Glass & Glass Product Manufacturing
Description
Companies in this industry manufacture glass and glass products, including glass containers, flat glass, fiberglass, and specialty glass products. Major companies include Corning, Guardian Industries, and O-I Glass (all based in the US), as well as AGC (Japan), Compagnie de Saint-Gobain (France), Fuyao Glass Industry Group (China), and SCHOTT (Germany).
Global market value for fabricated flat glass is growing and expected to reach about $400 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. Top exporters include Canada, Germany, Mexico, China, and Japan.
The US glass and glass product manufacturing industry includes about 1,700 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of $25 billion.
Most companies in the industry manufacture products from bulk glass bought from a handful of primary glass manufacturers. Production of optical fiber from glass is included in the industry; use of that fiber to produce fiber optic cable is not.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand comes mainly from the construction, auto, bottling, and container industries. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient operations, because most products are commodities that are bought based on price. Large manufacturers enjoy significant economies of scale in operations, which is why the industry is so concentrated. Small manufacturers can compete effectively by producing specialty products or serving a local market. The US industry is highly concentrated: the 50 largest companies account for about 80% of revenue.
Imports and exports of glass and glass products account for about 5% and 20%, respectively.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Glass products are made by melting silica sand or cullet, or from purchased glass. Specialized glass for windows and doors accounts for about 30% of the US industry revenue. Other revenue sources include glass containers (about 20%), automotive mirrors (about 10%), and flat glass (about 10%).
Bulk glass is made by melting quartz sand and adding various substances such as limestone, soda ash, metals, and other materials to produce a "melt." The melt is then formed, cooled, and further processed by grinding, cutting, and polishing into finished products. Glass furnaces, or "tanks," usually fired by natural gas or oil, melt the raw material mixtures at temperatures up to 1,600 degrees Celsius. Tanks for container glass may produce 500 tons per day, while flat glass tanks produce up to 1,000 tons per day.
Molten glass is formed before it cools, using four major methods. Containers are produced by blowing molten glass into forms. Flat glass is usually produced by floating molten glass on top of a molten tin bath, then running it through rollers. Fiberglass is produced by pulling or spraying strands directly from the melt. Special shapes can be produced by pouring molten glass into ceramic molds. Because production of various glass products requires different kinds of equipment and manufacturing skills, most producers operate in only one segment of the industry. Because raw glass production technology is relatively unsophisticated and the raw materials inexpensive, manufacturers concentrate on production efficiencies.
Optic fiberglass is an ultra-high-purity silica glass that can be stretched into long, hair-thin fibers and used to transmit information over long distances, a replacement for copper wires. Fiber optic strands consist of an inner core of high purity glass with a high refractive index that transmits light, and an outer core of low refractive glass that keeps the light signal from seeping out the sides. The basic unit from which fibers are drawn is called a "preform," a glass cylinder that may be several inches thick and several meters long, with a core of high refractive glass and a clad of low refractive glass. The preform is placed inside a draw furnace, heated to 2,000 degrees Celsius, and stretched into hair-thin, flexible fibers that may be many miles long. Fibers are coated, colored, and bundled in a protective jacket to form optic fiber cables.
Global market value for fabricated flat glass is growing and expected to reach about $400 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. Top exporters include Canada, Germany, Mexico, China, and Japan.
The US glass and glass product manufacturing industry includes about 1,700 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of $25 billion.
Most companies in the industry manufacture products from bulk glass bought from a handful of primary glass manufacturers. Production of optical fiber from glass is included in the industry; use of that fiber to produce fiber optic cable is not.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand comes mainly from the construction, auto, bottling, and container industries. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient operations, because most products are commodities that are bought based on price. Large manufacturers enjoy significant economies of scale in operations, which is why the industry is so concentrated. Small manufacturers can compete effectively by producing specialty products or serving a local market. The US industry is highly concentrated: the 50 largest companies account for about 80% of revenue.
Imports and exports of glass and glass products account for about 5% and 20%, respectively.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Glass products are made by melting silica sand or cullet, or from purchased glass. Specialized glass for windows and doors accounts for about 30% of the US industry revenue. Other revenue sources include glass containers (about 20%), automotive mirrors (about 10%), and flat glass (about 10%).
Bulk glass is made by melting quartz sand and adding various substances such as limestone, soda ash, metals, and other materials to produce a "melt." The melt is then formed, cooled, and further processed by grinding, cutting, and polishing into finished products. Glass furnaces, or "tanks," usually fired by natural gas or oil, melt the raw material mixtures at temperatures up to 1,600 degrees Celsius. Tanks for container glass may produce 500 tons per day, while flat glass tanks produce up to 1,000 tons per day.
Molten glass is formed before it cools, using four major methods. Containers are produced by blowing molten glass into forms. Flat glass is usually produced by floating molten glass on top of a molten tin bath, then running it through rollers. Fiberglass is produced by pulling or spraying strands directly from the melt. Special shapes can be produced by pouring molten glass into ceramic molds. Because production of various glass products requires different kinds of equipment and manufacturing skills, most producers operate in only one segment of the industry. Because raw glass production technology is relatively unsophisticated and the raw materials inexpensive, manufacturers concentrate on production efficiencies.
Optic fiberglass is an ultra-high-purity silica glass that can be stretched into long, hair-thin fibers and used to transmit information over long distances, a replacement for copper wires. Fiber optic strands consist of an inner core of high purity glass with a high refractive index that transmits light, and an outer core of low refractive glass that keeps the light signal from seeping out the sides. The basic unit from which fibers are drawn is called a "preform," a glass cylinder that may be several inches thick and several meters long, with a core of high refractive glass and a clad of low refractive glass. The preform is placed inside a draw furnace, heated to 2,000 degrees Celsius, and stretched into hair-thin, flexible fibers that may be many miles long. Fibers are coated, colored, and bundled in a protective jacket to form optic fiber cables.
Table of Contents
- Industry Overview
- Quarterly Industry Update
- Business Challenges
- Business Trends
- Industry Opportunities
- Call Preparation Questions
- Financial Information
- Industry Forecast
- Web Links and Acronyms
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