On 20 January, Japan's largest glassmaker, Asahi Glass Co. unveiled a super-tough, scratch resistant cover for gadgets which, it says, is six times stronger than conventional glass. Called 'Dragontrail' the product represents Asahi's intensified ambitions to enter the global market for smartphones & tablets, all devices that need a durable sheath to protect them during use. The product is already in some devices, but the company said it could not reveal details about customers or when it signed its first deal. Corning Inc. the manufacturer of 'Gorilla' glass, is the biggest player in this market at the moment. Gorilla is presently used by more than 20 major brands in more than 200M cell phones & mobile devices. Gorilla has been a huge success for Corning since it gained its first customer in 2008, and generated US$ 80M in revenue in 2009. The soaring demand could also lead sales to US$ 1BN this year as the glass begins to be used by high-end TVs. According to Asahi, Dragontrail matches the best products currently available & describes Dragontrail as a "superior substitute to conventional cover material," multiple times stronger than soda-lime glass commonly used in windows, resisting scratches with a "beautiful, pristine" finish. Asahi Glass hopes Dragontrail will generate global revenue of at least US$ 360M & about 30% market share in 2012.
