Tecnoglass has begun the production of soft coat glass in its Barranquilla, Colombia manufacturing complex, a product line that will join the architectural glass, windows and associated aluminum products that comprise the company’s product line.
“Our initial runs show that the soft coat product we are manufacturing far exceeds our already high quality expectations,” Tecnoglass Chief Financial Officer Christian Daes said. “This new coating line will initially run at approximately 15 percent capacity, primarily to satisfy our internal requirements, with full operations expected to commence in 2016. Once at full capacity, which could take several years, this new line is expected to generate $200 to $250 million of additional revenues each year. We also expect to realize significant first year savings from reduced waste, along with improving profitability.”
Manual Santos, president of Colombia, and Cecilia Álvarez-Correa Glen, minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, are slated to visit the Barranquilla manufacturing complex this Thursday, joining company officials and other honored guests to celebrate this operations milestone.
“We are honored to welcome President Santos and Minister Álvarez-Correa Glen to Barranquilla, and look forward to sharing with them this exciting new technology,” Tecnoglass CEO José M. Daes said. “Our new $40 million soft coat line will dramatically change the way that Tecnoglass serves our customers and addresses the growing, global architectural glass market. We remain committed to Colombia, and will continue to invest in our plant, processes and people to help drive growth, elevate client service and expand our global market presence.”
