PPG Industries plans to invest $20 million during the next three years to make the company's Shelby, N.C., fiber glass plant "more competitive," said Victoria M. Holt, senior vice president, glass and fiber glass.
Holt said engineering work has already begun to transform Shelby's largest furnace, enabling it to produce direct products manufactured with world-leading technology while being cost-competitive on a regional basis.
When the transformation is complete, the rebuilt furnace at Shelby will be positioned to produce wet chop, direct chop, remote wet chop and direct draw products, which are used in blades for wind-energy turbines, pipes, tanks, roofing shingles, automotive parts and other applications. Other products currently produced at Shelby will be sourced from PPG global manufacturing operations to serve the existing domestic fiber glass market.
"Our investment in Shelby demonstrates PPG's commitment to our U.S. manufacturing operations and the global fiber glass industry," Holt said.
PPG is one of the world's largest producers of continuous-strand fiber glass, with nine manufacturing facilities worldwide, focused primarily on the global electronics, thermoplastics and general industrial markets. With 2005 sales of $10.2 billion, Pittsburgh-based PPG is also a leading global supplier of coatings, glass and chemicals.
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