Emirates Glass LLC (EGL), one of the region’s leading processors of premium architectural flat glass products, witnessed a 35-40 per cent growth in business last year.

“This year again we will be looking at 40 per cent growth when we start utilising our full capacity following recent expansions,” said Ziad Yazbeck, senior vice president for sales and marketing.

Last year the company installed a multi-million-dirham Terra-G sputter-coating line tripling its annual production capacity to more than 3.5 million sq m.

Emirates Glass is a subsidiary of Glass, which is wholly owned by Dubai Investments.  Glass is also the holding company for Saudi American Glass Company and Lumiglass and a major partner in Emirates Float Glass. 

EGL attributes its success to its innovation and expansion policy. It recently launched VitroGlaze, an eco-friendly glass with a chemically treated surface that keeps away dirt and grime. The product will soon be installed on some commercial buildings.

Describing the product, Yazbeck said VitroGlaze was a permanent treatment that prevented the adhesion and build-up of contaminates on the glass surface. It also provided oil and water-repellent properties, eliminating the need for harsh chemical solutions and reducing cleaning time by almost 90 per cent.

“It guarantees clean glass and its self-cleaning property saves time and water consumption. By using this product customers can save a minimum of 70 per cent on cleaning costs,” said Yazbeck. “Besides, harsh chemicals that are used to clean normal glass are usually washed off into the soil and contaminate it but the use of VitroGlaze eliminates this environmental hazard,” added the official.

Ideal for high volumes

Yazbeck: diversification has helped

Competitively priced, the product is ideal for villas, buildings and other establishments that use a lot of glass for outdoor facades.

VitroGlaze is coated with titanium dioxide on the outer surface of the glass, which gives it the self-cleaning property. It cleans itself in two stages. The first stage is the action of light on the surface of the glass that basically eats away the dirt on the surface. The next process ensures that any water that falls on the surface forms sheets and washes away dirt uniformly. The glass spreads the water evenly over its surface, without forming droplets.

VitroGlaze bonds into glass surfaces both mechanically and chemically. In doing so it modifies the physical and chemical properties of the surface. The coating mechanism works best when spread on surfaces with pores, holes, crevices and voids into which it solidifies. In this manner, it acts as a mechanical anchor.

Only a small amount of sunlight is required to activate the coating, which ensures that the self-cleaning property will function even on cloudy days. A simple rinse with water during dry weather will help keep the surface clean, explained Yazbeck.

The product has also been launched in Saudi Arabia by Saudi American Glass Company.

EGL has also been focusing on geographical expansion and the export market.

Currently 70 per cent of EGL’s production is destined for the export market that includes Saudi Arabia, GCC, Turkey, India and some African countries. While Saudi American Glass Company focuses on Saudi Arabia, EGL sells everywhere.

Spreading its wings
Last year EGL launched its operations in India with a marketing office. It also has a sales and technical team based in Mumbai.

On the company’s plans, Yazbeck said: “We are looking at opening an office in Turkey.  We started a lot of expansions in 2010 and hope to capitalise on them now. We are looking at areas in Africa, Russia, Turkey and Turkish-speaking countries.”