” within the pharma packaging sector.

“Although, this industry moves at a deliberate pace we believe Valor has the potential the power Corning growth for the next decade and beyond. The industry is excited about our innovation and

announcements and we continue to make strong progress.”

Back in June, Corning said it makes around $800m annually from the life science space, but the market opportunity is as much as $12bn and growing.

“The current market for pharmaceutical packaging is $4bn and growing at 5% annually.

In addition, the industry spends another $8bn each year on issues associated with glass quality. In total, that’s a $12bn addressable opportunity,” said CEO Wendell Weeks, at the time.

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News

Condat acquires Renite FRANCE/UNITED STATES CONDAT Corp. Hhas acquired RENITE lubricants activities.

Expertise in glass and metal forging industries, together with long established skills in lubrication, are commons assets of both companies that made this acquisition natural.

With this agreement, CONDAT extends its range of lubricants for glass, forging and metal industries and strengthen its diversification strategy in North America.

Established in 1932, Renite Company has long been regarded for specialized lubricants and custom solutions for the forge and glass industry.

It offers high temperature industrial lubricants, such as moldrelease and die-release agents, for the hollow glass and hot-working metal industries. These fields present a challenge to lubricants, as they require high technical know-how in their formulation.

Since 1854, CONDAT formulates and produces a wide range of lubricants for the world of industry, with always the same goal: providing lubricants with high added technical value that are adapted to its clients’ manufacturing process. Through its expertise and know-how,

CONDAT develops fire resistance fluids, technical greases, metal forming lubricants, cutting fluids and many other products that have made a name of the company and positioned itself as world leader in numerous application fields, such as wire drawing. CONDAT is also well-known as a supplier to the glass and forging industry.

Long term vision is another common point for these two family owned companies. It gets illustration in CONDAT’s main value ‘Build to last’. CONDAT’s philosophy has always been to improve the performance and safety of its lubricants mainly focused on customer satisfaction. Based on monitoring technological developments and research, CONDAT endeavors to invent tomorrow’s solutions in a perspective of sustainable development.

For glass working and metal forging needs, RENITE and CONDAT show similar and matching offer.

RENITE, long a leader in these lubrication areas, has included solid lubricants, such as graphite, to create solid lubricating films on the hot mold and die surfaces.

With regard to the hollow glass

industry, RENITE products include swabbing lubricants such as those for mold release in the container manufacturing applications, as well as sprayable products for tableware. Furthermore, RENITE produces various lubricants for all stages in which the glass requires lubrication, from shears to lehrs.

In the hot working metal industry, customers use RENITE products to produce a wide a variety of forgings and extrusions from other forming process. Many Renite hot working metal lubricants have the added advantage of being water-based, so as to reduce or eliminate the amount of smoke generated from burning of oils.

With a long experience and more than 30 years of partnership with important glass groups, CONDAT offers a complete range of lubricants and coatings meeting the requirements of the evolving glass process.

For container glass (packaging and tableware): soluble oils for shear spray, neat oils for scoop and delivery, deflectors, mold release lubricants and synthetic oils for central lubrication of IS Machines. For flat glass: lubricants for cutting, grinding, glass protection, marking inks,

flocculants… For optical and ophthalmic glass: coolants for processing and surfacing, flocculants.

In the field of hot forging, CONDAT lubricants have proven their efficiency and high lubricity power on mechanical presses, hydraulic presses, hammers, horizontal press,… and support the forming of materials such as: steels and stainless steels, aluminum, brass or alloys of titanium, nickel, super alloys... They perform to increase die lifetime and productivity.

The range include waterbased lubricants, graphite oils and greases, coatings and protection products.

KEY DATA: CONDAT Group • Headquarters: FRANCE • Turnover: 163 M€ • 636 employees • R&D workforce : 52 people CONDAT Corp • Location: Saline, MI • 4O employees • Building Size: 100,000sq. ft.

• Located on 10 acres • ISO 9001 certification

Glaston closes major US deal UNITED STATES Glaston Corporation has closed a deal with U.S based Manko Windows Systems for a FC Series™ tempering furnace and ProL™ lamination line. The order was received in several parts, most of the value in the second quarter and the remaining in the third quarter. The lines will be delivered to the customer by the end of this year.

Founded in 1989, Manko Windows Systems has three manufacturing locations, and provides high end aluminium windows, curtain wall, and insulated glass, among others.

In 2002, Manko purchased it first two Glaston tempering lines. Manko and Glaston continued their long partnership in 2015, with the delivery of two FC Series™ tempering lines, and

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then a third line in 2016.

This new FC Series™ furnace will mark the fourth FC machine to be delivered. All four lines have the iLook Distortion™ online measuring system, and this latest line will come with the new iLook Anisotropy™ online scanning system that visualizes and quantifies the level of anisotropy or iridescence in heat-treated glass thus giving the processor a tool to continuously monitor quality and improve production methods.

Along with this new FC Series™, Manko has also placed an order for the state of the art ProL™ flat glass lamination line. The ProL™ laminating furnace’s convection system provides accurate and optimized heat transfer. This gives consistently

superb glass quality and an up to 100% capacity increase over traditional infrared heating.

“From the very beginning, Manko has been able to continually grow their business by providing their customers with a tremendous product.

They have consistently invested in industry leading technology.

They continue to do this, not only with their fourth FC Series™ furnace, but also with the new ProL™ lamination line” says Scott Steffy, VP Sales and Service, Glaston America.

“We are driven to provide our customers with high quality, on-time products, through our P&D, and cutting edge equipment. Our long standing partnership with Glaston, built with top end machinery, and

exceptional service, enables us to do just this. The glass quality is also exceptional, and the energy savings are even higher than expected”, says Gary Jones, President, Manko Windows Systems.

News, views and analysis Subscribe to Asian Glass and get the inside story EVERY issue.. www.asianglass.com www.asianglass.com

News News

Recycling expansion shows green path ahead UNITED STATES Among North America's largest glass recyclers, Strategic Materials, Inc. has started up production at its new 'state-of-the-art' glass processing plant in Delavan, Wisconsin. The 12 000 m2 facility will replace the company's plant at East Troy in the same US state.

The city of Delevan was chosen by the company in partnership

with state recycling organisations including the Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin, the Solid Waste Association of North America and the Wisconsin Counties Solid Waste Manager Association - as a centralised location to help defray material recovery facility logistics costs in transporting glass from the state's most densely populated

O-I to build 5th furnace MEXICO O-I is set to build a fifth furnace at its glass container production plant in Nava, Mexico.

The world’s largest glass container manufacturer has also expanded its 50-50 joint venture with Constellation Brands.

The joint venture operates the container production plant in Nava, Mexico that provides bottles exclusively for Constellation's adjacent brewery.

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The brewery brews Mexican beer brands for export to the United States, which is the fastest growing category in beer in the US. The relationship now provides for the addition of a fifth furnace at the plant and has extended the term of the joint venture agreement by ten years, to 2034.

The original joint venture agreement included the

cities. Some 121 000 tonnes of glass enters the recycling stream on an annual basis, it is estimated.

'We are delighted to provide a solution to the state of Wisconsin for glass recycling,' comments Strategic Materials' president and ceo Denis Suggs. 'Our new facility was built to better serve not only our customers, but also our

suppliers. We've nearly doubled our capacity, and are able to meet end-market demand with a higherquality product.'

In the USA, recycled glass is used primarily for container glass and fibre glass manufacturing, resulting in 'up to 30% energy savings, and reduction in CO2 emissions'.

expansion of the glass production plant from one furnace to four furnaces by 2018. Three furnaces currently operate with the fourth furnace expected to be operational in the first half of 2018.

To meet rising demand from Constellation's brewery, the new relationship provides for the addition of a fifth furnace, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2019. The Nava plant will be the largest container factory in the world once the furnace is installed.

The capacity expansion is estimated to cost approximately $140 million and will be financed by equal contributions from both partners.

O-I CEO Andres Lopez said: "This investment will allow both companies to realise additional attractive opportunities in Mexican beer exports to the US, leveraging the success at the joint venture's factor y in Nava, while bolstering O-I's relationship with a key strategic customer."

AG 17-6 asianglass

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News

People and Places

HEGLA boraident secures jobs and know-how Germany Following a very brief period of insolvency after the company fell into financial difficulties, the 17 employees of boraident in Halle an der Saale (SaxonyAnhalt, Germany) can breathe a sigh of relief. The HEGLA Group, headquartered in Beverungen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (with approx. 550 employees worldwide), is taking over the site on 5th October, 2017. All current employees and patents will be incorporated into the newly founded HEGLA boraident GmbH & Co. KG. There is also good news for former boraident customers: the company’s services, consulting and ongoing projects will continue unchanged, as will the product portfolio. In addition, customers’ familiar points of contact will remain available as usual.

The two companies are linked by their expertise in glass. Since 2004, they have collaborated on several customer projects, thereby expanding their know-how. As specialists in mechanical engineering, for over 40 years HEGLA has been a market leader and technological pioneer in glass storage, loading, cutting, residual sheet handling, and sorting. Since the company was founded in 2000, boraident has specialised in the laser marking, structuring and functionalisation of glass. The

The foundation of HEGLA boraident will secure the future of 17 jobs in what was formerly boraident, as well as its laser know-how. Mutually satisfied with the result: Jochen H. Hesselbach (CEO, HEGLA), Dr. Johann Dorner (Head of Sales, HEGLA boraident), Dr. Thomas Rainer (Head of Technology, HEGLA boraident), Bernhard Hötger (COO, HEGLA Beverungen and HEGLA Kretzschau) (f.l.t.r.).

company’s product range also includes technical applications and products for identifying machine-readable codes, as well as the laser-assisted production of glass diaphragms and test systems in the glass sensors division.

The HEGLA CEO Jochen H. Hesselbach, stresses that boraident’s many years of knowledge and expertise in laser technology for glass can be retained in the new subsidiary, and sees a bright future for the new division. “We have known the boraident team for many years, and have enjoyed

an extremely constructive, partnership-oriented, innovative working relationship with them”, he emphasises.

In the run-up to the foundation of the new company, Dr. Johann Dorner and Dr. Thomas Rainer held talks with HEGLA on behalf of boraident. “Against the backdrop of rapidly growing orders, we are looking forward to a secure future with a strong partner. HEGLA will support us with new sales channels and additional glass know-how, and will create the framework conditions to further optimise the position of our products in

the market”, say Dr. Dorner and Dr. Rainer with great conviction.

Both experts will also hold central positions in the new company.

According to HEGLA COO Bernhard Hötger, customers of HEGLA will also benefit from the new subsidiary’s solutions. “The first step will be offering the option of machinereadable, material friendly laser marking for our cutting systems. In the second step, the laser technology will allow us to get a lot closer to our vision of Industry 4.0”, explains Bernhard Hötger. The consistent use of laser marking on glass not only means that each sheet can be clearly identified at any time: "We can also fully digitise the entire production process, and consign it to each sheet of glass. This means that we can directly control the cutting process via the product, and can thus decentralise the process”, says the long-standing COO. Another aspect of HEGLA’s strategy is also evident: thanks to the new company’s enhanced laser know-how, further developments in the laser-film cutting of laminated safety glass can also be expected more quickly.

It was agreed that the amount of the takeover bid should remain confidential.

Appointment at BEUMER Group Germany Guido Hesse (50) has taken charge of Customer Support at the BEUMER Group headquarters in Beckum, Germany, recently.

As the new director, he controls and coordinates the global centre of competence and defines, together with his team, the technical and organisational principles of services and support for the BEUMER products.

"We see our task not only in preventing malfunctions and machine breakdowns, which would lead to long downtimes", says Hesse. "No matter what industry, our customers have

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to meet the ever increasing market demands and improve the capacity of the equipment, for example. And we take care of this." An industrial engineering graduate, Hesse's objective is to further advance the strategic development of his international team and ensure smooth

communication between the different locations worldwide.

The new director of Customer Support can draw on his comprehensive experience.

Before joining BEUMER Group he held various commercial management positions in the machine and plant engineering industry with a strong focus on international business. Hesse took care of subsidiaries abroad and worked as commercial director in Mexico. He realised successful turnkey projects in large-scale plant engineering for the cement industry. Since 2013 he has been working for BEUMER

Group. Prior to his appointment as director of Customer Support, he was managing director of the Mexican group company.

Asian Glass: mobiles, ipads & androids

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News

Bottero celebrates with new contracts from multinationals Italy It was 1957 when Pasquale Bottero left his job at a glass manufacturer’s shop in Vernante (Piedmont) to launch Bottero Costruzioni Meccaniche jointly with Antonino Faccenda, and to introduce the earliest innovations in flat glass processing machines.

Sixty years later, Bottero spa of Cuneo celebrates its leadership position in the world of glass. And it did so in style on Saturday, October 21st, with a ‘Family Day’ dedicated to its employees, partners and their families, attended by more than 1,000 guests. The Cuneobased company exports 95% of its product overseas, owns 4 manufacturing plants around the world and, thanks to its ability to land ongoing work orders in the industries in which it operates, has set its sights, by 2020, on breaking the 200 million-euro ceiling in annual sales. At this time, there are more than 50,000 Bottero machines installed around the world, on every continent.

Reliable products, the result of ongoing investments in research and development, they continue to meet customers’ needs.

“These first 60 years of

business activity have made Bottero the only company in the world to provide a complete range of solutions for all the flat and hollow glass processing sectors, manufacturing products for smalland medium-sized businesses as well as production lines for large international industrial groups – remarks Aldo Faccenda, director of Human Resources for Bottero spa -. With 60 years of experience, our multinational plays a lead role in the production of glass processing machines and systems, providing reliable, innovative, technological products while also paying the utmost attention to the needs of our customers. These are qualities that continue to allow the company to win new, key contracts for the manufacture of sophisticated lines for groups that are global leaders in glass manufacturing and to outdo contenders from Germany and Japan, countries that are traditional competitors with Italy in the production of machine tools for the glass industry. Perhaps not many people are aware of it, but the glass for smartphones, tablets and iPads, a part of the

typical mobile devices we all have, is made with Bottero machines.

Which is sort of like saying that every Italian (and many others, too) probably has electronic devices in their pockets with ‘made by Bottero’ components”.

An example of that, we recently acquired three new orders for laminated glass systems: two lines for the US Guardian Group for its plants in Hungary and Thailand, and one for Saint Gobain, for a German facility that is part of the French industrial group. Overall value of the three orders: more than 10 million euros.

“The contract in Germany, with Saint Gobain, is the third awarded to Bottero this year by the French Group, on the heels of two float lines, one in India and one in Poland – explains Marco Giraudo, sales manager for the Bottero spa Engineering division -. It is an extremely innovative line that manufactures over-sized glass sheets (6 x 3.21 meters) every 45 seconds, with output glass thicknesses that range from 4 to 30 millimeters. Another unique feature – continues Giraudo – is that the plant’s operations are

all automated: the line operator’s only job is to oversee the process”.

Delivery of the line is scheduled for February 2018.

“The partnership between Bottero and the Guardian Group is longstanding. At the plant in Thailand, there is already a ‘made by Bottero’ float line, to which we will be adding another new plant for laminated glass.

The Group has also decided to invest in Hungary, contracting with Bottero for a very high-tech line -- increasingly in demand in the Industry 4.0 era. The two lines have features similar to those for the line produced for Saint Gobain, and their delivery is scheduled for the first few months of 2018”.

“Bottero has set out on a course of action with a specific growth objective in mind – concludes a company spokesperson -: to reach 200 million euros in sales by the end of the decade. To be able to meet our goal, we will need to maximize the combined skills of our divisions that are the pillars of Bottero’s success; that is, the standard and special machines for flat glass and the solutions for hollow glass”.

GPD Turkey: spearheading new innovations

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are open to all trade fair visitors free-of-charge. We encourage all who are interested in participating in this innovation event or are willing to be a speaker to submit their abstract / proposals through our website. Funding in support of participation for startup companies and research institutions may be available on request.

Novel concepts in Istanbul The fourth GPD Istanbul Conference has been developed in many ways in comparison with previous events. The venue is new and so is the program timing.

The GPD seminar is now located in the Fair Area itself with the Innovation Corner attached to the event. The previous three GPD Istanbul seminars attracted some 200-300 participants each while the main exhibition drew over 60,000 visitors from 93 countries in 2017.

We have noted the great interest for a regionally adapted GPD in Eurasia, Jorma Vitkala comments. We expect attendance in 2018 to at least match the past seminars which, added to the previous three participation numbers, means that by 2018 a total of well over 1,000 regional specialists will have shared and contributed to our messages from the top of the glass world.

This enables us to produce a program that is well adapted to regional conditions and yet includes the state-of-the-art of the glass industry. Presentations of new trends, technologies and applications with simultaneous English/Turkish interpretation boost the efficiency of the event.

Participants can expect case studies ranging from architectural and structural design issues to information of the types of glass used and how the building envelope was made. Processing

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CM

MY

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Turkey The world´s leading glass Conference, GPD, brings its special regional application to Istanbul, Turkey, now for the fourth time March 7-10, 2018.

GPD program in conjunction with the Eurasia Window, Glass and Door Exhibition puts a special emphasis on new innovations in the design, use and processing of glass.

The GPD tradition has always been one of spreading information and technology through information sharing, says GPD Chairman Jorma Vitkala. This time we will create a new type of venue set-up around an Innovation Corner designated to promote effective exchange of recent technology. The arrangement will provide opportunities for start-up companies as well as established firms to present their latest innovations for both seminar and exhibition participants. The seminar and Innovation Corner

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companies will benefit from the latest technologies of glass processing with special views on how to improve the quality and profitability of operations.

I had the pleasure of participating as session chairman and speaker in a recent ICG International Commission on Glass Conference on location in Istanbul organized by Sisecam.

On this occasion I provided a GPD 2017 world-wide summary of markets and trends and received a lot of valuable feedback to be considered for our upcoming Istanbul event in 2018. The ICG event was attended by a large number of international speakers who enjoyed the exciting atmosphere and professional offering of this hub of Eurasian business. I especially appreciated the genuine interest for innovation and development.

For more information about GPD visit www.gpd.fi

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We keep the Aim and the Spirit of the Age of Discovery

Following in the footsteps of fourteenth-century Portuguese navigators, the LIZMONTAGENS THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES Group, based in Lisbon, Portugal, has expanded its industrial services worldwide over the past three decades, becoming the global leader in glass furnace construction and one of the leading references in heat containment for industry.

Your projects are our projects

Av. Almirante Gago Coutinho, n. 56 - 10th, 1749-041 Lisbon / Portugal Tel. + 351 218 429 270 / Fax. +351 218 409 412 marketing@lizmon.com / www.lizmongroup.com

Copyright, Š Lizmontagens Thermal Technologies - April, 2017 Monument to the Discoveries, Lisbon

With a network of more than 30 subsidiaries and partners, from America to Japan, the Group’s industrial services cover the construction and maintenance of industrial furnaces, the design, construction and maintenance of industrial chimneys, supply of materials for the thermal industry and other technical services.

News

New head for JSC Asl Ojna Uzbekistan The leading glass container plant of Uzbekistan, located in the winemaking holding system - JSC "Asl ojna", has had Farid Safargariev appointed as Acting Director of the enterprise.

According to the official forecast, Asl Oyna, the largest producer of specialized glass containers, will implement eight investment projects by 2021 with a total estimated cost of $178 million.

The enterprise will triple the production of glassware - from 200 million to 600 million conventional

units a year due to the construction and commissioning of 3, 4 and 5 glass melting furnaces and a raw materials enrichment plant for glass production worth $130 million.

It is assumed that the National Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Uzbekistan will invest $30m. in these projects through the contribution of funds to the statutory fund Asl Oyna. Within the framework of the project, loan funds of the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan will

be attracted to the amount of $ 100 million. Asl Oyna also intends to build a plant for the production of soft drinks worth $ 5 million and capacity of 10 million liters of beverages per year until 2019.

The enterprise plans to create facilities for the production of beer and alcoholic beverages.

10 million tons of beer will be sent to the beer factory with a capacity of 10,000 tons and 600,000 decaliters worth $6 million.

By 2021 the company intends

to build a plant for the production of canned fruits and vegetables in Tashkent with branches in the regions of the country worth $13m. After the launch, the enterprise will produce 12,000 tons of canned fruit and vegetables.

