Work on the construction of Emirates Float Glass, the first plant of its kind in the UAE, will begin in October of this year at the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi.

The  $200 million plant will produce 600 tonnes of float glass per day, said Dubai Investments, which is jointly setting up the $200 million project with Abu Dhabi Investment Company (ADIC) and a select group of strategic investors from the region
Dubai Investments has already established a formidable presence in the glass processing industry, through its subsidiary companies, Emirates Glass and Lumiglass Industries.
Khalid bin Kalban, chief executive officer and managing director of Dubai Investments, said: “The primary objective of setting up Emirates Float Glass is to support the regional glass processors by supplying premium quality float glass products for the architectural and automotive segments. With two glass processing units as subsidiaries, Dubai Investments realises the importance of having local production.”
Construction is expected to take 18 months, but Bin Kalban said efforts were being made on several fronts to expedite completion of the project ahead of schedule.
A 410,000 sq m waterfront plot of land, where raw materials can be unloaded directly from ships, has been allocated for the project. The plot has provision for an additional float glass production line of similar capacity as well as an independent 36-cathode magnetic sputtered vacuum coating facility of 5 million sq m capacity.
Plant construction data and operation knowhow including product formulation will be provided by a leading American technology firm while the general contractor will be an Italian firm specialised in float plant construction. A leading international project management firm has been selected to coordinate with the Italian contractor on the plant construction activities.
Furthermore, Dubai Investments is working on an agreement for the supply of high-quality silica sand required for float glass production, and is in the final stages of negotiations with suppliers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.
Dubai Investments recently signed an MoU to acquire the Riyadh-based Saudi American Glass (SAG) in a move that will make the company a leading player in the Middle East glass industry.
The company is already in the process of creating a holding company for all its glass units to deal with an entire range of glass products. DI currently has 28 companies in its fold, and the number is expected to go up to 33.
Dubai Investments was founded in 1995 with the aim of promoting business opportunities, principally in the UAE. The company seeks to invest in joint ventures with investment partners and assist local companies to gain greater productivity through capital injection and its management expertise.
Dubai Investments is also developing, managing and operating Dubai Investments Park, a modern environmentally friendly mixed-use industrial, business, residential and recreational development.