Guardian Glass Approves Engineering Design Spend for Additional Float Glass Facility in Poland

Guardian Glass is spending $1.5 million for detailed engineering designs and site reviews for a potential second float glass facility in Poland. Guardian Glass currently operates a float glass plant in Czestochowa, Poland and is considering adding capacity with a second plant to meet its customers’ growing demand for coated and fabricated glass products in both the commercial and residential sectors. This initial spend on the engineering design work is intended to accelerate the completion of a new plant that could become commercially available during the first quarter of 2019. Additionally, the location is still under consideration, according to a company release.

A new facility would be expected to produce 1,000 metric tons of float glass per day and include a technologically advanced magnetron sputter coating machine to produce high-performance, energy-efficient glass for customers in Poland and neighboring countries, according to the release.

Guardian Glass President and CEO Kevin Baird said in the release that a potential investment in a second float glass facility in Poland is further demonstration of Guardian’s confidence in both the region and the future of the glass industry. “The potential for a second plant in Poland would fit with our global strategy and our marketing considerations. We are confident we will find new opportunities and expanded channels for our glass products in Europe,” Baird said.

“The increase in glass demand is driven by the general trend across Europe to increase natural light in residential and commercial buildings, as well as the conversion of more and more residential windows from double to triple glazing,” said Guus Boekhoudt, vice president of Guardian Glass in Europe, in the release. “With Poland being commonly recognized as the hub of European residential window manufacture, it would be a logical option for a new float glass facility.”

In addition to the Czestochowa plant, Guardian Glass also maintains facilities in Oroshaza, Hungary; Thalheim, Germany; and Ryazan and Rostov, Russia, among its 10 European locations.