Welcome to the Glass Age

37 tempered vacuum glass, electrochromic glass, flameproof glass and other products will expand rapidly. China is now the largest car producer and consumer worldwide. In 2019, it manufactured almost 26 million vehicles, more than 40% of the global total. The operating mileage of high-speed railways is almost 35,000 km, 2/3 of the world’s total. Such developments offer new opportunities for glass. China is also the largest producer of Ultra Clear Photovoltaic flat glass, with 3 million tons in 2016, over 70% of global market share. Glass fibers Glass fibers exist in nature and are called Pele’s hair. They arise when strong winds catch a hot lava flow and create thin glass strands. Glass fibers have been made commercially by pulling thin strands singly from heated glass rods and indeed have been woven into cloth. But glass fiber made as multifiber bundles (rovings) is valuable in construction, particularly for reinforced plastics; the global market currently is approaching US$ 10 billion p.a. A key application is pipework for transmission of water and other strategic liquids; storage tanks and baths for water are also important. Such applications are particularly significant in the Middle East where atmospheric conditions are extreme, and soils often saline; both cause rapid corrosion of alternative materials. China again is a dominant player with a 30% market share; the Middle East has key manufacturers and the USA market for these products is expanding too. In 2019 China’s total glass fiber output was 5.27 million tons, up 13% year on year, with a product yield of 4.5 million tons. With increased globalization of glass fiber products, up to 20% of Chinese glass fiber and relevant products are being exported. In the future glass fiber products are expected to displace steel, aluminum, wood, PVC, and other traditional materials. Building, transportation and electronics industries offer enormous potential. According to the Trend Forecast and Opportunity Analysis of Global Glass Fiber Composite Market Report, the overall global glass fiber composite consumption will grow at 8.5% p.a., with the market size in 2022 expected to be up to 108 billion RMB. In the next 5 years five key fields —auto firmware, building decoration, safety protection, aerospace and liquid filtration— will take up 80% of glass fiber composites. The glass fiber market has many other sectors based on novel glasses (chemical resistance, elastic moduli) and different fiber formats. A vital market is wind turbine blades, a low carbon source of almost 20% of the world’s electrical energy; another is insulation