Joint Stock Company "ASL OYNA" (now a limited liability company) has started to produce glass products since 2009.

In 2017, according to preliminary estimates, the company will have exported glass containers worth $4.5 million.

Founding of Fenzi Polska “sends clear message” Poland The new name, Fenzi Polska, formalizes the company’s complete merger with the Group – the crowning moment of a journey begun with the company’s acquisition in 2015 – making Fenzi Polska a top - ranked business across Eastern Europe in the pro duction of sealants for high - performance IG units.

A new, clear message of growth relayed by the Fenzi Group, a world leader in chemicals for flat glass

processing. With the completion of the integration process and the full alignment of its high qualit ative and production standards, Fenzi Polska , operating out of Jaworzno in southern Poland, will continue to assist Alu Pro Polska in the production and sale of the entire range of Fenzi products for the glass industry across the Eastern European market.

W ith distribution capabilities that cover the entire region and

production lines dedicated to polysulphide, polyurethane, hot - melt and butyl sealants , the completeness of its product line makes Fenzi Polska the go - to source for the entire area and for indus try professionals doing business here.

“Poland has consistently been a very appealing market for international glass industry businesses - states Alessandro Fenzi , the Group’s CEO – The

decision to invest in Kadmar, a production and logistic base of paramo unt importance in the area, was most certainly rewarded with a major increase in business, even in the last few months. And a general increase in sales across the entire range of products, in Poland and in the neighboring countries, once again proves the s trategic validity of our decision to focus on quality”.

Egbert Wenninger is new Chairman of VDMA Germany The members of the VDMA Glass Technology Forum unanimously elected Egbert Wenninger (51), Senior Vice President Business Unit Glass at Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH in AsbachBäumenheim, as their new Chairman for the next three years during their General Assembly in Düsseldorf.

Wenninger’s Deputy will be Siegfried Glaser, Managing Director of Glaser FMB in Beverungen.

Wenninger, who has been a Member of the Board of the industry association since 2011, will be focusing on the acquisition of new members and strengthening the role of the Glass Technology Forum as a platform for all German mechanical and plant engineers

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Egbert Wenninger (left) will head the VDMA Glass Technology Forum for a period of 3 years in an honorary capacity, Dr. BerndHolger Zippe (right), his predecessor.

in this field. It is important to him to “introduce further important players into the Glass Technology Forum and to strengthen the position of German glass machine manufacturers on the global market.”

He succeeds Dr. Bernd Holger

Zippe, Executive Director of Zippe Industrieanlagen GmbH, who advocated a change after serving as Chairman of the Board for 8 years and did not stand for reelection. His longserving Deputy, Dr. Harald Jodeit, Managing Director of JSJ Jodeit GmbH, also stepped down.

As their term had ended, the entire board of the VDMA Glass Technology Forum was newly elected at the meeting in Düsseldorf. As well as Wenninger and Glaser, Bernhard Hötger, Managing Director of HEGLA GmbH & Co. KG in Beverungen, Christoph Hermanns, Managing Director of MDI Advanced Processing GmbH in Mainz and Günther Mlynar, Managing Director of Zippe Industrieanlagen

GmbH in Wertheim, are members of the Board of Directors.

Wenninger represents 60 mostly small and medium-sized companies in the glass specialism of the German mechanical and plant engineering sector. These internationally active companies generate turnover totaling approximately EUR 1 billion.

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News

Batch Botash reinstates Mphathi as Cabinet intervenes Botswana // Soda Ash In a drama-filled development, Montwedi Mphathi has been reinstated as the managing director of the salt and soda ash producing Botswana Ash after the board fired him recently.

His prompt reinstatement follows the intervention of the Cabinet after it was found that his firing was unlawful and unreasonable.

Mphathi confirmed yesterday in a telephone interview that he would return to work on December 1 as Botash CEO after a month of unemployment.

The Botash board, chaired by Ian Forbes fired Mphathi on October 31 reportedly for insubordination.

Mphathi was fired without a hearing in what appears to be strained relations between him and Forbes.

“I was told I was being fired for

insubordination as the board chairperson, Forbes insisted that I should have not fired Victoria Lekoma, Botash corporate affairs manager,” Mphathi explained in a recent interview.

Mphathi’s side of the story is that instead of firing Lekoma, he chose to suspend her and subsequently consulted the board about his decision. He then was puzzled that the case of insubordination was not allowed to stand against Lekoma, and instead the Board chose to fire him so that the Lekoma case falls flat.

Frustrated a month ago, after he was unceremoniously called from his holiday in Dubai, Mphathi has even contemplated taking his employer to court to seek redress.

“Look, when the Cabinet has spoken, no one can oppose it,” Mphathi triumphantly declared, indicating that during December, he would be back to base.

He chose to be philosophical about the main lesson he learnt from his case.

"The truth will always prevail.

Good will always prevails over evil.”

In his view, his own consistency tells its own story about who he is.

“I am going back to my position, and I will serve as if nothing has happened. It will also depend on how my principals conduct themselves after a month of absence from work,” he said, responding to a question on how he was going to deal with the situation after he was fired.

Mphathi says he has nothing to fear as he feels he had done nothing wrong.

Mphathi joined Botash in 2011 from the now defunct BCL Mine where he cut his teeth as a miner.

He victoriously returns to the helm of an estimated P1.3 billion worth of operation whose major shareholders are the Botswana government and neighbouring South Africa-based Chlor-Alkali Holdings on a 50/50 basis.

After his departure, Mphathi’s management was accused of nepotism, favouritism and sheer disregard of ethics charges that Mphathi dismissed vehemently. When contacted for comment yesterday about the reinstatement of Mphathi, Forbes would not speak, insisting that he was in a meeting.

Wealth and Capital home in on SQM Chile // Lithium Vancouver-based Wealth Minerals and Chinese private equity firm GSR Capital are said to be weighing an investment in Chile’s Chemical and Mining Society (SQM), the world's largest lithium producer.

The two firms, mentioned in a Reuters report, are just the latest names in a long list of companies said to be interested in grabbing a stake in the Santiago-based miner.

Recently, world’s second largest mining company Rio Tinto was also said to be considering a bid for a stake in the Chilean lithium producer.

Wealth Minerals’ main focus is the acquisition of lithium projects

in South America, with interests in Chile, Mexico, Peru and its home country.

In Chile, the company already has concessions covering an area of about 46,200 hectares located in the northern part of the Atacama Salar, relatively close to SQM's main production facilities.

GSR Capital’s interest in SQM, in turn, can be explained by China’s drive to decrease air pollution by promoting the use of electric vehicles. The government, reports Reuters, is taking steps to help domestic car manufacturers leapfrog combustion engines and build global auto brands.

Rio's current incursion in the lithium market is mostly limited

to its 100%-owned lithium and borates mineral project in Jadar, Serbia, which is still in the early stages of development.

While the company’s chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques has not ruled out acquisitions in recent comments to the market, he has also noted the company would only consider opportunities that make a "smart buy".

That’s why purchasing a stake in SQM would not be inconsistent with Rio's current strategy, said Investec in a note to clients, adding that such move would only provide a foothold in a sector where the company has some exposure, but with Jadar

Working group to implement Jadar deposit Serbia // Borates Serbia's government said it has set up a working group to facilitate the implementation of the Jadar mineral exploration project near the western town of Loznica by global mining giant Rio Tinto.

The aim of the working group is to facilitate the process of the opening of the mine and the start of production of lithium and

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borates.The working group will be chaired by energy minister Aleksandar Antic and is expected to make the development of the Jadar project more efficient through its study phase by speeding up the process of issuing the exploration permit.

In July, Serbia's government signed a memorandum of

understanding with Rio Tinto related to the implementation of the Jadar project, opening the way for creation of joint task groups to oversee the study phase of the project and the process of obtaining necessary permits.

Rio Tinto discovered a worldclass lithium-borate deposit in the

still many years away, "if it is developed at all".

SQM became a target of international firms after Canada’s Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, the world’s largest producer of the fertilizer by capacity, announced it was selling its 32% stake in the Chilean miner, worth about $4.5 billion at current market values.

The move was made to comply with some of the conditions imposed by regulators to let PotashCorp merge with smaller rival Agrium. SQM, which has a market value at just over $15 billion, produced roughly 44,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate last year and is developing new projects in Chile and Australia. valley of the Jadar river in Serbia in 2004. The company has said it plans to start production in

2023, assuming that feasibility studies confirm viability and all necessary approvals are obtained.

The Jadar lithium borate discovery in Serbia is eastimated at 135.7 million tonnes with a weighted average concentration of 1.86% of lithium oxide (Li2O), representing one of the largest lithium deposits in the world.

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News

Pollution drive hits soda ash output China // Soda Ash China’s winter anti-pollution campaign at its major industrial bases would deal another blow to the country's overall petrochemical production already hit by shutdowns amid strict environmental compliance checks at factories throughout the year.

Official data showed a deceleration in petrochemical output growth at the world’s second-biggest economy this year following the government’s tighter embrace of a more environmentally friendly policy in what Chinese President Xi Jinping termed as the country's "war against pollution".

In January to October 2017, production of chemical raw materials and chemical products grew at a more moderate yearon-year pace of 3.9% from 8.5% registered in the same period last year, data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

Growth in production of rubber and plastic products also decelerated, posting a 6.3% increase over the same period from 7.8% in January-October 2016, according to the data.

China is considered to have the worst air quality in the world following its rapid industrialisation, fuelled by coal – the cheapest but highly polluting energy source, which the country has in abundance.

The winter anti-pollution measures are directed at the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and its surrounding areas – dubbed “2+26” in northern China. The region is undergoing four months of comprehensive environmental inspections from September.

A huge portion of northeastern China is registering unhealthy pollution levels on Wednesday, based on the real-time World Air Quality Index Project.

To counter heavy smog - the smoke and fog produced by burning coal that typically engulfs northern China in the winter months, the central government has mandated production cuts at manufacturing plants in the region.

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The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is being required to lower the regional concentration of PM2.5 – a hazardous fine particulate matter – by 25% by the end of the year compared with 2012 levels, and Beijing must lower it to 60 micrograms per cubic meter, according to Chinese state-run newspaper China Daily.

Industry sources expect the environmental measures to be adopted in the eastern and southern parts of China as well, and could mean a further

soda ash, bromine and vitamin capacity may also be curtailed,” UBS said.

Over the last 18 months, the focus on environmental protection and supply reform, such as reducing overcapacity, has intensified in China.

Thousands of small-scale downstream plants have had to shut following waves of nationwide inspections instigated by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) on domestic factories'

"Over the last 18 months, the focus on environmental protection and supply reform has intensified in China"

curtailment to the country's overall petrochemical supply that will consequently drive up prices.

There “is likely to be significant disruption to existing chemicals’ capacity” amid China’s environmental protection campaign, UBS Global Research said in a report on the chemicals sector dated 19 November.

“A range of 6-39% of Chinese petrochemical capacity, depending on product, is within the area impacted by the winter clean air programme in China,” it said.

“Additionally, over 40% of urea capacity could be affected, whilst

compliance with regulations.

At the 19th China National Communist Party Congress in October, Chinese President Xi Jinping listed environmental protection as a national priority.

“We have devoted serious energy to ecological conservation. As a result, the entire Party and the whole country have become more purposeful and active in pursuing green development, and there has been a clear shift away from the tendency to neglect ecological and environmental protection,” Xi said on 18 October.

“China’s ability to innovate needs to be stronger, the real

economy awaits improvement, and we have a long way to go in protecting the environment,” he had said.

The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), in a report dated 14 November, estimated that “only about 2% of the population in China breathes air with a level of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations that complies with the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline, and only 64% of the population breathes air that meets the standards of even the most modest WHO interim target”.

Almost three out for four Chinese cities have not yet met the required domestic air quality criteria, the IEA added, citing MEP data.

China, under President Xi, has started its campaign to embrace a more environmentally friendly manufacturing policy in 2013, and launched strict inspections of domestic factories from mid-2016.

The country is a signatory to the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, standing by its commitment to work on reducing its carbon emissions, which should peak by around 2030 if not earlier; as well as to increase the share of non-fossil energy sources, such as renewable and nuclear, in its energy mix to around 20%.

China’s economy is undergoing a deep transition: the previous model of resource-intensive economic growth, which emerged in the early 1970s, is gradually giving way to a more sustainable model driven by consumption and the services sector, the socalled “new normal”, according to the IEA. The government is promoting a series of “supply-side” reforms, with a view to reduce the debt and liability levels in the corporate sector and reduce excess capacity in key industrial sectors, including coal and power, it said.

China's economic expansion has steadily decelerated from its peak in 2010 to its slowest in 26 years at 6.7% in 2016.

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Calumite increases in popularity in the Middle East Calumite Limited, based in Scunthorpe, UK, have been supplying Calumite to the Middle East for nearly 20 years but have recently seen an increase both in terms of sales volume and number of customers supplied. Keen to build on this success, Calumite Limited have recently started working with K. K. Prakash of Victorious Technics as a regional representative for the area. We believe that Mr Prakash’s experience and knowledge will continue to enhance our offering in the region and encourage other glass makers to use Calumite. Pictured are Calumite Limited’s Dr Nicola Johnson with K. K. Prakash at the recent Gulf Glass exhibition in Dubai.

Depending on specific requirements the faster melting with Calumite can also be used to increase furnace pull beyond what would previously have been thought to be maximum capacity, with energy input and furnace temperatures remaining constant.

The faster melting with Calumite means that furnace temperatures can be reduced without impacting glass quality.

This can be particularly useful at the end of a furnace campaign if refractories are in poor condition and crown temperatures must be reduced.

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Specific Energy Consumption (kJ/kg glass)

Calumite is often thought of as an alumina source in the batch but is also a good source of other major oxides, with typically Calumite is a glassy material that is chemical composition 40% CaO, 36% SiO2, used in all types of soda-lime silica 12 % Al2O3 and 9% MgO. Providing CaO glass production, offering benefits in and MgO in a glassy form, Calumite reduces terms of reduced energy consumption, the amount of limestone and dolomite in the reduced CO2 emissions and batch and therefore reducing the Figure 1 : Energy Reduction on Introducing Calumite to an improved glass quality. The level CO2 emissions associated with the Amber Container Furnace 6250 of Calumite used in the batch decomposition of the carbonates.

6200 depending on factors such as Considering the earlier example, 6150 glass colour, glass composition the addition of 14% Calumite and local raw materials. would have reduced the process 6100 Before Calumite implementation CO2 emissions by around 20% as 6050 In container glass the amount of well as reducing CO2 through the 6000 Calumite varies with the colour of reduction in energy consumption 5950 Energy the glass being produced, from and associated reduction in consumption 5900 reduced by 4% 4% for cosmetic flint production combustion emissions. Looking at 5850 With Calumite to 30% of the dry sand weight it another way, by considering the 5800 in amber glass. In float glass, amount of limestone and dolomite 5750 Calumite is typically used at 4 to that would be required to provide 5700 8% of the dry sand weight and in the CaO and MgO provided by 1 fibre glass around 11%. Use of tonne of Calumite it is calculated Calumite would typically reduce that for each tonne of Calumite the amount of limestone, dolomite used, over 400 kg of process and also alumina source such as nepheline syenite or an alkali CO2 emissions are saved. In addition to this, the reduced energy feldspar. In many cases it is possible for Calumite to be the sole consumption through the use of Calumite can equate to a further alumina source, simplifying the batch recipe.

200 to 300 kg CO2 per tonne of Calumite used, giving overall 600 to 700 kg of CO2 saved for each tonne of Calumite used.

The glassy nature of Calumite, combined with it’s chemical composition, leads to faster melting when Calumite is used Another striking benefit is a significant reduction in seed in the glass batch. As a result, the energy required to melt a count, with on average a 50% reduction in seed observed Calumite containing batch is lower than a corresponding nonon implementing Calumite. It is the presence of sulphur as Calumite batch. Typically energy savings are between 0.25 and sulphide in the Calumite that causes this dramatic improvement.

0.36% energy saving per 1% Calumite addition. Therefore for The interaction of Calumite with sodium sulphate in the Calumite added at 15% of the sand weight, this would be an batch reduces the temperature at which sodium sulphate energy saving of 4 to 5%. Figure 1 shows the energy reduction decomposes, giving the beneficial effects of sodium sulphate achieved on introducing Calumite to an amber container glass. refining at lower temperatures.

In this case a 4% energy reduction was achieved on addition of Calumite at 14% of the dry sand weight.

For more information please visit www.calumite.co.uk.

AG 17-6 asianglass

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News Anaylsis

News

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Smarter, better, faster…

T

he trend for “smart glass” across all major glass consuming sectors has driven investment and research in recent times, and as more and more major construction projects look to optimise their green credentials, so the market across Asia for such high value glass products seems set to soar.

It is not surprising then, that one of the continent’s leading players, AGC Asahi Glass, a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals, and high-tech materials, and Kinestral Technologies, maker of Halio smarttinting glass, has decided to create three joint venture companies that will sell, distribute, and service Halio to the global market.

Formed to accelerate the adoption of Halio, the new ventures – Halio North America, Halio International, and Halio China – will be the exclusive sales and marketing agents for Halio smart-tinting glass in the commercial and residential housing industries.

Halio China includes a third partner: G-Tech Optoelectronics Corp. (GTOC), a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology Group. The three partners have been introducing Halio in their respective markets since the product was first unveiled in January at the BAU Trade Fair for Architecture, Materials and Systems in Munich, Germany. The joint ventures were formed to meet worldwide demand.

“Joining forces with AGC gives us access to a global sales and support infrastructure as well as decades of expertise in the use of glass in façades. GTOC meanwhile bolsters our manufacturing expertise and gives us access to China, one of the fastest-growing markets for smart-tinting glass,” said S B Cha, CEO of Kinestral Technologies.

Halio technology enables glass to tint, reducing glare and blocking unwanted solar heat – automatically or on command. Halio looks like ordinary clear glass until it tints, achieving its darkest shade in less than three minutes. Halio improves occupant comfort in smart homes and buildings while achieving the highest levels of energy efficiency.

A missing link to energy efficient buildings, homes and cities is high-tech smart tinting windows. The Smart Glass market is predicted to reach $9bn by 2020. On top of lowering energy costs by up to 40 per cent by reducing heat transmission, smart-tinting windows control glare and enhance natural light for physical and emotional wellness – better sleep, productivity and vitality.

Smart-tinting glass looks a lot like transition lenses, but is a completely different technology that puts the user in

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control. Operated by voice, manual controls or machine learning, the windows tint on demand.

“We are convinced that Halio technology is poised to transform the glass industry,” said Jean-François Heris, senior executive officer of AGC and president of AGC Building and Industrial Glass Company.

“Natural light is the number one most desired feature in office designs, but conventional glass requires blinds, shades, and awnings or architectural elements that block heat and glare. Halio gives people the best of the outdoors while meeting increasingly stringent energy codes.”

Jim Arnold, formerly senior vice president of sales at Control4 and DIRECTV, will lead Halio North America. Alain Jardinet, a veteran executive of AGC Glass Europe, will lead Halio International which will sell to all markets outside of North America and China.

Halio China will be headed by Alex Jiang, an executive of GTOC. Currently, 71 of the world’s tallest 100 buildings under construction are in Asia, and 79 of the 100 proposed highest buildings are in the planning stages there. Asia is literally rising to new heights, according to the Council on Tall Buildings.

Leading the construction boom is China.

Of those 79 skyscrapers planned for Asia, 59 are in China alone. And by 2020, at least 50 per cent of those will be green, as prescribed

by China’s Paris Agreement on Climate Change pledge. This commitment could have a dramatic impact on China’s sustainability goals since buildings consume 40 per of a city’s energy.

A smarter future Elsewhere, Japanese scientists have developed a smart window that can not only alternate between light and dark, but can produce various shades of tint across its surface.

The new technology opens up the possibility of windows automatically responding to the elevation of the sun to better control glare in buildings while maintaining views.

Electrochromic glass capable of blocking sunlight has already been used in building and transport applications, for example airplane windows.

