The renovation and modernisation of Sisecam Group’s Manfredonia flat glass plant in southern Italy has been completed in record time. This €55 million project includes a furnace rebuild, where an advanced design has been installed, as well as the completion of five million m2/year coating and 3.5 million m2 lamination lines. A recent inauguration ceremony for the facility, which became operational two months earlier than planned, was attended by Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy and Murat Salim Esenli, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Italy, as well as local government representatives and employees.

Manfredonia is Sisecam’s second float project in Italy, the group having previously acquired the Porto Nogaro plant in the north of the country in 2016. Sisecam Group’s investments in Italy now exceed €150 million, its annual flat glass manufacturing capacity in the country having been increased to 410,000 tons.

“Şişecam Group is one of the largest Turkish investors in Italy” Sisecam Group Vice Chairman and CEO Professor Ahmet Kirman confirmed. “And Italy is a special country for Sisecam, with a population of more than 60 million, an economy reaching $2 trillion and a long-established industrial history. Our group operates in Italy with investments in chemicals, glassware and flat glass. Thanks to our operations in flat glass and exports from Italy, we aim to escalate the total sales revenues of our operations in Italy to €200 million in 2020 and to increase our contribution to the Italian economy” Professor Kirman added.

Thanks to its geographical location and annual production capacity of 190,000 tons, the Manfredonia plant is expected to provide strategic advantages in terms of Sisecam’s flat glass manufacturing operations in Europe. “With the Manfredonia plant, we have become the largest manufacturer in the architectural glass market in Italy and consolidated our leadership in Europe in flat glass production” Ahmet Kırman confirmed.

www.sisecam.com.tr