PPG’s Mt. Zion facility manufactures glass for use in residential and commercial construction markets, the company said. It added that Fuyao plans to rebuild and retrofit the facility’s two production lines to manufacture automotive glass. PPG has six plants in the U.S. that make flat glass. A spokesperson for Fuyao could not be reached for comment.
PPG will continue to operate the plant for up to one year, producing coated glass and clear glass. “The production for these products will eventually be shifted to PPG’s other North American float glass manufacturing sites,” PPG said in a written statement.
“Fuyao has been PPG’s business partner for 13 years and is a well-respected glass manufacturer and fabricator. We look forward to an ongoing collaborative relationship with Fuyao in North America as a PPG technology licensee. The Mt. Zion facility is ideally suited for their automotive glass mission, given its geographic proximity to major automotive manufacturers and history in automotive glass production,” Richard Beuke, PPG vice president of flat glass, said.
Fuyao, which has 18,000 employees worldwide, is the largest auto glass supplier in China and controls 18 percent of the global market. Its customers include GM, Chrysler, Honda, Hyundai and Kia.
The former GM building that Fuyao plans to use will undergo renovations and hiring for manufacturing positions will begin at the end of this year, Fuyao said.
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