The Romanian division of Saint-Gobain has invested 6M/Euros into a laminated glass production line in its factory in Calarasi, southern Romania. This takes the firm's total investment so far in Romania to over 176M/Euros, said Jerome Lionet, GM of Saint-Gobain Glass Romania. The investment is part of the company expansion strategy in Romania as well as the neighbouring countries given that the manufacturing platform in Calarasi was designed as a regional centre that serves not only the local market but also the other markets in the Balkans. There is great potential for market growth in Romania and other countries in the region, especially when it comes to more advanced products such as laminated glass, says the manufacturer. At present the company exports about half the glass it manufactures to neighbouring countries. The new line has a capacity of around 2M sq/m glass per year. Saint-Gobain estimates the Romanian glass market reaches some 16M sq/m and will grow by between 2 and 3% in 2013. However, the company predicts a higher market increase in terms of value, as Romanians are looking to buy more advanced products with a higher added value.
