Saint-Gobain invests 6 million euros in new glass production line in Calarasi

Saint-Gobain opened a new laminated glass production line at its Romanian factory in Calarasi, on a 6-million-euro investment, Saint-Gobain Romania General Manager Jerome Lionet told a press conference.Attending the opening of the factory were also Romania’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta and Economy Minister Varujan Vosganian.The glass manufactured in Calarasi is bound for the entire Balkan region, plus Ukraine and Turkey and this is the company’s only glass making facility in South-Eastern Europe, said Lionet. ‘From our perspective, despite a difficult economic situation, there is a big potential growth in the Romanian and other regional markets,’ said Lionet.This year, the company is eyeing a 10-per cent increase in its Romanian business turnover, 5 per cent of which to be generated by the new production line.Saint-Gobain has four facilities in Romania employing nearly 1,000 people. According to data posted on the website of the company, the company reported 2012 sales of 144 million euros. The factory in Calarasi is the outcome of a 176-million-euro investment conducted in 2005, the year when Saint-Gobain entered Romania. Its total production is 21 million square metres of glass a year, while the capacity of the new production line is 2 million square metres a year. Half of the output is bound for the local market, and half for exportation. The new line generated 35 new jobs, said Lionet. 11.09.2013, Saint-Gobain