See our stories: However, the window tint in current products is applied uniformly to the entire glass panel. The new research, which included Japan-based National Institute for Materials Science along with Waseda

University and Tama Art University, investigated a tinting smart glass with gradational shade using electrochromic polymers, allowing both shade and clear visibility simultaneously.

The darkened part of the glass surface can be changed by applying a low voltage electrical current for different durations, and shading and transparency can be reversed by reversing the current.

The researchers said they would now work to direct research toward practical applications, including windows in vehicles and buildings.

The LCD Option Chemical company Merck has also got in on the act and has announced the opening of a new production facility for liquid crystal window modules in Veldhoven (the Netherlands), which represented an investment of around €15 million to expand its expertise beyond televisions, laptops, smartphones, and tablet PCs, moving into smart buildings.

The window module technology, which Merck believes will be the world’s first commercial supplier, offers new application possibilities and light transmittance regulation within seconds for sun protection and privacy applications.

Merck does not see itself as a competitor to glass and window manufacturers, but rather will supply the modules (starting in 2018) to enable them to make these smart glass elements, windows and façades.

In addition, Merck will assists architects, designers as well as window an façade makers in an advisory capacity.

In sun protection applications, exterior blinds and their costly maintenance and repair would become obsolete. The light transmittance of the windows can be lowered down to 5% and set in a continuously variable manner. Energy savings of up to 40% are thus possible with building climate control systems.

In both the dark and the bright state, the windows remain transparent and color-neutral, providing an unhindered view outside.

The privacy variant also switches within seconds from transparent to opaque, preventing outsiders from being able to look inside conference rooms, restricted production areas or residential buildings.

The liquid crystal materials, which are marketed under the licrivision brand, are also to be used in vehicles in the future.

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Smart Cars and Smart Factories: Driving Intelligence via Data

While it may sound like a riddle, why is a smart car like a smart factory? The simple answer is that both are complex operations that collect and organize massive amounts of data from many sources, then process and act on that data faster than the mightiest human brain. Modern glass fabricators are using powerful A+W Software to manage complex and connected Internet of Things (IoT) data, empower machine-driven decisions and lead by example into Industry 4.0.

Smart cars are intuitive machines that are engineered to react to environmental factors and take action to preserve life and property.

Massive amounts of data, from road and weather conditions to operational efficiencies of the engine and steering, are collected and processed by the millisecond. The smart car then uses this data to manage distance control, automatic cruise control, lane assistance, and emergency braking.

A smart car has a wealth of sensors, cameras, and other digital information sources designed to do one thing: collect data. Powerful software continuously monitors and analyzes this data, enabling the smart car to make very smart decisions in real time.

So my glass processing factory can be as responsive as a smart car?

Equally impressive levels of data collection, organization and machine decision-making are already happening across the globe as part of Industry 4.0. Glass fabrication plants are evolving into smart factories powered by software capable of organizing and making sense of the data streams generated by connected machines and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. A+W Software is harnessing it’s forty years of industry expertise in leading this transformation.

When the unexpected happens, the smart car becomes really smart, automatically deploying the necessary safety response. Millions of calculations, based on the constant stream of data from cameras, road and auto sensors, trigger a series of lifesaving actions, from tightening seat belts to automatically braking.

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Many of our valued customers have already implemented automation in their glass processing operations. The extensive experience, relationships with machine manufacturers, and specific industry focus of A+W technicians are a few of the reasons customers entrust A+W Software with their modernization.

The pioneering A+W IoT platform collects and organizes granular machine data, such as robotic movements and CNC processing actions, plus factory data, such as inventory levels, workpiece stages, and even shipping routes and traffic, as well as business data from customer and vendor orders. Rule-based events trigger

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“smart” actions that bring the data to life. Just like the smart car, process chains are controlled and actions are launched from this realtime collection of data. A+W Software computes millions of calculations a minute, enabling connected systems to monitor processes, send commands and prompt actions across the factory floor.

replacement order at the glass partner without delay or human intervention. A packaging robot at an insulated glass plant might communicate directly with the glazing robots at a construction site so the order is assembled in the most efficient manner for installation.

Packing insulated glass automatically with intelligent 3-D packaging optimization: Machines communicate with people, with workpieces, and with A+W software across a uniform data platform: the A+W Internet of Things.

A+W Internet of Things – A Wondrous Future Increasing digitalization and ever-broader sources of factory and environmental data will reveal possibilities that reach way beyond current capabilities. In the future, A+W’s IoT platform will marshall these resources so that replenishment, production, and even delivery processes might organize themselves independently and selfoptimize continuously along each step of the process. This digital transformation will include production-related, dynamic cost calculation, autonomous production planning, and self-organizing dynamic production using AGVs and other robotics. Within a few decades, the smart factory may well run itself.

The Future’s So Bright, We’ll Need Shade Glass It is not science fiction to see a future in which the entire supply chain is networked: suppliers to be networked with factories for justin-time deliveries; factories networked with their distribution centers; DCs and 3PLs networked with retail outlets while providing delivery details directly to end customers. Already we have inline scanners transmitting status data regarding workpieces to communicate and notify customers of where their orders are in production. It’s a small step to notify other connected machines to prepare and schedule additional operations.

Communication will exceed the boundaries of the individual company. Glass breakage at a window manufacturer can trigger a

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The A+W IoT Platform provides secure access to a company-specific data lake, populated with structured and unstructured data from all company departments, from your ERP system and from individual devices and machines. The IoT Platform allows continuous monitoring and tracing of company processes and data streams, with visualization and analytics tools benefiting human and machine learning. At its heart is a sophisticated rules engine that triggers real-time actions based on incoming and stored data. Full integration with A+W Software’s ERP powers the communications and intelligent interactions that make Industry 4.0 production possible.

A+W IoT Platform • The “big brain” of a smart factory • Enables the collection, processing, channeling, forwarding, storage, evaluation, and analysis of structured and unstructured data • “Holistic recognition memory” for intelligent communication control in complex environments • Platform for central storage and processing of data from a wide variety of sources - computers, machines, documents, people - in various output and target formats • Actions are triggered using workflows, based on data and/ or states such as threshold values • Foundational to a modern company’s digital transformation, supporting Industry 4.0, traceability, IoT and Enterprise Content Management

AG 17-6 asianglass

31

ANALYSIS: Cambodia

Cambodia entrepreneurs take the reins

Jahir Ahmed looks at the opportunities presented by this emerging Tiger economy and the investment prospects it presents for ambitious glass-makers…

A

rebound in the growth of construction expenditure across Cambodia has led to a surge in investment in all related sectors in the last couple of years and it shows no signs of stopping. Not surprisingly, this has been a major boost to the country’s nascent glass industries. The higher spending by the end-users of glass in packaging and construction both have been driving the glass manufacturers, drinks and beverage industry and building and construction sectors go for expansions.

This will probably result in major investment in the container glass and raw flat glass sectors for the first time in Cambodia.

Perhaps not surprisingly, it is Chinese investors that are expected to be the pioneer in the new development. Indeed, Cambodia’s Industry Minister Cham Prasidh is very actively wooing potential foreign investors who have already submitted proposals for setting up glass factories in the country.

However, whilst the clamour for overseas money continues at a government level, in the meantime, Cambodian entrepreneurs have been successfully developing glass processing industry to meet the substantial part of the domestic demand. Currently, though, the country only possesses very few, what could be termed, “high-end” building glasses and in terms of IGU and glass mirrors then these more specialist glasses are presently predominantly imported from Europe.

The local processors instead manufacture the full range of common safety glasses used mostly by builders, the construction industry, interior designers-developers and furniture manufacturers.

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asianglass AG 17-6

Diamonds in the rough

Phnom Penh-based Diamond Glass Factory said they are equipped with facilities to supply all common safety glass requirements of the building projects, with the exception of any high-tech specialty glasses. Most of the raw flat glass requirements are met by imports of float glass from China.

Float pours in

There is quite a sizeable number of glass processors in the country because of the higher demand of using processed building glasses used in the multi-storied buildings, offices and residential houses. Customised, doors, windows and wall panels are now available instantly or within days on demand. Besides Diamond Glass Factory, other major operators include, TPP Glass Tempering Factory Co (Tang Pheng Por Glass Tempering Factory Co Ltd), Cambodian Structural Safety Glass Co Ltd, and Loh Seng Heng Co Ltd, all located in the capital city of Phnom Penh.

Cambodia currently imports more than 70,000 tonnes of float glass per year from China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand and the country spent more than US$20.33 million on such imports in 2016. Imports from China alone valued US$15.74 million.

Local glass processors believe that Cambodia has a demand for more than 100,000 tons of float glass annually. Some of the glass processors claim they are able to export their products to the world markets, including bordering Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

www.asianglass.com

ANALYSIS: Cambodia

calling Cambodia glass imports (US$) Product label

Imported value Imported value Imported value Imported value Imported value in thousand US$ in thousand US$ in thousand US$ in thousand US$ in thousand US$ in 2012 in 2013 in 2014 in 2015 in 2016

Float glass and surface ground or polished glass, in sheets, whether or not having an absorbent, . . .

4,289

5,441

23,071

18,320

20,337

Carboys, bottles, flasks, jars, pots, phials, ampoules and other containers, of glass, of a . . .

6,724

4,854

5,477

5,126

7,499

Glassware of a kind used for table, kitchen, toilet, office, indoor decoration or similar purposes . . .

2,508

2,526

5,353

5,112

4,489

Glass mirrors, whether or not framed, incl. rear-view mirrors (excluding optical mirrors, optically . . .

108

124

1,295

1,672

1,950

Paving blocks, slabs, bricks, squares, tiles and other articles of pressed or moulded glass, . . .

573

229

655

697

1,099

Glass fibres, incl. glass wool, and articles thereof (excluding mineral wools and articles . . .

488

799

1,552

917

1,013

0

131

350

111

861

8,305

170

1,280

139

430

Laboratory, hygienic or pharmaceutical glassware, whether or not graduated or calibrated (excluding . . .

47

14

172

425

348

Articles of glass, n.e.s.

27

29

301

90

322

Cast glass and rolled glass, in sheets or profiles, whether or not having an absorbent, reflecting . . .

147

82

1,314

261

241

Glass beads, imitation pearls, imitation precious or semi-precious stones and similar glass . . .

501

366

155

83

91

Glass in balls, rods or tubes, unworked (excluding glass microspheres <= 1 mm in diameter, . . .

3

30

399

95

46

Sheets or profiles of glass, whether or not having an absorbent, reflecting or non-reflecting . . .

9

7

20

34

30

Sheets of glass, drawn or blown, whether or not having an absorbent, reflecting or non-reflecting . . .

0

16

6

10

1

Multiple-walled insulating units of glass Safety glass, toughened "tempered", laminated safety glass (excluding multiple-walled insulating . . .

Sources: ITC calculations based on UN COMTRADE statistics.

www.asianglass.com

AG 17-6

asianglass

33

ANALYSIS: Cambodia

Other imports

Import dependent Cambodia consumes annually about US$50m. worth of different types of glass, of which 50% comes from China, while the four closest ASEAN neighbours Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia meet most of the remaining demands. Some quantity of high quality building glass and glass mirrors are imported from European countries. Glass containers are imported mainly from Malaysia. In 2016, Cambodia imported US$5 million worth of glass containers from Malaysia. During the year, its total import of glass containers was of worth at least US$7.5 million.

The import figures for raw float glass and glass bottles, jars and other containers suggest existence of opportunity for investment in glass sectors in Cambodia. The country now uses a substantial quantity of processed glass due to availability from the domestic manufacturers. It does not import processed glasses of traditional types.

If a local container glass plant goes on operation, the huge production capacity of domestic beer producing companies could use more glass bottles, while many food processing companies also could enhance the quality of their packaging with use of glass bottles and jars, according to the Ministry of Industry officials.

Industry Minister Prasidh said Cambodian quality silica sand provided opportunity for investment in glass industry. He personally taken initiative to attract China’s Henan Anhua glass manufacturing group to invest in the project for which the company met him and other ministries, including the Ministry of Mining, for setting up their proposed plant for flat glass/glass containers.

Container glass’ demand in Cambodia remains limited due to expanded use of metal cans and PET bottles by the drinks and beverage industry for want of locally produced quality glass bottles, according to the industry sources. Cambodians are good drinkers of beer regionally, but only a few lines of glass bottles are in use in the breweries as most consumers of beers prefer canned or PET packaging for economy. Returnable glass bottles are also in limited use by the beverage manufacturers, including Coca-Cola.

Chinese proposals

Among the interested Chinese investors, Zhengzhou (Henan Province) based Henan Anhua Group, which owns a multiple plant glass industry, Henan Anhua Glassware Co Ltd, in several Chinese locations, has investment plans to set up five large factories, such as, glass factories, solar-powered plants, refineries, auto parts manufacturing, and ports to import and distribute natural gas, which can supply residential homes, restaurants and big business locations.

The Group’s Vice President Yang Wei presented the proposal one year ago to Industry Minister Prasidh, who advised the company to set up the glass factories in Koh Kong, which has a lot of white silica sands along the Mekong river.

Henan Anhua Glassware Co operates four glass factories in China. The factories are Hebei Anhua Glass Factory, Luoyang Anhua Glass Factory, Qixian Anhua Glass Factory, and Qixian Shenghua Glass Factory, to manufacture various glasswares, such as, dinnerwares, fusion glass, clear vases, and other glass containers.

Besides Henan Abhua Group, several other investors also offered proposals for flat glass manufacturing and glass mirror production. Bilaterally, China and Cambodia are very closer. Chinan is the largest investor and trade partner to Cambodia. Current year’s bilateral trade is expected to be over US$5 billion with a double digit growth year on year since last decade.

Cambodia has a lot of advantages to attract Chinese foreign direct investment in regards to the One Belt, One Road initiative. Currently, China is Cambodia’s main source for foreign direct investment, with US$19.2 billion invested into the country during 1994-2014, according to a survey released by the National Bank of Cambodia and the National Institute of Statistics last year.

Building glass

Investment in Cambodia construction industry is booming at the moment boosting up demand for building glass. The number of construction projects approved in Cambodia during the first half of the year increased 28 percent compared with the same period last year, amounting to a total value of around US$4.9 billion,

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asianglass AG 17-6

ENTREPRENEURS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED A GLASS PROCESSING INDUSTRY TO MEET MUCH OF DOMESTIC DEMAND Cambodia glass companies Diamond Glass Factory

Location: Borey Kammakor, Sangkat Cheung Ek, Khan Dong Keao, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Products: Processed glass for buildings and industrial uses Markets: Domestic markets Others: The well equipped glass processing plant offers tempered, laminated, insulated, shaped glass of various types and dimensions for construction and manufacturing sectors.

TPP Glass Tempering Factory Co

Tang Pheng Por Glass Tempering Factory Co Ltd Location: Sangkat Toul Svay Prey II, Khan Chamkar Morn, Phnom Penh Products: Processed glass for construction and furniture industries and others.

Markets: Domestic markets.

Others: TPP has installed tempering plant to meet a substantial part of the domestic market of safety glass and also to supply to the neighbouring countries.

Cambodian Structural Safety Glass Co Ltd

Location: Prey Sor Khang Kert Village, Prey Sor Commune, Dang Kao, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Products: Safety glass, construction and security glass Markets: Domestic markets.

Others: The company manufacture safety glasses, including, tempered glass, heat strengthened glass, IGUs, laminated glass, bending glass, bullet resistant glass, etc.

Loh Seng Heng Co Ltd

Location: Sangkat Tomnubtek, Khan Chamkarmorn, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Products: Processed architectural and security glass Markets: Domestic markets.

Others: Loh Seng Heng Co is a manufacturer of safety glass and distributor of foreign architectural and security glasses.

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ANALYSIS: Cambodia

Container glass import sources (US$) HS Code 7010 glass containers Exporters

Imported value in thousand US$ in 2012

Imported value in thousand US$ in 2013

Imported value in thousand US$ in 2014

Imported value in thousand US$ in 2015

Imported value in thousand US$ in 2016

World

6,724

4,854

5,477

5,126

7,499

Malaysia

5,095

3,592

3,434

3,644

4,914

China

501

438

626

591

1,242

Viet Nam

954

205

384

814

785

Thailand

153

348

646

52

524

France

16

7

16

10

15

United States of America

0

4

1

0

9

Italy

0

0

11

4

0

3

0

1

0

1

0

1

Indonesia

4

9

Germany

0

228

Hong Kong, China

1

1

Singapore

0

1

Sources: ITC calculations based on UN COMTRADE statistics.

Table 1

0

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction.

The government approved 1,523 projects nationwide during January-June, compared with 1,183 projects for the first half of last year. The total value of the projects was billed at US$4.94 billion compared with US$3.87 billion during the same period one year earlier.

Kim Heang, President of Cambodian Valuers and Estate Agents Association, said that while these figures at face value represented the positive movement for the sector, he doubted the report’s accuracy in calculating real capital inflows into the construction sector.

The figures look good, but still question arise if that is real money flowing into the sector or if it is just a number to keep on record, observed Kim. Ssome developers inflate the value of their projects far above actual construction costs and land prices, he said. He noted, for instance, argued, “there are projects that claim to be worth US$60 million when in fact the developer only has a US$10 million plot of land that needs US$20 million to develop. Heang believed that real construction activity is steadily increasing, bringing with it more demand for construction materials and supplies.

Koam Bunna, managing director of K Supply, a distributor of door locks and accessories, said that the increase of condominium and office space projects has pushed up sales by 40 percent for the first half of this year. He added that the government figure was a positive sign for sales for the rest of 2017. He, however, expressed his positive view of the construction sector and said the demand for construction materials will remain strong..

1 359 0 4

857 1192 3212 3192 1989 840 1734 2109 2773 2507 3338 8534

Construction investment in Cambodia

Construction surge?

Cambodia Constructors Association (CCA) Chairman Neak Oknha Pung Kheav Se said construction investment in Cambodia has jumped to US$8.534 billion in 2016 from the previous year’s US$3.338 billion, to make up loss of growth and its stability following the impact of a recessionary situation during 2009-2014.

Construction enjoyed a steadily increase from 6.5 percent in 2012 to 8.8 percent in 2015, while maintaining its prospect for growth in the following years. As envisaged in recently adopted industrial development policy, Cambodia is obliged to increase the GDP share of industrial sector to 30 percent by 2025 with the manufacturing sector growing from 15.5 percent in 2013 to 20 percent in 2025.

CCA Chairman said investment in construction has gone up after years of slowdown prompting growth in demand for building materials and production capacity that need investment supports.

According to the government’s powerful investment body, Council for the

36

asianglass AG 17-6

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ANALYSIS: Cambodia

Container glass imports (tonnes) HS Code 7010 glass containers Exporters

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Imported quantity, Tons

Imported quantity, Tons

Imported quantity, Tons

Imported quantity, Tons

Imported quantity, Tons

World

13,658

10,003

11,406

11,367

17,106

Malaysia

10,279

7,493

7,127

7,803

10,865

China

1,177

918

1,302

1,305

2,860

Viet Nam

1,753

406

961

2,098

2,033

Thailand

425

931

1,709

133

1,303

16

7

12

19

37

Indonesia

6

13

0

4

Italy

0

7

4

Germany

185

287

0

France

Sources: ITC calculations based on UN COMTRADE statistics.

Float glass imports (US$) HS Code 7005 Imported value in Exporters thousand US$ in 2012

Imported value in thousand US$ in 2013

Imported value in thousand US$ in 2014

Imported value in thousand US$ in 2015

Imported value in thousand US$ in 2016

World

4,289

5,441

23,071

18,320

20,337

China

1,472

747

11,201

11,194

15,744

Viet Nam

2,708

2,820

4,251

3,778

2,723

Indonesia

0

596

4,989

3,049

1,706

Thailand

0

56

128

24

86

Hong Kong, China

92

1,206

2,427

214

45

Korea, Republic of

0

0

2

0

21

Malaysia

1

13

39

46

9

Germany

0

0

0

0

1

Singapore

15

3

18

1

1

Sources: ITC calculations based on UN COMTRADE statistics.

Development of Cambodia (CDC), the Cambodian economy enjoyed rapid growth with an average of 7.6 percent per year from 1993 to 2003, and continued to reach the high growth of over 10 percent per year in between 2004 and 2007.

