Boon for Architectural Glass [Apr 2012]

In India, per capita glass consumption is much lower as compared to even other developing countries. In an interview with Subhajit Roy; Sanjay Ganjoo, COO – Architectural Glass, AIS (Asahi India Glass) talks about the present status and changing trends in glass industry
Mr. Sanjay, could you share your opinion on the glass industry in India?Glass is becoming one of the most sought after building material because of its unique properties such as transparency, recyclability, aesthetics and functional properties. The flat glass industry is growing at a much faster rate as compared to the GDP growth and growth of glass industry is approximately 13 per cent per annum.
How do you see the recent performance of architectural glass sector in India? How matured is the sector today?The architectural glass sector in India has been witnessing an upward trend. With regard to opportunity in this sector, glass industry is still in the nascent phase in India because of lack of awareness about usage and benefits of glass. However, we have been trying from our end to increase awareness about the benefits of glass and its versatility. Asahi India Glass (AIS) participates in various seminars and conferences on the construction industry, building materials etc. in which the advantages of using glass are elucidated. We also are an active member of organisations like the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) and help in expounding the superiority of glass as a green building material in their various forums. We also conduct architects and interior designer meets across the country in which we bring to life various ways in which glass can be creatively and safely used in interiors be it homes, offices or commercial spaces.
These efforts have led to more and more architects, consultants and interior designers exploring use of glass in various applications ranging from larger window spaces to skylights to even staircases and floors made of glass. As the awareness dawns that glass can be safe, energy efficient in addition to looking spectacular, consumers are more willing to experiment with using glass concepts in their homes and offices. Hence, we believe that our efforts have definitely increased the demand for glass and it is a very good indication of the expected boom in the glass industry in India.
What is the per year consumption of architectural glass in India and how have you positioned yourself to meet the market expectation?Current glass market is of approximately 1.20 lakh tonnes per month and this primarily consists of clear, tinted, mirror, reflective and processed glass. Per capita glass consumption has increased significantly in India from 0.58 kg to 1.1 kg; however it is still much lower as compared to other developing countries and much lower than China, where it stands at around 15 kg.
India with 8 float plants is still way behind China which has approximately 196 float plants. This suggests that India has immense potential to increase capacity.The growth in the glass industry is characterised by the increase use of processed & reflective glass as the Indian customer has become more aware about the importance of glass in effectively addressing the concerns of safety and energy efficiency.
AIS has been and will continue to launch new products and solutions at regular intervals to cater to customers’ demand. AIS has also moved up the value chain by positioning itself as an end-to-end glass solutions provider which will enable customers to select the right product for their interiors as well as exteriors.
Today, glass has evolved as a more multi-functional, customisable and safe-home interiors product. Your commentsGlass is a smart and versatile product which offers endless possibilities in both exterior and interior applications. Over the years, architects and decorators have innovatively used this adaptable material for a variety of applications, from windows to façades, from skylights to partitions, balustrades and staircases to furniture in glass and many more innovative applications that make your surroundings look more spacious, beautiful and functionally efficient.
Glass can be patterned, frosted, painted, stained and customised as per the requirement to various levels of translucency for openness, privacy & design; thus transforming any space with colour, light and pattern. Along with beauty and colour, laminated and fully tempered glasses are 5-6 times stronger than ordinary glass. If a tempered glass is broken under extreme stress, the glass breaks into small circular fragments, causing minimal or no injury. Laminated glass pieces do not fall off even on breakage, thus enabling replacement while avoiding injury. This recyclable, reusable and non-toxic product also provides solar control and thermal insulation, therefore glass also helps conserve energy.
In recent times, new technologies and fabrication techniques have focused on energy issues to either keep heat in or deflect it out of conditioned spaces. Further, advances in coated glass in a variety of ways have produced truly high performance glass that takes energy control to a new level. All of this has direct and significant design implications for buildings today.
Glass is a safe and environment friendly product which can be customised according to the needs and requirements of the end customer. There are established codes (such as ECBC, Safety Norms, NBC etc.) in India for energy conservation, safety etc. which govern the safe and right use of glass from both the environment and human point of view.
