HANGZHOU, China, March 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Owens Corning
(NYSE: OC), the leading global producer of glass fiber
reinforcements, today held the official opening ceremony of its new
production facility in the Yuhang Economic and Development Zone,
Hangzhou, China. Nearly 300
customers, suppliers, local government representatives and global
corporate leaders joined the celebration.
The plant significantly expands the company's capacity in
China and represents a major
milestone in the 73-year history of Owens Corning.
"Building a new facility in China is part of our global business strategy
to supply our customers locally in growing regions of the world,"
said Owens Corning Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Mike Thaman. "The new Yuhang plant
represents Owens Corning's commitment to serve our customers and
the fast-growing China
market."
Capacity from the new Yuhang plant, currently in its first phase
of operation, will augment output from an existing facility nearby,
and will supply rovings to the Asia
Pacific market which are currently being imported from
Europe and the Americas. The new
facility employs approximately 280 people and brings the number of
composite production sites in Asia
to eight.
The new plant is designed for world-class energy efficiency,
combining Owens Corning's patented Advantex® glass formulation
together with its advanced glass melting technology. A proven
product introduced to the global market in the late 1990's, Owens
Corning's proprietary Advantex® glass is both an E-glass and a
boron-free corrosion resistant E-CR glass and possesses superior
corrosion resistance in acidic, water and alkaline environments.
Advantex® glass also offers high mechanical properties, high
fatigue resistance and strength-to-weight ratio ideal for a wide
variety of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) applications such as wind
turbine blades, pipe and pressured vessels.
"We are very excited to bring our best-in-class technology here
to China," said Vice President and
Managing Director, Owens Corning China, Jean-Marc Sinkora. "This investment enables us
to serve our Asia Pacific
customers with local supply, allowing them to bring products to
market more quickly and more cost effectively."
About Owens Corning
Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) is a leading global producer of
residential and commercial building materials, glass-fiber
reinforcements and engineered materials for composite systems. A
Fortune® 500 Company for 57 consecutive years, Owens Corning is
committed to driving sustainability by delivering solutions,
transforming markets and enhancing lives. Founded in 1938, Owens
Corning is a market-leading innovator of glass-fiber technology
with sales of $5 billion in 2010 and
about 15,000 employees in 28 countries on five continents.
Additional information is available at www.owenscorning.com.
SOURCE Owens Corning