NSG Group is pleased to announce the plan to invest in additional production capacity of TCO (transparent conductive oxide) coated glass in Malaysia to support the growing solar market.
In the plan, a float line at the Johor Bahru factory of Malaysian Sheet Glass SDN BHD, a member of NSG Group, will install online coating capacity in the near future and will start shipping TCO glass for solar panel manufacture after the facility is in operation. It is anticipated that the supply from the converted line will commence during the fourth quarter of fiscal year ending March 2024.
The investment is to support the expansion strategy of First Solar, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of thin-film solar panels that has a long-standing partnership with NSG Group. In addition to its existing facilities in Vietnam and Malaysia, First Solar is constructing a new manufacturing plant in India, which is expected to be commissioned in the second half of 2023.
In order to meet the growing global demand for solar panels especially those manufactured by strategic partner First Solar, NSG Group started operation of the second dedicated float line for solar glass in Vietnam in January 2020, and a new plant in Luckey, Ohio, USA has been operating since November 2020. The glass produced in these plants is exclusively supplied to First Solar.
NSG Group is promoting “Expansion of Value-added Business” as one of the measures listed in the medium-term management plan “Revival Plan 24 (RP24)”. The announcement to expand solar glass based on NSG Group proprietary online coating technology is part of this strategy.
The Group will continue its efforts to realize its Medium-Term Vision to be “A global glass supplier contributing to the world with high value-added glass products and services”.