The trends went down from 6.7 percent in 2008 to 0.1 percent in 2009 due to the global financial crisis that year.

Cambodian law made CDC. It is chaired by the Prime Minister and composed of senior ministers from related government agencies. The Cambodian Investment Board (CIB) and the Cambodian Special Economic Zone Board (CSEZB) are the CDC’s operational arms for private sector investment.

CIB deals with investment projects out of special economic zones (SEZs) and CSEZB takes charge of investment projects in SEZs. They review investment applications and grants incentives to investment projects meeting the requirements laid out in the 1994 Investment Law.

Container growth

In the beverage sector, investments of around US$300 million by major companies have opened up opportunities for using glass bottles as a packaging medium.

Khmer Beverages (formerly Khmer Brewery), the maker of widely known Cambodia beer, said its new investments this decade will more than double its total capital expenditure in the beverage plant to over US$200 million. According to Peter Leang, President of Khmer Beverage, the operator’s ongoing investment projects of US$120 million is expanding its production facility.

The new capacity for beer products will be 5 million hectolitres per year, and the capacity for other products will be 3 million hectolitres, with space for

38

asianglass AG 17-6

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ANALYSIS: Cambodia

Float glass imports (tonnes) HS Code 7005 Exporters

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Imported quantity, Tons

Imported quantity, Tons

Imported quantity, Tons

Imported quantity, Tons

Imported quantity, Tons

World

8,428

12,495

63,977

58,768

71,235

China

2,199

1,666

31,025

35,822

55,734

Viet Nam

5,978

6,548

12,153

13,174

10,163

Indonesia

1,419

14,433

9,065

5,047

Thailand

133

296

32

235

219

2,707

5,904

599

38

Malaysia

2

22

122

66

9

Korea, Republic of

0

6

Germany

2

Singapore

30

0

25

2

0

Hong Kong, China

Sources: ITC calculations based on UN COMTRADE statistics.

an additional 2 million hectolitres reserved for further production of the new beverages that gain popularity in the market.

The company said its existing facility, opened in 2011, has a capacity of around 1.8 million hectolitres per year. Can is used for 90 percent of the packaging, while bottles and kegs are used for the remainders. With increase of capacity, the company has plan to market some other drinks and beverages, including bottled energy drinks, It will install an in house PET bottle plant.

Cambodia Brewery Ltd (CBL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Heineken Asia-Pacific, inaugurated its second brewery plant in Cambodia this year.

CBL invested $100 million into the new facility, which will allow it to expand production of its existing beer brands including Tiger, ABC, Anchor and Crown and add Heineken. The new plant will enlarge production capacity to about 100,000 cases per day, or 3 million hectolitres per year more than triple the company’s existing capacity.

CBL said its factory can produce 3 million hectolitres of beer a year. Heineken’s data shows Cambodians imbibe about 6.1 million hectolitres of beer per year, or 38.6 litres per person. “This puts Cambodians among the top beer-drinkers in the region, though per capita consumption remains just half that of their European counterparts.”

According to Heineken Asia-Pacific President Frans Eusman, Cambodia’s robust economic growth, higher living standards and changes in lifestyle will help continue to drive growth in domestic beer consumption. He said

40

asianglass AG 17-6

the potential market growth was only part of the equation that convinced the Dutch brewing giant to licence CBL to brew and bottle Heineken, which previously was imported for distribution. He said the factory expansion would allow the company to produce 90,000 cans and 20,000 bottles per hour.

Cambrew Ltd (known as Angkor Brewery), the largest and most modern brewery in the country, brews a variety of original Cambodian lager beers and stouts. The flagship brand, Angkor Premium Beer, was launched in 1992 and has evolved to become the most popular premium beer in Cambodia.

Angkor is widely known in many Asian markets. Also it is known outside Asia for its quality and popularity, particularly in quality glass bottles. .

The three major breweries CBL, Cambrew, which produces Angkor, Bayon, Black Panther and Klang beers, and Khmer Beverages, the producer of Cambodia beer, will create a great demand for glass in near future, with improvement of purchasing capacity of the Cambodians for buying better quality glass packaged drinks, industry sources believe..

All the brewers prefer to market a top quality premier version in glass.

Coca-Cola has recently invested US$100 million in Cambodia operations for expansion. The Cambodia Beverage Company Ltd (CBC), a member of Bottling Investments Group (BIG), a bottling unit of The Coca-Cola Company, is the exclusive authorized manufacturer and distributor of The Coca-Cola Company in Cambodia. The new plant’s twin production lines can produce about 72,000 bottles and cans per hour. Two 600 bottle per minute lines were installed.

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ANALYSIS: Cambodia

Statistics: 7 Bilateral trade between Cambodia and Malaysia Product: 70 Glass and glassware HS Prod code

Product label

7010

Carboys, bottles, flasks, jars, pots, phials, ampoules and other containers, of glass, of a . . .

7019

Glass fibres, incl. glass wool, and articles thereof (excluding mineral wools and articles .

7017

Cambodia's imports from Malaysia. Value in thousand US$.

Malaysia's exports to world.

Value in thousand US$.

2014

2014

2015

2016

2015

2016

Cambodia's imports from world.

Value in thousand US$.

2014

2015

2016

3,434

3,644

4,914

43,514

33,290

44,574

5,477

5,126

7,499

143

108

81

461,306

422,852

480,159

1,552

917

1,013

Laboratory, hygienic or pharmaceutical glassware, whether or not graduated or calibrated (excluding

55

29

54

2,981

2,457

3,460

172

425

348

7013

Glassware of a kind used for table, kitchen, toilet, office, indoor decoration or similar purposes

50

40

21

57,875

67,149

53,312

5,353

5,112

4,489

7005

Float glass and surface ground or polished glass, in sheets, whether or not having an absorbent, . . .

39

46

9

13,409

6,381

7,358

23,071

18,320

20,337

7018

Glass beads, imitation pearls, imitation precious or semi-precious stones and similar glass .

2

6

4

6,089

7,775

6,777

155

83

91

7007

Safety glass, toughened "tempered", laminated safety glass (excluding multiple-walled insulating .

6

4

3

22,408

19,324

17,880

1,280

139

430

7009

Glass mirrors, whether or not framed, incl. rearview mirrors (excluding optical mirrors, optically .

1

4

2

4,345

2,991

3,494

1,295

1,672

1,950

Sources: ITC calculations based on UN COMTRADE statistics.

42

asianglass AG 17-6

www.asianglass.com

ANALYSIS: Cambodia Statistics: 8 Bilateral trade between Cambodia and Vietnam Product: 70 Glass and glassware HS Product label Cambodia's imports from Vietnam's exports to world.

Prod Vietnam. Value in thousand Value in thousand US$. code US$.

2014 2015 2016 2014 2015 2016 7005 Float glass and surface ground or 4,251 3,778 2,723 126,331 237,035 216,116 polished glass, in sheets, whether or not having an absorbent, . . .

Cambodia's imports from world. Value in thousand US$ 2014 2015 2016 23,071 18,320 20,337

7010

Carboys, bottles, flasks, jars, pots, phials, ampoules and other containers, of glass, of a . . .

384

814

785

9,657

12,334

17,392

5,477

5,126

7,499

7009

Glass mirrors, whether or not framed, incl. rear-view mirrors (excluding optical mirrors, optically . . .

Multiple-walled insulating units of glass

118

130

153

58,214

61,498

41,568

1,295

1,672

1,950

20

0

108

377

399

4,386

350

111

861

0

112

77

174

123

683

655

697

1,099

90

23

61

1,437

1,057

975

1,314

261

241

80

21

12

23,962

19,821

16,523

5,353

5,112

4,489

186

87

9

7,525

6,269

17,610

1,552

917

1,013

1,199

39

8

5,493

3,627

97,060

1,280

139

430

0

7

1

36

41

35

172

425

348

7008 7016

Paving blocks, slabs, bricks, squares, tiles and other articles of pressed or moulded glass, . . .

7003

Cast glass and rolled glass, in sheets or profiles, whether or not having an absorbent, reflecting . . .

Glassware of a kind used for table, kitchen, toilet, office, indoor decoration or similar purposes .

7013

7019

Glass fibres, incl. glass wool, and articles thereof (excluding mineral wools and articles .

7007

Safety glass, toughened "tempered", laminated safety glass (excluding multiple-walled insulating .

Laboratory, hygienic or pharmaceutical glassware, whether or not graduated or calibrated (excluding .

7017

Sources: ITC calculations based on UN COMTRADE statistics.

Glass exports by Cambodia (US$’000) HS Code

Product label

Exported value Exported value Exported value Exported value Exported value in thousand US$ in thousand US$ in thousand US$ in thousand US$ in thousand US$ in 2012 in 2013 in 2014 in 2015 in 2016

7018

Glass beads, imitation pearls, imitation precious or semi-precious stones and similar glass .

0

0

0

20

164

7001

Cullet and other waste and scrap of glass; glass in the mass (excluding glass in the form of . . .

0

113

52

50

95

7013

Glassware of a kind used for table, kitchen, toilet, office, indoor decoration or similar purposes . . .

0

2

0

8

5

Sources: ITC calculations based on UN COMTRADE statistics.

www.asianglass.com

AG 17-6

asianglass

43

ANALYSIS: Container glass

Drinking in the sun

North Asian beverage markets Yogender Malik looks at how the high per capita consumption of container glass in north-east Asia continues to ensure a stronghold for the sector.

T

he highest per capita users of beer and some of the nonalcoholic beverages in Asia has made Japan and South Korea a key market for container glass producers for a number of years.

Huge volume of beers, Happo-shu ( in Japan), Soju ( South Korea) and non-alcoholic beverages consumption in both the countries translates to huge demand of packaging products. However, some of the alternate forms of packaging such as metal cans and PET bottles have been taken away from container glass bottles in last 15 years in a major way in both the countries.

But, there are indications that the container glass industry is increasing its share in most of the premium product packaging used in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beer and spirit industries. Japanese and South Korean consumers have a strong demand for high quality beverage products and are willing to pay a higher price for unique, safe and high-quality products. Container glass industry in such a situation has a unique advantage over other forms of packaging.

Beverage markets in both the countries are characterised by hypermarket domination and growing sales through e-commerce platforms, which has posed challenges as well as offered opportunities to container glass producers in their respective countries.

Japan in focus

Japan is one of the top ten beverage (considering both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages) markets globally. With a production of 5,352,000 Kl in 2016, Japan is the seventh largest beer producing nation, despite the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s small size. Though, in comparison to 2015, Japanese beer industry registered a decline of 2.1 % on volume basis. Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beer industry has continued to shrink from its 1994 peak due to the falling birthrate and aging population as well as diversification in alcohol consumption.

Meanwhile, the diversification of consumption and values has invigorated the market for premium beer and craft beer, and the market for functional beverages with fewer carbohydrates and purine bodies has also grown amid greater health consciousness among consumers. Major brewers expect a gradual return of consumers to the beer category through 2026 as the liquor tax rates on all beer-type beverages will be unified gradually.

In the category of alcohol beverages other than beer-type beverages, markets such as whisky and spirits, wine, and RTD low-alcohol beverages are growing due to diversification of lifestyles and proposals for new ways

44

asianglass AG 17-6

Size of Domestic Japanese Beer Market (in Million Cases) Year

Beer

Happo-shu (Low malt beer)

New Genre (non malt beer)

Total

2016

212

59

179

450

2015

214

61

176

451

2014

216

63

168

447

2013

217

62

163

442

2012

220

63

155

438

2011

223

65

151

439

2010

228

70

145

443

2009

239

84

136

459

2008

267

92

124

483

2007

278

103

104

485

2006

301

118

78

497

2005

298

127

76

501

2004

319

154

42

515

2003

347

178

0

525

to enjoy beverages. In addition, with the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the registration of Japanese cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, it is expected that beer and container glass usage will register some positive growth in coming years.

The Japanese soft drinks market has recorded compound average annual growth of around 1% over the past five years, and no significant growth in sales volume is expected in coming years. On the other hand, the sugar-free tea and mineral water markets have been expanding against a backdrop of rising consumer health consciousness and concerns for food safety and reliability. Furthermore, the soft drinks markets for foods for specified health uses (FOSHU) and foods with function claims are expanding,

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ANALYSIS: Container glass

and opportunities for growth in each category through provision of high added value are expected to expand.

One of the current trends in Japanese beverages are drinks that contain have added health benefits. No wonders, some of the biggest sellers in the non-alcholic beverage category in the country are tea, bottled water, sports drink and coffee brands. Tea is immensely popular in Japan, making up approximately 27 percent of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beverage business in 2016, according to Japanese beverage research institute Inryo Soken.

On the negative side, alcohol beverages and soft drinks markets in Japan is quite mature with the declining birthrate and aging population, which doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t auger well for container glass producers in the country.

Beverage producers are anticipating further increases in consumption tax and graduated revision of liquor taxes. Against that backdrop, most of the Japanese beverage producers are aiming to spread their footprints in ASEAN markets.

Packaging focus

Once, a dominant force on the continent, Japanese container glass industry has lost its pole position due to a number of factors in last two decades. Alternate forms of packaging, emergence of low cost producing countries in Asia has forced container glass producers to continue with their existing capacities for quite long.

Since, most of the neighboring countries are able to produce container glass at comparatively lower costs, imports of container glass from these low producing countries forms a significant part of total domestic demand in Japan. Many of the established Japanese container glass producers have either formed joint ventures in other Asian countries for container glass production or actively looking for partners in these countries to exploit the advantage of low manufacturing cost of container glass in these countries.

Container glass usage in Japan has also suffered due domestic factors such as economic, demographic ( decline in the birthrate and rapidly aging population), the appreciation of the yen, high labour and raw material costs. Japanese container glass industry has gone through ( to a large extent it is still going through) a tough period in recent years. Being one of the countries, where alternate forms of packaging ( mostly cans) have posed tough challenges for container glass producers. But, huge market of beverages and volume of container glass demand in the country offsets some of these disadvantages.

Container glass industry for beverage packaging is dominated by eight large and

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THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT THE CONTAINER GLASS INDUSTRY IS INCREASING ITS SHARE IN MOST OF THE PREMIUM PRODUCTS medium enterprises, which account for a significant share of domestic demand of container glass for beverage industry. Toyo Glass, Nihon Yamamura and Daisho Glass have more than two container glass plants each. Most of the container glass producers have been operating for a long period and have expertise in glass production and related technology.

Yamamura Glass Company

Nihon Yamamura Glass Co., Ltd. engaged in the production and sale of glass bottles and plastic containers. Its operations are carried out through the following segments: glass bottles, plastic containers, logistics, new glass and others. The glass bottles segment handles the production and sale of glass bottles. The plastic containers segment provides PET bottles and plastic cups. The logistics segment deals with product distribution and storage. The new glass segment produces glass for electronics. The others segment includes technology supply to container glass industry and carrier devices.

AG 17-6

asianglass

45

ANALYSIS: Container glass

Japanese Non Alcoholic Beverage Consumption and Composition Beverage category

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

Ready to Drink Tea ( RTD)

528.0

524.5

520.0

517.4

512.0

Coffee

328.0

325.6

321.6

318.6

313.0

277.7

275.1

278.1

274.5

200.0

195.5

193.2

191.4

190.0

Lactic Acid Drinks

34.5

34.0

32.8

32.6

31.7

Other Soft Drinks

466.5

460.0

456.2

459.0

451.8

Total

1836

1817.3

1798.9

1797.1

1773

Carbonated Drinks Fruit & Vegetable Drinks

All units in Millions of Cases

Currently, Yamamura Glass produces container glass from four production plants located in Tokyo, Saitama, Harima and Osaka. Over the years, Yamamura Glass has acquired/ merged smaller glass producing companies such as Hiroshima Glass Kogyo Company Limited and Nippon Glass Company to expand its footprints in Japanese container glass industry.

Nihon Yamamura is also a leading technology supplier to container glass industry. Technology supply division arm of the company has supplied technology and technical support to a number of container glass producers in ASEAN, China and South Korea. Some of the these container glass producers include San Miguel Yamamura Asia Corp. in the Philippines, San Miguel Yamamura Haiphong Glass Co., Ltd. in Vietnam, Siam Glass Industry Co., Ltd. in Thailand, and South Korean container glass producer Kumbi Corporation.

Toyo Glass Group

Engaged in container glass production since 1888, Toyo Glass is a leading producer of glass containers for beverage industry in Japan. The company claims that the extensive know-how, technology and engineering in the glass manufacturing from raw materials to finished products has made it one of the most successful container glass producers in Japan.

Toyo operates two container glass plants at Chiba and Shiga ( located in the Western part of Honshu island) in the country. In addition to container glass production, Toyo also provides engineering services to the glass industry such as a plant layout, a furnace design and process improvements in the fields of batch mixing, melting, forming, inspection and packing.

Ishizuka Glass Company

Ishizuka Glass Company operates three container glass production plants in Japan. Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategically located container glass plants in Kanto region (Tokyo plant), Chubu region (Iwakura plant) and Kinki region (Himeji plant) enables it to provide prompt reception and execution of orders for its customers. Ishizuka is able to meet container glass demand of some of the leading beverage producers in the country.

In addition to container glass, Ishizuka Glass produces tableware, paper packaging products, plastic containers and related products, and ceramic products. The company offers preforms for PET bottles; mechanical recycled resins for PET bottles; chinaware and other ceramic products; metal caps; houseware products; and paper packaging products for beverages.

South Korean Beverage Industry

Non-alcoholic beverages have enjoyed rising popularity in South Korea over the past few years as younger customers are drinking more soda with fast food and Westernized meals. The carbonated drink market was estimated

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asianglass AG 17-6

Container glass producers for beverages in Japan Company

Location

Toyo Glass

Tokyo

Yamamura Glass Ishizuka Glass Company

Three plants at Tokyo, Saitama and Harima Three plants at Tokyo, Kinki and Shubu

Nihon Taisanbin Glass Company

Ogaki

Osaka Seiko Glass Company

Osaka

Daisho Glass Company

Tokishima Naruto, Hokkaido Kushiro

Hakuyo Glass Company

Aomori

Seisho Company Limited

Chome

JAPAN Nihon Yamamura Glass Company Location: Tokyo, Saitama and Harima Market: Domestic and Exports Installed Capacity: N/A Other: Nihon Yamamura Glass Company, a 103 year old container glass producer is one of the most prominent container glass producers in Japan. Nihon Yamamura claims to have an extremely flexible production system, technical development expertise and a wide selection of more than 1400 kinds of products in its production portfolio. Besides container glass, the company is also active in PET packaging , new glasses ( glass powder, glass paste and glass rods) production and glass engineering company, which supplies IS and inspection machinery to groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s companies and other container glass producers.

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ANALYSIS: Container glass

at 954 billion won( US$ 872 million) up from 936.2 billion won (US$ 856.1 million) in 2015. Chilsung Cider, a representative Korean drink made by Lotte Chilsung Co., is one of the largest consumed beverages in the country.

Despite the sizable size of North Korean non-alcoholic beverage industry, container glass consumption is driven by alcoholic beverage industry as PET and can packaging has cornered the dominat share of packaging in the former.

With one of the highest per capita beer consumption in Asia (sourceKirin Holding Report), South Korea is one of the most interesting beer markets in the Asian continent. Catered by two major brewers, South Korean beer industry has resulted in steady growth of container glass industry in the country. In fact, beer is South Korea’s favorite alcoholic beverage. In 2016, beer accounted for US$ 2.46 billion of the country’s US$ 4.60 billion alcoholic beverage market - or 53.47 per cent. Next in line was ‘soju’ at 28.1 per cent, with other traditional liquors coming in third at 5.7 per cent.

South Korea is second largest per capita consumer of beers in Asian contient with a consumption of 38 liters, trailing behind Japan, which leads the way with 44 liters. Despite, being served by two major and a small brewer, South Korea currently enjoys a great variety in its beer market.

Supported by growing end user awareness of the different beer assortment, aggressive product innovation efforts from domestic and foreign brewers and accelerating premiumization, local consumers are demanding greater diversity in beer products.

