High quality glass production starts with the float process, developed by Pilkington and now the industry standard. Automotive glass production includes pre-processing, toughening, laminating, encapsulation, extrusion and assembly, adding functionality.

Within the OE glazing market, light vehicles, including all cars, light trucks and the various cross-over vehicle styles such as sports utility vehicles and people carriers, currently account for around 97 per cent of global vehicle build.

Pilkington Automotive operates as a single global organisation serving the Original Equipment (OE) and Automotive Glass Replacement (AGR) Aftermarket sectors. Principal operations are in Europe, Japan, North America, South America, China and Malaysia, combined into an integrated worldwide business unit, across all regions and distribution channels.

In servicing the aftermarket, Pilkington Automotive is able both to leverage its global OE supply programmes and to utilise its flexible, short-run manufacturing expertise to produce glazings for models which are no longer current, or for which Pilkington Automotive is not the OE supplier.

Advanced glass shaping techniques offer vehicle manufacturers greater freedom to achieve their styling concepts. Automotive designers and engineers demand continuous advances in vehicle glazing systems to meet requirements for improved visibility and safety and better aerodynamics.

Pilkington Automotive products include advanced solar control glass for passenger comfort, glass heating systems to control condensation and icing, security glazing and glazing systems, including encapsulations, extrusions and components, added after basic manufacturing.

Lamination is a form of safety glazing where normally two thin glass plies create a sandwich around a polyvinylbutyral (PVB) interlayer. Normally used for a vehicle's windshield, in the case of breakage, the glass is held in place by the interlayer, retaining emergency visibility for the driver.

Pilkington Automotive products can reach end-users in the Aftermarket by one of two main routes; through Pilkington Automotive's own distribution chains, supplying independent retail fitters, or through VM dealer networks.

Automotive Overview Glazing Aftermarket Aftermarket demand is determined by the vehicles in use and a replacement rate, which varies from one geographic market to another, depending upon the combination of a range of factors including road conditions and crime rate.

New vehicle types such as minivans and SUVs with large glazed areas are now increasingly penetrating the European market. Value-added product features include: integrated rain sensors for automatic wiper activation, as well as other sensors and hydrophobic coatings for improved visibility. Value-added activity includes: