Indian glass manufacturers are boositng their capacities and infusing new technologies, and have set aside a cumulative investment of over INR 7,000 crore for the next two to three years. The industry has invested about half this amount over the last three years, used for capacity-building due to relatively slower demand growth. The domestic glass industry, estimated to be about INR 18,000 crore, expects per capita consumption to increase from the current levels of 1.2kg in the container glass segment and 0.8kg in the float glass segment. The per capita consumption in other developing countries is about 8-9kg in both the categories, while that in the US is estimated at 35kg. The Indian glass industry currently produces about 7,000/tpd container glass and 4,500/tpd float glass used in buildings and the automotive sector. A range of speciality glass, including that used for solar panels, is also produced.
