Flat Glass
|
The Flat Glass business unit focuses on the
manufacturing, processing and distribution of flat glass for the
construction and the automotive. The Flat Glass business unit’s
holding company is Viméxico. This business unit began operations
in Mexico in 1936. Since 1965 and prior to the merger of Vitro
Plan with Viméxico, Vitro Plan was jointly owned by Vitro (65%)
and Pilkington (35%). On December 11, 2006, Vitro Plan was
merged with Viméxico, and as a result, the surviving entity is
now jointly owned by Vitro (91.8%) and Pilkington (8.2%).
The business unit’s customer base includes several large
distributors and installers in the construction industry in
Mexico and abroad, several automotive manufacturers such as
General Motors, Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen and
Nissan, and distributors and installers in the automotive
replacement industry.
The business unit owns over 250 operating centers, including
four float glass furnaces and five automotive safety glass
processing facilities in Mexico, nine fabrication facilities in
the United States, seven processing facilities in Spain, one in
Portugal and one in France. Strategy:
- Reduce costs and enhance operating efficiencies;
- Improve cash flow and optimize asset use;
- Protect and increase our market share in the Mexican
market for construction glass, reducing our reliance on the
export market;
- Maintain our leading position and growth trend in the
OEM glass business through increasing participation with the
Asian car manufacturers;
- Consolidate and grow North American leadership of
laminated window products for the OEMs and other value-added
products;
- Diversify client portfolio;
- Increase fabrication of value-added products in the
United States and Mexico;
- Increase European presence through Vitro Cristalglass;
and
- Leverage the “Vitro” brand name.
Market:
- The largest flat glass producer in Mexico, the second
largest in Latin America.
- One of the largest distributors of flat glass products
in the United States.
- A leading provider of insulated flat glass products in
Spain and Portugal.
| (Millions of USD) |
2007 |
2006 |
YoY% Change
|
| Sales |
1,210 |
1,149 |
1.7% |
| as a % of total consolidated sales |
47.0 |
48.0 |
- |
| EBITDA |
116 |
97 |
20.2% |
| EBITDA Margin |
9.6 |
8.5 |
- |
Results as of December. |