The domestic beer industry has long been driven by two large-scale local breweries, Oriental Brewery Company Co., Ltd. (OB) and Hite-Jinro Co. (Hite). Industry data indicates that OB and Hite accounted for a 56 percent and a 37 percent of the overall beer market sales in 2016 respectively. Lotte Chilsung, another large-scale domestic brewery, entered the local beer industry by launching ‘Kloud’ brand in 2014. Lotte Chilsung took 5 percent of the beer market share in 2016.

Soju is the most popular Korean alcoholic beverage, especially among businessmen, and is one of the main drivers of spirit sales in the country.

Soju is clear and colorless distilled beverage containing ethanol and water with alcohol content varying from about 16.7% to 45% alcohol by volume.

Though, the alcohol content of Soju products has declined in response to consumer demand. It is usually consumed neat. Considered “Korea’s most popular alcoholic beverage” . Most brands of soju are made in South Korea.

While it is traditionally made from rice, wheat, or barley modern producers often replace rice with other starches such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, or tapioca.

Though, can packaging and PET bottles have eroded some of the market share of container glass in many categories of beverage industry recent years, but increase in overall volumes of beverage consumption has resulted in more volumes of container glass, which has compensated for the erosion of the glass container market share by alternate forms of packaging.

South Korean Container Glass Industry

South Korean container glass production for beverage industry is dominated by three large and four mid scale container glass producers. However, three large container glass producers account for more than 60 % of the container glass used for beverage industry in the country.

Leading container glass producers have emphasized on upgradation and adoption of new technology to produce lightweight glass containers in recent years in order to meet the challenges from alternate forms of packaging and meet the requirements of modern retail channels.

Despite a sizable production of container glass for beverage industry in the country, a significant part of total demand of container glass used in South Korea is imported from China and other Asian countries. Most of these imports take place due to lower cost production advantage of container glass in these countries.

48

asianglass AG 17-6

Ishizuka Glass Company Location: Tokyo, Kinki and Shubu Markets: Domestic and export markets.

Other: Established in 1819 as a container glass producer in Japan, Ishizuka Glass is one of the oldest container glass producer in the country. The company operates three container glass production plants in Japan. Located strategically in Kanto region (Tokyo plant), Chubu region (Iwakura plant) and Kinki region (Himeji plant), Ishizuka is able to meet container glass demand of some of the leading beverage producers in the country. The company is also involved in the inspection and packaging of glass products and plastic products; and making and designing of glass forming machines and equipment. The company offers advanced glass products, such as inorganic silver antimicrobial, inorganic anti:mite, and organic and inorganic hybrid antimicrobial glass products.

Toyo Glass Company Location: Shiga and Chiba Market: Domestic and Exports Other: With a history of about 120 years, Toyo Glass Company is among the leading container glass producers for beverage industry in Japan. In addition to container glass, Toyo Glass’s subsidiary, Toyo Sasaki is one of the largest glass tableware producing companies in Japan.

Company: Daisho Glass Company Limited Location: Tokyo and Naruto Market: Domestic and Exports Other: Daisho Glass Company has two container glass production bases at Naruto factory (Tokushima prefecture) and Kushiro factory ( Hokkaido prefecture).

Naruto factory makes glass and plastic bottles, including the popular “ Gyoku” brand.

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ANALYSIS: Container glass

Techpack Solutions

Founded in 1956, Techpack Solutions is the largest container glass producer with an installed capacity of 260,000 tons of container glass per year. The company claims to have a 40 % share of domestic container glass market. The company Techpack Solutions has a technical tie up with Japanese container glass producer, Toyo Glass Company.

According to Techpack Solutions, “We have obtained a high level of glass bottle technology. For example, through technical cooperation with Toyo Glass, a world-class bottle manufacturer, we became the first in Korea to reduce the weight of one-way bottles using NNPB (narrow neck press blow) technology, and developed new colors for our bottles, such as cobalt and dark emerald.”

Another South Korean company, Dongwon Systems acquired the controlling right of Techpack Solutions for 250 billion won in 2014.

Dongwon Systems acquired a 56-percent stake in Techpack Solutions, while another Dongwon Group affiliate Star Kist and a private equity firm EQ Partners acquired 24 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

Currently, Techpack supplies container glass bottles to key clients such as OB Beer, Coca Cola, Woongjin Foods, Lotte Chilsung and other major Korean liquor and beverage companies, while simultaneously increasing exports to the U.S., Japan and East Asia.

In addition to glass containers, the company offers plastic pallets, glass tableware products, crystals, two-piece cans, and aluminum bottle cans, as well as PET bottles for the soft drink industry. It exports these products to companies in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, the Russian Federation, and Southeast Asian countries. Techpack Solutions Co., Ltd. was formerly known as Doosan TechPack BG, Inc. and changed its name to Techpack Solutions Co., Ltd. in 2008.

Kumbi Corporation

Kumbi Corporation is engaged in manufacturing, supply and distribution of glass bottles for more than 50 years. Being a lead supplier and one of the largest glass bottle manufacturers of the country, the company has played a key role in the advancement of the glass industry in South Korea. Today, the company offers flint and emerald green glass bottles in various shapes, and narrow neck pressed bottles that are widely used for beverages industry. Kumbi Corporation has two plants, which are located in Onyang and Icheon with a total of 450 tons per day capacity and 7 individual section machines.

Company’s first plant at Icheon is located in Kyonggi province and produces 560,000 glass bottles ( for 360 ml soju) per day. In 1991 the company decided to put second container glass pkabt at Onyang with a daily production capacity is about 100tons. In 1993, another furnace with an installed capacity of 120 TPD was installed at this plant, taking its overall installed capacity to 390 TPD. Onyang Plant is equipped with a production line exclusively for flint

50

asianglass AG 17-6

Techpack Solutions Location: Seoul Markets: Domestic and Export markets Installed Capacity: 800 TPD Other: Techpack Solutions, founded in the mid:1950s, is South Korea’s largest manufacturer of glass bottles for the domestic and worldwide markets. With an installed capacity of 260,000 tons of container glass per year, the company supplies container glass demand of most of the large beverage producers in the country.

In addition to beverage industry, the company makes glass containers for the food and pharmaceutical industries. The company is the largest manufacturer of glass bottles, the second largest in plastic bottles and the third largest in cans in South Korea. Techpack Solutions has a strong domestic customer base, supplying to most of Korea’s major beverage companies (both alcoholic and non:alcoholic). The compani is a high quality, cost efficient manufacturer and the largest beverage packager in Korea. It was sold to Dongwon Systems of Korea in October 2014.

Kumbi Corporation Location: Icheon and Onyang Markets: Primarily domestic market Installed Capacity: 390 TPD Other: Established in 1966 ( as Suyu Glass) with technical assistance from Japanese container glass and technology provider Nihon Yamamura Glass Company, Kumbi Corporation is one of the leading container glass producers in Korea. With an installed capacity of 390 TPD from its two strategically located plants in Icheon ( one melting furnace with 170 TPD capacity) and Onyang ( two melting furnaces with 220 TPD capacity ), Kumbi supplies glass bottles to most of the tier I and tier II beverage companies in the country.

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ANALYSIS: Container glass

Leading Container glass producers for beverage industry in South Korea Company

Location

Major Beverage Clients

Techpack Solutions

Gunsan, Icheon, Eumseong and Hanam

OB Beer, Coca Cola, Lotte Chilsung

Kumbi Corporation

Icheon and Onyang

HITE Brewery, P Beverages

Nonsan, Cheonan and Daegu

OB Beer, Coca- Cola

Samkwang Glass

glass bottles. The plant is capable of producing 300,000bottles of 360 ml liquor bottles daily with the help of three lines. Kumbi’s second Onyang plant has an exclusive production line for colored glass bottles with a melting capacity of 120 tons. Earlier, this year, Kumbi installed a state of the art inspection system at the Onyang plant. Accordong to Mr. Ko, a key executive at Kumbi Corpoartion, “We continuously want to improve our efficiency and quality level and believe this investment is a necessity to maintain our position as leading container glass supplier to the South Korean market.”

Sam Kwang Glass

Samkwang Glass operates two container glass production facilities in South Korea. Company’s Nonsan facility has an installed capacity to ( 200 TPD) produces flint bottles and its tableware glass product, Glasslock. The second production plant at Cheonan has an installed capacity to produce 400 TPD of colored bottles for beverage and food industry.

Recently, Samkwang carried out a modernization exercise at its Nonsan plant. Kon-hee Han, Managing Director of Samkwang Nonsan, says, “We continuously want to improve our efficiency and quality level and we see this investment as a necessity to maintain our position as leading supplier to the South Korean market.”

Samkwang Glass Location: Manufacturing plants at Nonsan, Cheonan and Daegu Markets: Domestic and export markets Other: Founded in 1967, Samkwang Glass Co., Ltd. is a packaging manufacturing company that runs bottle manufacturing business for beverages, liquors, and medicine glass bottles and a can business that produces aluminum and steel cans for beverages and liquor. The company also produces kitchenware brands with diverse consumer brands such as eco:friendly glass airtight container brand Glasslock, premium cookware brand CHEFTOPF, infant brand Glasslock Baby, tumbler/vacuum bottle brand Tumblock and pet brand O’Pet. South Korea: a burgeoning market

The overall beer market sales in Korea totaled W4.8 trillion won (roughly $4.4 billion) and 2.2 billion liters in 2014. Beer remained the most consumed alcohol beverage in Korea by accounting for a 45.1 percent of all alcohol beverage sales in the market in value (or a 58.8 per cent in volume).

Beer sales in Korea saw a solid growth in recent years due to: increased demand for value consumption under the downturn of the local economy; strong consumer health concerns that favors products with less alcohol content; increased demand for products of diversified taste and quality; and increased alcohol beverage consumption among the female population.

The Korean government has been pressured to introduce reforms in its alcohol beverage industry regulations to promote development of small scale (“micro”) breweries to meet the increased market demand for diversity and quality. In particular, the reform introduced in January 2015 laid out a key milestone in the local microbrew industry as it allowed small scale breweries to distribute their products outside the premise through non-affiliated restaurants and pubs.

As a result, the microbrew industry in Korea has seen openings of many new breweries throughout the country over the last couple of years.

Growth of the local microbrew industry should help reduce the influence of the large - scale breweries in the market while cultivating the local consumer taste for premium quality imported beer.

However, the local microbreweries currently accounts for less than one percent of the overall beer market sales in Korea and their penetration is very limited to key metropolitan areas that target the opinion-leading beer consumer groups, young professionals and affluent seniors.

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asianglass AG 17-6

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End of the road for ‘cat-scratch’ cord drains Almost 200 PSR Cord Dispersal Systems installed Money-back guarantee Pay-back time measured in weeks

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ANALYSIS: Ultrathin

Margin call China sees the chance for upgrades

AG looks at how rising levels of industrial application are boosting ultrathin glass usage and manufacture within China.

U

ltra-thin glass is the glass with the thickness of 0.11.1mm. Because of its particular thin in thickness, it has many special characteristics, which is mainly used for base materials of liquid crystal display panel. After the rise of the touch panel (TP), the ultra-thin glass is also used for touch panel cover and sensor substrate. In 2015, the overall development of China’s ultra-thin glass was remarkable.

In 2015, China’s demand for ultra-thin glass was 164.92 million square meters, growing by 25.51% compared with that for last year, which accounted for 30.27% of the global demand. Among which, the demand for TFT-LCD glass substrates was 98.25 million square meters, with growth rate of 28.8% and accounting for 22.14% in the global demand. The demand for cover glass was 41.54 million square meters, with growth rate of 26.72%; the demand for ITO glass substrates was 25.13 million square meters, growing by 15% compared with that for last year.

In 2015, the production capacity of China’s ultra-thin glass was 137.45 million square meters, growing by 20.97% compared with that for the previous year. Among which, the capacity of soda-lime-silicon ultra-thin glass was 100.6 million square meters, up by 11.22% compared with that for last year; the capacity of non-alkali glass substrate was 19.35 million square meters, with growth rate of 13.69%; the capacity of the high-aluminum cover glass was 17.5 million square meters, achieving a new breakthrough.

In 2015, China’s ultra-thin glass industry not only achieved a substantial growth in capacity, but also was internationally compatible in product variety, with the product thickness across the threshold of 0.55mm, marching toward 0.2mm. There were five enterprises realizing production or industrialization of 0.33mm ultra-thin glass. It is particularly worth mentioning here that on 30th October, the 0.33mm aluminosilicate glass was successfully produced by the 150t/d aluminosilicate glass production line of Sichuan Xuhong Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd.

A rising star

At present, China’s ultra-thin glass manufacturing enterprises have developed to more than a dozen, including China Luoyang Float Glass Group Co., Ltd of China National Building Material Group Co., Ltd, Bengbu CNBM Information Display Materials Co., Ltd., CSG Holding Co., Ltd, Dongxu Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd and Shaanxi Caihong Electronic Glass Co., Ltd et al.

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asianglass AG 17-6

China Luoyang Float Glass Group Co., Ltd Luoyang Float Glass was the first enterprise to develop and produce ultra-thin glass with float process in China. Early in September, 2001, its subsidiary Longmen Glass designed and constructed by itself the first ultra-thin float glass production line in China, which was transformed to be China’s first ultra-white and ultra-thin float glass production line on 6th Jan., 2011. Its subsidiary, Luoyang Longhai Electronic Glass, established the second-generation of advanced STN electronic glass production line on 19th Jan., 2006.

Production of ultra-thin glass products of Longmen Glass

The ultra-thin glass production line of Longmen Glass was transformed based on the original float glass production line, which started production on 23rd Sep., 2001. From December of 2001 to mid-February 2002, the glass thickness of the production line successfully changed from 2mm and 1.8mm to 1.5mm and 1.3mm, with successful glass dragging every time. On 28th Feb, 2002, 1.1mm high-quality float glass was produced successfully, which not only filled a gap in China’s glass industry, but also realized the total product rate of 52%, with excellent and first-class rate up to 63%. On 29th Aug., 2004, 0.7 mm ultra-thin glass was successfully produced, with the total finished product rate of 42% and the excellent and first-class rate of 53 %. On 21st March, 2008, 0.55mm ultra-thin glass was produced.

In June 2010, Luoyang Glass Group decided to transform the ultra-thin glass production line of Longmen Glass into ultra-white and ultra-thin glass production line, which was put into operation on 6th January, 2011. Longmen Glass successfully produced 1.1mm and 0.9mm ultra-white and ultra-thin glass on 19th and 22nd February, 2012, and on 23rd September, 2013, it firstly produced higher-end 0.6mm ultra-white and ultra-thin glass.

Production of Longhai Electronic Glass

Luoyang Longhai Electronic Glass Co., Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Luoyang Glass Co., Ltd. With its ultra-thin glass core production technology, Luoyang Glass Group built a new generation of advanced electronic glass production line applied in LCD in Luoyang Longhai Electronic Glass, which was constructed and put into operation in January 2006. In the first two years after being put into operation, glasses with the thickness of 1.1mm, 0.9mm and 0.8mm were produced , with product quality reaching STN level, meeting the demand from ITO industry, electronics industry, high-precision instruments and glass deep-processing. Its scientific and technological achievements of “The

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ANALYSIS: Ultrathin

Flat glass output (2017, Jan-Jun)

IN THE NEWS:

FlexEnable has signed a technology transfer and license agreement with Truly Semiconductors, one of the leading display makers in China. The deal aims to bring FlexEnable’s flexible organic liquid crystal display (OLCD) technology into mass production on Truly’s lines within 2018. Due to its high performance and low cost manufacturing process, OLCD is the only display technology today that can deliver flexible displays with large area, low cost and high brightness with long lifetime.

With a bend radius that can go below 20 millimeters, OLCD meets the market needs for a range of applications across consumer electronics, smart home appliances, automotive, digital signage and beyond. OLCD is based upon FlexEnable’s flexible low temperature organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) backplane technology, which can be manufactured on existing TFT LCD production lines using low cost plastic substrates such as TAC and PET. The OTFT backplane has better electrical performance than amorphous silicon, giving plastic LCDs the same display quality and reliability as glass-based LCDs, while making it thinner, lighter, shatterproof and conformable to surfaces. Truly, the first display manufacturer to adopt OLCD, will implement the process into its existing production lines in Shanwei, China. The first product samples will be available to commercial partners in early 2018, with volume production expected in late 2018.

Province

Output (Case) Province

Output (Case)

China total

414,145,000.00

Henan

10,098,822.20

Hebei

65,519,815.40

Guizhou

9,275,708.90

Guangdong

48,530,322.90

Shanxi

7,807,976.70

Hubei

44,170,816.30

Chongqing

7,118,515.10

Shandong

34,695,634.20

Jilin

5,010,000.00

Sichuan

27,967,245.30

Inner Mongolia

5,006,020.00

Fujian

25,266,627.80

Xinjiang

3,654,473.10

Zhejiang

23,560,339.30 Gansu

2,979,998.20

Anhui

18,813,768.80 Heilongjiang

1,998,964.00

Tianjin

16,502,413.60 Qinghai

1,811,196.30

Jiangsu

14,120,103.00 Guangxi

1,456,641.10

Liaoning

14,114,278.00 Yunnan

426,027.00

Hunan

13,570,051.00 Beijing

250,386.00

Shaanxi

10,418,874.70

Import and export of glass for (2017, Jan-June) Code

Product

7003

Cast & rolled glass in sheets or profiles

70031200

Cast & rolled glass colored

70033000

Cast & rolled glass in profiles

7004

Ordinary flat glass

7005

Float glass

70051000

Export Volume (Kg)

Import Value (USD)

Volume (Kg)

Value (USD)

Surplus (USD)

123,737,446

413,959,194

65,227,589

930,000,906

-516,041,712

9,092,250

5,825,280

1,339,530

5,461,106

364,174

93,679

118,293

26,593

646,117

-527,824

18,694,621

12,214,519

693,140

14,821,618

-2,607,099

1,096,496,161

357,256,204

129,507,287

285,893,335

71,362,869

Coated glass

308,911,316

88,479,514

3,849,023

5,104,370

83,375,144

70052100

Colored glass

164,540,647

56,904,002

18,960,240

21,448,395

35,455,607

7006

Bent, edgeworked etc 7003 & 7005

198,817,482

239,099,626

50,738,318

568,131,349

-329,031,723

7007

Safety glass

1,208,611,558

1,133,563,285

10,281,696

90,180,380

1,043,382,905

7008

Insulated glass

50,903,359

82,883,276

137,549

863,041

82,020,235

7009

Glass mirror

492,846,943

861,228,626

9,074,585

137,556,474

732,672,152

7016

Decorative glass*

206,379,983

296,163,673

1.335.435

4,536,340

291,627,333

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ANALYSIS: Ultrathin

IN THE NEWS: With Android-based smartphones vendors expected to incorporate 3D sensors into their smartphone models following Apple’s adoption of TrueDepth facial recognition system of iPhone X, Taiwan players in the related supply chain, including upstream suppliers of gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers and makers of VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser) components, as well as those providing backend packaging and testing of DOE (diffractive optical element) and WLO (wafer level optics) components are poised to embrace tremendous business opportunities in 2018, according to the supply chain sources.

The sources said the US laser diode supplier Lumentum is now the only company that has won orders from Apple for VCSEL components as part of 3D modules for iPhone X. As a contract manufacturer of the component, Taiwan-based Win Semiconductor has enjoyed stable VCSEL shipments to Lumentum in 2017, and shipments are expected to grow in 2018, given that Apple is planning to incorporate 3D sensing technology into iPad, the sources said.

The sources continued that Lumemtum’s status as the only VCSEL component supplier for Apple is likely to change in the short term along with the increasing volume shipments of iPhone X devices. This, coupled with the non-Apple smartphone vendors adopting 3D sensors in their devices in 2018, has prompted GaAs development and application of ultra-thin float glass complete technology and key equipment in the electronic glass industrial production” won the first prize of “National Award for Science and Technology Progress” in February 2007.

In 2008, 0.7mm ultra-thin glass was produced; in mid-July 2010, Longhai Electronic Glass organized production of 0.55mm ultra-thin glass, with level A rate reaching 93.5%, in which, the production, level A rate, total finished product rate and yield of glass sizing reached a record level since the project was put into operation; on 17th January, 2012, the domestic thinnest ultra-thin glass of 0.45mm STN level was successfully produced; on 6th January, 2014, 0.33mm ultra-thin electronic glass was produced.

