New Float Glass Plant -Brazil

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain 26 October 2000 PILKINGTON AND SAINT-GOBAIN TO BUILD NEW FLOAT GLASS PLANT IN BRAZIL Pilkington and Saint-Gobain - currently joint shareholders in Cebrace Cristal Plano Ltda in Brazil - are to build a fourth float glass line in Brazil. It will be built in Barra Velha in the southern state of Santa Catarina. The new line will be designed and constructed by Pilkington incorporating the latest technology in float glass production and will be operated by the joint venture. The most recent of the three current float lines run by the existing joint venture was similarly designed and built by Saint-Gobain. The new Barra Velha plant will have an output of 200,000 tonnes per year and will provide additional capacity to the three existing lines in Jacarei and Cacapava, Brazil. The product range will vary from 2 mm to 12 mm of clear and tinted glass, mainly for the building and furniture sectors. It will serve both the domestic and export markets. In a joint statement today the companies said: 'The float glass market in South America has seen increasing demand with steady growth in recent years, despite the recession there last year, and that is expected to continue. The new float line will mean that local capacity will be able to match this growing demand with high quality glass.' The new line is due to come on stream at the end of 2002. Investor Relations Department Tel: Florence TRIOU-TEIXEIRA +33 1 47 62 45 19- mailto:florence.triou@saint-gobain.com Tel: Lounis BEKKAT +33 1 47 62 32 36- mailto:lounis.bekkat@saint-gobain.com
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