Saint-Gobain SEFPRO announces the creation of a Joint Venture with AFR in China to strengthen its position in the biggest and fastest growing glass market in the world.

Anhui Sino-Refractory Technology Co., Ltd. – also known as AFR – is a young company producing high performance fused cast refractories for the glass industry. It was founded in early 2016, and is located in Bengbu, in the Anhui province of China, close to major glass customers and strategic suppliers.

Fused cast refractories are essential building blocks for glass furnaces, able to resist to extreme conditions such as high temperatures, corrosive atmospheres and glass flow. Critical to the performance and lifetime of furnaces, they are key to support the glass industry in achieving carbon-neutrality.

Saint-Gobain SEFPRO is present in China since 1991 with a fused cast refractory plant in Beijing to serve flat, container, specialty and display glass markets. In 2005, a sintered refractory plant was start-up in Linyi – mainly dedicated to reinforcement fiber and specialty glass markets. Since 2005, both plants can rely on the R&D expertise of Saint-Gobain Research Shanghai (SGRS).

The joint venture with AFR is the next step for Saint-Gobain SEFPRO’s development in China. With this partnership, Saint-Gobain SEFPRO will be better positioned to support the growth of the Chinese glass industry and to provide high-performing solutions to Chinese customers.

WANG Peiming, Vice President of Saint-Gobain Ceramics China commented that the creation of this JV will optimize the products offering of Saint-Gobain Ceramic Materials, and further improve our service and customer value creation in the fast growing silicon based market. We are committed to providing green and efficient solutions for customers through high-performance materials. This is part of our purpose to Making The World A Better Home.