Corporate Overview
The Flat Glass business of the NSG Group, marketed under the Pilkington brand, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of glass and glazing products for the building and automotive markets, with manufacturing operations in 29 countries on four continents and sales in 130 countries. Overall, the NSG Group reported sales of JPY 865,588 million (approximately euro 5.5 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008. Of the Group’s consolidated sales, 51 per cent were generated in Europe, 25 per cent in Japan, 13 per cent in North America and 11 per cent in the rest of the world.
The Pilkington brand in Flat Glass
Pilkington was founded in 1826 as a partnership and became a private company in 1894. It remained a private company until 1970 when its shares were listed on the London Stock Exchange. Pilkington was de-listed from the London Stock Exchange in June 2006 on becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NSG Group; itself established in 1918.
The NSG Group has major market shares in most building and automotive product markets of the world, with a broad geographic reach, enabling it to respond to customers whose operations particularly in the case of Automotive OE, are increasingly global.
Flat Glass business of the NSG Group
In the enlarged NSG Group, the Flat Glass businesses now account for around 90 per cent of Group sales. In the financial year ended March 31 2008, Building Products accounted for 47 per cent of Group sales and Automotive for 42 per cent of Group sales.
In Building Products, the largest business is in Europe (accounting for 56 per cent of the business line’s sales). The next largest business is in Japan, with 26 per cent of BP sales, the rest of the world with 10 per cent and North America with 8 per cent of BP sales. In the case of Automotive, Europe is also the largest business, with 53 per cent of the business line’s sales, followed by North America with 22 per cent and Japan with 15 per cent.
