Volume 42, Issue 4 - April 2007
Volume 42, Issue 4 - April 2007
| Global Update Crystal Window and Door Launches Taiwan Subsidiary Crystal Window and Door Systems in Flushing, N.Y., opened a subsidiary in Taipei, Taiwan called Crystal Union Company, which will provide project design and installation services for curtainwall and architectural windows to the country’s construction and property management industries. “Having been born in Taiwan, I have always wanted to return and invest in my homeland. This new company will provide extremely high-quality, sophisticated services and products for the Taiwan construction industry and be an important contributor to the vibrant Taiwanese economy,” says Thomas Chen, Crystal’s founder and chief executive officer. Crystal Union will provide project engineering and installation initially for both new construction and rehabilitation projects throughout Taiwan. Future plans call for a “full-service” expansion, to include manufacturing and shop fabrication of curtainwall systems and high-end windows. Plans also call for the company to grow beyond Taiwan and provide its services throughout East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Crystal Union has formed alliances with the Taiwan Technical Institute and the Ting Wall Co. Ting Wall is led by Dr. Raymond Ting, the designer of a proprietary curtainwall system, which the company says surpasses current systems in terms of water penetration, ease of assembly, indoor air quality and performance longevity. www.crystalwindows.com Chinese Companies to Construct Glass Facility in Turkmenistan The project, which is expected to be complete by February 2009, carried a price tag of $67.38 million USD. Plans call for the Ashgabat facility to have an annual production capacity of 62.4 million square feet of glass measuring 4-mm thin, 85 million units of various glass containers and 3.2 million square feet of glass packets, including those with toned covering. Vitro Cristalglass Can Temper the Largest Sheets in Spain In addition to the new tempering furnace, the third for the La Rozada facility, the facility underwent a total reorganization that the company says was designed to speed up processes and to provide efficient responses to customer needs. The facility is now able to temper and thermo-harden laminated glass lites measuring 19.6 by 10.8 feet, and in thicknesses of 6- and 19-mm. In addition, Vitro S.A.B. de C.V. secured a $750 million debt offering to refinance existing third-party debt at the Vitro holding company level and all of the third-party debt at its subsidiary Vitro Envases Norteamérica S.A. de C.V. (VENA). The offering will consist of bank and/or bond financing in at least two trenches and will be guaranteed by VENA and Viméxico S.A. de C.V. VENA also announced an offer to purchase for cash any and all of its outstanding 10.75 percent senior secured guaranteed notes due in 2011. The aggregate principal amount outstanding on the notes is $250 million. www.vitro.com Edgetech I.G. Earns British-American Award “We are very proud to be given this honor by the British-American Chamber of Commerce,” says Mike Hovan, president of Edgetech. “The U.K. constitutes the largest and most significant market for Edgetech outside of North America and we look forward to continued growth in this area.” Edgetech in the United Kingdom also received the Specialist of the Year and Energy Efficiency Initiative of the Year G06 awards last year. www.edgetechig.com Glaverbel Adds Czech Glass Facility With a production capacity of 700 tons per day, this investment of approximately USD $126 million should meet increasing demand for glass, which the company expects to grow by 7-8 percent per year in central Europe over the next few years. The new float plant is expected to be operational by the beginning of 2008. “By concentrating three float lines at a single site, we benefit from advantages of scale in terms of performance and flexibility of production,” says Jean-François Heris, president of AGC Flat Glass Europe – Glaverbel. “It also enables us to take advantage of the local factors already present, which will help to speed up the construction work and reduce the cost of the investment. These include know-how, human and material resources, a common language and a shared corporate culture.” www.glaverbel.com Intertek Partners with IFC Certification Sika Acquires Proxan Dichtstoffe GmbH PDG manufactures sealants for the production of insulating glass and for construction joints. Sika says Proxan’s experience and products will enable it to supply a complete, coordinated system to the rapidly growing market of “bonded windows.” www.sika.com
Glaston Combines Tamglass, Bavelloni Operations in Brazil
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