Glaverbel, the European subsidiary of Japan's Asahi Glass, is to build a new production unit for fire-resistant glass at Seneffe in Belgium. The new unit will be built alongside an existing unit which it is destined to replace. An investment of Euros 22M will make it possible to produce fire-resistant glass in large sizes. A fully automated unit is being built to incorporate technological advances and will benefit from experience already gained at the Glaverbel plant at Olovi, Czech Republic. As such, it will increase the competitiveness of the Seneffe plant, which has been threatened by new market entrants and by the resulting strong downward pressure on prices. The new plant should begin operations by the end of 2006, by which time the gradual shutdown of the old unit should have been completed. Around 99 jobs will be cut as a result.
