JUBAIL, 17 January 2004 — The Jubail-based Gulf Guard (Saudi Guardian International Float Glass Company) has shipped over a million tons of glass since the plant was commissioned in October 1996.
The company, which only produced float glass when it launched initial production, introduced patterned figure glass in February 1998 and added a new mirror line in March this year. The plant is currently operating at its nominal capacity of 600 tons per day. “The present situation is very encouraging as we see a boom in the construction market in Saudi Arabia and the GCC,” a spokesman for the company said.
Gulf Guard, which was the first glass factory of its kind to be set up in the Gulf region, represents a $135 million investment joint venture between two Saudi partners — the National Company for Glass Industries and Eastern Company for Industrial Investment, and the Guardian Middle East and Africa.
APS, a Danish subsidiary of Guardian Industries Corporation, is one of the largest flat glass producers in the world. The plant produces float glass in thicknesses ranging from 2 mm to 15 mm. The continuous production process represents state-of-the-art technology. “We’re also producing clear and colored pattern glass as well as wire glass. Our mirror line, which was introduced at the beginning of this year, produces mirrors to an exceptionally high standard utilizing the latest mirror making technology. This new technology omits copper, providing a more eco-friendly product, which resists the most corrosive of climate such as the humidity of the Gulf.