Nippon Sheet Glass is likely to register a 56% leap in pretax profit for the y/end March 2008, according to analysts who have ranked the firm 10th in terms of profit growth for fiscal 2007. The optimistic outlook comes from the purchase of Pilkington Plc & the inclusion of the UK glassmaker's EU operations in consolidated statements. In Eastern Europe & Russia, in particular, sales of architectural glass are robust, & tight demand means that flat glass prices are rising. In S America as well, Pilkington expects sales of architectural & automotive glass to remain solid. Nippon Sheet Glass is struggling in its domestic market because of difficulty passing materials & fuel costs on in prices. However, this is expected to be offset by healthy earnings at Pilkington, which has production facilities in regions with high growth, such as Europe & South America.
