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The Coater7, Vitro’s new MSVD coater, is a $55 million investment. Photo: Vitro
Vitro Architectural Glass’ plant in Wichita Falls, Texas, can now produce some of the largest lites with low-E, MSVD coatings for the North American market, said Adrian Sada Cueva, CEO of Vitro, during an open house on Thursday celebrating the launch of Vitro’s Coater7. The company invited various officials to share remarks and tour the new coater.
The Coater7, Vitro’s new MSVD coater, is a $55 million investment. It is capable of applying all of the company’s low-E MSVD coatings on a range of glass substrates of various thickness and standard sizes of 130 by 204 inches. The MSVD coating process enables glass manufacturers to apply ultra-thin layers of silver to glass to create low-E coatings that deflect solar energy and transmit high levels of daylight. The new coater is 50 percent longer, including conveyors, and 22 percent wider than the previous one. The building that houses the Coater7 is a quarter of a mile and is 87 percent larger than the Coater6 building.
Vitro CEO Adrian Sada Cueva speaks about the new coater’s production capabilities.
The location was chosen because it was based in the Southern U.S., which has a high demand for low-E coated glass, according to Bill Haley, the plant manager. He noted that the location’s shipping distance is more than 1,000 miles. Also, approximately 10 percent of products go overseas, using the Houston port.
This would not have been possible without bringing Vitro and PPG together, Cueva noted.
“We will be able to produce more energy efficient products in a significant way,” said Cueva.
Haley said the CEO has breathed new life into the company. When the area heard PPG was being purchased by Vitro, they wondered how business would change. But it has seen positive growth, according to Haley.
Stephen Santellana, Wichita Falls’ mayor, said he sleeps easier at night knowing that the company is expanding its footprint in the area.
“We want to thank you for your investment in Texas,” said Rolando Pablos, Texas Secretary of State, to the Vitro CEO. He also shared a proclamation with Cueva from the Texas governor expressing his appreciation for the investment.