Glass is also an important ingredient for modern buildings. Discuss about the role of glass in making a building ‘Green’.Glass being one the oldest building material known to man and with technological advancement now, stands as the greenest material in the market today. It controls light, it saves on energy costs, provides natural day lighting; and it harmonises the structure with its environment. Its transparency allows day lighting of the interiors and integrates the interiors with the exteriors. Research has also shown that buildings with high efficient glass can save overall building energy consumption up to 30-50 per cent per year. This means there is a huge potential in saving a building’s overall energy performance when high performance glass is adopted. All this can be summed up by saying that glass is one of the greenest materials available for construction today. It is energy efficient; it provides healthier spaces which no other construction material does. Since it is fully recyclable, it generates lesser waste and hence helps in conserving natural resources. All these attributes are very hard and almost impossible to be achieved through use of any single material except glass. Hence it is true for glass to be termed as a green building material.
AIS has a number of high performance glasses suitable for green building. A product with optimum light transmission, lower solar factor and optimum U value is considered as an energy efficient glass which helps a building to reduce its energy demand for lighting, cooling and/or heating load. AIS has a number of products like AIS Supersilver, Ecosense-the green standard in glass, which suit all requirements to be an energy efficient glass and we are continuously upgrading our product portfolio to provide more suitable products for green buildings. Under our latest offering in high performance glass, we have Ecosense Enhance, a solar control glass and Ecosense Exceed which is a solar control Low E glass.
Could you share your thoughts on how AIS has pioneered in offering innovative glass concepts/ designs and end-to-end service solutions to end customers? AIS has always focused on new product development to provide customers with a variety of options. In the last 3 years, we have introduced approximately 60 new products under 7 different product categories. Asahi India Glass is committed to providing its customers with best products and services; and to do that we believe in innovation as per customers’ demand and expectation.
We have recently launched a range of high performance glass under the brand name of Ecosense which gives customers varied choices to make a building ‘green’. Reason for launching this product is the increasing demand for high performance glass as a result of the green building movement and our commitment to providing glass for a sustainable future.
AIS has also forayed into windows under the brand name of AIS VUE which provide noise resistant, burglar resistant, energy efficient, and easy to install windows.
With its venture called Glasxperts, AIS has moved a step forward to provide the customers with not only wonderful concepts and innovations in glass but also to provide expert guidance, ensure smooth installation and customer care. The product portfolio of Glasxperts includes a plethora of concepts brought to life in glass.
Thus with a plethora of products and services, AIS is able to bring to the customers a whole range of solution.
AIS has conceptualised ‘Glasxperts’ (GX), what is this all about?AIS has conceptualised Glasxperts (GX) as a strategic business unit, in order to expand the glass value chain. Glasxperts is a full-service glass solutions brand that brings an integrated approach and specialised knowledge to glass selection and installation for homes, offices and commercial spaces. Our aim is to remove the common hassles faced during the glass buying and installation process.
There are a myriad of glass products with multiple functional and aesthetic benefits to choose from at Glasxperts. GX reduces the hassles of glass selection, enabling customers to pick the glass that provides the right blend of functionality and aesthetics.  No longer does creating and installing concepts in glass involve chasing down middle-men like contractors, fabricators and designers. GX is a one-stop solution designed to give customers complete, customised and innovative glass solutions. It offers a full spectrum of world-class, high-quality branded glass products, fittings and systems with assured safety and hassle-free services, including time bound deliveries.
Ensuring excellence in every step, customers are assisted by experts from start to finish. This is a process that starts right from buying the right glass to proper installation. The expert team at GX consists of trained staff that go through a rigorous 6 months technical & soft skill training which is organised by ‘Glasxperts’. The customers are assisted by our GX expert team from choosing the right glass which is then customised as per their needs.
The various facets of GX can be seen at its first of its kind experiential showroom at Vipul Agora mall in Gurgaon.
GX’s product portfolio includes a plethora of concepts brought to life in glass. These include shower cubicles and glass partitions that offer variable levels of privacy depending on the requirement. Our products that showcase the strength of glass that it can offer, includes glass railings, walkways, shelves, exterior glazing (with and without frames) to name a few. Apart from this, using skylights, spider glazing, designer glass and more, is a testament to the versatility of glass. Our constant endeavour is to ensure ease, efficiency and excellence, of both product and service. The showroom has innovative displays of numerous glass products that AIS manufactures, which will help various categories of end customers like interior designers and home makers to convert their interiors into masterpieces. Some of the unique products that AIS provides to customers through this experiential showroom are- AIS Décor (Lacquered Glass), AIS Krystal(Frosted Glass), AIS Stronglas (Tempered Glass), AIS Securityglas (Laminated safety glass), AIS Acousticglas (Laminated acoustic glass), Safety Mirror, Designer Glass, Smart Glass, Crackled Glass etc.

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