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The Iranian float glass story is unique and intriguing – a late entrant in the float glass market, Iran’s first float glass plant was established in 2000. A plant set up by the current market leader, Kaveh Glass Group, laid the groundwork for a number of plants after that, as float glass products replaced inferior sheet glass products during the first and second decades.

Today, in Iran, float glass is produced using cutting-edge machinery and high-tech processes, ensuring international standards are met. Quality control measures and access to affordable, abundant energy resources give Iran an advantage over its competitors, resulting in lower production costs and savings for clients. Aside from balancing cost-effectiveness with exceptional quality, each product is highly skilled in craftsmanship.

Located in an advantageous geographic region, Iran has convenient access to land and sea transportation, which reduces shipping times and minimises risk of breakage. Also, since Iran is closer to African and European markets, its float glass products are more affordable than those from China.

Like most of Asia, Iran’s flat glass industry is dominated by construction. Iranian construction has a thriving supply chain of materials and equipment. Incentives for local and foreign investment, subsidies for housing development, and new urban centres are among the policies the Iranian government has implemented to support this sector. Yogender Singh Malik provides insight into the ways in which the flat glass industry in the country is well-positioned to capitalise on such opportunities.

High-tech product labels, lightweight, stronger, and recycled glass, and improved packaging technologies continue to drive glass beverage packaging demand. In the 10 nations that make up the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), despite strong competition from non-glass packaging materials, glass packaging remains a strong contender in the markets for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It is no secret that glass beverage packaging is one of the most popular packaging materials in this region, says Jahir Ahmed as he provides an analysis of why glass packaging continues to attract ASEAN consumer attention and provides a market overview.

The long-term demand for soda ash is expected to increase from 60 million metric tonnes to 80 million metric tonnes by 2030 due to global initiatives such as solar glass and lithium carbonate. In the coming years, natural soda ash will see an increase in market share, while synthetic soda ash will continue to play a significant role in meeting global demand.

Glass industry growth and soda ash’s use in electric vehicle batteries should increase demand for soda ash in the long run, writes Rohan Gunasekera.

The growing renewable energy industry and the trend towards reducing automobile weight are expected to drive sustained growth in glass fibre demand. Fibreglass has become a critical raw material, just like minerals, with its use in applications like renewable energy and a low-carbon economy.  Rohan Gunasekera writes that fibreglass is now considered a critical raw material that is used in a broad range of applications, including consumer products, fighter jets, and assault rifles, with a strong growth in demand for new applications such as wind turbines, which is very encouraging news for this unique material.

For over 60 years, LiSEC has been providing innovative solutions in the fields of flat glass processing and finishing. A variety of glass cutting and sorting systems, individual components, complete lines for the production of insulating and laminated glass, as well as machines for processing glass edges and tempering are all produced by the company. In an exclusive interview with Asian Glass, Gottfried Brunbauer, CEO of the LiSEC Group, discusses the company, trends in the market, sustainability, and what sets LiSEC apart from its competitors.

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