Establishment of a Joint Automotive Glass Production and Sales Company in Indonesia by Saint-Gobain and Central Glass
September 5th, 2014
Compagnie de Saint-Gobain (headquarters: commune of Courbevoie, France) and Central Glass Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo) have concluded an agreement to establish a joint corporation that will manufacture and sell automotive glass in Indonesia through 50-50 joint investment by the two parties.
In order to enable this newly established joint corporation to respond to the remarkable growth of the Indonesian automotive market, a new plant capable of producing laminated glass for 500,000 vehicles annually is being constructed in eastern Jakarta, with operations planned to start in 2016. This business venture will be implemented only after antitrust law inspections have been completed and formal authorization has been received from relevant authorities.
Saint-Gobain and Central Glass have previously engaged in cooperative ventures in the Asian market (in Japan from 2002 and in China from 2012); this will mark the third joint enterprise in Asia for the two companies. This investment represents new progress in the Saint-Gobain Group's growth strategy in Asia and emerging countries.
Saint-Gobain Group
The Saint-Gobain Group is a global corporate organization centering on Compagnie de Saint-Gobain that includes more than 1,200 affiliated companies, who engage in the development, manufacturing and sales of state-of-the-art construction products and high-performance materials that contribute toward sustainable economic growth. The Group employs approximately 190,000 people who are active in 64 countries, and Group sales reached €42 billion in 2013. They are the top producer of automotive glass in Europe—one out of every two automobiles in Europe uses Saint-Gobain glass.
Saint-Gobain in Japan
In 1986, the Saint-Gobain Group established the wholly owned subsidiary Saint-Gobain K.K. in Japan (headquarters: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo). The Saint-Gobain Group employees nearly 1,000 people in Saint-Gobain K.K. and other subsidiaries and joint corporations, which carry out manufacturing, distribution, research and development, and other such operations for flat glass, insulation materials and high-performance materials (ceramics, crystals, plastics, refractory materials and abrasives) in Japan.
Central Saint-Gobain K .K.
Founded in 2002, Central Saint-Gobain K.K. was the first joint corporation established in Asia by Compagnie de Saint-Gobain and Central Glass Co., Ltd. The Automotive Glass Division of the Saint-Gobain Group, which has bases of operation in Europe, Thailand, South Korea, China, India, Brazil, Mexico and elsewhere, and the Central Glass Group, which operates mainly in Japan but also has locations in the United States in Taiwan, work together to provide sales and technical services for automotive glass and other products.