Pittsburgh Glass Works is proud to announce the opening of a new state-of-the-art automotive glass manufacturing facility in Zibo, China.
The facility, built as part of a joint venture with Shandong Jinjing Science & Technology Stock Co., Ltd. (Jinjing), a leading supplier of float glass in China, began construction in 2014. The construction proceeded on schedule and the joint venture, Shandong PGW Jinjing Automotive Glass Co. Ltd. (PJG), is now in commercial production.
“The opening of the PJG facility is a key milestone for the automotive industry as it provides the technology and quality to serve the Chinese auto industry with world class products and services,” said Joe Stas, President and CEO of PGW. “With the establishment of this facility, we can support our customers on a truly global basis.”
PJG uses the latest in automotive glass manufacturing technology and is a showcase of the best manufacturing and operations practices. The facility, which began productions earlier this year, is currently delivering windshields that meet the toughest automotive standards.
The new facility, along with an embedded product development and customer support center, extends PGW’s global reach for its innovative product and process technologies in order to serve the needs of the car producers in the important China market. The addition of this modern automotive glass plant represents a significant step in the maturation of the Chinese automotive market. With Chinese consumers, and hence the vehicle manufacturers, demanding world class technologies in their cars, the PJG facility will be able to satisfy that need.
As the Chinese automotive market faces tough challenges with the upcoming fuel economy and emissions targets set by the regulators, the PJG facility is equipped to make glazing that will help vehicle manufacturers meet these increasingly tougher targets.
“The facility will produce some of the most complex parts that are being demanded by the discerning Chinese customer/consumer, while also being very cost competitive due to the efficient design and operations,” reported Paolo Cavallari, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Auto-OEM business at PGW.
The plant is capable of producing windshields that require technologies like Heads Up Display (HUD), full surface heating, complex bend, lightweight glazing, solar performance products and antenna systems, among others. The best-in-class lightweight and solar performing glazing products reduce fuel consumption of a vehicle and help decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
When fully operational, the new facility will have capacity for two-million car-sets and employ in excess of 350 workers. The facility size is 34,600 square meters.