The most recent report from Research & Markets is that of the US glass & fibre optic manufacturing industry. This sector includes about 2,000 companies with combined annual revenue of $20BN & names such as: PPG Ind, O-I & Corning, with the 50 largest companies holding more than 80% of the market. Most companies are those manufacturing products from bulk glass bought from a limited number of primary glass manufacturers. Production of optical fibre from glass is included, while the use of that fibre to produce fibre optic cable is not.Demand comes mainly from the construction, auto, bottling & container industries, with profitability of individual companies depending on low-cost operations, since most products are commodities bought based on price. The industry is highly concentrated because large manufacturers have large efficiencies of scale in operations. However, small manufacturers can compete effectively by producing speciality products or serving a local market. Major products discussed in the survey are glass containers, flat glass, fibre glass & speciality products such as TV make up for more than 60% of industry revenue, containers about 20%, & flat glass about 15%.
