Saint-Gobain wants to put Călăraşi glass on Dubai and Tokyo skyscrapers

Autor: Andreea Neferu 22.05.2011

Glass producer Saint-Gobain Glass Romania, a subsidiary of France's Saint-Gobain group, plans to turn the glass plant of Călăraşi, in which it has invested some EUR170 million so far, into a global production center, which should provide glass facades for office towers of Dubai or Tokyo, cities where some of the world's most spectacular real estate projects are carried out.

"I am confident that in the quite near future, glass produced in Călăraşi will be admired on buildings of Dubai, Tokyo, Moscow or any place in the world. By developing the industrial site of Călăraşi as a major production center of Gobain Glass we are targeting the global market of high added-value special glass," stated Ovidiu Păscuţiu, general manager of Saint-Gobain Glass Romania.

The company last year reached turnover worth around EUR65 million, up 29% year-on-year on rising exports. For 2011, it budgeted a further 10% turnover advance, mainly based on higher sales of high added-value special glass. Hitting the target would drive the company's turnover to almost EUR72 million, similar with the level of 2008, seen as the best year for the real estate market.

In 2010, the company exported around 60% of domestic production.