Saint-Gobain to make $80 million strategic investment in SAGE to revolutionize building industry with mass-produced, affordable dynamic glass technology

November 11, 2010

Alliance accelerates electrochromic glass leadership position; Funding will actualize world’s first large-scale electrochromic glass plant; SAGE to spearhead R&D and manufacturing for Saint-Gobain electrochromic products FARIBAULT, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest glass and construction material manufacturers, is making a strategic equity investment in SAGE Electrochromics to make electronically tintable “dynamic glass” an affordable, mass-market product, ushering in a new era of energy-saving buildings. The announcement takes place one year after Saint-Gobain launched its consolidated advanced glazing division and its QUANTUM GLASS™ brand. The strategic partnership with SAGE further solidifies Saint-Gobain’s technological leadership in the glazing marketplace, where imaginative eco-friendly materials are opening up new possibilities for architecture and design. The funding will enable construction of the world’s largest and most advanced electrochromic glass manufacturing facility, to be located in Faribault, Minn. The project began this month and will cost around $135 million, excluding working capital. The new plant will manufacture much larger sheets of glass that have been previously unavailable in the market, opening up 95 percent of all global building opportunities. The glass will be produced in high volumes and at an affordable price point.

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