
NSG Group to Expand Pilkington Automotive Glazing
Capacity in Brazil
November 2, 2010
The NSG Group has announced plans to invest approximately $82 million
(140 million BRL, 6.7 billion Japanese Yen) to expand and upgrade
its Pilkington Automotive glazing operations in Brazil.
The new investment involves the construction of a new plant at
Caçapava in the São Paulo region, alongside the group's
existing facilities, for the production of laminated and tempered
parts. The plant will be equipped with advanced technology currently
used in the group's operations in Europe and North America.
"Brazil is a very important market for us in which we been
operating for some 30 years and have a high market share,"
says Craig Naylor, president and chief executive officer of the
NSG Group. "The overall vehicle market in Brazil is growing
strongly, with annual production expected to reach 5 million vehicles
by 2014."
Company officials say the investment will expand its overall capacity
in laminated and tempered parts and will enhance its capability
to meet increasing demand for value-added products. These products
include glass parts involving "complex curvatures and additional
functionality, such as integrated antennas for mobile communication,
demisting equipment and automatic rain sensors, [which] are increasingly
being specified in the region."
The new laminating line is due to come on stream in early 2011
and will increase the group's capacity in Brazil by around 50 percent,
permitting the production of approximately three million car windshields
a year. The tempering line will be commissioned in two phases, with
the first coming on stream at the beginning of 2012. Around 200
jobs will be created locally as both operations begin production.
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