Philippe Bastien, Regional President, Building & Industrial Division of AGC Glass Europe, has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of Glass for Europe. “I am honoured to take on this role and I realise responsibilities that now fall upon me in these difficult times” he declared. “With the spread of Covid-19, the flat glass industry is reacting quickly to ensure the health of all its workers, while we must safeguard the integrity of our industrial operations.”

Separately, Jérôme Lionet, General Manager of Saint-Gobain Glass Industry has been elected Vice Chairman of the Glass for Europe Board.

Since joining AGC Glass Europe (formerly Glaverbel) in 1992, Philippe Bastien (pictured) has covered several managerial positions from financial control to general management, through to marketing, business development and R&D. AGC Glass Europe produces, processes and distributes flat glass for the building, automotive and numerous other sectors such as transport, solar power and high tech applications. It has over 100 sites throughout Europe (from Spain to Russia) and employs approximately 16,500 people.

Mr Bastien confirmed that for the weeks and months to come, Glass for Europe will engage with European authorities to create the conditions for a rebound in activity in the glass and glazing sector once the health crisis over. “It will require a massive macro-economic stimulus, which should be in line with Europe’s climate ambitions and the need to launch a building renovation wave.”

In January 2020, Glass for Europe released its 2050 vision on ‘Flat glass in Climate-Neutral Europe’. This comprehensive work, which offers a pathway for the sector to maximise contributions to climate neutrality, is highly topical. “An efficient post-crisis stimulus package will be required to support the flat glass sector and it must be climate-compatible: A massive renovation of ageing buildings with high efficiency glazing, support for clean mobility transition and increase in the share of solar energy” Philippe Bastien emphasised.

Commenting on the major health crisis linked to the Coronavirus pandemic, a separate Glass for Europe statement confirms that all companies active in the flat glass sector are diligently fighting the spread of Covid-19 by closing some installations, by putting in place home office and other social distancing measures in all their activities, wherever possible and by making available protective equipment to all their workers whose on-site presence is necessary.

“Health and safety are placed above all in the flat glass sector” Bertrand Cazes, Secretary General of Glass for Europe confirmed. “In these troubled times, the safety of people and security in industrial installations are essential. One must bear in mind that, since flat glass installations cannot be simply switched off from one day to another, measures have to be implemented to avoid adding critical hazards to today’s health crisis.”

As public authorities across Europe design or re-evaluate measures to halt the virus and preserve health conditions, Glass for Europe is calling for a careful consideration for the realities faced by continuous production process industries, like flat glass melting, to ensure both health and safety in their industrial sites, as well as early preparation for the next stages so as not to endanger the integrity of industrial facilities and value chains to preserve the ability to rebound once the health crisis over.

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