In April, Pilkington Glass & the Investment Fund of Kazakhstan (IFK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to build a float glass plant in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan, which will be the first float facility in the country. Ambassador James Sharp & the President of Kazakhstan were present at the ceremony. The IFK was set up in 2003, charged with developing a list of projects which support Kazakhstan's diversification strategy, & in which they would take an equity stake. With the help of UKTI in London, this happened in the margins of the Kazakh British Trade & Investment Council in London in 2004. Pilkington then took forward negotiations directly. The main attractions for Pilkington are low input costs & the sharing of the risk by a state body. They hope to sign the contract in the Autumn, with ground clearing work starting by the end of the year.
