India is a very promising market for the manufacturers of glass machinery, which is why the VDMA Glass Technology Forum is supporting the glasspex and glasspro trade fairs with its own technology symposium as part of the 13th International Conference of the AIGMF (All India Glass Manufacturers’ Federation) on October 10. The focus will be on the latest technologies and procedures in glass production, with automation and recycling receiving top billing. In this regard, the aim is to cater for visitors ranging from the many small-scale manufacturers all the way up to highly industrialized production sites.
Conference topics
Experts from renowned German companies will hold a total of six presentations covering topics such as the automation of glass batch plants and cullet handling systems, as well as chemical refinement processes. One presentation analyzes the opportunities for Indian glass manufacturers in the glass recycling industry, while other topics include forehearth systems and the increasing necessity of digitally labeling glass in order to make processes traceable. The presentation on production in the age of Industrie 4.0 will provide the audience with a general overview.1
The glass industry in India
Glass production in India was a traditional craft for a long time; however, the sector has changed and developed over the last few years. A cutting-edge industry which is beginning to introduce automated processes has risen from the starting point of hand-blown and manual processes. The per-head consumption of container glass in India is 1.8 kg (2018)2 and is therefore significantly lower than in other countries, resulting in a sector with potential for the future.
The main drivers of growth for the Indian glass industry are state measures such as “Housing for All” and RERA (established through the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016), the automotive and packaging industries, and the growing demand for photovoltaic glass and energy-efficient products. Refined and high-performance glass products are being used more and more.
After Italy, Germany is the second most important supplier of construction, ceramic and glass machinery to India from the EU, with the trend increasing (Fig. 1). In a global comparison, Germany takes fourth place behind China, Italy and Malaysia (Fig. 2), while as a supplier of glass products Germany also takes fourth place behind China, the USA and Malaysia. In 2018, India imported float glass, glass cullet, glassware etc. with a total value of USD 1,245 million, while exports of glass and glass products only totaled USD 639 million. 2
Large glass producers in India include Saint-Gobain India, Asahi India Glass (AIS), Gujarat Guardian, Hindustan National Glass & Industries, La Opala RG, Borosil Glass Works and Piramal Glass. Based on turnover, these manufacturers cover almost 55 percent of the total market. 2
The slow demand from customer industries in the financial year 2018 hindered the production of the majority of glass types. Production of glass panes and glass fibers decreased by 4.2 percent and 7.1 percent respectively as the incoming orders in the construction sector were also down. However, the production of glassware in 2018 remained unchanged at INR 34 billion (approx. USD 494 million).2
Outlook
According to estimates by the CARE Ratings agency in Mumbai, the demand for container glass, flat glass and thin glass will increase again over the next few years. There is an expectation that demand will increase in the beverage industry, the real estate sector and in the production of commercial vehicles and cars due to increased budgets for infrastructure projects.
VDMA Glass Technology Forum
65 companies are currently members of the VDMA Glass Technology Forum. Almost all of them provide their systems and services to the glass industry worldwide, and every fourth forum member has a subsidiary or trade representative in India. German companies are therefore available as project partners for the construction of new plants, as well as for the repair and modernization of plants and components.
Important links:
1 Conference program: https://glass.vdma.org/viewer/-/v2article/render/38070629, www.glasstec.de, glass.vdma.org, www.glaspexindia.com, www.glassproindia.com
2 CARE Ratings Ltd., Mumbai, industry research, glass industry, June 2018
Do you have any questions? If so, Gesine Bergmann from the Glass Technology Forum (+49 69 6603 1259 or gesine.bergmann@vdma.org) will be happy to assist.
VDMA represents more than 3,200 mostly medium-sized companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector. With over 1.35 million employees and sales of around 226 billion euros (2017), the sector is the largest industrial employer in Germany and one of the leading German industrial sectors.