On 24th February, 2015, the first batch of 0.25mm float glass came off the production line, which successfully broke its own record of domestic thinnest glass of 0.33mm again. In addition, on 27th November, 2012, two super-large specifications of 1.1mm ultra-thin glass sheet with the sizes of 1244.6mm × 1709mm and 1530mm × 1490mm was produced successfully.

CSG Holding Co.,Ltd.

In October, 2010, CSG Group built the first ultra-thin soda-lime glass production line in Langfang of Hebei Province, which achieved the mass production of 0.7mm and 0.55mm ultra-thin soda-lime glass in 2011, and the second ultra-thin glass production line was built in Yichang in 2013, achieving the mass production of the thinnest 0.2mm soda-lime glass currently. So far, two ultra-thin soda-lime electronic glass production lines of CSG have covered glass production with the thickness ranging from 0.2mm to 1.1mm, which occupied about 30% of the domestic market share. In 2014, CSG Group built high-performance and high-

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wafer foundry houses such as Visual Photonics Epitaxy and Advanced Wirless Semiconductor, as well as other compound semiconductor suppliers including IntelliEPI to tap into the supply chain of 3D sensing modules.

Austria-based sensor solutions provider AMS is actively expanding its supply capacities to vie for orders from Apple and non-Apple camps. As Taiwan-based Advanced Wireless Semiconductor (AWS) is a supply chain partner of Princeton Optronics, an AMS-acquired supplier of VCSELs and VCSELbased optical modules based in the US, AWS is likely to score robust shipments in the coming year, industry sources said.

Beyond VCSEL components, DOE and WLO optical components will also see great market demand, and Taiwan niche-type packaging and testing service providers such as Xintec in the TSMC Grand Alliance are expected to benefit greatly from backend processing of such components,the sources said.

Taiwan-based Himax Technologies has teamed up with Qualcomm to develop WLO lenses, seeking to capture business opportunities associated with non-Apple smartphone-use 3D sensing components. And ChipMos Technologies has helped Himax enter the field of WLO lenses with its chip-on-glass process, and may therefore indirectly tap into the supply chains of 3D sensing components for the non-Apple smartphone camp, the sources added. aluminum ultra-thin glass production line with the annual output of 1 million square meters in Qingyuan, achieving the mass production in March 2015, which was a highlight of CSG in promoting the leapfrog development of China’s electronic glass, marking the overall transformation of the CSG Group from the traditional float glass to electronic glass as well.

With the development of ultra-thin glass, CSG Group achieved the upgrading of plate glass business, access to the rapid development channel, and expanded application fields of ultra-thin float glass, becoming the development benchmark of China’s glass industry.

Hebei Panel Glass Co., Ltd

Hebei Panel Glass, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSG Group, specializes in the production of electronic display ultra-thin substrate, which is under the jurisdiction of flat glass division and located in Yongqing Industrial Zone of Langfang in Hebei Province. On 18th November, 2011, its first domestic oxy-fueled ultra-thin electronic glass production line with the capacity of 150t / d was put into operation, which meant that CSG Group has the strength to compete with Asahi Glass of Japan and Corning Incorporated of the US, making the ultra-thin electronic glass a new profit growth point.

On 29th December, 2011, 1.1mm ultra-thin glass of Hebei Panel Glass was born. On 18th July, 2014, its 0.7mm large ultra-thin glass of 1600mm × 1900mm came off the production line. And in December 2014, its 0.55mm ultra-thin electronic cover glass achieved mass production for the first time successfully. The enterprise’s ultra-thin glass products mainly provide ITO, OLED and other manufactures with high-quality ultra-thin electronic glass substrate.

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SETTING THE CORRECT PRIORITIES Heye has been one of the industry’s pioneers in closed loop control, with many years’ Multi weight feeder Different weights on one machine experience as a glassmaker, equipment supplier and an important long-term partner.

ECOMOTION CUSHIONING Glassmaking is a demanding process and one that has become Production efficiency can be increased by implementing a cushioning increasingly automated. Automation does not come for free, system of the invert that reduces the number of critical defects. Heye however, making it important to set the correct priorities. Heye has Ecomotion provides reliable self-regulating end position cushioning. looked specifically at the working steps in which the potential for The system is designed to upgrade existing IS-Machines, replacing error is highest or where the greatest savings can be achieved. their safety-critical oil cushioning. Ecomotion achieves the optimal Following the flow of glass, a series of innovative and proven deceleration point of the device by a control system and ‘distancesolutions are offered. Heye’s long-term vision, the Smart Glass time monitoring’ of the entire pneumatic cylinder hub.

Plant incorporates dedicated process control technology or the ability to accommodate assortment production, SAFETY & PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE featuring different weights. The technology Manual interference at difficult to access available also includes the availability of swabbing or hot locations of the machines have to robot sensor networks, safety concepts (e.g. blow be avoided. Heye has employed optional side monitoring) or new servo concepts. The sensors to monitor the final blow valves information platform will be the Heye PlantPilot and to conduct automatic pressure information management system, connecting data measurement of the entire process stage. from the Hot End and the Cold End. The trend monitoring of valve function is a good example of preventative maintenance, Ecomotion Optimal Cushioning - Less PROCESS CONTROL BENCHMARK providing configurable alarm thresholds and Among the company’s closed loop glassmaking Critical Defects avoiding the need for operators to climb into process benchmarks is Heye Process Control, machines to check the valves’ functions. which automatically regulates the horizontal and Another option is to use sensors in the dead vertical plunger position, as well as the tube height. plate to measure the heat of the containers.

The result is a constant gob weight. Critical defects In the event of abnormal heat radiation, the are avoided. An optional component of the process following gobs for this section will be rejected control system is Heye Press Duration Control, to avoid a jam-up of hot glass. which keeps the press duration of all cavities constant, provides for equal heat dissipation and CLOSED LOOP WARE HANDLING ensures repeatable wall thicknesses. Using this Heye Dual Motor Shears To ensure efficient ware spacing and pusher system, it is possible to control the individual phases of the pressing operation at the end of the IS-Machine conveyor, Heye has process. developed a pusher optimisation solution, where data from In conjunction with dual motor shears, the Heye Servo Feeder a light barrier at the end of the machine belt is delivered to a mechanism allows stable and precise gob forming. This provides control unit. The pusher cycle start point is set according to the easy parameter settings and preselectable profiles to support the space between bottles on the belt. operator, resulting in a consistent gob form.

Using a Heye Ware Transfer, automatic synchronisation is employed when initiating production, where the fingers of the HEYE SERVO FEEDER: SUPERIOR THERMAL HOMOGENEITY guide belt go right into the gaps between bottles. The result is Precise gob loading starts at the feeder. Delivering superior thermal smooth article transfer, with no loss of production. homogeneity and top weight consistency, the Heye rotor mechanism is another key element of the company’s process knowhow, having NEW CONCEPTS COMBINED WITH PROVEN SOLUTIONS been widely adopted by the international hollow glass community, FOR A SMART PLANT even by customers not operating the company’s IS-Machines. The Collectively, these innovations deliver an advanced smart plant rotating movement of the rotor segments provides good thermal concept. Together with Heye PlantPilot, which integrates planthomogeneity of the glass melt, the equipment’s proven design wide data, they illustrate the value of closed loop systems and guaranteeing reliable functionality and a long lifetime. information feedback in 21st Century glassmaking.

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ANALYSIS: Ultrathin

IN THE NEWS: China’s first 6th-generation flexible AMOLED display screen production line, built by domestic leading screen maker BOE Technology, was put into operation in Chengdu, Sichuan province, in May, CNR reported.

AMOLED displays, physically flexible with a fast response, high contrast and wide visual angles, are increasingly gaining applications in consumer electronics such as OLED TVs, tablets, smart wearable devices and especially smartphones.

BOE’s production line, with an investment of 46.5 billion yuan ($6.75 billion), applies the world’s most advanced evaporation technique, the first of its kind in China.

This production line, having a designed capacity of 48,000 glass substrates (1850mm by 1500mm) per month, is expected to ship at least 90 million high-end AMOLED display screens per year and realize an annual output value exceeding 30 billion yuan.

Currently, the global AMOLED display market is nearly dominated

by South Korean companies.

Samsung Electronics’s share of the business has topped more than 90 percent, with a 5.5-generation AMOLED production line that can produce 8,000 substrates per month and a 6th-generation AMOLED production line having a capacity of 15,000 substrates per month.

Yichang CSG photoelectric glass Co., Ltd.

Yichang CSG photoelectric glass Co., Ltd., established in January 2013, is a holding company of CSG Group. On 25th February, 2014, its 200t / d photoelectric glass production line was put into operation, producing 0.31.1mm ultra-thin electronic glass currently representing the high standard, and ultra-thin photoelectric glass with the annual production capacity of 34,440t (15 million square meters). The enterprise’s main business was positioned as research and development, production and sales of ultra-thin electronic glass substrate for microelectronics and glass substrate of new electronic display.

On 29th July, 2014, the first piece of 1.1mm ultra-thin electronic glass of Yichang CSG photoelectric glass came off the production line, which meant that the enterprise had successfully produced the qualified products to meet the technical requirements of ultra-thin electronic glass; After one year’s independent research and development and process adjustment, the enterprise completed the production of 0.33mm ultra-thin glass in 18th March, 2015; on 21st April, 2015, the mass production of 0.2mm ultra-thin electronic glass began, which rewrote its own mass production record of 0.25mm “Domestic Thinnest Glass “ set on 3rd April, equaling Japan’s long-term production record.

At present, the enterprise can provide 1.1mm, 0.7mm, 0.55mm, 0.4mm, 0.33mm, 0.25mm and 0.2mm et al of ultra-thin glass products, achieving the mass production of whole-series ultra-thin glass products covering 0.2 ～ 1.1mm.

Qingyuan CSG New Energy-Saving Materials Co., Ltd.

Qingyuan CSG New Energy-Saving Materials Co., Ltd., established in 5th May, 2011, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSG Group. On 6th February, 2015, its highperformance ultra-thin electronic glass production line was put into operation, which was an ultra-thin electronic glass production line with the annual capacity of 12 million square meters, being construction on 13th September, 2013.

It is reported that Qingyuan CSG produces high-aluminum cover glass using float process, and by December 2015 more than 30% of trial production accepted rate had be reached, whose design objective was to achieve mass production accepted rate of 50-55%.

Bengbu Design and Research Institute for Glass Industry of China National Building Material Co., Ltd. At present, Bengbu Design and Research Institute for Glass Industry has two

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In addition, LG Display has nearly 8 percent of the market.

Most of its small to medium-sized AMOLED displays are made in its 4.5-generation production line, which has a capacity of 14,000 substrates per month.

According to consultancy company Sigmaintell, the flexible AMOLED is expected to witness exponential growth rate in 2017 and 2018 and its proportion in the AMOLED capacity will reach 65 percent by 2020, xkb.com.cn reported.

BOE’S smartphone LCD, tablet LCD and laptop LCD shipments topped the global market in this year’s first quarter. Besides the production line in Chengdu, it will start building another 6thgeneration AMOLED production line in Mianyang, Sichuan province, and achieve mass production by 2020.

China’s State Council announced further measures to support “Made in China 2025”, a plan to transform China from a manufacturing giant into a world manufacturing power, on Wednesday, according to Xinhua.

Key technologies such as high-end and smart equipment will be further developed.

Domestic screen makers such as Tianma Micro-electronics and Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology are also enhancing their presence in the OLED industry. ultra-thin float glass production lines, including the ultra-thin glass substrate production line for electronic information display with the daily capacity of 150t / d in Bengbu CNBM Information Display Materials Co.,Ltd., and the ultra-thin high-aluminum cover glass production line for touch screen with the capacity of 50t / d in CNBM (Bengbu) Photoelectric Materials Co.,Ltd.

Bengbu CNBM Information Display Materials Co.,Ltd.

Bengbu CNBM Information Display Materials Co.,Ltd. is a high-tech subsidiary of Bengbu Design and Research Institute for Glass Industry producing information display of ultra-thin electronic glass. On 8th September, 2013, its ultra-thin glass substrate production line for electronic information display with daily capacity of 150t / d was put into operation, producing the first piece of glass on October 16th. On 18th December, 2013, it successfully dragged 0.55mm ultra-thin electronic glass on the ultra-thin float glass production line, with the accepted products came off the production line on that day. Since the line had been completed and put into operation, it had completed the glass production of 1.3mm, 1.1mm, 0.7mm and 0.55mm in just two months, which created a new record of similarly accepted products coming off the ultra-thin float glass production line at home and abroad.

On 26th August, 2014, the enterprise produced the domestic thinnest display glass of 0.3mm, filling the gaps of domestic glass. On 28th March, 2015, the electronic information display ultra-thin glass production line constructed by Bengbu Design and Research Institute for Glass Industry based on core technology and equipment had produced 0.2mm ultra-thin glass substrate, upgrading by 0.1mm based on 0.3mm limit of domestic electronic glass industrial production created half a year ago, which successfully caught up with the world-advanced level, establishing another milestone in the history of China’s glass industry.

CNBM (Bengbu) Photoelectric Materials Co., Ltd.

CNBM (Bengbu) Photoelectric Materials Co., Ltd., established on 19th September, 2014, was located in China Glass New Materials Technology Industrial Park of Bengbu, which started to construct ultra-thin highaluminum cover project for touch panel on 19th December, 2014.

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ANALYSIS: Ultrathin

IN THE NEWS: Royole Corporation, a Chinese start-up that makes the world’s thinnest full-colour flexible display, has raised US$800 million in its fourth and biggest round of funding yet from a group of heavyweight investors, including Citic Bank, ICBC, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, and Zhong Hai Sheng Rong Capital controlled by Chinese billionaire Forest Xie Zhikun.

Royole signed debt financing deals in the last few months with Citic Bank, ABC, ICBC, BOC, and Ping An Bank to collect US$560 million, the company said in a statement.

It also previously signed equity financing deals valued at US$240 million, with Warmsun Holding, Hanfor Capital Management, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, Tan Shi Capital Management, and Zhong Hai Sheng Rong Capital Management controlled by Forest Xie, founder of Zhongzhi Enterprise Group.

“The investments will help us devote more resources into research and development, production, and sales, and to speed up our business growth,” said Bill Liu Zihong, Royole’s founder and CEO. “We will focus on the next generation technology of humancomputer interaction, as well as the R&D, production, and sales of related electronics.”

Royole was founded in August 2012 in Silicon Valley, Hong Kong and Shenzhen simultaneously. In 2014, it released the world’s thinnest 0.01mm full-colour screen, which is bendable and rollable.

The display uses a technology called Amoled as the front panel and can be integrated with a fully-functional mobile platform.

Amoled makes the panel lighter and allows more saturated colours compared with LCD. Last November, Royole was valued at US$3 billion after raising 500 million yuan (US$75.5 million) from Warmsun Holding Group.

It took around four years for the company to crack the US$1 billion “unicorn” valuation, higher than the average seven years for US start-ups to reach that level, according to information from the Boston Consulting Group.

Other investors in Royole include IDG Capital, Green Pine Capital Partners, and government-backed Shenzhen Venture Capital.

Royole said in the statement that it has invested 10 billion yuan building a production base for flexible displays in Shenzhen since 2015.

In April, Liu said publicly that the production line will officially launch as early as the end of this year.

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ANALYSIS: ultrathin glass

Slim pickings making the most of ultrathin

Hannes Spiss of Ove Arup &Partners, UK, discusses some of the technical challenges and aesthetic opportunities for utilising ultrathin glass.

A

irbed tempering technology enables the glass industry to the use in the photovoltaic industry and some research projects. Within to heat treat float glass with a thickness of < the construction industry the application of thin glass application is almost 3.00 mm, at an acceptable visual quality level. The not existent. resulting robustness allows larger scale applications One of the main reasons for this is the lack of awareness of this product of thin glass. and the benefits it can provide to the building industry. To overcome this But what are the advantages of this product? The emerging advantages preconception one of the airbed heat treating line producers asked ARUP to create are varied and affect different aspects of a showcase demonstrating the advantages of the building material glass. For example, it thin heat treated glass product. The aim was to possibly improves the carbon footprint of demonstrate: insulated glass units as an optimised build up • Visual quality will reduce the mass of glass used in IGU’s.

• Strength It will also provide the architects with a • Flexibility new dimension of design freedom as the • Dimensions thin glass can be cold bent to radii normally As a result Arup designed and engineered the unconventional for glass products. Another Glass flower for the presentation at the Glass Tec option will be the application of thin glass in Düsseldorf in 2012. In 2013 and 2014 Arup in the refurbishment or restoration of was involved in a façade refurbishment of a existing projects. building in London. For acoustic reasons a very But what appears as an advantage on one specific glass build up was installed originally. side creates an opportunity for failures on the • Outside: 5 mm fully toughened glass other side.

• Cavity: 16 mm The additional flexibility increases the • Inside: laminated glass consisting of a 10 mm risk of incooperating optical failures in other and 5 mm float glass processing steps such as the lamination As only part of this façade was replaced and the process. We can optimise the build up employer’s requirements in relation to the use of to reduce the mass of glass but design fully toughened glass changed we proposed a failures might ruin the visual appearance of new build up which including a laminated outer glass facades. glass with thin glass.

The following paragraphs shall explain • Outside: laminated glass consisting of a 2 some of the ideas and experiences made with mm and 3 mm heat treated glass the application of thin glass.

• Cavity: 16 mm Currently the application of heat-treated • Inside: laminated glass consisting of a 10 mm Image 1: Glass Flower, Glass Tec 2012 thin glass (glass thickness < 3 mm) is limited and 5 mm float glass

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ADVERTISER FEATURE

LiSEC revolutionizes handling system of insulating glass units with new logistics solution

LiSEC handling system of insulating glass units consisting of a gantry crane facility (UTS-B) and a mobile unit buffer (MEB-B).

LiSEC, a pioneer in the development and manufacture of equipment and machinery for flat glass processing, has revolutionized logistical handling of insulating glass units due to a sophisticated handling system. This logistics solution, which consists of a gantry crane facility (UTS-B) and a mobile unit buffer (MEB-B), improves quality, saves time, resources and money.

Automatic gantry crane facility for unstacking and rotating of freshly sealed insulating glass units with thermoplastic spacers.

Curing, without re-sorting, directly on site The unit buffers are specifically designed to allow the thermoplastic spacers to cure directly at the unit buffer. This saves space, time and money.

Tracking system The individual transport racks can be coded for each customer. The new LiSEC „Delivery Tracking“ simplifies logistical handling, provides transparency and saves time in the logistics process.

The automatic gantry crane facility (UTS-B), Mobile unit buffer for manual or automatic which is arranged downstream of a LiSEC sealing loading, curing and transporting of Individual, modular design machine, is particularly suitable for unstacking of insulating glass units.

The entire modular system can be adapted to the freshly sealed insulating glass units with fixed or customer’s space requirements and is compatible flexible spacer systems, with particular advantage for thermoplastic with almost all current LiSEC lines. spacers. The glass units are sent out in the direction of the line and rotated from horizontal to upright position before being sorted into LiSEC: best in glass processing the mobile buffer system (MEB-B). The mobile unit buffer serves for LiSEC, with headquarters in Hausmening/Amstetten, is a globally manual or automatic unloading, curing and transporting of insulating operating group, and has been offering individual and complete glass units. Further re-sorting is therefore no longer necessary. solutions in the field of flat glass processing and finishing for over 50 years. The service portfolio includes machines, automation Improved production flow and quality assurance solutions and services. In 2016, the group, with around 1,300 The production flow is significantly improved by automatic employees and over 20 locations, generated total revenues unloading and sorting. The insulating glass unit is removed from the of around 230 million Euro, with an export rate of more than suction plate without compressing it. Support fingers located at the 90 percent. LiSEC develops and fabricates glass cutting and bottom and side edges prevent the glass sheets from slipping. This sorting systems, single components and complete production guarantees compliance with quality and tolerances. lines for insulating glass and laminated glass fabrication as well as glass edge processing machines and tempering machinery.

Consistent product quality With reliable technology and intelligent automation solutions, Fixation of glass sheets on the transport rack MEB-B takes place LiSEC sets standards in quality and engineering and significantly without compression due to individually adjustable spacer brackets. contributes to the success of its customers.

