International snippets: Poland, Turkey, Vietnam

The production of sand for use in glass manufacture in Poland in 2007 totalled 2.27 million tons, as compared with 1.52 million tons in 2006 and 1.59 million tons in 2005, according to a July 31 report from Poland’s Central Statistical Office.

The production of “sheets of float glass and surface ground or polished glass, in sheets, but not otherwise worked” in Poland in 2007 totalled 65.6 million square metres, as compared with 64.8 million square metres in 2006, 54.8 million square metres in 2005 and 35.0 million square metres in 2004, according to the report.

The production of toughened safety glass for use in vehicles in 2007 totalled 38,690 tons, as against 38,599 tons in 2006, 29,593 tons in 2005 and 12,448 tons in 2004. Production of laminated safety glass for use in vehicles in 2007 totalled 72,745 tons, as against 57,043 tons in 2006, 45,822 tons in 2005 and 10,381 tons in 2004, according to the report.

Poland exported glass worth $600 million in 2007, including exports worth $176 million to Germany, $47 million to both Hungary and Slovakia, $38 million to Belgium, and $29 million to both the United Kingdom and Lithuania, according to the report.

Turkey exported glass and glassware worth $543 million in the first half of this year, as compared with $391 million in the same period in 2007. Turkish imports of the same types of commodities in the January to June period this year were worth $316 million, as against $276 million in the corresponding period in 2007, according to a report from Turkey’s State Statistics Institute Aug. 4.

Vietnam produced 22.1 million square metres of glass in the first seven months of this year, a decrease of 6.7 per cent as compared with the same period in 2007, according to a report from Vietnam’s General Statistics Office Aug. 5.