U.S. Glass Manufacturing Project Kickoffs May Top $1 Billion in 2019

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--A quick Google search of the word "Glass" is more likely than not to result in references to an M. Night Shyamalan movie scheduled for release later this month. But in the industrial world, glass is big business. Industrial Info is tracking more than $1 billion in glass manufacturing capital projects in the U.S. that are planned for construction kickoff in 2019, ranging in value from $1 million to $294 million.

Click on the image at right for a graph showing U.S. glass production project kickoffs in 2019 by market region.

The Great Lakes region, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, has the largest share of planned kickoffs, with $491 million worth of project activity. In Luckey, (Troy Township), Ohio, Pilkington North America Incorporated (Toledo, Ohio), part of Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (NSG Group) (Tokyo, Japan), plans to build a 500,000-square-foot float-glass manufacturing plant. The plant will support NSG Group's plan to expand production capacity of online transparent conductive oxide-coated glass to support the solar energy market.

The float-glass plant will be constructed near First Solar Incorporated's (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) solar module manufacturing facility now under construction in First Lake Township, Ohio. Planned for completion in third-quarter 2020, the new float glass line is the first in the U.S. for the NSG Group since 1980.

See Industrial Info's project reports for the float glass plant and the solar module facility.

In Laurinburg, North Carolina, Pilkington plans to dismantle and rebuild an 800-ton-per-day float glass furnace to improve operations. Completion is planned for mid-2019. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

In Columbia, South Carolina, Jushi USA (Irwindale, California), a subsidiary of Jushi Group (Zhejiang, China), plans to build an 80,000-ton-per-year textile fiberglass production line and a 40,000-ton-per-year specialty glass production line, as part of an expansion of its manufacturing complex that is under construction. The adjacent lines would be completed in first-quarter 2021. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the fiberglass reinforcements and fabric manufacturing plant and the expansion.

In Carlysle, Pennsylvania, Vitro SAB de CV (San Pedro Garza García, Mexico) plans to dismantle and rebuild its #2 architectural float-glass plant glass furnace. Completion is planned for mid-2019. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

In Zanesville, Ohio, Owens-Illinois (NYSE:OI)(Perrysburg, Ohio) plans to rebuild its 300-ton-per-day "A" glass furnace to improve operations. Completion is planned for third-quarter 2019. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.