This ensures a high-quality standard of insulating glass units especially with thermoplastic spacers.

Further information: Filip MIERMANS Less transport costs Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications The transport of insulating glass units in upright position saves space and a possible manual unloading in any order ensures LISEC Austria GmbH flexibility. The MEB-B is always optimally loaded due to flexible Peter-Lisec-Str. 1 – 3353 Seitenstetten spacers. The number of compartments varies depending on unit Tel.: +43 7477 405-1151 thickness. Loading and packaging is easy and fast. The mobile unit Mobile: +43 664 77802 buffer is optimized for truck transports and saves costs. A truck can E-mail: filip.miermans@lisec.com – www.lisec.com be loaded with up to 18 filled or 36 empty MEB-Bs.

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ANALYSIS: ultrathin glass

Image 2: Schematic illustration of an Airbed heat treating line

Based on the above projects and additional research the following observations were made:

Optical quality of thin glass:

To achieve the best optical quality of heat treated thin glass most of these glasses are heat treated on airbed toughening lines and as with every other type of heat treated glass the visual and optical quality is very much dependent on the skills of the furnace operator.

However there is a specific effect occurring on the airbed toughening lines which can cause an optical defect. Along the bottom edge where the transport rollers are in contact with the glass an additional edge wave can occur.

The amplitude of this edge wave is mostly depending on the glass thickness, glass dimensions, angle of the toughening table and the time the glass is resting on the transport rollers in its soft state.

A diligent production process allows this particular distortion to be kept at a minimum.

Another possible visual imperfection caused in the airbed toughening line is scratching lines. These occur when the air cushion is not sufficient to support the glass. As a result the glass might slide along the furnace surface during the transportation. This can happen with very pointy glass geometries.

Optical quality of thin glass laminates:

The optical quality of thin glass laminates is easily affected during the lamination process. This is due to the low stiffness of the individual glass sheets. When several laminated glasses are stacked on an A frame on top of each other the accruing load on the inner glass sheets might be sufficient to cause distortion along the support ribs of the frame. These optical distortions are caused as the interlayer is displaced, creating a type of lens effect.

On very thin glass it was observed that uneven inlays within the vacuum bag caused additional distortions.

Optical Quality of insulated glass units with thin glass layers:

A significant advantage is seen by the use of thin glass in insulated glass units. The idea is to improve the visual appearance of glass facades using an optimised build up. The thin glass would allow the suppliers to provide glass units which are less distorted due to climatic loads. Comparison calculations considering glass units 1600 x 3500 mm and climatic loads as defined in the DIN standard show that distortion on the outer pane can be reduced by 50% using a thin inner layer.

Weight reduction and reduction of the embodied carbon:

Using an optimised glass build up with thin glass also allows the reduction of the overall weight of insulating glass units which has an effect on the overall faรงade design.

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Image 3: Distortions along the lower glass edge

A conventional build up with a 8 mm fully toughened outer glass and an inner laminated glass 55.2 made of float glass could be replaced by a build up of a 6 mm fully toughened outer glass with a laminated 22.2 inner layer fully toughened. Optimised glass build ups with comparable structural performances therefore have a weight reduction of up to 50%.

The translation of weight reduction to the reduction of embodied carbon is currently the subject of different studies. As the energy consumption during the production of thin glass is higher this will not be proportional to the reduction of weight. However the latest analysis indicate a reduction of up to 20% of embodied carbon.

Supply Chain:

The lack of awareness in the construction industry creates a significant hurdle for the application of thin glass. As faรงade suppliers and main contractors are not aware of thin glass as a building product they are concerned about the fragility and resulting risks. An additional factor is the low number of suppliers providing this product.

Today we are aware of about 10 companies that operate airbed heat treating lines within Europe.

Thin glass producers and processors would increase awareness and potentially sales if they provided additional Image 4: Airbed heat treating lines within information packages highlighting Europe the individual advantages within the supply and value chain.

Conclusion

The application of thin glass requires further research and development. The processing possibilities are limited in size which often is in conflict with the architectural intent. Quality related matters need further explanation and possibly new evaluation procedures are required as traditional ways of measuring defects such as distortions are not applicable.

The advantages of thin glass application are important as it is possible to improve the visual quality of insulating glass units while reducing the overall weight and embodied carbon and maintaining the structural performance of the insulating glass unit.

The application of thin glass has the potential to improve the overall perception of glass and the glass industry.

References:

Workshop Paper of Prof. Dr. Ulrich Neumann, Smart Window Conference 2015; WEM4WIN Presentation Mr Mader, Smart Window Conference 2015;

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ANALYSIS: Low E

The Heat Is meeting accuracy challenges in Low E

Dr Fiona Turner, Physics Section Manager at AMETEK Land, looks at the challenge of creating visually perfect glass panes and how a consistent surface temperature profile can help to achieve this.

T

here is strong demand across worldwide markets for heat strengthened and thermally tempered glass products for a wide range of applications. However, to create visually perfect glass panes or lites, the stress across the entire lite must be kept even during processing and that requires precise control of temperature. Infrared temperature measurement technology helps achieve that by generating a thermal map of the product that allows for better process control, however the mapping of low emissivity glass can be a challenge.

IR measures

All objects emit electromagnetic radiation. Hotter objects emit more radiation and at shorter wavelengths. A perfect blackbody object emits the full radiation profile predicted by Planck’s Law. For most real surfaces, emissions are less efficient than predicted by Planck’s Law, and the emitted radiation is scaled down by a factor known as the surface emissivity. For glass, emissivity, transmittance and reflectivity show complex wavelength dependence as shown in Figure A.

accurate temperature measurement. Glass measurement solutions normally rely on measurements at 5µm, where the glass becomes opaque. With negligible transmission, emissivity is approximately 1 – reflectivity, with typical values around 0.97. However, modern low emissivity coatings can reduce that emissivity to as little as 0.05, which represents a huge challenge for infrared thermometry.

Challenges

The requirement for low emissivity glass for windows is now firmly established. Low emissivity glass is highly effective at reducing the sun’s non-visible radiation from entering a building. It also retains existing heat inside a building, so it benefits the end user who enjoys much reduced energy costs, making it very popular for architectural applications.

Low emissivity means there is fundamentally very little emitted radiation for an infrared instrument to measure. There are hundreds of different grades of low emissivity glass, all with different emissivity values, so just one compensation value cannot be used for all glass types. Furthermore, low emissivity glass is produced in the same furnaces as uncoated glass, so any infrared temperature measurement system must cope with huge variations in emissivity. When emissivity is low, reflectivity is high and background sources of radiation can easily add extraneous signals to the measurement.

Incorrect estimation of emissivity can cause huge errors in temperature reading, so active emissivity compensation is required.

Thermally tempered glass

Figure

A:

Glass,

emissivity,

transmittance

and

reflectivity

wavelength

dependence graph.

Infrared thermometers are non-contact instruments that sense emitted radiation within a waveband, and then convert the received signals into

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The thermal tempering process involves glass being heat treated and then rapidly cooled in a controlled manner in an air quench section. This gives the product its performance benefits, ensuring that it produces harmless dice when broken, instead of sharp shards that could be potentially dangerous if used within a building.

For visual perfection to be achieved, physical distortion must be avoided and temperature precisely controlled on entry to the quench section.

Uniform surface temperature profile across the whole lite must be achieved.

This provides the same even stress across the glass and ensures distortionfree viewing when the glass is used within a window (Figure B).

Infrared temperature measurement is commonly used for process control during the thermal tempering process. If a thermal image of each lite can be seen as it enters the quench, the heating profile can be adjusted to maintain the necessary uniform glass temperature.

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ANALYSIS: Low E

On Figure B: Distortion free tempered glass – uniform glass temperature thermal image v. distorted glass – non-uniform glass temperature thermal image.

Methodology

Much research and development has gone into the creation of an accurate infrared measurement solution for the thermal tempering process that can be used on any glass type, including those with the lowest emissivity.

That solution by AMETEK Land, shown in Figure C, uses a 5µm line scanner that measures the low emissivity surface through the narrow gap between the furnace and air blowers and aligned with one or more temperature bias sensors on the underside of the glass used for emissivity correction.

A true temperature, emissivity corrected thermal map of the entire product surface with sub-spot resolution is created in software from successive scan data, which then can be used to adjust furnace control parameters and produce visually perfect glass.

The gap between the furnace exit and air quench section can be as small as 10 cm. However, this is sufficient for a line scanning system that utilizes the movement of the lites themselves to provide a second measurement axis and to build a complete thermal image. The line scanner continuously scans across all glass lites as they exit the furnace at 100 lines per second. The scanner is designed to operate accurately without cooling in ambient conditions up to 60 °C and to continue to operate outside its specifications, up to 70 °C. A specially designed deflector plate fits to the underside surface of the enclosure, which deflects much of the hot updraft at the furnace exit and prevents the scanner from seeing its own Figure C: AMETEK Land Thermal Tempering reflection when viewing low emissivity glass.

Infrared Measurement Solution.

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Figure D: Instrument arrangement from each direction.

AMETEK Land’s Landscan LSP-HD 50 has a scan angle of up to 80°.

Industrial glass tempering lines are typically a few metres wide, so, in order to view the full width of the line, the scanner must be placed some distance away. In a typical glass tempering line, that means the scanner has to be positioned above the line, looking down at the glass as it emerges from the furnace.

Coated glass invariably is processed with the coated side upwards (to avoid contact with the rollers) so the scanner is always viewing a surface with a potentially unknown emissivity. Two or three small temperature bias sensors (such as the AMETEK Land Solonet SN5) are installed on the underside of the line to provide automatic emissivity correction. The sensors measure the temperature of the uncoated surface at a particular point. This temperature reading is used to correct the emissivity of the film so that the whole scanner image displays the correct temperature without needing to recalibrate for different coating constituents or uncoated glass.

Figure D shows the arrangement from each direction. The scanner and two underside sensors are positioned to align with two compensation zones in the scanner temperature profile. Both the scanner and underside sensors need to look at the same gap between support rolls.

The system takes contact closure signals from the furnace controller

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ANALYSIS: Low E

Figure E: Low emissivity glass thermal images.

door, signalling the beginning and end of a batch of lites emerging from the furnace. As the batch passes, signals from the scanner and underside thermometers are monitored. The first underside thermometer is used to give a valid reading for temperature correction. Only one of the underside temperature sensors needs to have seen the glass for correct compensation, but it is essential that at least one glass lite is seen by one of the underside sensors for the compensation to work.

In practice, this is simply achieved by marking stripes on the rollers at the input, aligned longitudinally with each compensation zone, so operators can ensure a lite is over at least one of the sensors, as shown in Figure D. With AMETEK’s Landscan process imaging software, an emissivity value is calculated that matches the scanner radiation measurement from zone 1 to that of sensor 1, or from zone 2 to sensor 2. This emissivity is used to calculate true temperature from the scanned radiance for the whole batch of lites. Low emissivity coating processes are sufficiently controlled that the emissivity value will be consistent for every lite of the same grade. Lites of the same batch always are tempered together, partly for logistical reasons and partly because different grades of low emissivity glass pull more or less heat out of the furnace. Mixing grades would quickly cause a temperature imbalance in the tempering furnace.

the temperature profile within the furnace. Trends from batch-to-batch can be used to show if one side of the furnace is running cooler than the other. The distribution of lites is often the simplest way to adjust the temperature profile within the furnace – placing larger panes on the hotter side of the furnace will do much to draw heat from this area and even out the temperature within. Batch timing and other thermal controls also can be adjusted, to reliably produce lites with a uniform thermal profile within the required temperature range.

Conclusion

The latest generation of infrared line scanners and spot thermometers allow glass manufacturers to take true temperature measurements of low emissivity coated glass during the thermal tempering process. Such measurements enable informed control of the thermal profile within the furnace, which reduces waste and optimizes productivity, and ensure the reliable production of high- quality, distortion-free glass. As glass coatings develop even further, infrared temperature measurement will help producers face the challenges of optimizing glass production and performance.

Results

Figure E shows a selection of thermal images of low emissivity glass panes measured using the system described above.

The temperature scale in the first set of images is set to 620 °C +/- 5 °C. Measurements within this desired range are shown in green; hotter areas are yellow / red; colder areas are blue.

In both sets of images, the glass lites were travelling from left to right.

Most of the glass is close to 620 °C and shown in green, but the leading edge is yellow, closer to 640 °C, and towards the tail in the middle there is a colder blue area at around 610 °C. This is sufficient variation to cause concern.

In the second set of images a much more even temperature profile has been achieved, though around 15 °C higher. This also may cause concern.

The thermal images from the previous batch of lites effectively show

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WHERE THE HOLLOW GLASS INDUSTRY MEETS TO DO BUSINESS

JOIN THE ASIAN GLASS INDUSTRY IN BANGKOK Glassman Asia will be the ideal opportunity to network with industry professionals from around the world whilst learning about the latest products and services on the market.

Glassman Conference Technology in Glass

Future Glass Forum

As well as the Future Glass Forum, Glassman Asia will

live discussion of the issues

also feature its traditional conference, Technology in

surrounding Industry 4.0, ‘smart

Glass, which will focus on the latest technologies and

manufacturing’ and creating a ‘smart factory’, including

trends in the glass industry. Conference papers aim

perspectives on Glass Manufacturing and Digitalisation.

to discuss innovations and practices which bring real

This conference is free-to-attend and is applicable to

benefit to the container glassmaking process.

both flat glass and hollow glass production as well as

The Future Glass Forum is a

Confirmed papers so far include AGR International, Pneumofore and PaneraTech.

business consultants interested in the considerations of business models, IT infrastructure, energy efficiencies and plant safety and security.

REGISTER NOW FOR YOUR FREE PASS TO ATTEND

This conference will be held within the Glassman exhibition in the seminar theatre on both mornings of the event.

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In focus

KEEPING OUT THE CHILL U-VALUE STABILITY IN 2 VS. 3 GLASS UNITS

Alf Rolandsson and Thim Pettersson discuss how U-values for low-e glass can be standardised and measured in order to establish effectiveness of IGUs in increasingly colder climates.

The development of low-e coatings with lower and lower emissivity have led to a situation where the methods for declaration of U-values can be discussed, questioned and may have to be amended. The standard EN 673 is not sensitive enough for units with extremely low emissivity where the heat radiation loss is almost eliminated. The calculation of U-value is then much more dependent on how conduction and convection within the units are calculated.

There is a risk that the current standard will mislead consumers in their choice between double and triple glazing when the units get similar declared U-values.

In line with increasing demand for lower energy consumption in existing buildings as well as higher and higher demand for insulation in new buildings the need for high performing windows increases. Legislation requires better and better insulated buildings and there is a constant pressure on the fenestration industry to deliver windows to meet higher performance levels.

The development of gas filled IGU’s with low emissivity coated glass has gradually led to windows with outstanding performance compared to what was possible some years ago. The majority of IGU’s today include at least one pane with a low emissivity coating. There are windows on the market today quoting Uw-values down to 0.7 W/m2K. To reach these levels, three panes of glass are required with at least two coatings. With such glass combinations the thermal insulation of the windows will be relatively stable even when in colder climate.

The situation gets more complicated when we look at modern double glass units with high performing low-e coatings. A U-value calculated according to EN 673 and standard boundary conditions may not be representative at outdoor temperatures below zero. The absolute majority of energy transport in these units will be due to conduction and convection and with a higher temperature gradient over the glass unit the driving force for convection will increase and the U-value will increase accordingly.

Hot-box test

To more closely examine the impact of boundary conditions on thermal transmittance in windows SP, Technical Research Institute of Sweden, was engaged. On behalf of the Swedish Flat Glass Association, they did perform a series of hot box measurements.

One double glass unit and two different triple glass units were installed in the same type of fixed wooden frame and the energy flow measured with cold side temperature reduced from +/-0 to -10 and -20 degrees C. The heat

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transfer coefficient (U-value) was determined according to EN ISO 12567-1. Based on these measurements the Ugvalues for the insulating glass units have been calculated according to EN ISO 10077-2.

The insulating glass units were as follows:

• IGU no 1 D4-16: Double glass unit [4-16Ar-ε14] with 4 mm float glass, 16 mm argon filled warm edge spacer (TGI), 4 mm low-e glass (corrected emissivity ε1 = 0.013).

This built-up represents very much a standard double glass unit except that the most commonly used low-e glass have a normal emissivity of 0.03 • IGU no 2 T4-12: Triple glass unit [4-12Ar-4-12Ar-ε34] with 4 mm float glass, 12 mm argon filled warm edge spacer (TGI), 4 mm float glass, 12 mm argon filled, warm edge spacer (TGI), 4 mm low-e glass (corrected emissivity ε2 = 0.037). This unit was chosen, with the aim to reach the same declared Ug -value as the double glass unit, IGU no 1.

• IGU no 3 T4-16: Triple glass unit [4ε3-16Ar-4-16Ar-ε34] with 4mm low-e glass (corrected emissivity ε2 = 0.037), 16 mm argon filled, warm edge spacer (TGI), 4mm float glass, 16 mm argon filled, warm edge spacer (TGI), 4 mm low-e glass (corrected emissivity ε2 = 0.037). This unit represents a built-up that is commonly used to reach what is required for windows supplied to passive housing projects.

The results also show that the Ug-value in the DGU no.1 gets worse, from 1.13 to 1.30 W/m2K while the TGU’s show much smaller changes when lowering the cold side temperature. In both triple glass units the Ug-value stays almost the same with temperature down at -20 C. The most affordable glass combination to achieve good U-value is probably IGU no. 3 – the triple glass unit with two low-e coatings with a declared U-value of around 0.6 W/ m2K. This unit exhibits a greater change at -20 C than IGU no. 2 because the cavities are wider, resulting in increased convection. This indicates that there may be reasons to study in detail how the thermal insulation changes with different spacer widths to find the best IGU configuration for a Nordic climate.

Calcs and findings

Our findings indicate that the calculations when it comes to convection are better taken care of in the ISO-standard 15099 then in EN 673. Can the EN 673 be revised to handle this? There is also an allowance in the ISO-standard to define local boundary conditions more close to real data for any specific situation.

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Table 1. Results in summary: IGU no: When the emissivity is down to 0.01 the difference, between normal emission measured and the declared Cold side temp. value of emissivity levels, gets more critical. With +/- 0 C the proposed change in EN 1096-4 which says the tolerance on emissivity is reduced to +0.01 for coatings - 10 C with a normal emissivity lower than 0.1 calculations are - 20 C more reliable. Earlier the tolerance was + 0.02.

The debate

ΔU

1

2

3

4-16-4

4-12-4-12-4

4-16-4-16-4

1.13

1.03

0.63

1.22

1.01

0.65

1.30

1.00

0.69

0.17

-0.03

0.06

When radiation is reduced to almost nothing conduction Ug -value, EN 673 1.0 1.0 0.6 and convection dominate and the variation of U-value Ug -value, ISO 15099 1.1 1.0 0.6 with changing boundary conditions increases. Units with low-e glass of today have almost no heat radiation All units are with argon. Unit no 1 and 2 have one low-e coating while unit no 3 has two low-e coatings. losses while the losses due to conduction and convection play a dominant role for the U-value. This will Note that Ug -values calculated according to ISO 15099 for all three IGU’s are in line also result in more critical influence of spacer width and with measurements while the U-value for no.1 is not corresponding when calculated according to EN 673 at the same boundary conditions. type of gas filling. Both these factors play bigger roles and an IGU with more cavities, or very narrow cavities with no convection, show more consistent values. not values based on a standard with an outdoor temperature With triple glazing in cold climates there is probably no of +/-0 C. risk for surprises but with double glazing there may be Comfort - The above also applies when assessing the risk a risk. The results of the hot box tests and calculations for cold drafts which is made at design outdoor temperature. indicate that the variation in U-value is greater in double If the design temperature is -15 degree C the DGU no 1. in glazing. This may lead to poor performing buildings in our example can be 1.0 meter high without any risk of cold wintertime when the U-value becomes more critical. It may drafts close to the glass surface assuming declared U-value also lead to indoor climate with unexpected down draught according to EN 673. If we instead base the calculation on and poor living comfort. the surface temperature that this particular DGU will have at We would probably see almost constant U-values even -15 C outside the glass can only be 0.5 meter high before in double glazing if we narrow the cavity down to 8-10 mm cold draft occur. The design outdoor temperature (DVUT) in which is too narrow for any convection to start. The problem Sweden varies between -10 C and -35 C. then would be a poor performing window anyway with Ugvalue 1.4 – 1.6 W/m2K. Where next?

