A world leader in glass
The combination of the Flat Glass businesses of NSG and Pilkington in 2006 led to the formation of one of the world’s largest manufacturers of glass.
The expanded NSG Group has 34,000 employees, with sales of $US 5.7 billion(1). The Group has ownership or interests in 51 float lines worldwide (with an output of 6.4 million tonnes of float glass annually).
Pilkington was founded in 1826 and remained a private company until 1970, when it was listed on the London Stock Exchange. It 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’s Flat Glass operations centre on two worldwide business lines. Pilkington Building Products supplies original and refurbishment glass for the world’s buildings. Pilkington Automotive manufactures original equipment and replacement glass and glazing systems for vehicles.
The Group has major market shares in most building and automotive products 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.
In FY07, 55 per cent of Flat Glass revenues were generated in Europe, 20 per cent in Japan, 16 per cent in North America and 9 per cent in the rest of the world. Roughly half these revenues are generated in Automotive and half in Building Products.
The NSG Group is quoted on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Group’s world headquarters is in Tokyo, with major R&D and engineering activities in the UK, Japan and North America.
(1) All figures relate to FY07
Flat Glass accounts for just under 90 per cent of the NSG Group's business by sales.
The Group also has two other glass businesses, in Information Technology and Glass Fiber, not covered in this section.