Organization
Our Building Products’ operations are organised into seven regions; UK and South Europe, North and Central Europe, Japan, North America, South America, China and South East Asia.
The business has around 10,200 employees in 21 countries. It operates or has interests in 43 float lines dedicated to Building Products, with manufacturing and processing operations in 21 countries. It has downstream processing in Europe and Japan and a major presence in Europe, Japan, North America, South America, South East Asia, & China.
Europe
Main upstream operations are in Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The Downstream part of the business includes all of the glass processing and wholesaling operations serving the European market through a network of fifty branches across ten countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom).
The extensive range of products and services includes merchanting, the manufacture of safety glass, and the complete range of (Pilkington Insulight™) glass units.
Japan
The business has its main upstream production site in Chiba (two float lines and one rolled line). The downstream business, represented mainly by offline coating, insulating glass, laminated glass, tempered glass, fire protection glass and vacuum glazing glass production, operates across 21 different sites across the country. Japan is also the only location where the NSG Group manufactures Spacia – the world’s first commercialised vacuum glazing product. With six sales offices, Building Products Japan offers a full range of products and services to its customers.
South East Asia
Building Products South East Asia is represented by two float lines in Vietnam, one of which was commissioned in 2008, and two float lines in Malaysia, one of which is a hybrid (float/rolled) line.
China
The NSG Group has minority interests in two major glass manufacturing businesses in China – Shanghai Yaohua Pilkington (SYP) (two float lines, one rolled line and extensive glass processing) and China Glass Holdings (12 float lines). SYP’s two Shanghai float lines were closed in December 2008, but replacement lines are under construction in nearby Changshu. In addition NSG Group itself operates a float in Changshu, in a 50:50 JV with SYP. It is currently installing advanced on-line coating which will enable it to respond to the rapidly growing, regulation-driven market for value-added low-e glass. The NSG Group operates a further rolled line in a 50:50 JV with CGH. This produces low-iron glass cover plates for the Solar Energy sector.
North America
Building Products North America manufactures and distributes products for the architectural/ commercial market (exterior and interior), residential market, speciality glass market and fire-rated glass market for a diverse range of applications. In addition to sales offices and float glass plants across the country, the business also has a Technical Services Department committed to working with customers to answer any glass-related technical and performance questions. The business operates four float lines across the USA; in California (Lathrop), Illinois (Ottawa) and two in North Carolina (Laurinburg).
South America
The Group’s strategy in South America has for many years concentrated around operating jointly owned float facilities with Saint-Gobain, operated by Cebrace. The relationship was furthered in 2010 with the announcement of a fifth float line due to come on stream in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2011completion of the fourth joint venture line in Barra Velha, Brazil. This partnership is set to continue with the joint commissioning of a facility in Colombia. The NSG Group and Saint-Gobain together operate four lines in Brazil and The NSG Group operates one in Argentina and one in Chile. The Group also has warehousing activities in Colombia, Venezuela, Uruguay and Peru..