Welcome

The float glass industry in India is slowly recovering from the prolonged dip in growth rates registered during the last five years. The recovery has been largely facilitated by the presence of five float glass producers and 11 float glass lines with an installed capacity of approximately 7,500 tonnes per day. Globally and in India, architectural glass has been a major component of the float glass industry. For the foreseeable future, this sub-segment of the market is expected to hold the majority of the market share in the country as well.

Residential and commercial construction continued to grow steadily during 2022, resulting in a satisfactory increase in the consumption of float and value-added glass in the country. According to government and private sector projections, India’s construction sector will experience steady growth in the short, medium, and long term. India’s growth story has been fuelled by the real estate sector. Within three to four years, the country is expected to become the third largest construction market in the world, providing huge business opportunities.

The Indian automobile industry has also proven to be highly productive, with the industry growing rapidly over the past decade, resulting in a steady flow of orders for automotive glass manufacturers. It is estimated that the passenger vehicle market in India will grow at a CAGR of 8.6% until 2027. As a result of the increasing volume of automobile production, the increase in the per capita consumption of glass in automobiles will result in even higher growth rates for automotive glass and indirect float glass consumption. For the Indian float glass industry, the sky may be the limit.

Rising disposable incomes, changing lifestyles, and the increasing population of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have led major container glass producers in the region to expand their installed capacity in recent years. With steady demand from container glass consumers, existing container glass producers in the region have been able to expand their capacities. In the coming years, non-alcoholic beverages, the leading demand driver for container glass in the region, will play a key role in driving the growth of the glass industry.

Starting with this edition, we will highlight female glass industry leaders and achievers in our ‘Women in Industry’ segment. Through this segment, they will explain how they came to work in an industry that has traditionally been male-dominated – and still appears to be one – why they chose this career, and how the sector may be better prepared for future generations. Considering the inspiration and information they share, it makes for a very interesting read.