On top of the hot box tests referred to we have made Our hot box tests show that the U-value in high performing a series of U-value calculations according to ISO 15099. double glazing is sensitive to boundary conditions. Since The programme used allows for input of different weather windows with low emissivity glass have very small amount conditions. Warm side and cold side temperatures, wind of heat radiation losses the energy transport is mainly due speed and tilt can be varied. Based on these calculations, to convection and conduction and the DGU will be more using the three IGU’s from the hot box tests as example, the sensitive to temperature differences than the TGU. following reflections can be made.

Reliable input data are essential to make sure that Wind speed - At strong wind U-value will change more in consumers are not misled and that proper decisions double glass units, although the changes are quite small. can be made when energy consumption and power Skylights - The greatest difference between low emissivity requirement are calculated. This will also guarantee a two- and triple glazing occurs when the units are installed good living comfort in winter time, with no cold air draught inclined, such as roof glazing and skylights. If we compare from windows.

IGU no.1 and no.2 the calculated U-value in DGU no.1 goes With this paper we like to share the result of an from 1.1 to 1.4 W/m2K at 45 degree roof pitch while TGU interesting survey. We recommend a deeper analyse of no.2 has a stable U-value of 1.0 W/m2K. the issue to fully understand the impact of these findings.

How do we make sure that relevant data on glass in Extreme weather windows are implemented in calculation methods and Imagine the IGU in a skylight installed at 45 degree angle, design parameters? In particular the European Standard, the internal temperature is +22 degree C in a winter night EN 673 have to be revised to fully adopt to current theories with -10 C outside temperature and a wind speed of 12 regarding heat transport in insulating glass units and the meters per second. The U-value of the double glass unit development of low emissivity coatings. goes from 1.1 to 1.8 W/m2K while the triple glass unit This article was produced and funded in collaboration with the changes from 1.0 to 1.2 W/m2K. Swedish Flat Glass Association; www.svenskplanglas.se. Alf Power requirement – The calculation of a building’s power Rolandsson is a glass consultant with Roland & Roland AB; Thim requirement must be done at the building’s design outdoor Petterson is Nordic Account Manager, FFI, for Sika Danmark A/S. temperature. It would be advisable that the U-value of the window at this temperature is used in the calculations and

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Window on

CHINA

72

Float glass output (2017, m. cases)

Cumulative float glass output (m. cases)

Float glass sales (2017, m. cases)

Float glass inventories (2017, m. cases)

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ADVERTISER FEATURE

VIETNAM CHOOSES OCMI FOR DOUBLE TIP AMPOULES PRODUCTION

OCMI/MODERNE MECANIQUE confirms once more its great flexibility by providing forming and after-forming equipment for the production of special types of ampoules, outside of ISO DIN standards. This is the case of special machines used to manufacture double tip ampoules, product that is still relevantly produced and sold in France and former French colonies like Northern African Countries and Vietnam.

In the past, these countries had an important tradition of filling machines working with vacuum system, perfectly suitable for double tip ampoules. This is the reason why this type of ampoule is particularly popular there.

Double tip ampoule is usually manufactured with amber glass of Hydrolytic Class II and filled with drinkable solutions that are not subject to any restriction linked with alkalinity and don’t need to be packed into full neutral borosilicate glass.

OCMI supplied several lines to produce this type of container in Vietnam, where the main manufacturer of double tip ampoules recently decided to improve its production capacity. In this case, the forming machine has the same structure of a standard forming machine MM30, with the possibility to produce ampoules from 1ml to 20ml, but a special section must be installed to manufacture this special product.

Camera inspection system can be installed under customer’s request even if in Vietnamese factory such controls are not yet very common and visual inspection by the operator is still the preferred working way.

The opening of the finished ampoule tube is not made with a dedicated burner but is realized through cutting blade scoring the capillary made through stretching operation. Thanks to this operation one of the tips remains open to allow the next filling operation.

Due to the particular shape of this ampoule of course it must be handled with the utmost care along the after-forming process in order to avoid any breakage. After-forming line is usually equipped with double color ring device with two parallel ink tanks. Printing station is available in the standard version and also the annealing lehr keeps the same features of standard electrical oven for ISO ampoules. Scoring section, that is an obsolete device for the production of standard ampoules, it is used for double tip ampoules

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and usually installed before packing units.

Packing is a very delicate operation in case of double tip ampoules since the product can’t fall down into the box like standard ampoules since the tip capillary would get broken. In order to avoid such problem, the ampoules are picked directly from the chain and collected in special boxes placed in vertical position.

Vietnam remains a small market but the growth of ampoule business has been important in the last three years. It is one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical markets in Asia and the expected growth through 2017 is 20%. This is also fueled by the progressive expansion of population and growing possibility of access to medicines across the country. This trend is followed by Government policy so that National Health Insurance System that is expected to cover 90% of Vietnamese people within 2020.

This is why OCMI is constantly monitoring this market and waiting for new actors to get into the business of glass pharmaceutical packaging.

The two main ampoule manufacturers improved relevantly their production capacity in the manufacturing of standard and double tip ampoules with OCMI machines supplied from Italy or France.

OCMI Group has 15 production lines installed in Vietnam. FA36S, developed in OCMI Italian headquarters of Milan for which OCMI India provides technical assistance to Vietnamese customers, is composed by 36 stations. 6 of these stations are used to produce the first bottom of each new glass tube in order to reduce the glass waste and manufacture one more ampoule per tube.

MM30 forming machine, developed in OCMI French factory of MODERNE MECANIQUE, is suitable to produce standard and double tip ampoules. Both machines can be connected with Moderne Mecanique processing line LA502, with different configurations according to the type of container to be produced.

Commercial support is offered in a really timely way thanks to a local Representative linked to OCMI by a long term trusted relationship.

Technical assistance could be provided from Europe or from nearest OCMI subsidiary in India.

OCMI India follows directly Vietnam market offering spare parts and, if needed, reconditioning services to the customers under the direct supervision of Italian headquarters.

AG 17-6 asianglass

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Float glass prices (2017, RMB/case; average price all grades)

Output growth (2017 v 2016, by month)

Cumulative output: Hebei (2017, m. cases)

Cumulative output: Shandong (2017, m. cases)

Sales growth (2017 v 2016; %)

Stock growth (2017 v2016; %)

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Anaylsis

Refractory Zone Fused-cast refractories an ongoing thriller

In the last of his exclusive articles for Asian Glass for 2017, P.Carlo Ratto discusses how fused cast makers are facing increasingly challenging circumstances…

If the story of fused-cast refractory should one day be written in a novel, it would almost certainly be a thriller, full of turns of events and changes in the plot, where some main characters appear and others disappear, and where even the rules of the game seem to change during the course of the story.

This might easily be the reason why a few professionals like me, historically involved in the manufacturing and strategic marketing of these materials, are still enthusiastically providing services and support to the two faces of the business (the manufacturers and the utilizers), mostly in the complex area of primary glassmakers.

The story of fused cast refractory, in fact, began almost a century ago, both sides of the Atlantic, as a result of research and development run by companies active in other than traditional refractory fields.

As a matter of facts, the initial kernel of fused cast technological platform was developed (with chemistries in the range of Mullite, then evolving to AZS) by Corning Glass in USA and, shortly after, a joint venture headquartered in Modane (F) was established between Corning and Saint Gobain of France, another leading glassmaker. This was the origin of Electro Refractaire, then evolved into the SG-SEFPRO group, presently being the major global player in this business.

Another source of fused cast technology and production (fused Alumina) was within The Carborundum Company of USA, the “inventor” of silicon carbide, an electro mineral with a wide range of applications, due to the extreme hardness and peculiar physical and chemical properties.

Also in Italy, where another small company developed fused cast refractories, it stemmed from another JV (SIC-Edison) also involved in SiC manufacturing.

Once more, the developer of fused cast was far from the core business of traditional shaped refractories. The latter are mostly produced through sintering techniques, which means firing the formed bodies in a variety of

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furnaces, with nothing to do with the idea of fusing with EAF furnace and casting a mixture of refractory oxides by means of a ceramic foundry technology.

Slow progress

The above story explains why what might be described as the major innovation in the refractory field of the entire 20th century (certainly referring to refractory for glass smelting furnaces), was not developed by existing refractory producers, not even those having an important fingerprint in the lining of furnaces for glass smelting.

Since fused cast refractory were a huge success story (as a consequence of the incomparable resistance to fused glass and to the aggressive gases above smelted batch), in a few years most commercial glass smelting furnaces were lined with one or more varieties of these new refractories, mostly with AZS composition at glass contact and some kind of electro-fused Alumina in the superstructure and working end.

It is to be noted that the relevant manufacturing technology and know-how was in hands of very few Companies, that initially shared the global western markets without a strong level of competition. As a direct consequence, for a few decades, fused cast refractory were not only an outstanding technical success, but also a great source of revenue for the very few manufacturers that, in some market, operated in a near-monopoly situation.

But the golden age did not last forever: starting from the last couple of decades of the 20th century, a number of factors broke the existing equilibria: • The technology initiate to spread to other players; initially it was the existing few holders who sold or licensed new players operating in remote locations (typically Japan or India) so as to indirectly reach these markets. Then it was the turn of “independent” companies who developed own technology with direct or indirect (including leakage of know-how from primary/legitimate owners) support of the

P. Carlo Ratto

primary developers, and this situation mostly refers to China, where tenths of manufacturers initiate production of low-cost fused cast refractories.

• The competition between primary western manufacturers warmed up under the pressure of low-cost producers and the shrinkage of the available market size. What was one time a friendly competition and informal market sharing became progressively a fierce race to access the existing opportunities for high-quality, high-price products, in the global scenario.

• The advent of the unprecedented financial and economical crisis in the west and globalized markets that troubled now a couple of decades, overlapping the other above mentioned elements, was a co-cause of pauperization of the fused cast refractory market, being just one element of a vertical chain of business (rawmaterials to finished glass applications) that significantly lost profitability, particularly within the big commodity layers.

• In the last couple of decades of 20th century, following the consolidation trend in the industrial sector, the reduced financial appeal of the general refractory for glass application, and particularly for the once rampant fusedcast niche, it was foreseen the opportunity for major refractory players (at least those with a significant presence in the glass industry) to acquire capability to manufacture/provide fused-cast refractories together with other traditional refractories, making it possible to generate package synergies and offering to the glass industry the opportunity to deal with a single (or almost) provider of refractories.

Here was the time when the fairy story

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Anaylsis

Anaylsis

turned in a thriller: this attempt by the big refractory players to somehow manage fused cast refractory was not an easy task, and all in all not a success story.

It is to be considered that the major groups of refractory (in term of tons and value) utilized in the glass industry, beside the fused cast are: • specialty silica for crown (plus other minor application), • basic and neutral bricks for regenerators and chambers, and • a number of commodity including unshaped, silico-alumina backups (blocks, bricks), IFB and other insulating bodies Not considering the latter group for which there are hundreds of potential suppliers, there is not so many dominant players with a significant capability to provide the glass industry with silica for crowns and/or basic bricks for regenerators.

Another factor to be considered is that in a marriage two parties need to be willing to match, for love or for convenience!

Finders, keepers…

The major global fused cast producer, being part of an extremely strong integrated global glass player, did not want to sell his fused cast capability (at least not so till now) and, on the contrary, made moves to acquire manufacturing capability in some area of traditional sinter and unshaped materials (and iso-pressed specialties), but never became a major supplier of silica for crowns, nor basic bricks/checkers for regenerator packages. Another strategy of this market leader was to acquire competitive capacity worldwide, maintaining and improving his dominant position, and trying hard to expand the application niche of fused cast refractory into application segments once ground for sinter specialties; this was a partial success when a significant share of regenerator packages was and is lined with a peculiar type of fused cast refractory (the “cruciforms”).

Significant players other than the above mentioned dominant Company, have been targeted by major traditional refractory companies. It was the case of Vesuvius that acquired a number of players in the area of glass business, putting together an unprecedented Glass Group, capable of providing under the same umbrella silica for crowns, basics for regenerators and all kind of commodities (shaped, unshaped), IFB, insulation: this Vesuvius Glass Group, though, had a very short life and was sold in pieces when the big global group headquartered in Bruxelles decided to get off the glass business, maintaining only a very minor presence in a couple of specialty materials, part of the initial core business.

Another big global refractory giant, with an historical leading presence in the basic and a minor fingerprint in silica for crowns decided to get into the fused cast business, getting

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to the aspired position of a global supplier capable to provide integrated packages to the glass industry: RHI acquired initially an independent fused cast manufacturer in Italy and, after the split of VGG, the only one active US-based player. RHI also acquired a minor entity in Russia, but put itself in the position of managing almost only high cost fused cast facilities (based in Italy and western New York), competing with dominant player(s) that moved progressively large part of its capacity in low cost areas and with the possibility of controlling a significant captive market. As a result, all these fused cast manufacturing units have been sold again, this time to financial players that tentatively will drive these companies as stand alone in a very difficult environment.

It is intriguing speculating on the root reasons that lead to the failure both these attempts, made by extremely experienced refractory groups, knowing pretty well the industrial environment and specifically also the glass industry, huge groups (actually at global top level) that had the possibility for a brief lapse of time, to provide integrated packages of refractory to the glass industry, being at a first sight in the best position for succeeding.

I believe there are at least three reasons that lead to failure: 1. Fused cast refractory are not only a very “special” refractory for technology, but also very different in the marketing side of the business. In spite of the appearance, it seems that it has been easier to acquire the technological platform, than the marketing and commercial know-how. It must have to do with the fact that fused cast refractory (as well as other special glass refractory) are sold mostly as capital purchase and the market structure is made of few large businesses more than a myriad of small orders or repeated orders as it is for consumable goods for foundry, steel and other. For some reason, managing a bumpy market where top level of Customers are involved in the negotiations, seems to be too much challenging and somehow alien to organizations used to provide mostly consumable in a more steady flow of orders.

2. The two big refractory company that engaged in acquiring fused cast capability did acquire western capacity, that means high cost, while the dominant competition has large share of production under low-cost locations and a great deal of flexibility. The cost pressure and the lack of a captive share of market could have driven the business profitability under acceptable levels. It is hard to believe that financial entities that acquired these plants will have the capability of making it financially sound!

3. The idea that being capable of providing the Glass Industry with an integrated package of refractory should have been a

big plus, did not pass a critical examination: the big glass groups, particularly those global player not involved in the fused-cast capability, have acquired the skill of picking the most appealing different flavors in a basket, and very often are not interested in a package… They know different specialized manufacturers of different types of refractory can be chosen for a number of reasons (price, quality, delivery time, group policies and so on), and are not a lot afraid of dealing with different companies for different classes of refractory; furthermore the rapidly changing scenario of different refractory supplier, and the relevant transient commercial opportunities can be better managed when a Customer retains the capability to understand the environment and chose between several alternatives.

Lack of integration

It is interesting to observe that while the two huge global refractory players above mentioned, both headquartered in Europe, did not succeed in integrating the fused cast manufacture in their glass business, another major player, based in USA, followed another strategy, developing an house brand of fused cast refractory outsourced from Chinese, low cost, manufacturers, and developing stringent initiatives to maintain the best possible control on quality and reliability of the supply, developing technical specifications acceptable to the majority western glassmakers, and leaving only as a possibility the opportunity to package them with other refractories for glass.

To be noted that this different approach did put this US refractory player out of risks above mentioned under points 2 and 3 and is also capable to maintain the “manufacturer profitability risk” out of home, since the commercialized fused cast are bought and sold with a well defined mark-up that covers the commercial expenses and the planned margin. This is possibly limiting the volume of the manageable business, but is the approach that, so far, has proven to be more long-living and providing the capability of changing the sourcing, should one manufacturer become unavailable or less competitive in the ratio cost/quality.

As initially stated, the saga of fused cast business for glass, is a very intriguing story.

Understanding the plot and the underlying reasons for the success and failure of initiatives is helping utilizers and all the players in this game to make the wise moves, take proper and informed decisions.

This will never eliminate the risk of making mistakes, but at least will reduce the entity and cost of a possible mistake, and surely will help capturing opportunities existing in a so complex and changing environment.

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ADVERTISER FEATURE

GPS: innovation and automation in lubrication The German IS machine expert GPS has followed up an innovative year in 2016 with even more new developments for IS machines in 2017. The company has developed a range Blank mold spraying on testing stand ABL of modular systems that enhance its customers’ performance, quality, safety and pro-duction efficiency. Recently the full-service provider GPS collabo-rated with T&T Turnov s.r.o of the Czech Republic on its latest in-novation: a fully integrated automatic mould lubrication system (ABL). Like most of the GPS systems, this module can be inte-grated in any make of IS machine – with virtually no visible inter-faces. The new ABL system also solves many of the problems associated with competitor lubrication systems, and it delivers impressive value for money.

Tests have confirmed productivity increases of as much as three percent with the ABL system!

And, in terms of pricing, the GPS ABL system costs around half as much as the current price for similar sys-tems, so the investment is recouped in a very short time. The new system also improves finished product quality and has an obvious positive impact on resource efficiency in the production process. It ensures reliable and even lubrication without any need to stop the production process and manually swab the moulds. Quality and yield losses in container glass production as a result of uneven swabbing or temperature fluctuations are now a thing of the past. The ABL system also improves machine operator safety and health because it replaces the manual swabbing process, reducing the risk of burns and exposure to unhealthy oil fumes.

Functions and technical parameters The fully integrated ABL system consists of a tank containing the lu-brication oil, the cooler, a pump, a circuit and optionally a 220 volt compressor, as well as the air duct and piping. The lubrication oil is continuously pumped in a closed loop to the individual ABL plates and back – lubrication In, lubrication Out and AIR – with 60 bar oil pressure and compressed air. The air duct and piping system pro-vides the 6 to 8 bar over pressure necessary to open and close the lubrication circuit and fire the spray nozzles that evenly lubricate the blank moulds, neck rings and blow moulds. The nozzles are posi-tioned on a holder plate with integrated cartridges. All elements can be adapted to customer processes and product sizes. One lubrication nozzle is used for each cavity half in the IS machine. Constant pressure ensures reliable lubrication and prevents oil residue on the fin-ished product, or the glass products sticking to the moulds at the hot end.

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Innovative and solution-oriented GPS has extended its tremendous innovative capacity since the management buyout, a development that is Stand alone control system for testing Trial impressively proven and HMI ABL by the full-service provider’s ABL system.

The new system is an efficient and practical solution to everyday production challenges in the con-tainer glass industry.

Moreover, it solves many of the problems asso-ciated with competitor products, such as lubrication robots and other external applications. The ABL is fully integrated in the IS machine so no safety doors obstructing operator access to the sections are need-ed. The GPS system is also low maintenance, has minimal space re-quirements and is very easy to integrate in the IS machine. The Ger-man IS machine specialist’s new solution offers a range of ad-vantages over competitor products – including cost advantages. The GPS innovations regularly prove that the best solution doesn’t always have to be the most expensive one and they are all Rolf Themann CEO efficiency fo-cused.

The GPS automatic mould lubrication system in a nutshell - A fully automated system that increases hot end productivity by three percent - More consistent product quality - Unrivalled value for money - Fully integrated – no robots, no external applications - Manufacturer independent – the ABL can be built into any IS machine - Individually adjustable holder plates and nozzles - Lubrication intervals are adaptable to requirements - Improves employee safety - Additional safety precautions at the IS machine are not neces-sary About GPS GPS is a leading German-based developer and supplier of IS ma-chines and components, servo mechanisms, feeders and conveyors as well as control and drive systems for various applications. It also provides consultancy and training services to customers in the con-tainer glass manufacturing industry. GPS develops customised and standard solutions for individual projects, regular customers and companies of all sizes, including financing if required. Based on its self-imposed standards of excellence, GPS develops optimum solu-tions in perfect quality for customers around the globe. At unbeatable value for money.

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