Asahi Glass is considering expanding a factory it has recently started constructing in Brazil in order to double the facility's planned output of automotive glass, according to reports. The company anticipates a strong increase in local demand for glass as the nation's middle class grows and more car manufacturers build vehicles in teh region. "We are prepared to boost production capacity," said President, Kazuhiko Ishimura. "We hope to do so early, in 2015 or later," he added. The factory, which is being built in the state of Sao Paulo, will reportedly begin shipments in the July-September quarter of 2013. Under the initial plan, the facility was planned to have the capacity to produce 220,000/t construction glass annually. It was also expected to produce automotive glass for 500,000 vehicles/pa. The company is now considering raising the target to 1M vehicles/pa.
