Flat Glass Manufacturing in the UK: Market Research Report

IBISWorld’s Flat Glass Manufacturing market research report provides the latest industry statistics and industry trends, allowing you to identify the products and customers driving revenue growth and profitability.



The industry report identifies the leading companies and offers strategic industry analysis of the key factors influencing the market.

Industry Analysis & Industry Trends

Flat glass is integral to the construction of buildings and many vehicles, whilst also being an important input for some appliances and furnishings. Flat glass manufacturers produce float, rolled, drawn and blown flat glass sheets that are sold to downstream industries for further fabrication or to end users in the building market.



The UK Flat Glass Manufacturing industry is dominated by three global companies: Pilkington, Guardian Industries and Saint-Gobain Glass. Together, these three companies make approximately 76.8% of the flat glass manufactured in the United Kingdom.



The high levels of capital investment needed to enter the market have prevented further competitors from entering the industry...Read more

Industry Report - Industry Investment Chapter

The Flat Glass Manufacturing industry is considered to have a high investment requirement and production is very capital-intensive. Depreciation is used as a proxy to measure capital expenditure.



Depreciation accounts for approximately 7.5% of industry revenue. A high level of sunken capital is required to establish a plant capable of obtaining scale economies to effectively compete in this global industry. Industry labour costs currently absorb 13.2% of revenue, and a significant share of labour input costs relate to handling and transport.



The industry's capital-to-labour ratio is 0.57:1. This means that for every £1.00 spent on labour, 57p is spent on capital.This represents a high level of capital intensity... Read more