Chinese glass manufacturers through 2004 have begun to finally demonstrate greater degrees of profit than were previously seen. A combination of robust markets and forward thinking management, together with improvements in quality have meant that glass sales have become more straightforward and the fields of application greatly widened. In late 2004, the monthly output of glass approached around 1.3M tonnes. the fact that this level was achieved between the August-December period shows clearly how, during the year, confidence grew in the economy. The industry expanded considerably during 2004 with the addition of a further 23 new float lines, increasing annual capacity for flat glass to 3.277M/tonnes. It is expected that production and sales of flat glass will increase quickly in 2005.
